In 1912 the Lichfield Mercury told the remarkable story of John Bailey, an Armitage-born chorister whose supposed career took him from Lichfield Cathedral to aristocratic kitchens, royal patronage and eventually life as a wandering tramp. But how much of the tale was true? This article follows Bailey’s extraordinary claims, comparing them with surviving records to separate fact from fiction and uncover the life behind a fascinating newspaper story.
Tag: Armitage
My disappearing landmark
For decades the cooling towers of Rugeley Power Station dominated the skyline of Armitage-with-Handsacre. This article explores how the station came to be built, the engineering ambitions behind it, and its lasting impact on the parish through employment, housing, changing boundaries and the disappearance of an older landscape beneath one of Britain’s largest industrial developments.