Harborne memories
Here are memories of Harborne and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Harborne or a Harborne photo.
My Dad
My dad Harry Kitchener Stacey worked part time as a bar man at the Duke. I remember coming on the bus from Bartly Green in the afternoons, sometimes after finishing his shift, dad would take me to the afternoon movies just around the corner.
1939 ONWARDS I Remember
I was born in 1939, the year war started, and remember being lifted out of bed in the middle of the night and the barrage balloons looked like big elephants in the sky. I also remember the table shelter in the lounge which I was put in with my brother, and my Mickey Mouse gas mask, reddish with a tongue and green on the bottom, it smelt funny. I remember going out and picking up silver paper that had dropped from planes, and also the sweet tins, black, with malted milk tablets, which were given to us by Uncle Bill in the Army - these were given to the soldiers. And I remember cod liver oil, and malt, and ration books - the clothing one was pink.
I lived at 428 Harborne Park Road, next to the gully which led to Woodleigh Avenue. I walked to school each day to the junior school in York Road. I walked four times a day up Metchley Lane because I did... Read more
Memories of West Midlands
My Teenage Years
Living in Bearwood (posh end of Smethwick) I pushed my bike then Lambreta Scooter up and down the Hagley Road between 1956-62 as I served out my engineering apprenticeship at Bellis & Morcom, Ledsam Street, Edgbaston. Good days, went on to join the Merchant Navy 1961-66 as a sea going engineer sailing round and see the world ... changed my life for ever.
Edgbaston was just as the picture shows in 1949 still relatively quiet from today's traffic. Edgbaston became special to me, not only did I meet my wife at the Tower Ballroom in 1957 (still together and now living in Weybridge, Surrey) where we bibbed and bobbed every Tuesday and Saturday night. It was also known that I drank the odd pint of beer in the Holly Bush Pub to loosen me up before striding off down to the Tower.
Some years later we spent our wedding night at the Norfolk Hotel on the Hagley Road (1962) before flying out to Jersey, it was the... Read more
The Rone Clarke Family, Rose Cottage, Bristol Road, Bournbrook, Birmingham
My great-great-grandfather was CHARLES RONE CLARKE born 6 March 1837 at 13 Court, Smallbrook Street, Birmingham. He was a master woodturner and sixth great-grandson of Henry Clarke. He married my great-great-grandmother EMMA SOPHIA BABBINGTON, born 11th September 1841 at 100 Lancaster Street in the district of St Mary, Birmingham. She married CHARLES RONE CLARKE at St Philip's Church, Birmingham on December 12 1859. It is said she was a very dominant woman who ruled both her family and the wood-turning business at Rose Cottage, Bristol Road, Bournbrook with an iron hand after the death of her husband Charles in 1893. She travelled everywhere in her pony and trap driven by one of her sons. EMMA SOPHIA RONE CLARKE (nee BABBINGTON) died on March 12 1912. The History of Rose Cottage goes as follows. In 1865 Charles set up his wood-turning business on land behind the cottage and there he taught his sons the trade. The workshop with all its wonderful machinery also had several glass houses and a breakers yard, and... Read more
Rednal, Lickey Hills
Mum said she was 2 weeks overdue and it was the worst winter, and all she could think of was to go for a walk up the steps of the Lickey Hills hoping that would bring me into the world! Don't blame me for wanting to keep warm in her womb as long as I could! Re: Selly Oak village, Burton's snooker hall - I will ask my dad what he knows of it as I know the Higgins lads, including my Grandad Albert Higgins, was a noted Snooker champ in his day.
Selly Oak
My mother, Thelma Hill, and her brother Ken were born in Gleave Road, Selly Oak. They used to play down one end called (I think) "the pudding bag". My mum went to St Mary's School and her brother (at aged 11 years) to St Wulstuns. Mum used to speak fondly of her time at school but like a lot of others she left at 14 years of age and then her mum got her a job at Boxfoldia, she said that the staff were strict but kind.
My Memories of Selly Oak And Bournbrook
I was born in Bournbrook, Birmingham in 1950, daughter of Kenneth Clarke born 1924 and Joan Clarke (nee Price) born 1927.
My father was born at 21 North Road, Bournbrook, son of Edith Clarke and Jack Clarke. The family name was really Rone Clarke and this family began their trade as woodturners at Rose Cottage, Bristol Road, Bromsgrove.
My father worked at W H Ward in Dale Road, and as we lived at No 10 Dale Road, I remember as a child I used to wait for him at lunch time when he came out, I remember Mom used to tell him to "Take your boots off" because they used to bring swarf into the house. My father worked on a lathe at Wards and his brother Charlie Clarke also worked at Wards as did his mother Eva who was an engraver.
I remember early in the morning lying in bed and hearing all the men's boots going down Dale Road as they made their way to work at Wards.... Read more
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- North Broomhill, Northumberland
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- Wishaw, Lanarkshire
- Thornley, County Durham
- Slough, Berkshire
- Bacton, Norfolk
- Stanwell, Middlesex
- Hindhead, Surrey
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- Diss, Norfolk
- Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
- Milborne Port, Dorset
- Bournemouth, Dorset
- Padgate, Cheshire
- Long Bredy, Dorset
- Frimley Green, Surrey
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