Two weddings
Recently, I was near to Tettenhall, now a part of the city of Wolverhampton, and decided to visit the scenes of two weddings on the Evans side of Andrew’s Kindred. These weddings have featured before: Nan’s wedding, and Lilian’s wedding.
To recap, Nan’s wedding took place on 16 September 1912 at Tettenhall Wood Congregational Church. But where was it?
At least I had a location. There is a church in the same place today, but it is the United Reformed Church.
So that is where Nan was married. I have no idea what it is like inside as, just like most churches in urban areas it was not open when I visited.
The other church is much more straightforward.
This is where Lilian was married.
Ghost railway
While in the area, I took a stroll along a disused railway, which is now a walk-cycle way through the Smestow Valley. This is evidently popular with locals and is probably part of a convenient commuter route for some, as well as for recreation.
As usual, I checked the old Ordnance Survey mapping to see what the history of this railway was, and it seems quite odd. Here is the map.
Underneath the line of the railway it says “(In course of construction)”. In 1938? Well, no. Apparently, the Wombourne Branch opened in 1925 and closed in 1932. So it was an ex-railway when the OS surveyed the area in 1938!
Nonetheless, Tettenhall Station is still there, but is now a tea room.
Andrew's Kindred 
Great post! This sounds like a wonderful mini-GenTraveling expedition. I bet it’s nice to have the photos of the churches to go along with those absolute treasure photos of the wedding parties from your other posts. Both weddings looked like fabulous events. Also, did you stop for tea at the Cupcake Lane Tea Room? How about a review?
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Thanks for your reply and likes.
It seems to me that the most interesting thing about family history is what you can find that ancestors knew. I suspect if you were from Wiltshire, you might claim Stonehenge, but it is more likely that (in England) the parish church is the oldest feature that you could evidentially associate with ancestry (unless you can find rent rolls or tithe maps that mention names you can track). Anyway, while I am in Wombourne, I will do a bit more of this kind of thing.
Although my decision to buy a boat was about a lifestyle change, it has given me the opportunity to explore the canals and places my boating forebears worked, but before long I will be away from these waters to other parts of the network. Clearly, mine is a very different experience – I suspect drawing my boat with a horse would be next to impossible today.
Oh, I just passed the tea room by, so I can’t do a review, but it seemed quite busy.
Best wishes, Andrew
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Meant to write “find places that your ancestors knew”.
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