Farm Park - huge boulder

[tali]

Farm Park in Sparkbrook until mid 80s had a huge flint grey boulder which kids used to climb on -anyone recall what happened to it?
Why it was put there is a mystery - can only assume it was a first attempt at modern art perhaps - although it appeared very natural and untouched

 

[Graham]

I can remember such a stone in Cannon Hill Park near the boating pool and the grandstand. If I remember correct it was full of holes, it looked like a huge cinder, and the story was that it was a meteor or a stone left over from the last ice age. Could have been found when they dug out the boating pool.

 

[postie]

Our history lesson for today shall begin here.

Towards the end of the Ice Age , the Glaciers began moving and carried all kinds of boulders and rocks along with them.
Sometimes these boulders were huge, weighing many hundreds of tons, and were carried for thousands of miles in some cases. Eventually these boulders settled wherever they were deposited by the glacial ice.
Thier proper name is Erratic Boulders, probably because they had no definate direction of travel.

Now, put your chairs on your desks and leave Quietly.

 

[Wendy]

Very informative thank you sir!

 

[postie]

One of the better known stones in Birmingham is in Yardley and is of course Gilbertstone.I think it is now in the gardens of Blakesley Hall.

 

[Phil]

Postie

What about this one, is it still there or has it been moved?

Phil

 

[postie]

Yeah Phil, forgot that one, but there are thousands of them all over the place. The Lickey Hills is made up of millions of them in all shapes and sizes.
Fascinating when you get into them.

 

[Charlie]

Phil, The War Stone is still in Warstone Lane Cemetery, near the entrance in Warstone Lane. I don't think that will ever be moved.....er.....maybe I shouldn't have said that (tempting providence)!

 

[tali]

I can remember such a stone in Cannon Hill Park near the boating pool and the grandstand. If I remember correct it was full of holes, it looked like a huge cinder, and the story was that it was a meteor or a stone left over from the last ice age. Could have been found when they dug out the boating pool.

No holes in the Farm Rd one

 

[Lloyd]

Didn't there used to be a boulder near to Bournville Station? I think it was brought down from the lake district area by a glacier in the ice age. Is it still there?

 

[Pomgolian]

Pill the 'War stone' was definitely still at Warstone Lane Cemetery around Sat 16th June last year... Here it is with me sitting on it.

Photo taken by our very own Wendy.


View attachment 14996

Pom

 

[Phil]

Pill the 'War stone' was definitely still at Warstone Lane Cemetery around Sat 16th June last year... Here it is with me sitting on it.

Photo taken by our very own Wendy.


View attachment 14996

Pom

Have you got one of you sitting on The Great Stone in the pound next to the Great Stone Inn at Northfield. Mind you I can see you there on the right in the white pinny at Cannon Hill Park when you was a llittle bit younger.

Phil

 

[postie]

And heres the Gilbertstone boulder.

 

[Phil]

Tali

I often used farm park in my younger days, I can't bring to mind any boulder natural or otherwise. Where was it located? When did it appear and is it still there?

It wasn't this one was it, I think they are looking for somewhere to put it.

Phil

 

[Graham]

I can remember such a stone in Cannon Hill Park near the boating pool and the grandstand. If I remember correct it was full of holes, it looked like a huge cinder, and the story was that it was a meteor or a stone left over from the last ice age. Could have been found when they dug out the boating pool.

Phil,

Thanks for the photo, that's the one that we used to play on in Cannon Hill Park.

 

[tali]

Tali

I often used farm park in my younger days, I can't bring to mind any boulder natural or otherwise. Where was it located? When did it appear and is it still there?

It wasn't this one was it, I think they are looking for somewhere to put it.

Phil

It was in from the mid 70s when i went there.Located about middle of park( not anywhere near entrances or sides)-i will check with family for better pinpoint

 

[bobbyb]

Having been a "parkie" in the 70's, farm park was one of the parks I went to as a relief and I do not remember a large stone being there, just Lloyd House, which then was used by the Son's of Rest as a club room.

 

[tali]

I checked with other members of my family and friends - and they all def 100% remember the boulder in Farm Park

 

[RobertS]

Think it was there at least until 1957, lived in Hickman Road so it was our local park.

 

[tali]

Think it was there at least until 1957, lived in Hickman Road so it was our local park.

Hi Robert -def well beyond 1957 as i remember climbing on it in mid/late 70s

 

[sparky]

I remember the boulder in Farm Park when I played there as a kid in the mid 1950's.

The story went that it was a meteorite that had landed in the park a few years before and had nearly killed some kids playing football!

I think it was situated on the edge of an area which was used mainly for football. It was a hard surface and had fine gravel on it, so if you went down, your knees got really scraped.

Although I didn't really appreciate the beauty of the flower beds and landscaping of the park at that time, I can still remember some of the layout and details of the park and how lovely the park was.

I went back there a few months ago to show my family where I was born and raised.
Oh dear, what a sad disappointment Farm Park was. Everything seems to have been flattened and grassed over with just a few trees remaining.
I took a photo of the park and Lloyd House which is still there.

 

[Catsclaws]

I used to play in the park in the early 60s and dont remember a stone . But I DO remember being told off by the 'Parky' cos wed found an old pond or stream and caught what we thought were little black fish in a jam jar .. turned out to be very unhealthy water .. ewee .. the things we played with when we were little eh ?

 

[Wendy]

I noticed a large boulder on the entrance of Brookvale Park today! Was this common?

 

[malvern]

Large boulders were sometimes used as boundary markers

 

[tali]

I remember the boulder in Farm Park when I played there as a kid in the mid 1950's.

The story went that it was a meteorite that had landed in the park a few years before and had nearly killed some kids playing football!

I think it was situated on the edge of an area which was used mainly for football. It was a hard surface and had fine gravel on it, so if you went down, your knees got really scraped.

Although I didn't really appreciate the beauty of the flower beds and landscaping of the park at that time, I can still remember some of the layout and details of the park and how lovely the park was.

I went back there a few months ago to show my family where I was born and raised.
Oh dear, what a sad disappointment Farm Park was. Everything seems to have been flattened and grassed over with just a few trees remaining.
I took a photo of the park and Lloyd House which is still there.

This was because sadly Farm Park took the brunt of the Tornado.

 

[Ray T]

I well remember the big boulder in Farm Park in the 1950s. We kids used to clamber over it and I, for no good reason, was certain it was a meteorite. Of course, it was just a rock. I visited the park just a few years ago and was sad to find the thing had gone. Like tali, I wondered what had happened to it. I did see the one in Cannon Hill Park and was sure this must have been the one from Farm Park, but from the comments and photos here, that can't be the case.

Ray T.

 

[Clive F]

I well remember the big boulder in Farm Park in the 1950s. We kids used to clamber over it and I, for no good reason, was certain it was a meteorite. Of course, it was just a rock. I visited the park just a few years ago and was sad to find the thing had gone. Like tali, I wondered what had happened to it. I did see the one in Cannon Hill Park and was sure this must have been the one from Farm Park, but from the comments and photos here, that can't be the case.

Ray T.

I lived on the edge of Farm Park which was the playground of my childhood and early youth. There was a vast area referred to as the "black patch" which accommodated the local free for all of football in the winter and cricket in the summer. It was on Dearman Road side of the park. The boulder in question was on the corner of the black patch nearest the swings. Incidentally, one side of the black patch had a slope down onto it and whenever snow or ice was on the ground, a series of slides would be produced by the local youth and were treacherous. I'm quite sure that they wouldn't be allowed in the present days of health and safety but we just went home nursing our bruises.

 

[RobT]

I well remember the big boulder in Farm Park in the 1950s. We kids used to clamber over it and I, for no good reason, was certain it was a meteorite. Of course, it was just a rock. I visited the park just a few years ago and was sad to find the thing had gone. Like tali, I wondered what had happened to it. I did see the one in Cannon Hill Park and was sure this must have been the one from Farm Park, but from the comments and photos here, that can't be the case.

Ray T.

This is the one from Cannon Hill Park

 

[archie7]

I was born in Dearman Road and played in Farm Park from 1945 to maybe 49/50. Can't say that I remember the boulder but what I think is called the 'black patch' was, during WWII a water reservoir and there was an air raid shelter alongside it just inside the entrance to the park at the middle of Dearman Road. I can remember being taken into the shelter once during an air raid. Mum usually took me to the top of the cellar steps under the stairs when there was a raid on.
I've not been to Farm Park since 1951 so I guess it has changed somewhat since then!

 

[JONrb211]

Farm Park in Sparkbrook until mid 80s had a huge flint grey boulder which kids used to climb on -anyone recall what happened to it?
Why it was put there is a mystery - can only assume it was a first attempt at modern art perhaps - although it appeared very natural and untouched

Tali is right it was definitely there in the early seventies. I also remember a structure we called the Fort which had zipwire running from it, and a climbing frame shaped like a dome hich I am sure health and safetey would not allow today.