'The Pond' - Off Wensley Road

[Blacksmith]

[FONT=&quot]My early years' playground was a magical place known locally as "the woods" or "the pond". This was off [FONT=&quot]Wensley Road[/FONT][FONT=&quot] and Wychwood Crescent in South Yardley / Sheldon. To us children it was a wonderful place to play. To our parents, however, it was not so wonderful. I can remember coming home on many occasions covered in mud and with soaking socks.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There was a steep bank that we used to ride down on our bikes or sledge down in the winter. I remember making planes out of balsa wood and launching them from this hill. An area to the left of the hill had a lot of bushes and we used to have a route that we ran round as fast as we could trying to break our own records.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There were often dens made, sometimes in bushes and sometimes dug in the ground with a sheet of corrugated iron covered with soil on top - very dangerous.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The real gem though was the pond, although, as mentioned earlier, our parents did not agree. We used to catch sticklebacks or tadpoles in our nets and take them home in jam jars. In the spring when the frogs were mating we would collect frog spawn and would always collect too much. We always got out of the water quickly if we saw a leach. We must have thought it would burrow through our wellingtons and suck all our blood away.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The real skill was newt-catching. There was a tree trunk which had fallen into the pond and I used to walk to the end of this and, precariously balanced, I would wait until a newt came to the surface of the water for air. I then plunged my net in. I thought the newts beautiful, especially the males with their orange and black undersides.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We caught frogs in the pond, in the grass or in the "bog". This last place was a sort of overflow area and as such was very marshy. A tiny stream ran through the middle of it and there were small pools. My brother and I used to pride ourselves on the fact that we knew a "secret" way to get to the middle of the boggiest part. Very useful if being chased by "enemies".[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]The pond itself had known better days. There was a tiny island in the middle and there used to be a bridge although this had long since gone. The only remains of it were iron posts and a bar on the bank. We used to do "turnovers" on this bar. To get to the island without wellington boots there were "stepping-stones" - really old water tanks, tin barrels, tyres etc. Of course we didn't always get across without slipping in the water - more socks to hit against a tree to try and dry them![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]This was the only "easy" way to get to the island but my brother and I were always trying to find other ways. We did manage to find another route from the other side of the pond. This entailed treading very carefully on the centre of bullrushes and other marsh plants. This was very tricky, however, and we often ended up with the water going over our wellingtons.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The wildlife was wonderful and every year the swans would breed and there would be about three or four grey cygnets with them. You always had to be careful when feeding the swans because we were always told that they could be quite vicious and a blow from their wings could break an arm.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Moorhens would also make their raft-type nests in the reeds along with other birds so this was a real haven for wildlife. But our haven; our magical place; our place where cowboys and indians fought and the next day would be part of Robin Hood's Merry Men; our place where we hid a 'buried treasure' and then fooled a friend into 'finding it'; and our place that was always there just for us was taken from us.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
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[FONT=&quot]We were devastated when they drained the pond, chopped down the trees and built houses. They took away something that could never be replaced - a swan won't nest in a garden. But they could never take away our memories - where else would I have been able to catch a frog to put in my desk at school?[/FONT]


I have no photos of 'the pond' and would be very grateful if anybody who remembers the place and has photos would be prepared to share them.


Happy memories!

 

[Blacksmith]

I'm sorry to bring this topic up again, but I'm still hoping that somebody will have memories and hopefully photographs of my childhood playground.

For children who went to Lyndon Green Jumior School, 'the pond' was the place to play. I bet if any of you went to that school when the pond still existed there were many times when you got in trouble either for being late at school, or for being late after school.

The pond and the woods that surrounded it had a magical allure for kids and I feel that we lost a great deal when little oases like this disappeared for housing developments.

I wonder where the children of Lyndon Green Schhol, play now. Probably in their back gardens, because the roads are too busy there now and the pond has gone.

 

[negritaspider]

I think every area had it's own 'pond back then....along with the woods.
In Quinton we had Tom Knocker's woods - wasn't more than a ntural wildlife area, and very small - but us kids were always warned not to go there (which obviously we did!)
And a pond - which had a bit of a nasty reputation (supposedly very deep) which was by a stone quarry....
There was also our "haunted house"!!
An old victorian style house between Quinton and Harborne....we used to sneek in and collect the old glass photo negatives which were lying all over the place.
I'm sure that in these days of researching our ancestors, someone would love to have them now.......

 

[Blacksmith]

I think it's so sad that we have lost so many of these natural oases in our towns. We didn't have Play Stations and all the other modern gadgetry in those days, but we had something much more valuable. We had places where we could play, and let our imagination run wild.

My imaginative play? This was the time of Robin Hood on the television, starring Richard Greene, and he was my first hero. So, as a younger version of Robin and his merry men, we had many an adventure there.

I also started my love of nature at 'The Pond', an interest and passion that I have taken with me throughout my life.

 

[jag]

What a marvellous recount of the pond.Being a pupil at Lyndon Green everybody went over the pond.How about in the winter when it froze and the hill you mention everybody made a huge icy slide where you would form a very oderly line to have a go on it and the more who went on it the longer it got,part of late 50,s growing up,thanks again.

 

[Blacksmith]

We must have been pupils at Lyndon Green about the same time. I left in 1960.

I loved it when the pond was frozen over. We used to send stones skidding across the surface. And, in places where we knew it wasn't deep, we used to walk on the ice, although occasionally our feet went through and we ended up with icy water in our wellingtons.

Mind you, getting our wellingtons full of water was a regular occurence, and many a time I spent whacking my socks against a tree to try and get the water out of them after I had wrung them out. It never worked though, they were still wet.

On one occasion I thought I would try and get my socks dry before Mum found out, so I went into our front room, which we never used to use much for some reason, and I placed my socks over the gas fire. The gas fire was one of those that had glass rods in front of the flames, so I thought there was no chance of my socks getting burnt. Wrong! Although they didn't catch fire, they sort of melted onto the glass rods, leaving great black marks. So not only was I in trouble for ruining my socks, I was also in trouble for messing up the gas fire for Mum to clean. Why on earth didn't she make me clean up my mess?

I'm amazed that I have no photos of 'the pond' but I guess we didn't take as many in those days, so I would love it if anybody has any photos they could post on here.

 

[Historynut]

Hi Blacksmith,
I am sorry but I too remember the pond and like you went to Lyndon Green School but left in 1962. I loved the pond. It was a very special place. My brother taught me to play rugby near a strip of bare earth we used to call the landing strip. Unfortunately he taught me rugby league where, when tackled, you get up and put the ball beween your legs. At school we played rugby union where you get hammered if you don't release the ball....I got hammered!! I'll read your comment carefully tomorrow and add my memories. The pond was owned by Samuel Thornley, Richard Tangye and Sir Hanson Rowbotham.

 

[Blacksmith]

You're right, it was a 'special place' and we're losing too many of these havens.

The main area of the woods and pond was higher than a lower area that we called 'the bogs', a lovely, squelchy area where frogs abounded. An overflow from the pond led down to this area. This was like a concrete box with an open side facing the pond with half the structure above the water level and half below it, with a ledge that allowed excess water to flow into it and drain down to 'the bogs'. We, as kids would scramble into this structure and bend down so our eyes were level with the water.

I've tried and tried to find photos of 'the pond' but to no avail. I've done Google searches and all I can come up with are brief accounts of Gilbertstone, such as the following. What a sight it must have been in its heyday, but I remember it as a tremendous place for us kids growing up with it as our playground.

Gilbertstone House, on the north side of the Coventry Road on the present site of Saxondale Avenue, was built in 1867 for the Birmingham industrialist, Samuel Thornley, on the site of a small farmhouse.

In 1883 another wealthy industrialist, Richard Tangye bought the property and employed Castle Bromwich architect J J Bateman to extend the house into a very large gothick residence with a 20m high tower. There were extensive grounds with a lake and a boathouse.

 

[Shortie]

Oh, this rings a loud bell with me! We used to call it 'the woods'. I lived at 54 Wensley Road and was friends with a girl called Pauline Davidson whose house backed on to that area. I don't think I was actually supposed to go (might get dirty), but it was somewhere that I think about from time to time with great pleasure. My childhood was not a particularly good one, but being in the woods I was in a world of my own, so not a lot mattered whilst I was there. I left Lyndon Green in 1958 and we left the area in 1960.

Shortie

 

[Rupert]

It's kind of hard to piece the two times together and St. Giles seems to have gone but the link below shows a moated house that may have been the place you mention. If it is, it would be close to Beechmore. There is a brook that runs down through there that also once fed a water mill located close to the end of the Elmdon runway. A similar situation with newts and frogs and ponds was to be had at Ward End...another moated house or remains of...and rusting water tanks and the sides of the moat retaining excavation. Much better than the park. The brook seems to have run through the moat.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=8831&ox=4350&oy=1418&zm=2&czm=2&x=414&y=258

 

[Historynut]

I have loved reading all these. I remember seeing an orange frog once on the slope from Wensley Road. Now orange frogs don't exist in this country and so what was that all about? I have tried a google search but like Blacksmith I have found nothing apart from what he found. I could cry when I think of how it was destroyed. It was like the end of my childhood. I went to secondary school ae about the same time and those days past into memory. There is a lovely picture of Gilbertstone House in a book on Yardley. There may be pictues or plans in the central library. I'll folllow it up at some point.

 

[John derek]

Oh, this rings a loud bell with me! We used to call it 'the woods'. I lived at 54 Wensley Road and was friends with a girl called Pauline Davidson whose house backed on to that area. I don't think I was actually supposed to go (might get dirty), but it was somewhere that I think about from time to time with great pleasure. My childhood was not a particularly good one, but being in the woods I was in a world of my own, so not a lot mattered whilst I was there. I left Lyndon Green in 1958 and we left the area in 1960.

Shortie

Hi shortie
I lived on BRAY's rd and when I was about 6 years I loved to go over to the pond and wonder through the woods.i can still see the bluebells. It was on of the happiest times of my growing up on Brays rd . I just loved to be in my own world over there. Nice to hear someone else felt the same .

 

[Blacksmith]

It really was a wonderful place. Something lost that can never be replaced. I wonder how many kids built dens there, entered a magical world f make believe and became lost in games of Robin Hood and the like.

 

[John derek]

Do you remember the Field between brays road and Beachmore road , there were 3 large oak trees . Which usually had swings on them of old toe rope .

 

[Blacksmith]

Yes. If I remember correctly, Levesdon Grove, backed on to it as well. My friend lived there and we sometimes played in that field.

 

[John derek]

My sister dated a guy who lived on Levesdon Grove , who's last name was Gilbert. I also remember the old guy who lived there we called " mad mr Meriman " who had pigeons.

 

[Blacksmith]

Oh my goodness. That was my friend's surname. I haven't seen or heard from him in over 40 years. His name was Raymond, and I think his sister' name was Lynne, but I could be wrong there.

 

[John derek]

That's it Ray , and his sister was Diane . My sister was Irene Gardner. We lived at 55 Brays road . You might have gone to school with here .

 

[John derek]

A friend of mine Paul Tuffey put me onto this site , he was also
Friends with Ray Gilbert. You might also know him .

 

[Blacksmith]

Of course it was Diane. Now you have jogged my memory I remember. I was at Lyndon Green until 1960, in the same year as Ray. If your sister was there then we may even have been in the same class, but the old memory isn't as good as it used to be. That is if it ever was any good.

I lived in Herondale Road, not far from the junction with Wensley Road. And in Wensley Road was another place from my youth, which I think I mentioned in another thread.

It was a house called 'Sunnyside' (I think), and the lady who owned the house used to have her front door open and you could buy sweets from her on the way to school. She used to have them spread out on her stairs.

 

[Blacksmith]

I'm afraid I can't remember Paul Tuffey, but I would love to be able to contact Ray again if he's still in contact.

 

[Blacksmith]

I'm still trying desperately to find anyone who has photos of the pond and wouldn't mind sharing them. I've seen very old ones when it was part of the Gilbertstone Estate, but nothing from later.

It would be lovely to read other reminiscences about this magical place.

I can remember taking home armfuls of bluebells for my mum, but they had all wilted by the time I got home.

 

[Shortie]

Hi shortie
I lived on BRAY's rd and when I was about 6 years I loved to go over to the pond and wonder through the woods.i can still see the bluebells. It was on of the happiest times of my growing up on Brays rd . I just loved to be in my own world over there. Nice to hear someone else felt the same .

I don't remember ever seeing bluebells there, I have no idea why, it would have been an ideal place for them to be. i do remember oyster shells in the pond - oysters were cheap in Victorian days so it's not surprising, but children used to say that when the big house was there they were growing their own pearls. Oh the daft things children say!

 

[Shortie]

Of course it was Diane. Now you have jogged my memory I remember. I was at Lyndon Green until 1960, in the same year as Ray. If your sister was there then we may even have been in the same class, but the old memory isn't as good as it used to be. That is if it ever was any good.

I lived in Herondale Road, not far from the junction with Wensley Road. And in Wensley Road was another place from my youth, which I think I mentioned in another thread.

It was a house called 'Sunnyside' (I think), and the lady who owned the house used to have her front door open and you could buy sweets from her on the way to school. She used to have them spread out on her stairs.

'Sunnyside' was indeed the house, and the lady was Mrs Crisp.

 

[Blacksmith]

Thank you Shortie. I remember her telling me off once when I came down Herondale Road on my scooter and almost knocked into her. I think I was about seven at the time.

There certainly were bluebells there, but my term 'armfuls' may have been an exaggeration, because everything seemed bigger then. I think they were on the lefthand side as you came down the 'enormous' hill. I seem to remember that was where there were the most trees.

 

[Elmdon Boy]

Just found this thread, yes I remember playing at this pond.
I went to Lyndon Green School and was there probably at the same time as Blacksmith and John derek.
I lived in Brays Rd at the newsagents Singletons run by my Mum and Dad from 1956 until we left in 1959.
All these stories about the pond bring back very happy memories. I believe the island on the pond used to be a boathouse connected by a wooden walkway. There were a few old stones on the island, obviously some remains from the boathouse, but I was convinced it was a ruined castle.
I remember one day some older boys having a two man canoe on the pond, when they finished they conned some of us younger lads into carrying the canoe home for them on the pretext that we would have a go in said canoe on another day. Never saw them again .
Like you guys I played at being Robin Hood, or some western hero round the woods. I remember having a Davy Crocket full suit for my birthday including racoon hat and rifle, and going up to the pond. I was King of the wild frontier. All the rage then ,Fes Parker was on at the Sheldon Cinema.
Oh such happy days, such a long time ago.
Does anybody remember the ponds and woods at the back of the TA centre off Barrows Lane, good for fishing and newts back then. Park still there now but all sanitised by draining the ponds and ripping out most of the trees. I suppose to make it safe for the little kiddies to day. Take away there imagination. I remember referring to this wasteland as The Baggies, but why I have no idea. Anybody out there remember it.
I also remember the house in Wensley Rd selling sweets from the opened front door. She used to drop the counter down which was hinged across the entrance.
Strange that I remember buying sweets from her when I lived in a sweet shop.