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Heritage trail honouring Bridgtown's industrial past takes another step forward - WATCH

The next step of a trail to preserve the history of a town has been put in place.

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Bridgtown Local History Group is working to install plaques at landmark sites that were once the centre of the town's industry but have now been converted to new houses, shops or other developments.

The latest step of the trail has now been put in place at the former Cornelius Whitehouse and Sons site, which at one point employed more than 300 people in the town.

Last year bulldozers have moved onto the site at Edgemead Trade Centre in Walsall Road, to knock the units to the ground, making way for around 40 new homes.

However, the history group is determined to see the iconic site's legacy kept alive and have now put an information board in place so its memory can be preserved for years to come.

Group secretary Derrick Middleton said: "We don't have anything against the new development and we are happy that Bridgtown is going through a regeneration period.

"However, a lot of the sites that are crucial to our heritage are being replaced now and we want to make sure that their contribution towards making the town what it is today isn't forgotten by the next generation."

Despite the tool manufacturer, with its iconic hedgehog logo, once being a thriving business, the warehouses have been derelict since it closed in 1964, albeit with the occasional small business moving in to try and make use of some of the space. Mr Middleton added: "The hedgehog was the company logo but many people referred to it as Hedgehog Tools.

"Now some of the tools fetch as much as £100 online but it depends if the hedgehog markings are clear or not."

The next part of the trail set to be put in place will be unveiled this summer, on the corner of North Street and Watling Street to mark the contribution of Whitehouse Brothers and ironfounders EW Wynn.

Previously, plaques have been installed on Union Street to mark the history of Bridgtown as a whole and by the Cannock Gateway shopping centre to mark the history of canals in the area.

The Bridgtown Local History Group was formed in 2009 by a group of residents and former residents with the aim of recording information on the people, lifestyles and events in the town over the years.

Membership of the society is open to anyone interested. The groups latest annual general meeting is on May 3 at Bethel Church, Union Street in Cannock.

For more information, email bridgtownhistory@hotmail.com

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