I was a teenager living in West Bromwich in the 1950's. My paternal grandparents had lived in a large house at the top of Scotland Passage since about 1912. It was a large, rambling, rather gloomy building (gas lit), and was surrounded by several outbuildings, some of which were in ruins and may have been stables. It was a large family; (my father had 17 siblings), yet surprisingly, given the hardships of that period, my grandmother lived to be 90, and died in 1955. To the left of my grandparents' house were several other buildings. I have recently visited Sandwell Archives and was allowed to copy a large-scale map of the area which was published in 1886. The group of buildings is clearly labelled "Protector Cottages". It was suggested to me some time ago that there may have been a connection with Oliver Cromwell, (hence the name), but I suspect that given the time scale involved this connection is rather spurious and probably apocryphal. The map shows that at the back of the cottages there is a building shown as "Mission Room" (the chapel which someone queried?). The entrance to this building would probably have been in nearby Pitt Street. If anyone wishes to see maps of the area, they are available to view at Sandwell Archives at the public library in Smethwick High Street. The staff are very friendly and ready to help in any research. I hope that this information is useful.
