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FAO: Residents of Chelmsley Wood (past and present).

Bradford_05

New Member
Hi guys,

My name's Matthew, I currently work for a community centre based in Chelmsley Wood. I'm working on a community project in the form of a time line which will depict the history of Chelmsley Wood. I'm trying to give the time line some life and personality by including as many anecdotes as I can from those who who grew up in Chelmsley Wood pertaining to life in Chelmsley Wood and I was hoping that the lovely Birmingham History community would be willing to help me with my research! :05.18-flustered:

Please feel free to include anything that you feel is noteworthy, this can range from: social life, school, community spirit, landmark events like The Queen officially opening the shopping centre. Anything which you feel happy contributing will be fine.

I've done a bit of research on this forum already and saw that there was a group called "The Child Rescue Squad"? If anyone knows anything more about that I would be happy to hear it.


Thanks in advance,


Matthew.
 
Well Bradford 05, you do not appear to be getting much response, I have the impression not many members live in Chelmsley Wood. I have lived here, since 1987, I have found it a much better place to live than I thought it would be because it did have a bad name many years ago. I think there are good parts and bad parts, I live in Conway Road adjacent to Meriden Park in the Fordbridge area and I think it is one of the better parts, certainly the most scenic with the River Cole close by providing great walks for my Dog and I. I have only 2 complaints, off road motor bikes, a real menace and litter. The police did stop off road and quad bikes some years ago but it as slowly crept back and this time the police don't appear to be taking any action. Last year the police station was closed to the public (government cuts ?) and the only place we can have personal contact with the local bobby is in the connect centre in the shopping centre, hence visits limited to shopping centre hours, not really satisfactory. Eric
 
I came to Chelmsley in 1968,26 years old with 2 small children I lived at the corner of Marlene Croft /Chelmsley Road,there were roads but no pavements.just hardcore
Our doctors which is now in Craig Croft was in a private house in Greenlands road, head of the the practice was the wonderful Richard Pomeroy RIP, he must have delivered half of the babies born in Chelmsley in the 1970s, he delivered my 3rd son in 1974.
We had to walk to the shops in Tile Cross Road for a post office etc.
We were living in the middle of a huge building site and when the men went home in the evening and the dumper trucks were silent it was lovely.
The workers had a very large 'shed' that they used as a mess room on the Chelmsley road and one night a week we locals were allowed to hold a Bingo night in it, the highlight of our week.LOL.
We had no church but we had a vicar Trevor Hextall RIP, he set up a collection system where everyone was asked to donate a shilling a week to the church fund, he asked one person in every street to be responsible for the collection in their street.
The church was to be called St Patrick but it was thought to sound too Catholic so it was changed to St Andrew.

In 1970 I moved to Conway road, in a three storey house, roads but still no proper pavements, the workman made a wooden bridge over the Cole to get to the shop in Waterloo Avenue until we had our own in Conway road.
The large wooded area became a huge hole in the ground and then the Shopping centre,wonderful,shops at last.
It was opened in 1972 by the Queen, she looked lovely, when she had done the official opening she walked across the pathway bridge over to Truro walk but the Duke lingered behind chatting to the checkout girls in Sainsburys supermarket.(now long gone)

Chelmsley in those days was very different from today, although a very large housing estate it appears that everyone knew each other, Conway road was a great place to live,but although I lived their 28 years I had always wanted a proper house (semi ,not 3 storey) and in 1998 I moved across the river to Bacons End, a posh name for a corner of Chelmsley woo



Today Chelmsley has it's problems but in my opinion no more than other high density housing.
A recent documentary showed that we do have some 'characters' for use of a better word but if you lived here you would know that they are in the minority.



There wasn't always a lot for kids to do but in the early 80s the bmx racing sport had become to be popular and a man called Noel fennell was approached by the probation service and that was the start of the Chelmsley Eagles whose track was by the river Cole between Chester Road and the motorway.
Noel formed a Committee which I was part of and we had over 400 members in the club, I spent almost every waking moment over at the track
and it started a lifestyle for my family, through my youngest son, that took us all over the country, to Europe and USA.
Those youngsters are now in their 40s/50s but I still see some of them them in Town centre.

For some reason that I cannot fathom people in other areas talk about Chelmsley as if it is full of Criminals and benefit scroungers but
most of the people I know are hard working decent people ,so perhaps they should study their own areas more.

In Chelmsley there is a Royal british legion club and if you see the turnout they get every year for their Remembrance day
march past you could see how many decent people of all ages there are in this area.

I have never really fathomed out where it all began but mention that you live at Chelmsley Wood and you suddenly become
a different person in peoples eyes , say Solihull and you will be elevated again, LOL.
 
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Alberta, that private house on Greenlands Rd where Dr Pomeroy (my old doctor also) used to practice, is where my aunt and uncle now live, they bought the house from the doctors practice back then in the 1970's. I was brought up and lived on Chelmsley Wood for 20+ years, I don't live there now though but my mum still lives there on Conway Road also, she loves the place!
 
I think all the people that see bad in estates see bad in all estates , my family moved to the kingshurst estate in the late fifties just as the estate was being built it was a great place to grow up in having come from back to back housing in nechells i remember playing in the "bluebell" wood which was chelmsley wood a great place to explore and play in! then one day i remember seeing all these earthmovers going down cooks so i presume that was the start of the building on chelmsley.

I moved to chelmsley into a flat in kington gardens a well kept block off chapelhouse road the shopping centre was excellent with a good range of shops and it was monitered by security so it was safe and tidy if they saw you doing anything untoward they let you know with an announcement over the tannoy speakers!
there was a good range of pubs to use there was one called "The Aquarius" that had a jukebox that had a television screen that played so called "raunchy" films when certain records where played pretty tame by todays efforts ! but all in all my time on chelmsley was enjoyable i moved away to kings norton after i got married my brothers wife still lives there and her son lives in the next road bringing up his family.

I suppose all housing estates and like i have said i have lived on two have their bad areas like all parts of birmingham but my stays on kingshurst and chelmsley where enjoyable with good housing.

Phil
 
I think all the people that see bad in estates see bad in all estates , my family moved to the kingshurst estate in the late fifties just as the estate was being built it was a great place to grow up in having come from back to back housing in nechells i remember playing in the "bluebell" wood which was chelmsley wood a great place to explore and play in! then one day i remember seeing all these earthmovers going down cooks so i presume that was the start of the building on chelmsley.

I moved to chelmsley into a flat in kington gardens a well kept block off chapelhouse road the shopping centre was excellent with a good range of shops and it was monitered by security so it was safe and tidy if they saw you doing anything untoward they let you know with an announcement over the tannoy speakers!
there was a good range of pubs to use there was one called "The Aquarius" that had a jukebox that had a television screen that played so called "raunchy" films when certain records where played pretty tame by todays efforts ! but all in all my time on chelmsley was enjoyable i moved away to kings norton after i got married my brothers wife still lives there and her son lives in the next road bringing up his family.

I suppose all housing estates and like i have said i have lived on two have their bad areas like all parts of birmingham but my stays on kingshurst and chelmsley where enjoyable with good housing.

Phil
Hi Phil, hence Bluebell Drive on The un
I think all the people that see bad in estates see bad in all estates , my family moved to the kingshurst estate in the late fifties just as the estate was being built it was a great place to grow up in having come from back to back housing in nechells i remember playing in the "bluebell" wood which was chelmsley wood a great place to explore and play in! then one day i remember seeing all these earthmovers going down cooks so i presume that was the start of the building on chelmsley.

I moved to chelmsley into a flat in kington gardens a well kept block off chapelhouse road the shopping centre was excellent with a good range of shops and it was monitered by security so it was safe and tidy if they saw you doing anything untoward they let you know with an announcement over the tannoy speakers!
there was a good range of pubs to use there was one called "The Aquarius" that had a jukebox that had a television screen that played so called "raunchy" films when certain records where played pretty tame by todays efforts ! but all in all my time on chelmsley was enjoyable i moved away to kings norton after i got married my brothers wife still lives there and her son lives in the next road bringing up his family.

I suppose all housing estates and like i have said i have lived on two have their bad areas like all parts of birmingham but my stays on kingshurst and chelmsley where enjoyable with good housing.

Phil
Hi Phil, hence the name Bluebell Drive on The Wood. Bacon's End, which was a pigs farm. Still have relatives on The Wood. Trying to explain, Baldys Mansion near Gressel Lane. Not sure of history but we were all scared as youngsters. Remember The Aquarius well and The Centurion and Roundhouse. Have driven through but not been back for nearly 40 years. Certainly not the area I grew up on. Really gone down, but everywhere have there bad areas. Hope your doing ok, well as good as can be expected. Ex Kingshurstonian.
 
Hi Phil, hence Bluebell Drive on The un

Hi Phil, hence the name Bluebell Drive on The Wood. Bacon's End, which was a pigs farm. Still have relatives on The Wood. Trying to explain, Baldys Mansion near Gressel Lane. Not sure of history but we were all scared as youngsters. Remember The Aquarius well and The Centurion and Roundhouse. Have driven through but not been back for nearly 40 years. Certainly not the area I grew up on. Really gone down, but everywhere have there bad areas. Hope your doing ok, well as good as can be expected. Ex Kingshurstonian.
i have just come back on the forum after being of for a few years and came across your post reguarding Baldys Mansion on kingshurst i never knew it as that i knew it as old wallys farm, it was in fact owned by Walter Townsend who lived there by himself and his jack russell dogs who used to chase you if you went to near his house, After birmingham council bought all his land for housing he was moved to castle bromwich where he lived until passed away.
You could still possibly find photos on this forum of the mansion, there is also a video on youtube that covers the building of the estate, Happy years living there!
Philbee.
 
Not sure if you are still around Bradford, or if you are still interested in Chelmsley Wood. Anyway a good friend of mine was the Youth Leader at The Forum Youth Club for a number of years, this would have been in the mid 1970's. I used to spend time there helping him as I lived very close.
 
Hi guys,

My name's Matthew, I currently work for a community centre based in Chelmsley Wood. I'm working on a community project in the form of a time line which will depict the history of Chelmsley Wood. I'm trying to give the time line some life and personality by including as many anecdotes as I can from those who who grew up in Chelmsley Wood pertaining to life in Chelmsley Wood and I was hoping that the lovely Birmingham History community would be willing to help me with my research! :05.18-flustered:

Please feel free to include anything that you feel is noteworthy, this can range from: social life, school, community spirit, landmark events like The Queen officially opening the shopping centre. Anything which you feel happy contributing will be fine.

I've done a bit of research on this forum already and saw that there was a group called "The Child Rescue Squad"? If anyone knows anything more about that I would be happy to hear it.


Thanks in advance,


Matthew.
Hi Matthew yes I've heard of them
 
Well, I have family living in Chelmsley Wood. Stilly trying to escape. You either love it or hate it.
Was built as an overspill area think 60s. Recall it being built, used to be fields full of bluebells. Kingshurst I believe is maybe having a new shopping centre. Dragged on for years, that was from the 60s. The optician is still there, Hadfield. Moved into the old Midland bank. A real servant to many generations. Solihull, they don't care about North Solihull. Is there a pub still open in Kingshurst? If you class The Toby Jug as a local. Now The Mountford long gone also The Kingshurt. Punch Bowl fenced off I believe? Poor old Meriden Dive, Weeley More etc. Long moved on, but great childhood. Things change.
 
Well, I have family living in Chelmsley Wood. Stilly trying to escape. You either love it or hate it.
Was built as an overspill area think 60s. Recall it being built, used to be fields full of bluebells. Kingshurst I believe is maybe having a new shopping centre. Dragged on for years, that was from the 60s. The optician is still there, Hadfield. Moved into the old Midland bank. A real servant to many generations. Solihull, they don't care about North Solihull. Is there a pub still open in Kingshurst? If you class The Toby Jug as a local. Now The Mountford long gone also The Kingshurt. Punch Bowl fenced off I believe? Poor old Meriden Dive, Weeley More etc. Long moved on, but great childhood. Things change.
Some great pubs mate I wouldn't like to be growing up now lol
 
Well, I have family living in Chelmsley Wood. Stilly trying to escape. You either love it or hate it.
Was built as an overspill area think 60s. Recall it being built, used to be fields full of bluebells. Kingshurst I believe is maybe having a new shopping centre. Dragged on for years, that was from the 60s. The optician is still there, Hadfield. Moved into the old Midland bank. A real servant to many generations. Solihull, they don't care about North Solihull. Is there a pub still open in Kingshurst? If you class The Toby Jug as a local. Now The Mountford long gone also The Kingshurt. Punch Bowl fenced off I believe? Poor old Meriden Dive, Weeley More etc. Long moved on, but great childhood. Things change.
My Nan used to live on Chelmsley Wood and was one of the first residents to move into a ground floor flat on completion, the area around was still a building site. My Aunt/Uncle and Cousins had one of the completed houses this was mid 60's. I loved it around there, plenty woods and open lands to have great adventures in. Those woods and land were later spoilt by the Collector road. Had jobs in the past that took me to Chelmsley Wood a lot, it was not the most pleasant of places to visit. Maybe it has changed now, My Uncle still lives there.

 
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My Nan used to live on Chelmsley Wood and was one of the first residents to move into a ground floor flat on completion, the area around was still a building site. My Aunt/Uncle and Cousins had one of the completed houses this was mid 60's. I loved it around there, plenty woods and open lands to have great adventures in. Those woods and land were later spoilt by the Collector road. Had jobs in the past that took me to Chelmsley Wood a lot, it was not the most pleasant of places to visit. Maybe it has changed now, My Uncle still lives there.

Yeep remember the collector rd been put in, race track. Remember the m42 being built by Kingsbury water park. Even Coleshill isn't what it was. We have at least the good memories. Like our ancestors we move on. They struggled in back to back houses. But most were happy and close families. If I could turn back time.
 
Yeep remember the collector rd been put in, race track. Remember the m42 being built by Kingsbury water park. Even Coleshill isn't what it was. We have at least the good memories. Like our ancestors we move on. They struggled in back to back houses. But most were happy and close families. If I could turn back time.
So True, no one can take away good memories and close family
 
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