Express & Star

'If dad was still here he would be so proud': Touching tribute to workforce that put Willenhall on the map

They are the talented men and women whose skills put a small town in the Black Country on the map.

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The lock makers of Willenhall made the town world famous and ensured names such as Union, Yale, Chubb and Squire went down in history.

Julia Saint and Diane Coughlin

And now they have been honoured in a new memorial at the corner of Walsall Street and Bilston Street, which is already attracting scores of visitors enjoying a moment of quiet reflection or snapping away with their cameras and mobile phones.

The structure is made up of personalised bricks featuring the names of the workers, past and present, and their employers and is topped by a stunning granite block proudly bearing the words Willenhall Lock Workers Memorial.

Almost 300 people have backed the £18,000 project by sponsoring a brick and organisers at Willenhall Heritage Trust said it had proved so popular, they were already planning a second monument.

One man honoured on the memorial is Thomas Southan, who worked at Josiah Parkes & Son Ltd, which went on to be Union Locks.

Mr Southan, a father-of-two and grandfather-of-four who used to live in Alton Avenue, Willenhall, worked as an electroplater for 40 years. He died in 2004.

Thomas Southan's brick at the new memorial

Daughter Ann Joyce said: "The memorial is such a wonderful idea. It brought a lump to my throat when I saw it for the first time this weekend and spotted my dad's name.

"These men and woman worked so hard to make Willenhall a leading light in the lock-making industry - we should never forget them and all those tireless hours they spent in the factories.

Willenhall lock workers

"If my dad was still with us, I know he'd love this - in fact, we'd probably never hear the end of it! He was very proud to be a 'Willenhall lock mon' and my whole family are really proud of him and his legacy."

Councillor Diane Coughlan, member of the heritage group, said the finishing touches were being made to the memorial and the whole thing was set to be signed off by the council.

"We're nearly there with the wall," she said. "The contractors have removed the fencing and people can see the results for themselves. We are due to attend a site visit with the council officers to sign off the work and the landscaping part of the development is due to start soon.

"I am just so delighted that the project has finally come to fruition after a long campaign to get the support from the council to get it off the ground. I have to say we tried for two years and got nowhere until the previous administration took control last summer and pushed for it. Myself, Sean Coughlan and members of the trust kept trying and now it is almost ready.

"Sean and members of his family were formerly miners and we got the idea from a similar scheme set up in Hednesford.

"The whole thing has cost less than the original £20,000 budget and the money from every brick that has been sponsored has been ploughed into the project. As we suspected, once more people learned about the wall, more interest has been generated. There will be a phase two in due course."

Supporters for the scheme include Swedish security products firm Assa Abloy, which now makes some of the best-known brands including Chubb, Yale and Union. The lock giant has an information board that will also be installed at the site in time for the official unveiling later this year.

About 280 requests rolled in from people to have the details of workers past and present engraved on the memorial wall.

Walsall Council put up the initial funding of £10,000 for the scheme from its capital programme and more sponsorship is now being sought.

Lock making began as a cottage industry with many families producing locks and parts for locks in sheds or outhouses at the rear of their homes.

By as early as 1770, Willenhall had 148 skilled locksmiths and in 1830, Willenhall's James Carpenter along with inventor John Young from Wolverhampton, designed the famous perpendicular action rim lock for doors.

The long hours working tended to produce workers with humps on their backs and the town became known locally as 'Humpshire'.

As late as 1956, there were still local men who had humps and some pubs, including The Bell in, Market Street, had holes in the wall behind the wooden bench seats to allow workers to sit comfortably.

As a town of locks and keys, Willenhall Heritage Trust aims to 'preserve and capture the history and heritage of the area'.

The trust was set up to help inform both residents, past and present, and visitors about the rich industrial past, while the ultimate aim of the trust it to open a heritage centre in the town.

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