Tipton Life Interviews - Carl Dainty

Carl describes himself as having a Black Country sense of humour and is a lifelong fisherman, with a passion for nature and wildlife.

"There are so many great things about Tipton but true Tipton & Black Country folk are truly classed as The Salt of The Earth, " says Carl. And I think most of us would agree with him.

"As a youngster growing up in Tipton, you see and hear about some interesting people and things; people keeping horses in their gardens/houses, chickens under the kitchen table but this was all before my time, " says Carl. "I remember as a kid, there was a man who used to have a motorbike and sidecar, the sidecar being in fact a low sided wooden box which he used to ferry his dog around in! I never knew exactly who he was but someone will I am sure." I can vouch for the horse in the garden Carl; my mom rented one over a summer as our lawn mower was 'bost'!!!

"I wish people knew more about the History of old Tipton," says Carl. "This sadly gets over looked, like buildings that have long gone, all the industry we had. The old saying, that there wasn't anything you couldn't get made in Tipton and The Black Country, was true." Sadly, as we all know, it's no longer the case.

Carl also mentioned that we are losing the history of our unique dialect and our sayings, and fears it may be dying out.

"I'm so proud of my roots and to live in Tipton", says Carl, "where we have a fabulous statue of William Perry otherwise known as "The Tipton Slasher" the British Heavyweight bare knuckle champion of England." Carl is pictured with his partner's retired guide dog Lara, next to the statue in Coronation Gardens.

Our thanks to Carl for offering his thoughts on life in Tipton.