Castle Bromwich memories
Here are memories of Castle Bromwich and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Castle Bromwich or a Castle Bromwich photo.
Village Shop
I lived in the bungalow at the end of the spinny on West Avenue in the late 1960s and went to Highcroft School from age 4 to 5, which was an old Victorian building which always smelt of tomato soup and stood on the corner of Kyter Lane. The shop you mention was called The Castle and my friends and I used to buy our sweets and regretably, our cigarettes from there,10 between 4 of us I recall. Right by it was a farm with an old barn with a circular window (and, now I'm reminded, the smell of pigs). Further into Castle Bromwich, on the opposite side was a butchers by a then derelict school with a bell tower (supposedly haunted) and Victory Hall where my cousin and I took judo lessons. There was open farm land stretching from Pimple Hill to Arden Hall and back from Kyter Lane as far as the River Cole, where the M6 is now. There was a Scout hut there with its own pond, with... Read more
Mt Great-Grandmother's Memories of Castle Bromwich
I have copied and pasted a few sections of my great-grandmother's memories of Castle Bromwich to share. "As I was not robust as a little child, my parents took part of a small house at Castle Bromwich, a country village, as town life did not always suit my health. This house belonged to the village schoolmaster. His name was Mr. Barnes and he had the village school which was attached to his cottage. We all stayed from time to time with Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and loved them very much. In fact we called Mrs. Barnes, “Mamma Barnes”. Mr. and Mrs Barnes loved us all and we were very happy with them in the country. The house and garden were very pretty. Grapes grew over the porch. There was a nice lawn to play on, and trees to climb. I loved to sit on one of the lower branches of a tree and pretend it was a horse. I jumped up and down, while the leaves shook, so that I was really riding a... Read more
Earlier Memory of The Village School.
As a student teacher, I waited with others for the college bus to collect us from the village school. The headteacher in earlier days was Mr. Blewitt. As it happens, I was a colleague of his son, Harry Blewitt, at Coleshill High School. Harry remembered his father saying that some of the children from the Ward End area of Birmingham who attended his school were in bare feet.
Village School
I remember moving to the village school in about 1962/3. I had been at Highcroft private school further up towards the church for a couple of years but my parents decided to move me to the village school. The school was very old. My grandfather went there too as he was born in the village and I lived here from when I was born until I was 22. My farther still lives in the same house in Castle Bromwich to this day.
I can still remember Mrs Huggins (a lovely lady teacher) and Mrs Davy and Miss Dobinson. The toilets were outside, adjacent to the playground. As Helen said, the morning assembly and PE were carried out in the Victory Hall. We used to walk from the school to the Victory Hall in the morning through a little alleyway, carrying a large mat to sit on, with a pupil at each end carrying it.
I can't remember walking to school but can remember walking home. I used to walk out... Read more
My House
Although I so far know little about it, the white house with the black beams was formerly the local shop. In the early 90's it was derelict and subsequently refurbished as a residential property.
I purchased the property in February 2007, and live there now. If anyone knows anything of its history, please leave information here!
It used to be a coaching inn, and its age is approximately 300 years old.
Post Office
We moved to nearby Kingshurst and the Post Office on the corner of Hurst Lane was the nearest for collecting the much needed Family Allowance. It was a good walk as the buses were not very frequent. When I was newly married 13 years later, our first house was in Hawthorne Road so this was my local shopping area. We moved away 33 years ago but having friends who live in Hurst Lane North we do visit the area occasionally. I have experienced many changes to these shops and the now very busy road.
Village School
To the left of where the photographer was standing was the junior's playground of the old village school (St Mary and St Margaret's.) In 1963-4 we would have vacated the old buildings and moved into a new building in Southfield Avenue on the Hall Estate. The old school was basically a large room divided into classrooms by immense sliding concertina doors. The windows were very high and so were the ceilings. Because the old school was very cramped just prior to moving to the new one, our class with our teacher Mrs Huggins, had our lessons in two rooms of the old house. I remember immense coal fires in the winter while the rest of the school had hot pipes running around the rooms. Morning assemblies and P.E. lessons were held in the Victory Hall further down on the left. The Victory Hall was later converted into a working mens club. The building on the right with the white end wall and black beams was a general store but I'm... Read more
Memories of West Midlands
Kitts Green Road
My family moved into Kitts Green Road 1937/38 before the road "joined" up with Mackadown Lane. There was Dad, Mom my older sister Edna, brother Dennis and my Grandmother (Dad's mother). I am still in contact with my best friend Thelma who lived further up the road. I am now nearly 80 years old but I remember it well, although I should add that my memories are of the way it was, going to the Bluebell Woods near Marston Green, playing in the fields along Mackadown Lane, climbing the haystacks in the farmers field (and getting caught by him). Where are all those boys and girls I knew then? Neighbours names Gradwell, Townsend Grifffiths, Walters, Sheldon just a few of the names I remember from so long ago.
The Blue Bell Wood
Having recently moved to Kingshust from Aston it was wonderful to have Chelmsley Wood within walking distance. Taking a picnic we would set off and thoroughly enjoy the walk, climbing over the style and venturing into the woods especially when the wood was carpeted with the most amazing blue bells. We would play hide and seek and be amazed at all the wonderful smells and beautiful things to see. It was nature at its best. We would all stagger home exhaused carrying arms full of blue bells. These were the days when we didn't live in fear of strangers and of course before the lovely woods were demolished to make way for the CHELMSLEY WOOD that has become home to so many. I feel privilaged to have enjoyed the wood in its former glory.
Chemo Woods
We moved from Aston, (Lichfield Road) to Tile cross, in 1948. Talk about a breath of fresh air??
We soon discovered Chelmsley woods, it was a grand trek, down Bell lane, past the smithy on the right and down to "Ye Olde Bell" .
Acoss the fields at the back of the bell, past the bomb crater, and on to the woods.
Absolutely wonderful, original primeval forest with Oak trees, Silver birch etc. truly wonderful, I can never forget it!! We had some wonderful days there as boys.
But alas, it had to be cut down to make way for a huge housing estate. I think that was a crying shame, I think, that if the same cirumstances came up, in light of the envirionmental considerations of today, they wouldnt be allowed to cut it dowm.
I now live in, Australia, and have done so for almost 40 years, but I will never forget the halcyon days of my youth when Chelmsley wood,... Read more
Poetry
This poem was sent to mac by Mrs S. Holmes:
Death of Chelmsley Wood
The sheer delight of summer afternoons,
As through the fields in cotton frocks we walked,
The long grass licking at our gangly legs,
While we in deep contentment laughed and talked.
The pure joy of living was all ours,
As we ran free in peaceful meadows green,
And sought the edge of every farmer’s field,
So’s not to spoil the yellow corn between.
It was so quiet there, so very still,
With Grazing cows contented as they lay,
Have you reached for heaven as you jumped the stream,
Have you lain on your back in the grass,
Have you felt the joy of the songbird’s cry
And watched the aeroplanes pass,
Have you been a child in Marston Green,
And leaned from the station bridge,
When the village was small and the fields were green,
Like a carpet over the ridge.
Like an endless landscape clothed in the gold
Of a sleepy hamlet’s love,
Self Builders on Chelmsley Wood
Pockets of houses on Chelmsley Wood were built by self builders. Usually by teams with 10/12 members building 10/12 houses. All done in their spare time after work and at weekends 10 houses would take around 18 months/2 years to complete. As the houses each became ready they would be rented out to a team member until all houses were complete. After this morgages would be taken out by individual members, the loan used to pay back the temporary loan from Birmingham City Council. In 1970 the cost for the freehold land to build one house was £800.00 The cost of all the building materials to build one house including central heating, fencing, even to turf the front and back garden was £2,200. So a £3,000 morgage was necessary. This was for a semi detached house. To compare the savings made by working for free building the self build house, a similar house in say Erdington, would at that time be valued at around £7,500. ... Read more
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