Category Archives: Aston, Aston-cum-Aughton

Eliza Allen 1882-Deceased: Baptism

Published: October 14, 2017    Last modified: February 21, 2024

Ziller Jacklin (née Ziller Allen 1858-1949)

Mother of Eliza Allen 1882-Deceased"][/caption]

After several years and a great deal of research, I may have solved my 'Elizabeth Allen' conundrum.

Just to recap, Elizabeth ALLEN 1882-Deceased appears in the England and Wales Census 1891 as a niece to Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Zillah JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949). I have always been intrigued by this niece but even with much research I had never been able to establish her place in the family tree:

FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
JacklinDanHeadMarriedM28Coal MinerWhaddon, Cambridgeshire,
JacklinZillerWifeMarriedF32Gringley, Lincolnshire
AllenElizabethNieceSF9Gringley, Lincolnshire
Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

To view my earlier posts regarding Elizabeth ALLEN please click here and here.

Recently, while researching Zillah LITTLEWOOD (Zillah FENTON abt. 1807-1862), I was using FreeReg and searching the Nottinghamshire registers for various spellings of the forename 'Zillah'. At some point I must have decided to search for 'Zillah Allen', my great grandmother. Luckily I happened to have checked the 'Family members', 'Witnesses' and 'Soundtex' boxes and this returned two results:

Name: Eliza ALLEN
Event: Baptism
Date: 04 Mar 1882
Place: Nottinghamshire, Clarborough
Church: St Saviour
Type: Parish Register

and

Name: Sarah ALLEN and Issac BUTROID
Event: Marriage
Date: 28 Oct 1884
Place: Nottinghamshire, Clarborough
Church: St Saviour
Type: Parish Register

I was already aware, thanks to KG, of Sarah ALLEN 1862-1943 and Issac BUTROID 1862-1943's marriage, (Zilla ALLEN was a witness to the marriage of her sister Sarah, hence its inclusion in these results), but I was very surprised, when on expanding these search results, I saw that Eliza ALLEN's mother was Zilla ALLEN and Eliza's place of birth, Little Gringley. The record gives Eliza's date of birth as 14th February 1882.

So it transpires prior to Zilla ALLEN's marriage to Daniel JACKLIN and the birth of their son and my grandfather Wilfred JACKLIN 1896-1967, Ziller ALLEN had two daughters by fathers' unknown:

Georgiana ALLEN 1878-1965
Eliza ALLEN 1882-Deceased

In order to confirm this baptism record I can now try to obtain a birth certificate for Eliza ALLEN.

For quite some time I had not used FreeReg, since areas of the country I am interested in were not well covered. So I was very pleased to find that FreeReg is a very useful tool when searching the Nottinghamshire registers.

Notes:
Issac BUTROID is also known as Jesse BUTROID

Charles Henry Ward and Georgiana Ward (née Georgiana Allen): England and Wales Census 1901

Published: February 20, 2017    Last modified: February 22, 2017

If my previous post illustrating the vagaries of searching for ancestors proved none too difficult eventually, this next search seemed to take forever.

With reference to this article regarding my great grandmother Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) and her daughter Georgiana ALLEN 1879-1965, I was curious to know more about Georgiana's family.

BW had provided me with a few clues:

1) Georgiana's husband was one Charles Henry WARD.
2) Georgiana was born at the Union Workhouse, Clarborough (East Retford, Nottinghamshire).
3) In 1896 they were married at the Church of All Saints, Aston-cum-Aughton, Rotherham.
4) Georgiana later used the name Georgina, but the name Eanor on her marriage certificate.
5) The marriage produced 8 children.
6) Hilda WARD was their eldest daughter.

Since they were married 'twixt the 1891 and 1901 England and Wales censuses, I thought it would be none too difficult to find a 1901 census record of this family. How wrong can one be.

'Ward' and 'Allen' are commonly occurring surnames, though Georgiana as a forename is not so commonly occurring. After some fairly simple searches I was not getting too far, so I changed tactic and in the hope of one of them having an unusual forename, I tried to find more of the children. A search of FreeBMD, where after September 1912, the mother's surname is also given, showed quite a few children for 'Ward' + 'Allen', but I could not be certain that they were for this couple.

The main problem was not knowing their place of residence. They had been married at the Church of All Saints, Aston-cum-Aughton, and since Georgiana's mother Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) and several of her aunts and uncles lived at nearby Swallownest and their residence at the time of marriage was given as Swallownest, I had to assume they would be resident nearby.

Several hours of searching later I was about to give up, when I decided that they may have moved away from the area. So I decided to gradually broaden my search and changed residence to 'Basford' north Nottinghamshire, an area nearby, but classed then as Nottinghamshire.

While trawling through many, many 'Ward's, I eventually spotted 'Hilda Ward' and the main cause of my difficulties: Charles Henry's name had been abbreviated to 'Chas Hy Ward' ('fuzzy' search was not detecting this) and Georgiana is recorded as 'GE Ward'. Their residence is given as Kiveton, a village about 3 miles east of Swallownest, though in 1901 Kiveton came under the registration district of Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

So another mystery solved, eventually.

FHJ Ref: 079
Census: England and Wales Census 1901
Place: Kiveton, Yorkshire, England
Household: Charles Henry WARD

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
WardChas Hy *HeadMarriedMale25Maltster LabourerOmpton, Nottinghamshire
WardGE *WifeMarriedFemale25Retford, Nottinghamshire
WardEdgarSonMale5Swallownest, Yorkshire
WardHildaDaughterFemale4Kiveton, Yorkshire
WardGladysDaughterFemale2Kiveton, Yorkshire
WardJohnBoarderMale28Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Note: Chas Hy: Charles Henry    GE: Georgiana, Georgina or Georgeina

To view this table full width please click here.

Georgiana Ward (née Georgiana Allen 1879-1965)

Published: March 14, 2015    Last modified: February 21, 2024

Ziller Jacklin (née Ziller Allen 1858-1949)

This information has taken me quite some time to document and publish but at the time it came as quite a surprise:

Through the "Suggest a change" form at Family History Journal I received the following email:

Proposed Change: Ziller ALLEN (I22)
Tree: Jacklin / Ashforth
Link: Ziller ALLEN
Description: Zillah was mother of Georgina 06/03/1879-1965 father not registered. Georgina(eanor) married Charles Henry Ward 1896 Aston parish church Sheffield. Zillah is my G.G.Grandmother.

Basically this email informed me that my grandfather Wilfred Jacklin 1896-1967 had a step sister by the name of Georgina (Georgiana). I immediately phoned my aunt, the daughter of Wilfred Jacklin 1896-1967 and Ivy JACKLIN (née Ivy DIXON) 1901-1983 and asked if she was aware of this step sister; no she wasn't.

So this opened up a whole new avenue to explore.

I replied to BW and he provided me with a synopsis of Georgiana's family history:
Georgiana known to the family as Georgina married Charles Henry Ward at Aston Parish Church¹ and had 8 children. The eldest daughter had 5 children including the mother of BW.

I sent for Georgiana's birth certificate because Fanny Allen² would have been in her 50s when she was born. I have enclosed copies of birth and marriage
certificates. The name on the marriage certificate is Eanor which is a mystery to the family.

¹ Aston Parish Church is the Church of All Saints, Aston-cum-Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire.

² Fanny ALLEN (née Fanny LITTLEWOOD) 1832-1915, the mother of Ziller (Zillah, Zellaby) ALLEN 1858-1949

In the census record shown below, Georgina, or Georgiana ALLEN 1879-1965 is shown to be 2 years old and a grandaughter of John ALLEN 1831-Deceased, though at this time Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949 is living and working at East Drayton, Nottinghamshire, in the the household of George SMITHSON 1830-Deceased.

FHJ Ref: 008
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: Little Gringley, Retford, Nottinghamshire
Household: John Allen

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S) RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
AllenJohnHeadMarriedMale50Agricultural LabourerLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenFannyWifeMarriedFemale49East Retford, Nottinghamshire
AllenElizabethDaurUFemale20General Servant DomesticLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenDavidSonUMale14Agricultural LabourerLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenJohnSonUMale12ScholarLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenSallyDaurUFemale10ScholarLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenTomSonUMale7ScholarLittle Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenHarrietDaurUFemale4Little Gringley, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenJaneG DaurUFemale5Workhouse, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire
AllenGeorgianaG DaurUFemale2Workhouse, Clarborough, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

In the census record shown below Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949 is living in the household of George SMITHSON 1830-Deceased. I must admit, it had never crossed my mind to link Georgiana to Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949 as a daughter.

FHJ Ref: 002
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: 4 North Street, East Drayton, Nottingham, England
Household: George Smithson

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
SmithsonGeorgeHeadMMale51Agricultural LabourerHeadon, Nottinghamshire
SmithsonJaneWifeMFemale28Retford, Nottinghamshire
AllenJohn HStep SonMale9ScholarLambeth, Surrey
AllenJaneStep DaughterFemale7ScholarRetford, Nottinghamshire
SmithsonElizabethDaughterFemale2East Drayton, Nottinghamshire
AllenZillahSister In LawUFemale22Dom Serv Unemployed (Farm)Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

Of course this still leaves me with the mystery of Elizabeth ALLEN, as shown by the census record below, living in the household of Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN) 1858-1949. To view an earlier article regarding Elizabeth ALLEN please click here.

FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
JacklinDanHeadMarriedM28Coal MinerWhaddon, Cambridgeshire,
JacklinZillerWifeMarriedF32Gringley, Lincolnshire
AllenElizabethNieceSF9Gringley, Lincolnshire
Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

Elizabeth Allen or Elizabeth Smithson?

Published: September 29, 2008    Last modified: October 18, 2017

While checking this earlier article, one of the earliest articles on this website, the name Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased caught my eye.

This is my transcription of the England and Wales Census 1881:

FHJ Ref: 002
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: 4 North Street, East Drayton, Nottingham, England
Household: George Smithson

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
SmithsonGeorgeHeadMMale51Agricultural LabourerHeadon, Nottinghamshire
SmithsonJaneWifeMFemale28Retford, Nottinghamshire
AllenJohn HStep SonMale9ScholarLambeth, Surrey
AllenJaneStep DaughterFemale7ScholarRetford, Nottinghamshire
SmithsonElizabethDaughterFemale2East Drayton, Nottinghamshire
AllenZillahSister In LawUFemale22Dom Serv Unemployed (Farm)Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

These records suggest Jane SMITHSON (née Jane ALLEN 1853-1892) had 2 children, either from a previous marriage or 'out of wedlock'.

I suddenly realised that Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased, Jane's daughter presumably from her marriage to George SMITHSON 1830-Deceased, could be the elusive Elizabeth 'Betty' ALLEN.

A search of FreeBMD reveals a death, registered at Retford in March 1892 of one Jane SMITHSON aged 40 years. Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased would now be about 12 years of age.

The England and Wales Census 1891 records the following:

FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
JacklinDanHeadMarriedM28Coal MinerWhaddon, Cambridgeshire,
JacklinZillerWifeMarriedF32Gringley, Lincolnshire
AllenElizabethNieceSF9Gringley, Lincolnshire
Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

I conjecture Jane had fallen ill and was unable to care for Elizabeth her youngest child and Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) agreed to 'adopt' her.

A quick search of the England and Wales Census 1901 reveals an Elizabeth SMITHSON aged 22 years living at East Drayton.

Another search of FreeBMD this time for a marriage for Elizabeth SMITHSON reveals several, but the only one in an anticipated locality is registered in December 1909 at Rotherham, Yorkshire. The husbands name could either be Thomas DAVIS or Fred KEIGHLEY.

At this time Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) were probably still living at Swallownest so it could well be Elizabeth SMITHSON 1879-Deceased married at the Church of All Saints at Aston-cum-Aughton which of course is in the registration district of Rotherham.

This is all conjecture and supposition at the moment and the dates, though not exactly what I would expect, are close enough to warrant further research. Since I am unlikely to glean much more from FreeBMD or the England and Wales Census, I will invest in the purchase of the marriage certificate and hope that I can prove my theory.

Updates:
2017-10-18 Recently I located a baptism for one Eliza ALLEN. To read about this development please click here.

Aston-cum-Aughton and Treeton: Coal Miners

Published: April 21, 2008    Last modified: May 22, 2022

The England and Wales Census 1891 records 3 of the Allen sisters:

Sarah BUTROID (née Sarah ALLEN 1862-1943)
Hannah CUTTS (née Hannah ALLEN 1856-Deceased)
Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) my great grandmother,

All originally from Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire and all now married and living at Aston-cum-Aughton and nearby Treeton. Their respective husbands are all recorded as coal miners.

I am intrigued as to how the sisters found their way to this area. I conjecture Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) were forced to escape the poverty of living off the land at Little Gringley and seek a slightly more prosperous existence in the employment of the mine owners of the South Yorkshire coalfield. Likewise did the other sisters follow? Did they meet their husbands through the mining community or were they already married?

Daniel had left his home county of Cambridgeshire, presumably to seek work as a navvy on the railways or canals, both of which pass through Retford, Nottinghamshire and very close to Little Gringley.

I really need to study the relevant census information together with marriage certificates and maybe I can better ascertain when they made the transition from agricultural labourer to coal miner.

FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
JacklinDanHeadMarriedM28Coal MinerWhaddon, Cambridgeshire,
JacklinZillerWifeMarriedF32Gringley, Lincolnshire
AllenElizabethNieceSF9Gringley, Lincolnshire
Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

FHJ Ref: 011
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: 19 Mill Lane, Treeton, Rotherham, Yorkshire, England
Household: Frederick Cutts

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
CuttsFrederickHeadMarriedMale36Coal MinerMorthen, Yorkshire
CuttsHannahWifeMarriedFemale37Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire
CuttsElizaDaughterFemale10ScholarTreeton, Yorkshire
CuttsLilyDaughterFemale3Treeton, Yorkshire

To view this table full width please click here.

FHJ Ref: 024
Census: England and Wales Census 1901
Place: Treeton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Frederick Cutts

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
CuttsFrederickHeadMarriedMale47Colliery LabourerMorehen, Yorkshire *
CuttsHannahWifeMarriedFemale47Gringley, Nottinghamshire
CuttsLettyDaughterSingleFemale13Treeton, Yorkshire
CuttsErnestSonSingleMale8Treeton, Yorkshire
Note: Morehen, Yorkshire is more likely Morthen, Yorkshire

* Most likely this should be Morthen

To view this table full width please click here.

Elizabeth 'Betty' Allen: Intrigue

Published: April 18, 2008    Last modified: February 2, 2017

[PiwigoPress id=1007 lnktype='albumpicture' opntype='_self' size='me' url='https://familyhistoryjournal.com/gallery']

Church of All Saints, Aston with Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire

Recently I was discussing with my mother the news regarding Harriet BARLOW (née Harriet ALLEN 1877-1958) and Mary BACON (née Mary ALLEN 1871-1951). We were chatting about Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) and if they ever had visits from other members of the family (Daniel and Ziller moved from Bradley Yard, Swallownest, Yorkshire and lived the rest of their lives at Langley Street, Darnall, Sheffield, Yorkshire). My mother happened to mention that they brought up a young girl known by the name of Betty, and Betty would occasionally visit. Immediately I recalled the census record shown below which records Elizabeth aged 9 and described as a niece; undoubtedly this is Betty.

The England and Wales Census 1891 records the following:

FHJ Ref: 007
Census: England and Wales Census 1891
Place: Bradley Yard, Aston With Aughton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Daniel Jacklin

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
JacklinDanHeadMarriedM28Coal MinerWhaddon, Cambridgeshire,
JacklinZillerWifeMarriedF32Gringley, Lincolnshire
AllenElizabethNieceSF9Gringley, Lincolnshire
Note: Gringley, Lincolnshire ought to be Little Gringley, Nottinghamshire

To view this table full width please click here.

My mother went on to say how in November 1949, Betty attended Ziller's funeral, but my mother could not remember any details regarding her family background.

Was Elizabeth really a niece or maybe a child from another relationship? The mystery and intrigue continues.

Updates:
2008-09-22 This weekend I spoke with my aunt and she understands that after Betty's father died Betty was 'adopted' by Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949). Apparently her mother was already dead. On getting married Betty moved to Bury, Lancashire.

Frederick Thomas Cutts abt. 1885-Deceased and Hannah Allen abt. 1856-Deceased

Published: December 13, 2005    Last modified: May 22, 2022

Earlier this year I wrote about coming upon Hannah CUTTS (née Hannah ALLEN abt. 1856-Deceased) and Frederick CUTTS abt.1885-Deceased living at Treeton, Rotherham, Yorkshire. To read this article please click here.

My great grandparents Daniel JACKLIN 1862-1953 and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN 1858-1949) lived close by at Aston-cum-Aughton. I presume all had relocated to this area to take up employment with local coal mining companies.

A few searches of the England and Wales Census 1901 show the family still living in this mining community. My transcription from the Census is as follows:

FHJ Ref: 024
Census: England and Wales Census 1901
Place: Treeton, Rotherham, Yorkshire
Household: Frederick Cutts

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
CuttsFrederickHeadMarriedMale47Colliery LabourerMorehen, Yorkshire *
CuttsHannahWifeMarriedFemale47Gringley, Nottinghamshire
CuttsLettyDaughterSingleFemale13Treeton, Yorkshire
CuttsErnestSonSingleMale8Treeton, Yorkshire
Note: Morehen, Yorkshire is more likely Morthen, Yorkshire

* Most likely this should be Morthen

To view this table full width please click here.

A major criticism of the 1901 Census is the poor quality of transcription: I must agree.

Notes:
Lily is no longer listed though an additional son Ernest is now shown. Is Elizabeth now 'Letty'? If so her age does not equate with that recorded in the England & Wales Census 1891. Curious.

North Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire Coal Fields

Published: November 12, 2005    Last modified: May 22, 2022

Terry Blythe's Web Page dedicated to the history of the North Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Coal Fields seems to have disappeared but another site well worth visiting in order to gain insight into the coal mining industry can be found here: Yorkshire / North Midlands Coal Mining story.

Jesse Butroid and Sarah Allen

Published: June 1, 2005    Last modified: February 17, 2017

A few weeks ago I made this link between Sarah ALLEN and Jesse BUTROID. Browsing the England and Wales Census 1891 I found them living close to Daniel JACKLIN and Ziller JACKLIN (née Ziller ALLEN), my great grandparents, at Aston-cum-Aughton. Searches for Jesse BUTROID and Jesse BUTROYD were inconclusive so I moved on to other research. What a pleasant surprise when a couple of days ago I was emailed by a descendant of Jesse BUTROID and Sarah BUTROID (née Sarah ALLEN). The descendant found my Family Tree page and some notes I had saved while searching for Jesse BUTROID. He very kindly provided some of the missing details. I am now able to confirm Sarah ALLEN did indeed marry Jesse BUTROID and can now update my GEDCOM and Family History pages. I have also been able to corroborate the dates of various events sorrounding the ALLEN and BUTROID families. Some days are much better than others and some days the world gets smaller!

Sheffield: Handsworth and Darnall

Published: June 1, 2005    Last modified: February 4, 2017
Beighton Street, Darnall, Sheffield, Yorkshire 2005

2005/06/05 - Beighton Street, Darnall, Sheffield, Yorkshire

Following on from my detour through Aston-cum-Aughton I decided I may as well complete the trip down memory lane and follow the road towards Handsworth, Sheffield. The road from Swallownest through Fence (I don't remember a sign announcing 'Fence' when I travelled this road as a teenager) and Woodhouse Mill and up towards Handsworth has not changed a great deal, a few more crude housing developments far more parked cars and a far busier road. I of course can remember the trams running to Handsworth terminus and once at the terminus passengers having to tilt the back rests in the opposite direction ready for the return journey.

As we travelled through Handsworth a depressingly familiar inner city environment enveloped us: the result of inept planning, lack of vision and sheer neglect. As we proceeded towards Darnall the neglect became even more apparent.

Circa 1980 my grandmother Ivy JACKLIN (née Ivy DIXON) 1901-1983 was forced to relocate to a local authority flat on an awful development amongst the myriad of awful developments that is 'new' Handsworth. This was brought about when the local authority decided to demolish the terraced houses on Beighton Street and Langley Street. No doubt the local authority had 'grand designs' for the area but I recall that after the houses were finally demolished, the cobbled streets were gradually reclaimed by escaped vegetation, as saplings fought for the open skies. But my most lasting memory is that of the street lights: many years after the houses were torn down the street lights, for whatever reason had avoided demolition and were somewhat eerily still providing light. One can only assume the authorities were obliged to light up the way in order that the ghosts of Beighton Street and Langley Street should have safe passage across the newly created wastelands of Darnall.

It is now 2005 and the area is still to be redeveloped. The loss of community is so overwhelming, I could not muster enough enthusiasm to photograph the dereliction. Maybe next time. As we drove on it became apparent the only real change was the road junction at Darnall; it is wider, grander, more pervasive, but most of all, as congested as ever. The planners have an awful lot to answer for.

Updates:
2015-03-24 Google Earth is still showing Beighton Street and Langley Street as a 'wasteland' though descending to Google Street View it becomes apparent that part of the area has finally been redeveloped. What was Beighton Street is now the location for the 'Darnall Primary Care Centre'.

Darnall Primary Care Centre opened on 26th November 2012 to replace the previous outdated health centre and provides a range of medical services, including GP and nursing services, minor surgical procedures, community therapies and a pharmacy. It also provides accommodation for Darnall Wellbeing and acts as a hub for the local community.

So almost 32 years after my grandmother was forced to relocate, part of the site has finally been redeveloped. How happy she would have been to have spent the last few years of life in her small terraced house on Beighton Street, in the community she knew, rather than on the bleak and forlorn development at Handsworth.