Bridtown Heritage Trail

Chronicle Newspaper Article – Thursday, July 17, 2025

Interactive Heritage Trail Highlights Bridgtown History

History Group and council representatives with Richard Franks from We Can Create

An interactive walking trail celebrating Bridgtown’s rich history has officially launched, bringing stories of the past to life with QR codes, local creativity, and community spirit.

The Bridgtown Tales Trail offers the chance to explore the village through a fun and engaging route. Along the trail, explorers can find eight QR codes, each revealing fascinating stories, facts and insights into Bridgtown’s heritage.

The project has been developed in partnership with Cannock Chase Council and Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, with support from Bridgtown and District Local History Group. It is funded as part of the Cannock Chase Can programme. School children worked alongside professional artists to develop the content for each QR code.

A free trail map is available to download and from local venues. The challenge also features on the Cannock Chase Can app, which is free to download.

Latest News from B&DLHS

Some of you are aware that our Society has been in consultation with Cheslyn Hay and District Local History Society about consolidation into one society. This merger will bring with it a greater appreciation of the history of our combined villages and will also enhance our knowledge of the local past. The two villages are neighbours that, in places, overlap each other, tile and brick making, coal mining, canals and waterways and, of course, the Raz.

We are delighted to announce that this consolidation will take place on 30th June 2025. The “new” society will be called “Cheslyn Hay and Bridgtown Local History Society”.

The integration of records and archive will take some time in completion but as the year progresses we hope to see some of the advantages of this mutual consolidation to emerge.

Waiting for the Milkman of Bridgtown

I can still picture the scene during our school summer holidays. Weekends were the best days. My friend and I waited on Girton Road with excitement for the milk float. It was our secret adventure. Helping wasn’t allowed, but many milkmen looked the other way. They let us jump on and off to help them. It made their routes faster. The Co-op Milk Dairy was on Price Street in Cannock. Many kids waited there, hoping for a chance. We wanted a ride and a bit of work to earn a shilling or some sweets. Sometimes, we even get extra milk. The orange drink was a real treat, the best part was riding on the milk float. The cabs were spacious inside, and one or two helpers could fit in easily. Back then, the milk floats ran on batteries. They weren’t fancy, but they worked, I would say they were ahead of their time, as now we’re going back to batteries with modern cars.