Watch House.—­On the right hand side of Crooked Lane from High Street, may still be seen the old Watch House, where, fifty years ago, the “Charleys,” or night watchmen, took any drunken or disorderly characters, or night prowlers, they happened to meet with, or whom they dare tackle.

Waterloo Veterans.—­John McKay was born in November, 1792, and entered the army as a drummerboy in 1803; he died here in July, 1879.  He served 41 years, and was for the last 25 years of his life office keeper of the Royal Engineers’ Office in this town.  Another “Waterloo man,” George Taylor, died here, November 6, 1880, aged 98.

Water Pipes.—­In 1810 Mr. Murdoch started a Company for manufacturing stone pipes for water-works, and they made a large quantity, which were laid down in London and Manchester, but they had to come up again, as the pipes split—­and the Company burst.

Waterspouts and Whirlwinds are not of common occurrence hereabouts.  One of the former burst over the Lickey Hills, April 13, 1792, the resulting flood reaching to Bromsgrove.  A whirlwind at Coleshill, April 4, 1877, played havoc with some hay-ricks, hedges, trees, &c.

Water Street, formerly Water Lane, had a brook running down one side of it when houses were first built there.

Weather Cocks.—­Mention is made of Weather Cocks as early as the ninth century, and it has been supposed that the Cock was intended as an emblem of the vigilance of the clergy, who irreverently styled themselves the Cocks of the Almighty, their duty being, like the cock which roused Peter, to call the people to repentance, or at any rate to church.  These are the longest-lived birds we know of.  The one which had been perched on the old spire of St. Martin’s for a hundred years or more was brought down July 22, 1853, and may still be seen at Aston Hall, along with the old bird that tumbled off Aston church October 6, 1877.  The last was made of copper in July, 1830, and contained, among other articles, a copy of Swinney’s Birmingham Chronicle of June 29, 1815, with a full account of the Battle of Waterloo.

Weighing Machines were introduced by John Wyatt, in 1761, and the first was purchased by the Overseers in 1767, so that the profits might reduce the poor rates.  It was situated at the top corner of Snow Hill, and so much did the Overseers value it, that they gave notice, (Feb. 18th, 1783) of their intention of applying to Parliament for the monopoly of securing “the benefit of weighing out coals to the town.”

Welsh Cross.—­One of the Old-time Market-houses at the corner of Bull Street, the bottom portion of the edifice being used by country people as a butter market.  The upper room was for meetings and occasionally used for the detention of prisoners who came (it has been said) through the window on to a small platform for the pillory or cat-o’-nine-tails, according to their sentence.