Comments on: The hermit of the Wolverhampton Ring Road

The hermit of the Wolverhampton Ring Road

low_horrible_immoral — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:05:00 -0800

Joseph Stawinoga, tramp, hermit, holy man, Facebook celebrity and (alleged) former member of the SS, has died, aged 86.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:23:40 -0800

More coverage: BBC ,express & star Facebook group I read about this shortly after he died and I was pretty curious about the holy man angle.

By: MrMustard

MrMustard — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:24:23 -0800

Unkempt and dirty, with long matted hair and a 2ft straggly, yellowish beard... That describes pretty much everyone from Wolverhampton. Especially the ladies.

By: DU

DU — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:35:10 -0800

Stawinoga was said to have taken to locking up his wife when he went to work. She would cry and scream until one day, several years later, a neighbour smashed down the door to let her out. She fled, presumably to Austria. A role model for all Facebook stalkers.

By: Postroad

Postroad — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:00:50 -0800

For those of us who truly loved him, he will be sorely missed. RIP, Fred, aka Holy Man

By: Phanx

Phanx — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:02:31 -0800

Interesting. Did the council allow him to camp on the road because he already had a reputation as a respected holy man? Or did his extraordinary ability to get support from the council convince people he had special holy powers?

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:54:53 -0800

photos

By: dead_

dead_ — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:32:21 -0800

By: ob

ob — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:42:13 -0800

It was probably the matted hair and the long beard that convinced people that he was a holy man. It's hard these days to get recognized as a holy man if you shave and don't smell like a pig's arse, believe me.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:20:53 -0800

His tent was removed by the council at the request of West Midlands Police, who were concerned that the area would become a tourist attraction. Pretty short sighted, considering the millions that many towns pay to create tourist attractions.

By: salmacis

salmacis — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:27:12 -0800

And lets face it, Wolverhampton needs a tourist attraction more than just about anywhere else in the country.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:28:21 -0800

I've been to Wolverhampton to watch a stage of the tour of Britain. The cycling was interesting.