Park Street, Walsall

We went to see the latest (and last?) instalment of the Mission Impossible film series today. The longest film in the series, it required all of our concentration to follow the story line. Whereas in previous films there were lighter, comedic moments, this was deadly serious throughout. It still had spectacular high-octane stunts but we both came out with a sense of anti-climax.

We’d visited the cinema just outside Walsall town centre so propped in afterwards. This infographic is at Townend Square at the top of Park Street, the main pedestrianised shopping area. We’ve both worked in the town at one time or another, for me in the early 1980s. How the shopping experience has changed, with no M&S, BHS, Woolworths, Debenhams etc. It was still pleasing to see a good number of shoppers.

Of the infographics, there was one saying that Walsall was the town of 100 trades and that at its height there were 40 saddlers in the town. It was/is famous for its leather work and there are still a good number of saddleries around even now. They even have a training facility to make sure the skills are not lost.