JULY 2023 ISSUE 542 +BH B12 & KH B14 PLAN BEE Save the B13 Bees Walking & talking An interview with Ben Waddington BIRMINGHAM tornado Remembering the 2005 Moseley tornado PIONEERING businesswoman Celebrating the achievements of Moseley’s late Daisy Murcott events Don’t miss AT MOSELEY COMMUNITY FESTIVAL MOSELEY B13 magazine £2
EDITOR Mark Baxter ([email protected]) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ellie Mellor ([email protected]) THE TEAM Ian Cook, David Isgrove, Stephanie Silk, Maria Arroja Ferreira, Tipton, Martin Jeffers, Jobe Baker-Sullivan, Izzy Knowles, Jenny Gwynne, Craig Pullen CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Dakin, Moseley Society History Group, Jerome Leavey BUSINESS MANAGER Martin Jeffers SOCIAL MEDIA Maria Arroja Ferreira TREASURER Leanne Holloway ([email protected]) PROOFREADER Pam Rutter DISTRIBUTION Izzy Knowles, Martin Jeffers BOARD David Isgrove (Chair), Stephanie Silk (Editorial) MAIL Moseley Publishing House Ltd/Moseley B13 Magazine, ℅ Moseley Exchange, 149 - 153 Alcester Road, Moseley, B13 8JP ONLINE facebook.com/ MoseleyB13Magazine twitter.com/MoseleyB13Mag instagram.com/moseleyb13mag LEGAL STUFF Moseley Publishing House Ltd is a non-profit voluntary run company based in England and Wales. Company No. 07786560. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced without express permission. All material is believed to be correct at the time of going to print 2 | EDITOR’S LETTER Moseley, are you feeling the festival fever yet? Not only do we have the Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival flooding Moseley Park with its sunny grooves in early July, we also have the return of the Moseley Community Festival. You can read all about this year’s line-up on pages 16 - 17. Our cover stars Trafalgar Road Plan Bee explain how they have transformed the road into a hive of activity and created a real environmental buzz (12 -13). If you wish to complain about the amount of bee-based puns in this paragraph (you should have seen it before the edit) then you’ll find the email at the top of the credits. You’ll find the next part of our year long series Moseley B13 at 50, this time with a continuation of the noughties and how the magazine reported on the devastation brought to the area by The Birmingham Tornado (14). There’s an interview with Ben Waddington, the director of Still Walking festival, and a review of his new book 111 Places in Birmingham That You Shouldn’t Miss (22 - 25). Moseley Society History Group remembers the life of pioneer businesswoman, animal welfare champion and Moseleyite Daisy Murcott (26 - 28). Enjoy the summer sun and festival fun. EDITOR’S letter Mark
OUTLETS Moseley Farmers’ Market (Moseley Village Green) A & R News (320 Yardley Wood Road) Drinksville (23 Woodbridge Road) Greenhill Garage (89-91 Billesley Lane) Indigo Foods (50-52 St Mary’s Row) Maison Mayci (148 Alcester Road) Moseley Post Office (149 Alcester Road) Newslink (3 Alcester Road) One Stop (117 Alcester Road) Oxfam Books and Music (101 Alcester Road) Palmyra (13 St Mary’s Row) O.A.K Superstore (Ladypool Road) 5 a Day fruit and veg stall (Moseley Village) Moseley Exchange (147-153 Alcester Road) COPY 17 July 14 Aug 11 Sept 16 Oct 13 Nov ISSUE Aug Aept Oct Nov Dec SALE 29 July 26 Aug 23 Sept 28 Oct 25 Nov CONTENTS | 3 IN THIS ISSUE 2023 PUBLICATION DATES Hungry Hob, (Swanshurst Lane) Greenhill Galleries (Billesley Lane) The Shires (Wake Green Rd) Kitchen Garden Cafe (York Rd) 22 12 26 16 4 Newshound 12 Trafalgar Road: Plan Bee 14 The Birmingham Tornado: Moseley B13 Magazine at 50 16 Moseley Community Festival: Event highlights 18 Moseley Munch: Summertime salads 22 An interview with Ben Waddington 26 Daisy Murcott: Pioneer Businesswoman 29 Moseley Thinkers’ Group
4 | NEWSHOUND This year’s Moseley Open Gardens will be held on Sunday 25th June from 11am to 5pm. Tickets will be available at the Farmers’ Markets on June 24. Tickets will also be on sale via Moseley in Bloom’s website (see below). This year a total of 18 gardens will be open across the Moseley area, with four that are new to Open Gardens taking part for the very first time. The gardens that are selling tickets will be finalised shortly and details added to the Moseley in Bloom (MIB) website. MIB has raised the age of free MOSELEY OPEN tickets for accompanied children up to under-16s. Tickets will be available at several gardens on the day. While the cold and wet weather of recent weeks have helped keep the thoughts of many very firmly inside, the Open Gardens committee has been looking forward to Moseley’s outdoor event of the year. Preparations are well underway and on Sunday 25 June you will be able to explore the lovely gardens. These will include some that have not opened in recent years and several others that have not been seen before. The gardens are very varied in size and style and all are a real testament to their owners’ care and horticultural enthusiasm. As always, help will be needed if this event is to run smoothly. Could you volunteer on the day by selling tickets, serving refreshments or generally lending a hand? Maybe you could bake a cake? If you can help in any way please email Bridget at bridget@ moseleyinbloom.org.uk. For further details see moseleyinbloom.org.uk NEWSHOUND TIPTON THE B13 NEWSHOUND, TWITTER: @B13NEWSHOUND, INSTAGRAM: @TIPTONB13 BOOK NOW! Gardens 2023
NEWSHOUND | 5 MOSTLY JAZZ Formed in 1973, KC and The Sunshine Band are known for hits like Get Down Tonight, Queen of Clubs, That’s The Way (I Like It) and Please Don’t Go. While they’re known for their inclusion on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, it’s the Sunday night of Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul that they’re scheduled to thrill festival goers this year. They join the likes of Incognito, Norman Jay and Jamz Supernova, all of who are also performing on the Sunday. Other acts just confirmed for the event are Kokoroko, who will be in action on the Friday. Smoove and Turrell make their fourth Mostly appearance on Saturday and BBC 6 Music host and former Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman Huey Morgan delivers a DJ set on the Sunday. The line-up also features Goldie, Jungle, Mr Scruff, Young Gun Silver Fox, and more. Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul is a no-camping festival and under 12s go free with a paying adult. Despite being a no-camping festival, it is possible to hire a caravan. BUY TICKETS mostlyjazz.co.uk Funk & Soul returns Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul returns to Moseley Park & Pool on the weekend of July 7 to 9. The headline act for this year’s event is KC and the Sunshine Band. The group which was formed in the 1970s was revealed as the Sunday headliner, joining Fat Freddy’s Drop and Ezra Collective who will headline the Friday and Saturday nights respectively.
6 | NEWSHOUND Moseley’s long-standing annual festival takes place between Thursday 13 July and Sunday 16 July with the street fair booked for Saturday 15 July. A recent Moseley Together newsletter said: “We had a wonderful meeting filled with lots of local residents and creatives and some plans are already coming to life. The street fair is booked for July 15th, watch this space! We have a small pot of funding and know this community shindig can come to life but we want to know what you want to see, feel, do at your festival.” Moseley’s annual festival dates back to the 1970s and early events involved a street procession and festival floats. The events were often quite offbeat and organised in local pubs and other local venues, and the festival stretched over two weeks. Author Norman Hewston in his book A History of Moseley Village noted that the 1976 festival featured a debate on the festival and Moseley life by local publican Ivor Bartlett of the Fighting Cocks, and the village baker John Luker. Hewston states: “One of the features included a Beatles and Stones’ disco, and even an evening of music from Germany’s Weimar years! “Another year the ‘village idiot’ was nominated and he was required to perform certain tasks, one of which was to set up a table and chair and eat a meal in the middle of the road at the junction.” Read more about the festival on pages 16 & 17. MOSELEY COMMUNITY Festival & street fair On the festival Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MoseleyFestival/) it says: “Have your say about what you would like to see at Moseley Festival. Local groups, artists, musicians, businesses, community members join us to begin planning our festival. Email [email protected].” Alternatively if you want to get involved, offer your skills then email [email protected].
NEWSHOUND | 7 A local campaign group backed by Moseley’s Labour and LibDem councillors is calling for tougher action over drivers breaking speed limits. This comes after the group found evidence of “widespread speeding” on Alcester Road outside Queensbridge School. The group called “Better Streets for Birmingham” found nine out of ten drivers were travelling at speeds above the 20 mph speed limit outside the school at the end of the school day - something the group said LOCAL CAMPAIGN to stamp out speeding to “improve the sustainability, efficiency and safety” of the city’s streets. Recently, it held an event to raise awareness around “problematic levels of speeding” outside Moseley schools with the backing and support of Moseley councillors Kerry Jenkins, Labour (pictured third from left) and Izzy Knowles (Lib Dem) pictured left. Mat MacDonald, co-chair of the group, said: “The campaign outside Queensbridge School was about the prevalence of speeding on the road. We did a little study at the time the school was closing - when the streets were full of kids - and we found that 91% of drivers were speeding. We wanted to raise awareness of that fact. There’s a wider culture of transgression of the 20mph law and we don’t think Photo: Kirsten de Dos Research conducted by the group found that only a minority of drivers observe speed limits. After measuring the speeds of 100 vehicles outside Queensbridge School on the 20 mph Alcester Road, they found 91% of motorists were speeding - with an average speed of 25 mph. that’s acceptable - particularly when there are kids involved.We also want to draw the attention of the council and the public to this so we can stop accepting it as a normal part of urban life. With adequate education and the correct enforcement of sanctions for people who transgress, we think these kinds of figures could be vastly improved and this would be to the betterment of our lived environment. Many of us are parents - we don’t want our kids to be seriously injured or even worse just because people can’t be bothered to follow a simple rule.” could be the difference between life and death. Better Streets for Birmingham is a campaign group working
8 | NEWSHOUND Visitors and history lovers can enjoy a lively and informative guided tour of Moseley Road Baths, the only pool of its kind in the world. The tour is led by the Friends of Moseley Road Baths volunteers on various Saturdays in July, starting on July 1. The tour will explain how and why the Grade 2* listed building was built and fascinating facts about its rich historic and continued connection to the Moseley and Balsall Heath areas. There will also be details The tours start at 2pm and last until approximately 3:30pm on Saturday 1st, 15th and 29th July; and Saturday 12th and 26th August. Tickets are £10 each. For more information including booking details visit: http://www.moseleyroadbaths.org.uk/ of the future plans for Moseley Road Baths (MRB) and an opportunity to explore the beautiful interior of this Edwardian civic building. The tour starts from the front of building and continues through both the public and private areas. Included in your tour are photo taking opportunities of parts of the building currently closed to the public, complimentary refreshments, an exclusive Moseley Road Baths tour handout, 10% discount on all baths merchandise, and a free MRB enamel pin badge. SUMMER TOURS of moseley road baths
NEWSHOUND| 9 For several years, city-bound Alcester Road motorists have not been allowed to turn right at the traffic lights directly into St Mary’s Row. As a result, many now drive a few yards further towards the city centre and turn right into the St Mary’s Row slip road. This is despite the fact this right turn too is illegal, except for cyclists and taxis. A “no right turn” traffic SAFETY FEARS OVER Concerns are mounting over the growing number of drivers who make an illegal and potentially dangerous right turn out of Alcester Road into St Mary’s Row slip road that runs outside Palmyra, Flakes and Wafflings. words: “Yes, I see this almost every time I walk or drive down that stretch of road. As a pedestrian you have to check that area of the main road before you cross over. It also causes traffic to stop at the lights because everyone is backed-up waiting for a car to turn right. Not sure what can be done other than some sort of traffic camera that records people doing it.” Replying to these concerns on ‘Everything Moseley’, and also concerns about the connected issue of motorists illegally turning right out of the slip road at its top end and back into St Mary’s Row crossing a line of oncoming traffic, Moseley’s Lib Dem councillor Izzy Knowles sign on Alcester Road opposite the slip road clearly indicates this, although many drivers choose to ignore it. Several contributors to the ‘Everything Moseley’ Facebook page have highlighted the fact that many private motorists are daily carrying out this illegal and potentially dangerous right turn into the slip road from Alcester Road. It is said these motorists endanger pedestrians crossing the slip road who do not expect to see traffic coming from the direction of the Alcester Road traffic lights and then illegally and unexpectedly turning right. One Moseley resident put it as follows: “Every single day I pass the junction somebody or two turns right from Alcester Road into St Mary’s Row Slip Road down past Flakes fish and chip shop. There is a clear sign stating ‘no right turn’. Can something be done about it before someone gets hurt?” Another described the problem in the following St Mary’s Row junction ►
10 | NEWSHOUND made several comments. Regarding the right turn into the slip road from Alcester Road, she said: “It’s only for taxis and cyclists, the right turn out of the slip road back towards the crossroads is just for taxis. “I’ve flagged it up with police and council before; sadly the council doesn’t have powers yet to deal with it but may have in the future. The best solution would be to reinstate the turn at the (Alcester Road St Mary’s Row) junction but that would be expensive. There might be some scope to do something when the cycle lane is installed.” Those with long memories may recall that several years ago, before the present “no right turn” rule was introduced at the junction of Alcester BALSALL HEATH votes on neighbourhood council plan for second time Balsall Heath residents have until July 3 to decide whether a Neighbourhood Council should be set up in the area. To set up a Neighbourhood Council a majority of Balsall Heath residents must support the proposal by filling in and returning a postal ballot by July 3, and also there must be a turnout of 25% of those eligible to vote. The ballot will be the second attempt to settle the issue of whether a sufficiently large number of residents support the idea of a Neighbourhood Council. In December 2022 Balsall Heath residents voted for the first time Road and St Mary’s Row, it was permitted to turn right directly into St Mary’s Row. However, this caused traffic problems as drivers heading towards the city centre in the right-hand lane frequently got stuck behind traffic queueing to turn right into St Mary’s Row. Many now believe that reinstating this right turn on Alcester Road may be, if not the best, then at least a workable and practical solution to a long-standing problem. Traffic lights with green arrows pointing right (filter traffic lights) could also be installed on Alcester Road at its junction with St Mary’s Row thus limiting traffic tailbacks that previously held up city centre bound traffic on Alcester Road. on whether they supported the idea. In the 2022 vote residents overwhelmingly voted “yes”, with 78% voting in favour of the idea. Unfortunately, the number of votes cast was just 22% and did not meet the 25% turnout threshold set by Birmingham City Council. Therefore, Birmingham City Council has decided to run a second ballot to try again. In early June, all Balsall Heath residents were sent an explanatory leaflet (pictured) followed by a postal vote, with a voting paper and a return envelope. This postal vote needs to be posted before Monday July 3.
NEWSHOUND | 11 BALSALL HEATH Turnouts in local polls are usually on the low side (often around 30%) and the first ballot took place during industrial action by postal workers which may have lowered the number of votes cast even further. Community activists hope the turnout will be higher on this occasion, meeting the 25% threshold as there clearly was support for the Neighbourhood Council idea among those voting last time. Neighbourhood, or parish, councils are the lowest level of local government in England. They have two main roles: community representation and local administration. They can own land and assets and can provide or run services at a local level, for example grass cutting, street lighting, open spaces, community buildings, and allotments. Parish/neighbourhood councils can raise a small sum of money from local residents in the area (called a “precept”) which is collected along with council tax. This precept would be used to provide additional services. The precept would not be paid by all households – it would only be paid by those who pay council tax (the same exemptions and discounts would apply). It is not possible to say exactly how much the precept would be until a Neighbourhood Council is elected – it will be for the elected neighbourhood councillors to decide, but an average precept is around £1 per week which would be spent entirely on Balsall Heath. If there is a “yes” vote again and this time the threshold of 25% is met then there would be elections for neighbourhood councillors who would carry out their work in a voluntary capacity. A neighbourhood council would be able to apply for grants and other initiatives to generate more income. A parish/neighbourhood council is one way that Balsall Heath could work together to find solutions for local problems, but there are alternative forms of community governance/representation. As part of the Community Governance Review (CGR), the city council will explore whether alternative forms of community governance would be more suitable for Balsall Heath. There are currently two neighbourhood councils in Birmingham: New Frankley in Birmingham Parish Council and the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield Town Council. For further details check out the website: neighbourhoodnewsonline.com
12 | FEATURE Want to make a difference? Take a look at what we’re doing in Trafalgar Road as a community to help the environment we live in. It all started when a noticeable absence of bees plus the discovery of three dead ones led Jude Greenwood to propose ‘Plan Bee’ in Trafalgar Road last year. The plan - to help encourage and ‘save the bees’ by making the front gardens of Trafalgar Rd Beefriendly. We leafleted the road and side roads to gather neighbours together. A small team then took a good look at potential plots by simply walking the roads to determine what might be possible. Apart from the paving over of front gardens, it immediately became clear that many of the ‘barren’ areas belonged to Housing Associations. We discovered their common gardening technique was to spray the weeds so nothing else lives! After discussions with the Housing Associations, we were given permission to take over these barren plots as long as we maintained them. So last year we started to manage three places as an experiment: a plot by Admiral Place, a large area to the right of Harrisons Pleck, TRAFALGAR ROAD Plan Bee
FEATURE| 13 and the right-hand entrance to the park on the bottom corner bend of Trafalgar Road. The main challenge last summer was obviously the lack of rain. Despite this, some plants survived; a good indication of the plants that can cope with drought. All the plants donated by residents are the ones that multiply easily in our own gardens and through cuttings. In the Autumn, we had six fruit trees of different varieties planted in the park free-of-charge by Fruit & Nut Village in Balsall Heath. They’ve survived and are looking healthy. After further leafleting earlier this year, we attracted more volunteers, which caused our average age to drop – a pleasant surprise! We expanded our sites to include the left entrance to the park and a further plot in front of the flats by Admiral place, whilst maintaining the original plots. Over 60 plants have been put in, although, because it hadn’t rained for several weeks, we’ve lost a number. This is now causing us to think of creative ways to water them to help them get established as the summer looks like being drier again: taking buckets down or up the road is quite an effort! One way is that we’re now looking to find local residents near the plots who can help keep an eye on them and water them when needed. One creative idea came from Ian Greenwood: to supply watering cans to residents willing to water the plants nearest to them. It makes such a difference walking up or down the road and hopefully it will make a difference for the bees! And just imagine if every street in Moseley had its own PLAN BEE! We have the Moseley Litterbusters, so why not have the Moseley BeePlanters as part of Moseley in Bloom (MiBee)? WORDS: Linda and David Isgrove If you live in or near Trafalgar Road and would like to help out contact judegreenwood67@gmail. com
14 | LOOK BACK This was how Wendy Minchin, editor of Birmingham 13 (as the magazine was known at the time), opened the September 2005 edition. The Birmingham Tornado of July 28 had left a trail of carnage through Balsall Heath, Moseley, and Kings Heath.The same issue dedicated the centre pages to covering the aftermath of the tornado. The article told of how Moseley and District Churches Housing Association were at the epicentre of the destruction and it featured an aerial photo of Alder and Birchwood Roads where the twister had ripped off roofs (the same photo appeared in national newspapers). MDCHA said: “Staff at our offices which are right in the centre of Moseley, noticed the sky going black but did not experience the 130mph winds. Then the phone started to ring. We realised that some sort of freak weather event had “It cannot have escaped anyone’s notice that we were visited by a tornado in July, and all at Birmingham 13 wish those badly affected our sincere best wishes and hope that you can get your lives back together again soon. I personally was just a hundred yards or so from where the tornado struck in Balsall Heath and the strange atmosphere before it hit that area was unique to me.” happened - the phones went bananas. Tenants weren’t calling with the usual repair requests, they were saying ‘our roof had blown off’ and ‘there’s a fallen tree leaning against our front door.’ We had around 200 calls in the wake of the tornado.” 23 of the households maintained by MDCHA had to be rehoused for an extended period. The piece described damage to property and gardens throughout other parts of the area, and also the relief that there were no fatalities as a result of the tornado. The December 2005 - January 2006 issue published details of The Birmingham Tornado Hardship fund. “Following a petition at a recent (Moseley) Farmers’ Market, Birmingham Foundation has made an offer to administer a fund for those suffering from the tornado.” MOSELEY B13 MAGAZINE AT 50: THE NOUGHTIES PART TWO WORDS: MARK BAXTER THE BIRMINGHAM Tornado
We are looking for a new Moseley B13 Magazine volunteer Editor for January 2024. The role will need an individual able to commit to the production of eleven monthly magazines a year, with the week leading up to the printing deadline (usually the Monday or Tuesday before the Saturday of the Moseley Farmers’ Market) as a time for receiving and editing articles and working alongside our designer, proofreaders and other team members. A passion for local matters, alongside creativity and the ability to help curate each issue with the input of our volunteer team and the community, is desirable. The role is also a fantastic opportunity to gain experience as an Editor/in journalism or simply to help give a voice to individuals and community projects in Moseley, Balsall Heath and Kings Heath. Email editor@ moseleymagazine. co.uk if you’d like to find out more Watercolour paitings byJudith Fleewood-Walker ART SALE SATURDAY 1ST JULY Located on the corner of Mary Street and George Street, outside the off licence Paintings £5 & £10 each
16 | EVENTS The programme for this year’s Moseley Community Festival has now been finalised, with a pirate-themed party, rock hunt and the famous street fair just some of the events to enjoy. This year’s Community Festival will be taking place between Thursday 13 July and Sunday 16 July. It is run not for profit by a group of volunteers and has a long history, dating back to 1974. The festival’s street fair will be taking place between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 15 July, but there are so many other events to enjoy. The festival will kick off on Thursday 13 July, with pirate-themed family crafting in Sorrento Lounge ahead of a Pirate Party Extravaganza the following afternoon and evening in the Park and Pool. For people who love their art and craft, there’ll be dot mandala painting, botanical ink making at Seventh Circle Art Gallery using plants found in Moseley Park, and Wizard of Oz-themed costume making. There are also plenty of health and wellbeing events, from yoga to dance and aerobics. Finally, there’s live music in venues across Moseley over the four days, covering everything from samba to choral music. On the Sunday, Kings Heath Action for Refugees holds its annual KHARnival in MOSELEY COMMUNITY Festival 2023 Highbury Park. Moseley Park and Pool will be open over the weekend for both members and non-members. Rhiannon Simpson, from the Moseley Community Festival committee, said: “The community festival’s such a big part of Moseley’s history and it will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. We recognise that times are tough right now, so we’ve also tried to ensure that as many events as possible are free to attend. With events for the whole family, including live music, dance and arts and crafts workshops, we think it’s a great opportunity for people to get involved and celebrate everything Moseley.” To volunteer to help with the festival, please email: [email protected] WORDS: SARAH DAKIN
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS ZINDIYA FOOD OFFER ALL WEEKEND 10% off Zindiya with festival programme 15 TACOS TALES, TORTILLAS & 1-2.30PM, MOSELEY HIVE JULY 13JULY SALSA CLASS & LATINO NIGHT 7-10PM, MOSELEY HIVE 14PIRATE PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA JULY 4-7PM, MOSELEY PARK JULY 16SWAP SHOP & UPCYCLING VIEW THE FULL PROGRAMME: EVENTS| 17
18 | FOOD I liken warm sunny days in England to a very tumultuous relationship. There might be weeks of bleak rain and grey clouds - the kind where you can’t even see a semblance of sky - and then one day it will burn off and the glorious sun shines down upon us. It suddenly seems as if the whole country just received a free VIP ticket to Glastonbury. We immediately stop our bad weather chat, we forget there were ever any grey days, and we get extremely, radically happy. All our clothes come off, BBQ smells radiate through the streets, garden furniture and paddle pool sales spike - it’s simply glorious. This might last between 24 and 72 hours until we awake one day (slightly slap happy and “sun hungover”)….. it’s cold and grey again and we begrudgingly reach for our jumpers, hot teas and dream of when it will all happen again. Jenny Gwynne is The Salty Chilli. Find her on Instagram @thesaltychilli and online www.thesaltychilli.com MOSELEY MUNCH
FOOD | 19 I am not sure if there is anything better than a summer ripe tomato. Sinking into a sweet juicy one like an apple is a true joy. They honestly don’t need a thing....but this is a lovely salad that highlights the tomato with all things zippy. If you are vegan simply omit the anchovies, it will all still sing either way. 2-3 really ripe tomatoes sliced lengthwise Dressing: 4 anchovies minced 1 small piece of garlic ½ tbsp capers roughly chopped 1 sun dried tomato minced 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ Tbsp Herbs de Provence (or mix of thyme and oregano) Large pinch flaky sea salt Few cranks of fresh pepper Lay the sliced tomatoes out on a large platter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt to release their juices. Take the piece of garlic and sprinkle it with salt. Using the side of knife flatten the garlic and push it against your cutting board multiple times until it forms a smooth paste. Add this to a bowl along with the other dressing ingredients and whisk to emulsify it. Generously pour over the tomatoes and serve. Puttanesca Style Tomato Salad Warm weather means better produce and it means outdoor food. Nothing, to me, would ever mean outdoor food if it came without all the side bits. The typical BBQ is burgers and sausages - but it’s nice to mix it up with different styles of cuisine in warm weather - a lemon oregano lamb shoulder cooked low and slow off-heat; some strips of courgette marinated in vinegar and oil; a beautiful, spiced jerk sauce slathered over chicken – none of these would be the same without the outdoor grill but I also don’t think that any of them would be as good without some interesting summertime salads. In my eyes this is a copasetic relationship – one main dish lives happily amongst its equally delicious accompaniment. My puttanesca style tomato salad and herby potato salad with nuoc cham and crispy bacon are two that I have been making a lot of lately (in the sun) and I’ll bask in them until the clouds come back once again.
20 | FOOD 550 grams baby potatoes halved into similar sizes 6 rashers streaky bacon cut vertically into small pieces 15g coriander 2g mint 2g dill 15g chive ½ garlic clove 1 birds eye chilli (optional or deseeded for less heat) ¼ lime juiced ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp caster sugar 3-4 tbsp mayonnaise Boil the potatoes in salted water for about ten minutes or until tender. Drain and pop into the fridge to cool. In the meantime, place the bacon in a pan and cook on medium until rendered and crisped to your liking. Set aside with a slotted spoon. Take the herbs and blitz them in a small food processor. Take them out and squeeze out any excess water. Place back into the food processor and add the garlic, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar and fish sauce. Blitz again until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and blitz it again for a few seconds until it produces a creamy smooth dressing. This can all be done by hand as well with some good chopping and whisking! Take the potatoes out place in a bowl and mix the dressing in, add the bacon and mix and then plate with extra herbs sprinkled on top. Herby Potato Salad with Nuoc Cham and Crispy Bacon This potato salad is different and indulgent – it incorporates a lot of herbs, elements of Vietnamese nuoc cham and mayonnaise to create an addictively creamy dreamy salad. If you don’t have all these herbs do not worry – at the least use coriander. If you are a vegetarian, simply take out the bacon and fish sauce (which can be replaced with light soy).
B13 MAGAZINE | 21 Herby Potato Salad with Nuoc Cham and Crispy Bacon
22 | INTERVIEW Hello Ben! How easy was it to compile your ‘111 Places’? My first move was to compile a list of the top 40 Birmingham destinations, aiming not to include them! This list drew from existing Birmingham guidebooks and online articles, which also seemed to refer to each other. Friends suggested their own ‘local knowledge’ places. I scoured the map for Google’s ‘Historic’ icon (a squat tower). I came up with around 250 places, as each of the 111 chapters includes a nearby tip. The final selection was made easier by some places not wanting to be included in the book and by some places just disappearing! How does the Still Walking Festival overlap with the book? Do you now have 111 ready-made tours for your audience? The Festival usually features other guides or walking artists, but this year I devised a selection of walks myself which drew from the themes and locations in the book. A guided walk is made up of several places or features, whereas each place in the book is a single entry. That said, some of the places are quite expansive (Sutton Park, Rowley Hills) and allow plenty of exploration on foot. Some of the features on my own walks can be quite subtle - Still Walking is not about sight-seeing. The book’s chapters are perhaps more classically rewarding destinations, though I’ve slipped a few curiosities into the mix. During lockdown, a lot of people became ‘flâneurs’ to keep themselves well. Since then, have you had more people express an interest in Still Walking? And did any of the book’s content come out of your lockdown experiences? Ben Waddington is the director of Still Walking, Birmingham’s festival of guided tours and walking events. His own guided walks weave a story from the usually unnarrated aspects and features of our environment, focussing on what we notice and what we don’t; how we feel about our surroundings. Encouraging an open and questioning approach to the historical layers around us, he has recently written 111 Places In Birmingham That You Shouldn’t Miss. He lives in Moseley and I recently caught up with him on a couple of interesting local walks. AN INTERVIEW WITH BEN WADDINGTON WALKING & TALKING
AN INTERVIEW WITH BEN WADDINGTON INTERVIEW | 23 There’s nothing like restricting access to something to make people appreciate what they already had - whether that’s strolling, human company or toilet paper. There was a long period when people were suspicious of meeting in groups, even outdoors, but last year’s walks for Birmingham Heritage Week demonstrated that wariness has surely peaked. Our Sherlock Holmesthemed walk The Game’s Afoot sold out five times over… surely a crucial clue! During the lockdowns of the first years, we offered one-to-one walks with people within a two-mile radius of my home, as part of their daily exercise. Many people seemed to be exploring their local environments for the first time. The lockdowns allowed time to research and write the lion’s share of the book, with visits and photography only becoming possible at some places as society opened up again. The extended isolation certainly led to an amplified appreciation of places when they became accessible again, and words flowed on subjects I didn’t realise I cared about so much. Was there anywhere you wanted to include but couldn’t? Yes, plenty! How curious►
24 | BOOK REVIEW that some places didn’t want to be included - I really wasn’t expecting that. Some places charged a fee for permission to photograph - I set a budget and quickly exceeded it. The Bullring wanted £900 to allow me to photograph the plaque celebrating a fallen meteorite (made by Cornelia Parker) that lies on their land. Ikon Gallery found me a photograph taken during its installation; before the City Council sold the public land to the Bullring. No charge by Ikon! But a few had to be dropped. Another sculpture BOOK REVIEW Historically, Birmingham has been called the City of 1000 Trades. Industry was the cause of its rapid expansion and influx of people who came to find work independently in factories and workshops. With this background, it’s only natural that there should be lots of interesting places in Brum. Ben Waddington has curated a left-field list of I wanted to include was Barbara Hepworth’s Ancestor I on the University of Birmingham campus. Or at least, it used to be there! Shortly after I gained permission from the University and the Hepworth estate to photograph it, the sculpture (which had been in place for fifty years) disappeared. I think my request had reminded the estate that they had lent the sculpture to the university, and they relocated it to Switzerland. It was at that point that the Ward End poltergeist made it to the final selection. By Jerome Leavey IMAGE CREDIT: EMONS VERLAG
BOOK REVIEW | 25 locations that will likely inspire pilgrimages for the curious. Even if you’ve lived in Brum for a few decades (as I have), chances are you’ll still find something new and engaging to do in this book. The variety of historical buildings, artworks and things in busy places that seemingly have been forgotten are a testament to the peculiar patchwork of Birmingham, where anomalies sit alongside the mundane. Waddington also includes Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and the Black Country to offer a diversity of city landscapes. To further entice you out of your sedentary lifestyle, Janet Hart’s accompanying photographs give you a good indication of the wow factor of the sites. Combined with the informative but laid -back style of Waddington’s writing, which encourages you to look at the city through his eyes, the book is a reminder that a lot of what makes Birmingham truly interesting is not necessarily that which is obvious. The hidden and almost secretive is just as essential. 111 Places In Birmingham That You Shouldn’t Miss is available at £13.99 RRP from VOCE Books, Ikon Gallery shop, Waterstones and other good bookshops. You can buy directly from Ben for £12 + £3 P&P and optionally ask him to sign and/ or personally inscribe the book. Details at www.stillwalking.org Take for example #97, the Shard End Griffins. A century ago they lived on top of a department shop in the city centre, but today they guard a lime tree avenue in a sleepy corner of Brum. Commerciality is not a prime factor for inclusion in the book - many guidebooks assume you have an unlimited budget. There are places where you can buy things (food, drink, art), but the emphasis is more about just experiencing features in the landscape. Examples of this are the Grazebrook beam engine; a canalside pillbox; Perrott’s Folly. Parks and nature walks also figure. Do buy this book if you like to discover (and rediscover) new and old places, and enjoy taking the time to find them.
26 |FEATURE Lilian Daisy Murcott (1907-2005) was remarkable for being a successful business woman managing a thriving international company in an age when women were not expected to undertake senior roles in business. PIONEER WORDS BY MOSELEY SOCIETY HISTORY GROUP Photo: Daisy Murcott EARLY LIFE Daisy Murcott was born in 1907 and her brother George Alfred Murcott in 1908 to parents Alfred and Lilian Murcott, at 45 Beaufort Road, Ladywood. They moved to ‘Hawkesley’, 14 Moor Green Lane Moseley in 1911. Alfred Murcott had made money in export and import trading in India and the Far East. He established his own firm A. Murcott & Company in 1878 and opened offices at 1& 2 Helena Street, Parade, Ladywood, Birmingham, in 1882. He also traded as the East India Produce Company and Murcott Price & Co. In 1914 Alfred had twenty-seven agencies in Asia and Australia. Business success allowed them to move in 1924 to a new house built next door, ‘Dorincourt’, 12, Moor Green Lane, where Daisy lived for the rest of her life. Daisy attended St John’s Convent, 21 Park Road, Moseley and did well there academically and in music. George attended Edgbaston Preparatory School, Hallfield, and West House School, Edgbaston. Businesswomen
Photo ‘Dorincourt’ The story of Miss (Lilian) Daisy Murcott’s life has been prepared from a large collection of papers, letters and other materials preserved by Vinod Bhatia, the co-executor of the Daisy’s will and his wife Anjie who came to know her through her care for animals. WORKING LIFE Daisy Murcott entered her father’s firm in the late 1920s, at first, driving him to his appointments for £1 a week and doing shorthand and typing. Business had been very successful but suffered severely in the ‘Great Depression’ and failure of the rubber crop in Ceylon resulted in near bankruptcy due to unpaid accounts. Albert who was nearing eighty was very low, mortgaging the house and the business and considered selling up. Daisy was appointed Managing Director (an unusual role for a woman at that time) in 1931, taking over completely at the age of thirty-five in 1942 when her father died. The firm’s annual turnover was £1,750,000 in 1959 and it was exporting motor accessories, electrical goods, textiles, iron and steel and consumer goods to the Far East. She remained in the post until aged sixty-four in 1971, when A. Murcott&Co. was acquired by Rabone Peterson Co. Ltd., Holloway Head, but its identity as a separate company was maintained with Daisy remaining on the Board of Directors. Daisy also managed other businesses. It was unusual in the 1930s and 1940s for a woman to run such companies and even in 1960 she was one of only two women export merchants in Britain. Daisy also had interests in various properties with the aim of developing decent housing standards for single people, a group neglected at the time. FEATURE | 27
28 | FEATURE LATER LIFE At ‘Dorincourt’ in the 1930s, Jack Day was the resident chauffeur, handyman and gardener. Alice Day, Jack’s sister-in-law, was her housekeeper and continued working for her until her death in 1985 at the age of 80. Alice’s husband, Timothy also worked for the family in the 1930s. Daisy’s health deteriorated as she aged. In 1998 aged ninety-one, she had an operation, and was registered as blind in 2001. She had a NHS Patient Care Plan under the District Nursing Team at Percy Road Health Centre in 2003 when she was almost 96 years. Carers were struggling to look after her at that time – she was frail and bed ridden and died the following year. Her funeral took place at St Anne’s Church, Park Hill, Moseley and she was buried at Brandwood End Cemetery, Kings Heath. ANIMAL WELFARE CHAMPION Daisy maintained close relations with a large circle of friends, family and charitable organisations. She was especially concerned with animal welfare. She was chairman of the AAA, (The Animal Aid Association) based in Leicester, devoting much time to their work and supporting them financially and with her business skills. She set up and helped fund a number of other animal welfare charities. Extracted by Ray Tier from an article by Jan Berry and Roy Cockel which is available on the Moseley History Group’s website. SCAN TO FIND OUT MORE: Photo: Daisy Murcott and her parents It was unusual in the 1930s and 1940s for a woman to run such companies and even in 1960 she was one of only two women export merchants in Britain.
MOSELEY GROUP | 29 MOSELEY THINKERS’ Subjects will range from the big ones like “what’s life all about?” to those of a more domestic nature like: “does my cat love me, and how can I tell?” No subject is too big or too small for a little philosophical probing and some thoughtful fun. Modelled on similar groups around the UK, Moseley Thinkers will each week invite participants to bring a topic the group can explore. To make things truly democratic the group will then vote on which subject is discussed before each meeting begins. The group will be a little philosophical. That’s because philosophy is a great way of thinking about fundamental questions, such as time, existence, knowledge, mind and even love, including the love you have for your cat (and whether that love is reciprocated). But, importantly, Moseley Thinkers won’t be a pompous or pretentious group. It won’t require any previous knowledge of the subject. As a group we will “do” philosophy rather than study the subject. Oh, and we will have a bit of fun too. I suppose if you were to ask: what’s the big idea here?” I would say: the aim is to gain a better understanding of our own natures and the world around us and to do so together. It’s also to enjoy the excitement and stimulation of playing with ideas. For want of a better slogan, it is philosophy for philosophy’s sake. No more or less than that. My interest in the subject is that I have gone through life asking questions, most of which remain unanswered, although I have enjoyed asking them. Moseley Thinkers is at an early stage of development so where, when and how often we meet is still to be resolved. If you’re interested in joining email [email protected] Picture: Magnet-me (Unsplash) WORDS BY IAN COOK GROUP Are you a thoughtful person? Do you go through life with a head full of questions that can’t be answered? If so, then why not join the ‘Moseley Thinkers’ for an hour of lively thoughtful chat each week and discuss the issues that matter in life.
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