Mark Lorenzo is an archaeology graduate with an M.A in Cultural heritage living in Valencia, Spain. Since he graduated he’s worked within archaeology, teaching and carpet moving.
Recently whenever he’s back in Tamworth, the town he grew up in and passed those formative years, he loves to explore the landscape’s stories within walking distance from his parents house. This blog is a result of a number of ingredients numbered below:
1. His inquisitive nature into overlooked histories and pasts. Tamworth and the surrounding area is a prime example of an area in the UK which is overlooked in many areas, one in which is it’s history. That makes it exciting!
2. His influences from post-procesual archaeology, pschycogeographers, and books such as William Heat-Moons wonderful Prairyerth
3. A very, very cheap form of tourism, all you need is a camera, internet connection and time which goes with the next reason
4. This summer he’s got time
5. No car, having no car means you are obliged to explore within walking distance and take a closer look at things nearby
6. Its LANDSCAPE VOYEURISM. It’s not more special than other areas, it’s just a way of looking at an area and hopefully shows that it can be just as interesting in it’s own way as a far-flung location
Please contact at mark497@gmail.com to start a conversation, queries, information…
Walking two or three hours will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see. A single farmhouse which I had not seen before is sometimes as good as the dominions of the king of Dahomey.
Paul Thoreau
Hi Mike,
Just stumbled across wonderful blog after googling some info on the Hopwas Woodhouse. I love these woods and regularly go walking up there.
Good luck trying to save the Woodhouse. I will also spread the word in any way I can.
I think your blog is fantastic and I love your ingredients (even though I don’t understand number 2). It’s inspired me to get my scribbled bits of paper about Lichfield back out! And I almost ruined my good boots looking for a medieval conduit head on the way back from the shops!
Thanks Kate for your kind words! All the best with getting your ´scribbled bits of paper back out on Lichfield´
Hi Mark, if you see this comment can you drop me an email? I’m working on a project based in and around Hopwas woods and I think it would be very important to get in touch. Couldn’t find your email address on the site.
Thanks,
Gwyddion
Hi there
I’ve just linked your blog to mine at http://www.q-trax.co.uk/blog/index.php.
I would be grateful if you would consider returning the compliment.
Cheers
Julian Ward-Davies
Thanks for that Julian, I’ll of course link your blog, be in touch soon.
Great to see your article on George Skey & Co. You may be interested to know we have recently started a project looking into the history of Belgrave and surrounding areas. I would love to know if you have anything more about this area and its rich industrial heritage. We have just launched our website at
http://historyofbelgrave.weebly.com/ and will be updating this soon with the information that keeps coming to us.
Stuart Etheridge
Based at Tamworth Community Fire station in Marlborough Way
A micropub is about to be opened in Tamworth on Lower Gungate, can we use the information of the blog for a mural on the wall inside the micropub, the details of the author will be given
Please go ahead and use the information on the blog, good luck with the micropub!
Hi
Not sure where to ask my question so sorry if its in the wrong place but id like some info on a place i stumbled across as a kid and its interested my ever since, its on haselour lane just off comberford road and take the first right and its the start of a green lane i think but as you turn into it if you look to the left you can see a 3ft high concrete structure with a metal cover, me and a mate opened it up and there was a set of ladders, so we went down and at the bottom directly behind was a toilet and to the left was a room with what looked like old war signal box things on the wall and a old desk with loads of paper work and one big envolope which said “majesty of the queen ” however you say it ha but ye ever since i seen the place its interested me and would like to know what it was used for and why was it there and who used it.
If anyone has any info please let me know.
thanks.
I am reliably informed that it is a military Bunker which certainly dates back to at least the 1960s and is for 17 people with rations for 2 weeeks for Tamworth, Burton and Lichfield Local Government Officers in case of war…..I suspect it was a “cold war” nuclear bunker.
I am currently involved in a local history project for the Belgrave area of Tamworth. We have a website (URL below) which I hope to update later this month. A Booklet and DVD is currently being produced which will be launched and available free of charge soon.
Kind regards
Stuart
Dear Colleague – Google the now declassified European Theatre Board of Review Options Volume 4 pages 235 et.seq- theres a fascinating trial by General Cout Martial of a US Army PTe stationed at the 10th Replacement Depot Lichfield Barracks assaulting the Commander James Alfonso Killian (on the evening of 8th Jan 1944 qt approx 10pm outside the Horse and Jockey just outside Lichfield on the A51