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Kynoch Gatehouses

izabellanne

izabellanne

master brummie
I worked in PAPER box,then Kynoch Press from 1958-1967.My Father was an on site fire offer, and we lived in the gate lodge house in WELLHEAD LANE... I am so upset to see it now. What a waste of a beautiful house.
 
Edit. Unfortunately the images referred to are no longer available.

(Welcome, izabellann. Do you have an image of your Wellhead Lane home?)

Chris
 
Wellhead Lodge

Chris / Mike
I lived at the lodge on the right of Wellhead Gate. My Dad was second chief fire officer Amos. The Chief fire officer Morgan lived in the lodge at the left of the gate. There was a gate at the bottom of the garden straight in to the site, which I used every morning to walk to the Kynoch Press, where I was a Readers copy holder..What boring copy I had to read. The only good read was the kynoch news, which I think came out every month.I also worked with the photograghers Mr. Worth, and David. My first job there was in Paper Box, where we made many diferent sizes of bullett boxes..
I also used the Holford club occasionally, it was usually for the Dances.
I have a very old photo of the Wellhead gate and the lodge I lived in, but I do not seem to be able to upload it.I will e.mail anyone interested.
Great days!!!!!
 
ChrisM said:
Thanks for those pics, Frothblower, here and in another thread. Where was the lion originally located? (And why hasn't it yet "walked" from its current location - it must be well nailed down).

Have only just noticed your posts, Dyan, and thank you for the information. Im sure that some of the names will be familiar to forum members although the only one which I recognise is that of Rupert Crane who has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

Chris
Click to expand...

I think he was located at the old IMI gates.
He is at the Hub, the IMI grounds. Lots of security, so he's going no where.
 
Frothblower said:
I think he was located at the old IMI gates.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure but i think there used to be opposing lions and they was over the gates at Wellhead Lane entrance. I am talking about 1973ish when i started there in the Strip Mill. I think, could be wrong, the other one ended up in the front garden of a house on Aldridge Rd


bren
 
I used to live in the Kynoch Lodge in Wellhead Lane in the late fifties/ sixties, I cannot remember the lions being there, though I could be wrong, I lived in the lodge on the right of the gates..
 
Last year the gates become the subject of a possible demolition. I've looked on Streetview and they're still there but shrouded in mesh (last two images below). Are they going to remain ? There now seems to be a school behind the gates. Viv.

image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
I've extracted this from the Historic England listing about the Kynoch gates and time office, listed Jan 2016. Hopefully most of the features below are still there. Think this is another site to keep a watchful eye on. Viv.

Grade II because because of:
a strong Beaux Arts composition presenting an impressive public face to the site
and related to the site of major arms manufacture during the First World War

SITE
A pair of gate lodges and a time office of 1915 at the western factory entrance by William Haywood at 48-52 Wellhead Lane. Despite some loss of fabric and minor alteration, buildings remain substantially intact.

MATERIALS: the buildings are built of brick and stucco, with slate
central time office flanked by the two lodge buildings with gates between.

EXTERIOR:
central time office flanked by the two lodge buildings with gates, symmetrically arranged
all buildings have plinths of blue brick with rendered elevations above
mostly original sash windows
rear elevation, facing into the site, echoes the front elevation has date 1915 above the door
roof apex has a flat central section flanked by chimneys
decorative fanlights above the doors
dwarf walls to the front of the lodges, with metal railings mostly now lost
between lodges and time office are large metal gates

INTERIOR: the time office
a central hall with panelled, plaster walls and ceiling,
internal window openings into the rooms beyond
partly glazed timber panelled internal doors
modern turnstyle frame
room to the south is a shell with exposed brickwork and roof timbers.

Both lodges have centrally-placed halls at ground-floor level accessed through arched openings from the front door
ground-floor rooms are accessed from the halls, including large living room
rooms have surviving timber panelled doors
stairs in each lodge have open treads with stick balusters and carved brackets.
 
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