Dark Lane the Forgotten Village

[Dragoness]

No delay tbh

I am going to have to make a few random posts until I am authorised to PM you with the information for contacting Melville and Dennis.

Have you contacted the Wellington News, they have information on them and could have got a message to them for you?

[robP]

Hi

if you want to up your posts we could just have a random chat to get you through the amount you need.

So, without giving too much away of course, do you know Melville and Dennis?

I don't know if you have read through previous posts on this thread, but someone did actually put me on to a Shirley Tart who works for Shropshire Magazine, I tried to contact her through the magazine to talk to her but unfortunately she never got back to me.

I must admit that I have not tried the Wellington News at all.  Not coming from Shropshire myself as much as i would love to get over and do some research work and family commitments prevent me from doing so at the moment.

I originally come from Wolverhampton but now live in Lincolnshire having settled here after years of service in the RAF.

Rob 

[Dragoness]

I know of the couple through caravanning.

It was such a coincidence because I was chatting with them about an upcoming rally and Melville was saying about how Telford had changed and we got onto talking about Dark Lane and the book.

After the call (they weren't too happy about some editorial changes made by printers) I decided I would do a little bit of research having been in the printing business up until just recently and amongst the search results for "Dark Lane" was this Forum; Ta Daaaa and here we are!

I had seen the comments about Shirley Tart, but as she is tied in with the Shropshire Star (which does have some good links to the video) and not with the actual printers I thought I might mention the Wellington News, who still hold copies of the book for sale (with a bit of a markup!)

Hopefully not too long now and I can get you some contact details Te He 

[robP]

Hi again,

I can't remember if I have said or not, but I have already got a copy of Dennis' book, I think I might have one of the earlier copies before someone on this thread said that it was back in print. 

I actually got my copy through amazon would you believe and it is a very interesting read.  Especially seeing some of the older photo's that are there of some of the Poole's. One of which could be the spitting image of my dad in his younger days.

The name Dark Lane gives the impression of a very imposing place, but I should imagine that it was a very close knit community.

Have you actually seen or read the book yourself?

[Dragoness]

Hi Rob

Yes, you had mentioned you had the book off Amazon, Melville was very interested to hear that 

I haven't personally seen the book, only the YouTube clips and snippets of the book.

Yes I believe it was a very close knit community and a lot of dismay remains of the way in which the old Telford Development Corporation handled the situation, funnily enough there is a small mutiny taking part in the same area now as the Town Centre is being "REJUVENATED"  and the Town Park is under threat of development, but that is a different battle LOL.

I will now PM you 

[rachel22]

Hi
regarding the book - Dark Lane the forgotten village, I decided to get a copy as my mothers mothers family come from there. 

If anyone is interested Amazon no longer stock the book but the Wellington News do, £11.99 + £2 postage if you can't call in person like me.  I emailed the editor, which is on the newspaper website and got a quick reply.  Looking forward to reading the book and seeing the pictures. 

I have always wanted to find out more about this area.  My branch of the family were Baughs, but they moved to Lancashire in the late 1800s to find work in the Wigan and then St Helens coal mines.  Dark Lane sounded like a rather dark brooding place overshadowed by pit buildings and black with coal dust, but it looks rather more rural than that, the coal dust bit may well be true of course!   Its hard to say what it looked like in the Victorian times of course when the pit buildings were still standing.

[Bluestreak]

Hi Everyone,
I was the one who put the video's of Dark Lane onto YouTube. My mother was born in the village and lived in the top row, her Maiden name was Wilson.
My mums 2 brothers lived in the village all of the time and one had the Post Office up until the village was demolished. The films on YouTube were taken by both my parents and by Dennis Rogers, Dennis and Melville are my cousins. Sadly Dennis passed away on the 26th June 2011.
Toby Neal of the Shropshire Star did an article on the YouTube video's which was in the paper on Friday April 16th 2010 he also did a feature on the village which again was in the paper on January 1st 2003.

[Angjim]

Re Dark Lane, I am researching the Preen family and there is a Dark Lane in Stourport on Severn and my ancestors owned a Tannery down there. Just out of interest there is no mention of either a Tannery or the Preen family in the book you mention is there? Many thanks Angjim

[Bluestreak]

The Dark Lane video on YouTube is the village where Telford Shropshire now sits.
The village was demolished to make way for the new town of Telford.