Old Shard End

A Memory of Shard End.

My family moved to Shard End in 1951 to 11 Freasley Road. The estate was in its first stages then, no shops and no bus service, it was a walk to Lea village for the bus across the old bailey bridge. There was a lot of open ground in those days, I was still at school and an old bus used to collect us and take us to Pype Hayes Sec Mod school. When I left school I worked on Castle Bromwich airfield until I was called up for Nat Service. I was posted to Manston in Kent and after demob I remained in Kent. I do go to Shard End still to see my sister, she lives in Gorsefield Road, the old Shard End has gone. I look at the park and remember it as an old sand pit that was surrounded by a steel fence; it brings back happy memories but that, as they say, is progress.

archie2013


Added 07 March 2016

#339224

Comments & Feedback

I lived in Freasley Road at 103 since the early 1950's, not sure what year we moved in, as I was born in 1948. Me and my twin sister June went to Hillstone Road Primary and Junior school up till 1959. I also remember the Bailey bridge as we could hear the cars driving over the boards as we lay in bed at night, and the beacon from Birmingham airfield was visible from our back bedroom window.
I remember a lovely blond haired girl in our class who also lived in Freasley Road up towards Pithall Road, her name was Margaret Jukes and I really fancied her. Further down the Hill I knew Alan Cross. Two doors from me lived Micky Howkins my mate, and next to him Mickey Gillbert. Across the road from us lived the Smith family, Tony was in my class and his elder brother Paul who was in the Alderlea Boy's school drama group went on to play Benny in Crossroads. I'm wondering what happened to all the other kids I knew in the area that went to Hillstone, Alderlea Boys' and Long Meadow Girls' school. Tom McCauley
We the Stringer family moved to Brownfield Road in 1952. I remember catching the bus at the bottom of the road to Twickenham Road school untill Alderlea was built and was a co-ed school untill Longmeadow was opened becoming Alderlea boys and Longmeadow Girls. My brother Robert also belonged to the drama group for a while and I remember Paul Smith in his very first performance as a narrator, I remember him sitting on the side of the stage and my mom saying sh thought he would go a long way...!! The only shops at that time were on the Chester Road,,quite a walk especially when the weekly shopping had to be carried home..no car in them days.a greengrocer van arrived once a week with a few essential grocery goods .Dr. Wiess was the only doctor for miles.....I went to the Castle Cinema with my nan.and enjoyed making a ''train'' and hurtling down Brownfield Road on roller scates with a whole load of other kids....those were the days eh !! Diane Stringer......
shard end oh so many happy memorys the army camp in hurst lane my sister was going out with a army chap no bus service in those days it was chester road for the midland red or lea village but looking back it was the best times of my life compared with life today

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