West Midlands history and regeneration updates

WOLVERHAMPTON: £7m pub heritage centre plans get the green light

Plans to transform a Wolverhampton pub into a museum for Wetherspoon’s have been approved by City of Wolverhampton Council. The Moon Under Water in Lichfield Street will undergo a £7m revamp into Wetherspoon’s national Heritage Centre.

COVENTRY: War Memorial Park to celebrate 100th

The Friends of War Memorial Park in Coventry are planning a year-long celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the park.

Organisers are aiming to involve as many people as possible in celebrating the milestone, with a year-long programme of events, starting in summer 2021.

War Memorial Park in Coventry

MIDLANDS: Add some colour with #BlossomWatch

The National Trust has launched #BlossomWatch through its social media accounts, saying ‘during these uncertain times, we want to bring blossom to where you are in the hope that it will lift your spirits. Use #BlossomWatch to share joy and photos with others who can’t see blossom for themselves right now.’

COVENTRY: Favourite 50 from the city’s archives

Why not spend some lockdown time exploring the online catalogue of Coventry Archives, Coventry Transport Museum and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum? The city’s curators have compiled their 50 favourite objects. http://coventrycollections.org/ collection_highlights.aspx

BLACK COUNTRY: Museum project to turn back time to 1940s-1960s

The Black Country Living Museum is creating a new historic 1940s-1960s development, new learning spaces and a brand new visitor centre, taking the region’s story up to the closure of the Baggeridge Coal Mine in 1968.

The £23m project will engage and inspire visitors of all ages to learn about the Black Country’s heritage and its impact on the world.

BIRMINGHAM: Full steam ahead for Belmont Works

Birmingham City Council planning department has given the green light to proposals to transform the 120-year-old Belmont Works cycle factory on Cardigan Street into a £60m innovation centre as part of Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse initiative.

The Belmont Works plans

COVENTRY: Mosaic pub sign found in city centre

Builders working on a Coventry city centre construction project stumbled across a part of the city’s history when they unearthed a tiled sign for the White Lion pub, which once stood in the Precinct.

It is thought to have been left there since the pub was demolished in the 1950s. The city council is now looking at ways of preserving the sign.

The White Lion pub sign discovered in Coventry city centre

SOLIHULL: Motorcyle Museum profiles ‘Mooneyes’

The National Motorcycle Museum has a new display in Hall 2 of the museum, which will be available to see until the end of 2020.

This new feature is dedicated to John ‘Mooneyes’ Cooper and includes, not only his famous ‘Ago beating’ F750 BSA, but also a live interview conducted with Cooper.

The National Motorcycle Museum’s 'Mooneyes’ exhibit

All images courtesy the featured venues