How the landmark buildings look today a century after Lloyd George’s visit
MANY changes can be expected over a century; a hundred years of improvements in transport, health, housing, the list is endless.
That is why it is sometimes difficult to assemble a story that needs pictures of contemporary buildings to reflect the age that the story emanates from. So many have been destroyed in the name of progress, their modern replacements a poor substitute in almost every case.
With the centenary of David Lloyd George’s famous speech at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton very much in our thoughts, some of the landmark buildings that played an important role in his historic and triumphant visit to the borough in late November 1918 have been revisited, and thankfully if the Prime Minister who took us to victory in the Great War was able to return himself, he would no doubt be pleasantly surprised.
On Friday November 23 2018 the Grand Theatre was the setting of a history lesson to which the Mayor of Wolverhampton Cllr. Phil Page and the Mayoress Mrs Elaine Hadley-powell together with a smattering of journalist, councillors, officers and historian Tom Larkin were in attendance. They heard a narration of the famous speech to mark this special occasion. As for the bricks and mortar of the theatre, from the outside at least Lloyd George would have recognised it.
However the Low Level Station where Lloyd George began his visit last witnessed a train leaving a platform in 1968. Today the station buildings are used for another purpose and you have to concentrate hard to imagine the PM’S train arriving amidst a furore of expectant Black Country folk chanting his name and cheering every move he made 100 years ago.