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Sutton Park

Hi Bob and oldmowhawk
firstly mow, nice pics and memories of sutton park when i was a little whipper snapper of a lad
and our mom and dad and his sister our aunti maud had taken us all along with neibouring frieds
in the terace of cromwell terrace of lichfield road aston we was all little kids
my friend collin and the jarreett brothers and pete sharpe
and we got the tram down to aston station and we got the train to sutton park, a cracking day out
hot and sunny, they took us on the little motor boats and a run around on a model train around the park
which we all sat on having a laugh, yes bob its birmingham country side to us kids
then a bout six months later collin gasin my friend, and myself planned that we should go to sutton park on our own
so we planned a wek end of sunday day morning so we asked our mothers for afew pennies
so sunday came and we walked down lichfield road to the station and got the train
during the time we planned the trip my mother was pregnant and off to hospital she went
which left our old dad to look after us and during that week i was in badly need of shoes
so the old man took me down to aston cross and bought me a brandnew pair of sandles light browm ones
this was the day saturday before sunday our planned trip we told no one we just went
yes bob. when we got to the parkies hut on the gate we had to pay a penny there was other people
gathering around the hut with kiddies we was waklking on pass them the parkie beggoned us back for the entrance fee
we payed him and of we went walking into the deepest part of the park we was loking for the boats
but we got our selves lostand we was in a very close wooded area of bushes and trees
and must to our horror we was in the bogged area away from people
As we was trying find a clearing i went into a very deep bog with both feet in it and i was stating to try and get out
but i could not get my feet out togetheri called colin he was pulling me out the best he could
but during the struggle one of my new sandles came off my foot and sank, i lost it in the bog
after getting out i said we had get back home i said what can i tell my dad didnt knowwhat to tell him
but any way we came out of the park and walking down these lanes of posh houses with one sandle of a shoe on
to get back to the train station in sutton people on the platform was staring at me and collin
got on the train and off at lichfield rd and walked bak home,
when i got to the house the old man had my younger brothers there tea, and he was siting opersite the door
i thought this is it for me get a whacking
so i looked across at him and he said get your tea as i walked to the table ,i thought he as not seen my shoe missing
but in fact he did he waited for me to start eating my meal
he then said to me , Alan,hows those new sandles i bought yester day i said mine dad
and he said where are they i said under the table dad , i thought this is it now, he said pass me them
i only picked up the one to show him, and emediately he said where is the other one
i stared at him and he said you aint got it dad why not he said i explained that me and colin went to sutton park
and i lost it in the park , he went barmy he gave me a slap and said finish your tea and you are grounded for aweek
you aint playing out when you come from school this period is 1953/ 4 and that was the only last time i have ever been to sutton park
never again in my life its a memory that will i always remember when people mention sutton park
thanks lads for the memory ,, Alan,,, Astonian,,,,
 
Great story Alan, I was always wary of those bogs in the park. The only accident I had in Sutton Park was falling through the ice on Wyndley Pool.
oldmohawk ..
 
A sunny day in 1938 at Keepers Pool in Sutton Park. Rustic style wooden diving boards, and a raft in the middle of the pool which good swimmers could swim out to. A nice shallow pool for the children and a lido swimming pool out of shot to the right. Two years later most of the children in this happy pic would become familiar with spending nights in air raid shelters.
KeepersPool1938.jpg
 
In 1950 - a lovely summer - we holidayed at near Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth. Not wishing to trail behind the family, particularly wandering around the streets and shops of Weymouth, I managed to get a small job hiring out floats for the beach store owner. It was financially rewarding, especially for a schoolboy, plus the added advantage was that when a float was not hired I got the use of it until a hirer wanted it. It was my first working holiday and one of the best. ;)
 
I've been passed Keeper's pool and Blackroot pool today. My, how they've changed! No sign of the lido where I went, later took my children and later still my grandchildren. All gone up in smoke. Just the 'sunbathing bank' where we picnicked with the occasional heron fishing. Blackroot has been partially drained to enable them to reinforce the dam. We've had to extend our walk a little while the dam is closed. I am a reluctant walker and get dragged round by my far fitter cousin with the promise of a coffee at the bistro.
 
oldMohawk, just noticed your post showing Banners Gate. I recently did some family history research for my son-in-law and it showed that there was a farm where St Columba's church is now which was part of Princess Alice Orphanage. A great uncle had been sent there together with his brother as their mother had been widowed whilst they were still young. She couldn't cope (or feed I expect) all the children and I think the girls were old enough to work. This would have been at the beginning of the 1900's.
 
Lady Penelope said:
The last time I remember people on Blackroot would have been in the mid 1970's (can't remember exact date).
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I never skated on Blackroot but skated often on Wyndley and notice I had posted earlier #698 about falling through the ice ...:)
oldMohawk said:
I never skated on Blackroot because the water looked deep. I skated several times on Wyndley Pool which wasn't so deep and one time when the ice gave way I was only in up to my chest in 3 foot of water and 1 foot of the blackest mud I'd ever seen. I think 6 others went through with me and after wringing out our clothes we stood, drinking 'hot Bovril' in front of an open fire in a cafe that used to be there. There are a few pics in the Ice Rink thread of skating on Wyndley Pool.
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IMG_1706.jpg IMG_1707.jpg IMG_1709.jpg Not really Sutton Park, but many would travel to the Park by Train. There was terrible train crash in January 1955, and here are pictures from the Illustrated London News.
 

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A Maypole Fete in the park and some nice dresses and hats worn by ladies in the watching crowd. Hopefully the girls knew exactly what they had to do because it probably became a little crowded as they closed in on the pole.
maypole.JPG
 
oldMohawk said:
A Maypole Fete in the park and some nice dresses and hats worn by ladies in the watching crowd. Hopefully the girls knew exactly what they had to do because it probably became a little crowded as they closed in on the pole.
View attachment 113814
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Where was Boldmere Girls School? My sister went to Boldmere Secondary however on Thursday about two weeks time Great Torrington in North Devon goes maze with Mayday celebrations which always starts with both boys and girls from the local primary school performing a Maypole dance in the town square ........after that it's off to the pubs.
Bob
 
What a great image! The ladies in the picture all appear to be members of the WRVS who were much involved in the eating arrangements. (My mother was one of them although I don't see her in this picture). The blokes all seem to have official boiler suits and berets too. I wonder what Service they belonged to.

Chris
 
I was there in in the late 1940s', but it must have been a Midland or County affair rather than the 1957 one which was a large affair:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_World_Scout_Jamboree
The gentleman, walking looking at the ovens, looks very much like an RAF Warrant Officer - possibly in the Air Training Corps. The gentleman, with hands in pockets talking to the ladies is obviously an old soldier; he has a few ribbons to his name. I thought possibly Royal Observation Corps. Salvation Army, or but others may decipher his badge differently.
 
Saw Sutton Park from the plane window (Flybe) returning from Lyon to Birmingham on the afternoon of Friday 9th June 2017. (at least I think it's Sutton Park).





 
ellbrown said:
Saw Sutton Park from the plane window (Flybe) returning from Lyon to Birmingham on the afternoon of Friday 9th June 2017. (at least I think it's Sutton Park).
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Your pics do show Sutton Park. In the first pic the railway track can be seen crossing under Thornhill Road and then across the park. Bracebridge Pool to the left of the track and Blackroot Pool just visible further on to the right.
 
oldMohawk said:
Your pics do show Sutton Park. In the first pic the railway track can be seen crossing under Thornhill Road and then across the park. Bracebridge Pool to the left of the track and Blackroot Pool just visible further on to the right.
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Indeed it is, it is just that the pic shows a different angle to a map.
 
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