• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Gravelly Hill - Slade Road / The Slade

Hi Dave ,Having trouble trying to enlarge picture but with the help of a magnifying glass .I think I'm standing on the right of the female ,looking at the picture (left hand side of lady) who might have been Doreen who worked the forecourt , the small boy could be Steven ,Harry Bonner's son with Harry on the left , on the far right are the brothers of Harry ,Bernard and Norman , the one next to Ray could be John and the one on Doreen's right I think is Barry. Can't recall other names and could be wrong anyway as memory is failing after all these years.
 
Hi Dave ,Having trouble trying to enlarge picture but with the help of a magnifying glass .I think I'm standing on the right of the female ,looking at the picture (left hand side of lady) who might have been Doreen who worked the forecourt , the small boy could be Steven ,Harry Bonner's son with Harry on the left , on the far right are the brothers of Harry ,Bernard and Norman , the one next to Ray could be John and the one on Doreen's right I think is Barry. Can't recall other names and could be wrong anyway as memory is failing after all these years.

Graham, Ray said also that you are 5th from the right :), small world, Ray will be happy :)

Graham click twice on the pic it might enlarge
 
I must know you G T.I lived in Mere Road went to Slade Road School and left in 1957 Iplayed cricket for the school and football and won the javelin competition in the Coronation games at Jaffery Road playing fields and came second in throwing the cricket ball.Where you worked in the garage Mickey Kenning who played fot Villa and Wolves lived in the prefabs opposite the garage The cafe was Eastgates run by the familly I used to go down there nearly every night and pop in the Brookvale Pub for a crafty half.
 
Hi Mike, The names Graham but sorry but I don't recognize your name. I used to go around in a gang with Christine Price ( father had the butchers shop in George Road) , George Watts, Keith Newman etc and get fish and chips at (I think the name was Sugdens ) the old grey matter is not like it used to be !!!. I was a prefect at Slade before I left to go into the big wide world and used to go on the boats in Brookvale Park so I might have known you by sight but not by name
 
I lived at 43 Hillside Rd of Slade Rd from 1962 to 1987, next road below George Rd, although my daughter did not attend Slade school, she went to Fentham Rd father up Slade Rd. T he Trams had stopped running about 1954, although I lived in Aston 1930-35 and again 1943-48 so do remember them, it was my most used form of transport and very reliable they were too if somewhat uncomfortable. Eric
 
Last edited:
Hi Eric

My nan and grandad lived on Kegworth Rd from 1962-1995, my nan died in 1988 but my grandad lived there till 1995, theyre names were Charles and Edith Hawkesford would you have known them? I lived there from around 1981-1986 with my mom who was bought up in that house to my name is James my mom's name is Irene. :)
 
James, I personally did not know them, but my Wife Doreen used to occassionally go shopping with a lady in Kegworth Rd named Edith, unfortunately my Wife died in 1998, so I cannot tell you anymore maybe it was your Nan or could have been another Edith. She knew 2 or 3 people in Kegworth as we lived at the top of the hill just a few houses away from the start of Kegworth. Another friend of Hers from Kegworth had 2 German shepherd dogs , we also had a German Sheperd so they would walk them to Brookvale Park together, perhaps you may have seen them ??? Eric
 
Last edited:
hi oldroddy
the bottom prefab classes were art mr johnson looked like a beatnick,next door was religous education young guy cant remember his name but we made his life a misery (regretted now).
upper prefab classrooms were english mr jones, and next door maths cant remember his name
that would be 1967 my last year. edd
 
Hi Eric, I used to live in Kegworth road until 1960. I to remember the trams and seeing the last one all lit up on the way to the city centre also I remember as a young boy when it had snowned ,all the kids used to go down Hillside Road on sledges and although we put ashes at the bottom,one winter I went down the hill across Slade Road and finished up the alley of the house opposite,and got a clip around my ear from a women who had seen me . Oh happy day's .
Graham
 
So sorry to hear about your wife Eric, I will ask my mom see if she remembers Doreen, I have many happy memories of living on Kegworth Rd, do you have any knowledge of what existed there before the houses were built? James
 
Graham

Do you have any knowledge of what was there before the houses were built, did u ever sneak into the coppice? lol shhh i did lol
 
hi oldroddy
the bottom prefab classes were art mr johnson looked like a beatnick,next door was religous education young guy cant remember his name but we made his life a misery (regretted now).
upper prefab classrooms were english mr jones, and next door maths cant remember his name
that would be 1967 my last year. edd
You left a couple of years before me,your right about the art teacher,i posted on another thread how he wrote SAMSON on the bottom of a plimsole before dishing out the punisment,good teacher as i recall though.
Yes Mr Jones was the English teacher,and the maths teacher was Mr Haden-Jones,i think.PE,a Mr Cambell,tall athletic chap,drove a mini,we used to laugh at him,hunched inside,another nice fella though.
My first year there our form teacher was Mr Somerville,a Geordie,smashing chap,he said we were the best 1st years he had ever taught,we had a whip round to buy him some ciggie's at the end of term.
We moved to a brand new built school in Fentham Road after that,Erdington Boys it was called,and the best 1st years deterorated rapidly,loved my time at Slade Road,
cross country around Brookvale Park was always fun,lol.
Just remembered,Mr Dawes ,the head,only visited him once,for a quick caning,deserved i might add.
 
Sorry Eric with regards to the lady with the two german shepherd dogs i cant for the life of me right this second remember her name, but her husband who has passed away since, his name was Dick

James
 
James, they were built in the 30's. ours was built in 1935, what was there before i've no idea, just open green land I should imagine !! I knew a West Indian chap in Kegworth Rd top of the hill on the bend on the right going up, bit of a wide boy but good company, he was something to do with a steel band, he introduced me to 'white rum' very potent. Eric
 
Graham, I worked for PO Telephones (now BT) and was on call at night for emergency telephones (police, hospitals etc...) and the times i've got stuck in my van on the ice and snow after a winter call out trying to drive up the hill in the early hours of the morning !!! Happy days. Eric
 
hi James, No idea what was there before but my house backed onto the G. E .C. grounds which had woods ,old air raid shelters ,a stream, rugby pitch,a big sports field in front of the Magnet club and a rubbish tip ( I built 16 bikes from bits and pieces off the tip) where I used to play, occasionally being chased by the works police and also train spotting on the nearby line.
 
Eric, In the bad winters when it snowed,especially in 1947, because the milkman or baker could not get their horse and carts up hillside or chartley roads ,us kids used to load up our sledges and do the deliveries for which we were all given a bottle and a loaf, happy memories are now coming back. Graham
 
There was a large house called Salford House on the site of Kegworth Rd, does that ring any bells with anyone, it was also used as a convalesence home also during WW1, sorry to sound what appears to be daft, but does anyone have supernatural experiences from living there?

Also did any of you venture into the copse that lies between Kegworth/Hillside/Chartley which can be seen in this pic if you type this into the search bar on googlemaps :-

52.51276,-1.860525

Cheers James
 
Knew about the Copse but never ventured into it because our house was the otherside of Hillside road (No. 43) we had a long garden which backed onto the MEB in George Rd. Also vaguely remember there was a Remand Home or Borstal at the top of a Hill rear of Chartly Rd, am I right ?? (could do with bringing them back!!!) . I recently paid the road a visit after 25 years, wish I hadn,t my old house looks tatty, needs a coat of paint, all my beautiful Rhodedendriums bushes have gone. so sad, I'm glad my Wife was not here to see it. Its a mistake to go back . Eric
 
Eric

Was it where Gresley Grove is now or was it actually on Kegworth Rd itself? I agree that it would definately sort out some of the problems this country faces currently with out of control youths! I have seen pics on google streetview of the houses there and found it quite upsetting to see, i really dont understand why they have been allowed to run into such disrepair.

James
 
James, have been reliably informed it was top of Copely hill on the right, He thinks it went when they built Spaghetti junction, but not sure, could have been later. Regret very much going back to have a look, my late Wife would have been horrified, we spent 25 very happy years there from 1962 to 1987. We finally decided to move when all our old neighbours started moving out and the area seemed to be taking a down turn also my Wife wanted to be nearer her only sister, who had lost her Husband. Eric
 
Last edited:
If it was at the top of Copeley Hill it is almost certain that it was demolished when Spaghetti Junction got built, i really empathise with you, ive had the same experience myself
unfortunately i think a good few of the properties have since been bought purely to rent out so they are now owned by landlords with little care for the property and most
certainly the impact their lack of care has on the remainder of the street. James
 
Hi Eric

My family lived around that area in the 1930's. The names were Brinkworth and Buckler. I believe Brinkworths had shops (Grocers?). Jog any memories?
Maggs
 
Back
Top