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Birmingham Open Air Schools - Cropwood, Hunter's Hill, Marsh Hill and Skilts (excl. Haseley Hall and Uffculme)

[QUOTE="Lorraine Bennett, post: 555709.
[/QUOTE]
Such a wonderful story Lorraine. I too remember the kidney shaped swimming pool. I am 2 years younger than you & I was at the boys school across the road (Hunters Hill) from 1965 to when I left school in 1969. I vaguely remember miss Urquart, though I do remember the times when the girls used to come over to us for film nights & the dances occasionally, (though I never danced as I was too scared). Our assembly room was used as the gym also. I remember sundays walking to st Kathrine's church. We had to walk behind you girls. I too, ran away from Hunters hill a few times, as I was home sick, but after spending many hours talking with miss buckley (our head teacher), I began to like it, though there were a few teachers who always enjoyed picking on the quiet boys (me being one of them), & there were a few who I really appreciated. I have not been back to Hunters hill since 1969, though, I am hoping to meet up with someone who was in my dorm, who remembers some of the boys & teachers & take a nice trip down memory lane.
 
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Here is a picture of Cropwood, Blackwell early 1900's. My son who worked at Blackwell Court adventure centre a few years ago said it is the Manor House at Blackwell court*

*Please note since this post it has been confirmed that Blackwell Court was NOT Cropwood Open Air School
The picture is exactly as I remember it. Cropwood house had been given to Birmingham Education Committee by the Cadbury family.

It is sad that some children found it regimented but with only four teachers (Miss Urquhart was a teaching head) there had to be rules and a strictly run timetable. No one was ill treated to my knowledge. There was a Guide Company and Brownies there too, again run by the teaching staff.

In my day there we were never woken up because we were facing the wrong way.
 
Hi Chrisange. I was at hunters hill from 1965 until I left school in 1969. I remember the girls from cropwood coming over for dance nights, & remember coming over to use the outdoor swimming pool before we was allowed to go into bromsgrove to the swimming baths. I also remember rosemary cottage.
I used to go to Hunters Hill barn dancing on a Tuesday night. It was only for the seniors. Never stayed long at Cropwood left and went back to my Secondry School.
 
I used to go to Hunters Hill barn dancing on a Tuesday night. It was only for the seniors. Never stayed long at Cropwood left and went back to my Secondry School.
Hello Chrisange51. I imagine you used to go there when I was there. I can remember that when we had the dances, the girls would sit on the benches along the wall on one side of the assembly room, & the boys sat opposite. I never got up to dance, as I was scared at the time. They were happy times, though I did not like it at HHOAS when I first went there. It would have been nice if someone had taken photo's of us all on these occasions.
 
I spent 4 years at Hunters Hill from 1965 to July 1969 when I left school. I hated it at first & ran away a few times, but after spending a long time talking to our head mistress (Miss Buckley), I got used to it. I was not to keen on some of the teachers though as they used to pick on me. I was not too keen on the dorms. I got into many scraps just to survive. I was glad to move up to the block near the allotment. I remember the times when the girls from Cropwood would come over to our school for the usual dance nights & occasional film nights, though I never got up to get up & dance with the girls as I was too scared. Unfortunately, I never got to know any of the girls names, though I do remember 3 of the boys names who was at hunters hill with me. I have often wondered what has happened to them. It would be great to hear from some of the pupils from hunters hill at that time. Maybe someone may know of their whereabout. Their names were : Patrick O'cane, Steven Rose & Stephen Braker. Their was one nurse who I really liked. Unfortunately, I can not remember her name,.All I remember was she was young & had blonde hair.
Hi,
My stay at Hunters Hill, aged 9 to 11 (1950-52) I regard as the worst time of my life. Miss Buckley was headmistress and my teacher was Miss Ledger. I was there because of my anemia. Being away from family - who loved you warts and all - in a community open to bullying and favouritism by the staff, was a personal purgatory.
However, the mandatory participation in boxing (I actually won three contests in one evening) and wrestling bouts did work in my favour later in life. Bullies invariably backed down when challenged to sort things out 'with the gloves on'.

Blackwell did leave me with a love of the countryside. Tuck twice a week, summer calls by the icecream van and family visiting days were plusses in a horrible 'imprsionment'.

The attached photo is of my class in 1951img789.jpg. I am sitting in the bottom row directy in front of Miss ledger and her dog
 
Hi,
My stay at Hunters Hill, aged 9 to 11 (1950-52) I regard as the worst time of my life. Miss Buckley was headmistress and my teacher was Miss Ledger. I was there because of my anemia. Being away from family - who loved you warts and all - in a community open to bullying and favouritism by the staff, was a personal purgatory.
However, the mandatory participation in boxing (I actually won three contests in one evening) and wrestling bouts did work in my favour later in life. Bullies invariably backed down when challenged to sort things out 'with the gloves on'.

Blackwell did leave me with a love of the countryside. Tuck twice a week, summer calls by the icecream van and family visiting days were plusses in a horrible 'imprsionment'.

The attached photo is of my class in 1951View attachment 138498. I am sitting in the bottom row directy in front of Miss ledger and her dog
Thank you for sharing his photo Lawrence. I do remember Miss Buckley. Such a lovely headmistress. Strict, but loveable. I can picture her now, wearing her tweed suits sitting in her office. I spent many hours in her office having lovely chats. If she had not retired the same year as I left, I would have stayed on to do my exams, (which I was advised to do by one of the nice teachers). Just wish boxing was part of school when I was there as I was always being bullied, (mostly from some of the teachers). I could have stopped some of the treatment I got, both at school & at home.
 
Thank you for sharing his photo Lawrence. I do remember Miss Buckley. Such a lovely headmistress. Strict, but loveable. I can picture her now, wearing her tweed suits sitting in her office. I spent many hours in her office having lovely chats. If she had not retired the same year as I left, I would have stayed on to do my exams, (which I was advised to do by one of the nice teachers). Just wish boxing was part of school when I was there as I was always being bullied, (mostly from some of the teachers). I could have stopped some of the treatment I got, both at school & at home.
Hi again,

My experience at Hunters Hill led me to vow that no matter how wealthy I became no child of mine would be submitted to a 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' type of life at a boarding school.

I recall that the weekly shower included mandatory use of Durbac soap on our hair. Matron, a thin rather strict woman, or Sister, a plump pleasant lady, oversaw the showers. On Sundays we were issued with grey shorts and black jackets to attend religious services - I alternated between non-conformist chapel, C of E and Catholic. The latter group was chaperoned by Matron.

There were no exams when I was there and, as a result, missed the 11+. This led the careers officer who visited Wattville Road Secondary Modern school, Handsworth, advising me I had no chance of becoming a journalist. He said the only job open to me in newspapers would be as a messenger. He persuaded me to become an electrician. I managed six months winding coils for electric motors at a company in Hockley. I quit the day my apprenticeship papers arrived.

I became of copy boy (messenger) at the tabloid Evening Despatch in Birmingham. This led to a job as a junior reporter on a weekly newspaper and, following five years service in the RAF, to sub-editor on an evening newspaper and later editorship of a weekly newspaper in the Black Country.

I guess that the personal damage I suffered at Hunters Hill did not have the adverse effects that I feared.

Regards, Lawrence
 
Hi again,

My experience at Hunters Hill led me to vow that no matter how wealthy I became no child of mine would be submitted to a 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' type of life at a boarding school.

I recall that the weekly shower included mandatory use of Durbac soap on our hair. Matron, a thin rather strict woman, or Sister, a plump pleasant lady, oversaw the showers. On Sundays we were issued with grey shorts and black jackets to attend religious services - I alternated between non-conformist chapel, C of E and Catholic. The latter group was chaperoned by Matron.

There were no exams when I was there and, as a result, missed the 11+. This led the careers officer who visited Wattville Road Secondary Modern school, Handsworth, advising me I had no chance of becoming a journalist. He said the only job open to me in newspapers would be as a messenger. He persuaded me to become an electrician. I managed six months winding coils for electric motors at a company in Hockley. I quit the day my apprenticeship papers arrived.

I became of copy boy (messenger) at the tabloid Evening Despatch in Birmingham. This led to a job as a junior reporter on a weekly newspaper and, following five years service in the RAF, to sub-editor on an evening newspaper and later editorship of a weekly newspaper in the Black Country.

I guess that the personal damage I suffered at Hunters Hill did not have the adverse effects that I feared.

Regards, Lawrence
Hello Lawrence. I do remember the horrifying showers where the nurse would come in to make sure we were washing ourselves properly. She used a scrubbing brush on the tops of my feet causing them to bleed. The durbac soap caused me to suffer with dry eczema for many years. I was just turned 11 years old when I went o HHOAS, but could have stayed on to do my CSE & GSCE exams, but decided that I would be better away from school due to bullying from some teachers. I am glad you went against the (so-called) good advice from the careers officer. I was told similar. I was told I must do exams to be able to get a job. I too went against his advice & eventually worked in the car industry (at Jaguar cars, Castle Bromwich).
 
May 1939...The caption reads "Little Birmingham girls are revellers in the sunshine of Cropwood Open Air school (for delicate children) at Blackwell.

View attachment 138553
Thank you Pedrocut for sharing this wonderful photo. It was a bit before my time at HHOAS across the road, but our lives at the boys school were pretty much similar, though the bath nights & showers when I got older were not very pleasant experiences.
 
I drive up to hhoas quite regularly..it hasn't changed that much..there's a few more buildings around the block area,and the hill is very overgrown with trees,but pretty much the same.
Will send u my phone numba 2morro and we can catch up propa..take care.marketman 1956.
Hello marketman 1956. Still waiting patiently for your to message me so that we can maybe meet up & chat about our times at HHOAschool. On one of my posts, i mentioned about Francis Horsley having long nails & scratching my face, but was wrong. I got him mixed up with someone else who did that when I was in hospital before HHOAS. My bed in the dorm was next to Stephen Rose. I used to watch him injecting himself every day with insulin.
 
Hello micheal wicks..
First let me apologise for the amount of time I've been away.
Wasnt intentional,I just thought we had extracted all the memories of that time,and that there wasnt much more to say?
I studied ur picture,and have tried really hard to remember u..but the memories just wont come back.
I have found a couple of people who were there wen we was..ie,Brian didisiere(who had a well known bike accident of that time at hhoas..and wayne Gibson,who wud be in the first bed on ur right,as u enter
Clent dormitory..wayne always used 2 make me laugh,as he used to argue with miss hill..who u might remember,used to bring the apples round at supper time?hope that jogs a few memories 4 u mile.
 
Hello micheal wicks..
First let me apologise for the amount of time I've been away.
Wasnt intentional,I just thought we had extracted all the memories of that time,and that there wasnt much more to say?
I studied ur picture,and have tried really hard to remember u..but the memories just wont come back.
I have found a couple of people who were there wen we was..ie,Brian didisiere(who had a well known bike accident of that time at hhoas..and wayne Gibson,who wud be in the first bed on ur right,as u enter
Clent dormitory..wayne always used 2 make me laugh,as he used to argue with miss hill..who u might remember,used to bring the apples round at supper time?hope that jogs a few memories 4 u mile.
Hello Marketman. I thought you had emigrated. Lol. I vaguely remember Wayne, though I can't remember Brian. If I remember correctly, Wayne's bed, as you say, was just inside the door to the right, then there was someone else, who I can not remember, then my bed, then Stephen Rose's bed. I have been racking my brain trying to work out who you are though. You will have give me some clues. The last time I saw anyone from our time at HHOAS, was when I saw either Patrick or Vincent O'kane . (just can not remember which one it was as it was such a long time ago), I think it was on moseley road, in the mid 70's.I remember Miss Hill bringing a slice of apple to each of us, but can not remember wayne having arguments with her though. My brain is a little hazy after 41 years away from HHOAS. I can remember the times when we used to wait for the lights to go out, then some of us would get out of bed, & slide on our backs, under the beds to make the others jump. They were the fun times I remember, & the sports days. I also remember the scooters. I will have to pay HHOAS a visit when we can all start going out again as it has been such a long time since I was there. I was wondering if the old allotment up by the block is still there. If I remember rightly, Mr Tebbitt had bee hives on there & we had to extract the honey for him. I never realized there is'nt a link straight to HHOAS on here, just cropwood. I think I will have to start one. Hopefully, one day soon, we can meet up. I have just had a thought, I think you may remember me, if I tell you I was very quiet & shy, which is probably why I got picked on by Mr Tebbitt. When we went into the dining room for luch ect, I used to sit by the 1st open door/window near the veranda down by where the teacher taking charge would sit. I can remember some tricks being played on them too, like putting salt in their sugar bowls. At first, I hated being there, but in a strange way, I miss the old place, & miss Miss Buckley.
 
Hello Marketman. I thought you had emigrated. Lol. I vaguely remember Wayne, though I can't remember Brian. If I remember correctly, Wayne's bed, as you say, was just inside the door to the right, then there was someone else, who I can not remember, then my bed, then Stephen Rose's bed. I have been racking my brain trying to work out who you are though. You will have give me some clues. The last time I saw anyone from our time at HHOAS, was when I saw either Patrick or Vincent O'kane . (just can not remember which one it was as it was such a long time ago), I think it was on moseley road, in the mid 70's.I remember Miss Hill bringing a slice of apple to each of us, but can not remember wayne having arguments with her though. My brain is a little hazy after 41 years away from HHOAS. I can remember the times when we used to wait for the lights to go out, then some of us would get out of bed, & slide on our backs, under the beds to make the others jump. They were the fun times I remember, & the sports days. I also remember the scooters. I will have to pay HHOAS a visit when we can all start going out again as it has been such a long time since I was there. I was wondering if the old allotment up by the block is still there. If I remember rightly, Mr Tebbitt had bee hives on there & we had to extract the honey for him. I never realized there is'nt a link straight to HHOAS on here, just cropwood. I think I will have to start one. Hopefully, one day soon, we can meet up. I have just had a thought, I think you may remember me, if I tell you I was very quiet & shy, which is probably why I got picked on by Mr Tebbitt. When we went into the dining room for luch ect, I used to sit by the 1st open door/window near the veranda down by where the teacher taking charge would sit. I can remember some tricks being played on them too, like putting salt in their sugar bowls. At first, I hated being there, but in a strange way, I miss the old place, & miss Miss Buckley.
Hi there micheal..just jumped on to say we got another thing in common..we both lived on bracebridge street.
 
OK Chris, I hope to talk to others that shared this experience with me, its so long ago now, I will start it like a book and just tell my story if it gets too long I suppose it can be deleted.

I was born in 1952, all though my early school years I suffered from Bronchitis, so lost a lot of time from school sick, but I didn't like school anyway, I would fight all the way to school with my mum and do anything to avoid it. Evantually mom and I got hauled up in front of a board and they asked me if I would like to go to Open Air School, (I said yes) I had been told it was that, or be locked up in some way for not going to school. I don't know the details but I ended up being packed off to Cropwood, I think it was around 1960 I think I had my eighth birthday there, but it could easily be a year either way I don't remember. So Arriving at Cropwood I don't remember, but being there I do.

I was there when Miss Uquart a very strong Scottish woman was Head Mistress, there were two other staff(I think they were nurses) not sure, but one of them was called Miss Addis, she was slim,blonde and wore her hair up in a pleat, along with the lady that sat high up in the attic and polished our shoes, lace ups brown, and the Cook and her helpers. Lots of other staff, but I don't really remember them. So I arrive and I am shown to my bed in what they called Extension (which is what it was, the main house if I recall was high and built of grey stone, in wonderful gardens, that at the time I did not appreciate at all. In Extension there were 4 bi-fold doors that were always open at night, it was a long dormitory and my bed was the first on the left after you walked in, before that were four beds inset in a square, with Miss Addis's room before that, then a corridor down to the bathrooms, when I was there, the baths were white and we got about 3 inches of water to wash in, it was usually damn cold. We had a bath every morning, made our bed almost army like, and then went over to the main building for breakfast, for some reason I do not remember where we ate. I do remember assembly, in a large room I think it had a bay window as I used to sit there look out of the window and sometimes read. Other times that same room was used for PT, we had to do a funny exercise, where you lie on your tummy grasp your ankles and rock back and forth (I think it was called a Fisherman's Basket) (again not sure) If I recall it had a polished wooden floor.

I was so homesick, one Sunday I think it was, I ran away, started to walk down that gravel drive and kept going, turned left out of the gates past the entrace to Hunters Hill the boys school, and kept going I knew roughly the direction I was going in, at the top of that lane, I saw a farmer, and asked if me could give me 2 and 6 (half a crown at that time) as I wanted to visit my aunt, He said I think you are from that School down there, and I said no I wasn't he gave me half a crown, and I went on to the terminus and got on a bus headed for Birmingham, I don't recall the details, but I got on another bus in the city centre and got back to Small Heath where I lived, my mom was sitting by the fire and I walked in she did not seem all that suprised. Then dad came home, and the police came and mom and dad had to take me back to that dreadful place. I don't think they had a choice, all I remember is standing in that lobby with my poor dad looking mistyfied and mom, and Miss Urquart, who was not at all amused, they told mom and dad to go, and I don't remember much, just going to bed back there, the following morning in Assembly I was told to stand up along with Poor Ann, she had short reddish hair and she had run off the very same day, and she was back to, some words were said, like we were bad girls and how all the others better think before they tried the same. I remember we both stood there looking down, until the ordeal was over.Shortly after that there was a day trip to a (Manor House, Hall, anyway a big place) it was a Brownies and I think Girl Guides meeting. I remember the coach with all the girls aboard turning round in the carpark/courtyard of Cropwood, and I was left standing there, as a punishment for running away, then the coach stopped and Miss Urquart (I think) said come on get in, which I did, then I remember during the day they were showing off a new Brownie outfit, and I was chosen to model it, I couldn't believe it me the runaway. There were many times we ate outside I remember I hated the taste of the butter?spread, on our bread and for some reason inside it was ok, but outside, YUK! No idea why. We had lessons, and I don't remember them at all, except that I was never made to feel stupid like I was at school back at home. I absolutely LOVED that icy cold freezing and I kid you not swimming pool, it was at the bottom of a lot of steps, and I think it had wooden changing rooms on one side, but I might be wrong, it was Kidney shaped and I remember the polystyrene floats we were given to hold onto and kick our way across the shall end, it never got warm, surrounded by trees and we just had to get in. Although it was shudderingly cold, I loved it. I was allowed to be a Brownie, but never got any badges, or anything.

We used to go out of the gates and turn right, then over a stile, and run down Hunters Hill, there were little rhill type things that filled with water and I used to skip over them. Other times we were taken down thru the grounds at the back of Cropwood to a lane, where we wollected wild flowers and pressed into a book, I liked that, we would walk to a place we called Clover it was on the left of the lane and was a group of trees on a hill, below some kond of earth moving was taking place, and there were mounds of clay like stuff that filled with water. My favorite time was play time, at the back of Cropwood turn right and right again, there was an almighty tree, so big that we could play inside amongst the roots, I loved it there, I also loved the Gorse bushes that spread down the hill at the back. Lilac and Yellow, there was a classroom that I never went to that was down a hill to the right of extension, past a big tree, I forget now what type it was, but to a little girl it was big. I have to say now that I was a monster to one little girl bullying her and making her cry, I didn't realise until her little face broke I think her name was Francis, if she ever reads this I have your face in my memory and will never forgive myself, and hope you went on to a happy life.

Then there was Rosemary a cottage like place where the older girls went to stay, and the beloved Tuck shop, if I recall it was something on the side of the road, and this lady had all the goodies, we were allowed to buy sweets there. Time passed Christmas being a nice time our parents were allowed to come and Cook made pudding with money in it, I think it was either a threepenny bit of sixpence at that time, not sure. Me in trouble again for telling my mum that cook's pudding was better than hers, I never did live that one down, still haven't and never will, out of the mouth of babes!!

I remember one girl in particular, she was dark skinned very tall and her name was Naomi, always quiet. Then the day Miss Urquart was standing at the top of the basins in the lobby, the toilets were long the bottom and the toilet roll was outside, so you took a piece and then went to the toilet, in trouble again, a loud voice, states, just what do you think you are doing, how much paper do you think you need for that little bottom, I could have died, you know I still take more toilet paper than I need and at 63, I can!!!

What else can I share about Cropwood, I think I have laid myself bare to all that read this, I hope you understand. 8 years later when I was 16 I went back for an appointment with Miss Urquart, I couldn't and still can;t get Cropwood out of my head, I hoped to get a job there, by that time, I had grown my hair and was very proud of it, she explained at the interview, that she was retiring as they were going to send a different type of girl to Cropwood and she did not want o deal with that sort of girl, I think she was referring to other than sick (illness) girls, when I was there, it was mostly about the Coughers as they were referred to they had to cough and spit into metal mugs with lids, then empty them and I presume wash them out, I did not have to do that. For that interview I left my now long hair loose, so she could see it, she just said, well if you did work here, you would not wear your hair like that, I was mortified, my mum said to her, she only left it down to show you, so yes in a way Miss Urquart could hurt you so easily. I have not been back, I think I may visit Blackwell if I were in the UK but I am now in Australia, but the memories never leave me, like the parcels from home, a Beano, sweets, a bit of cash to spend oh how I looked forward to that. I don't honestly know if that year did me good, or scarred me for life, happy to hear from anyone that shares these type of memories. I think thats all, but I could remember something else by tomorrow, so I shall post it next. I never appreciated that others were going thru what I went thru for good or bad, but I wish you ALL well xx Oh to sit in that tree hollow again!!
Hi
 
Hi there micheal..just jumped on to say we got another thing in common..we both lived on bracebridge street.
Hello Marketman. It is a really small world. Unfortunately, I just can not remember anyone's names from my time in Bracebridge street, though I do remember the chippy on the opposite road to me, & an old gent who used to stand at the bottom of his entry, using his walking stick as a gun,playing with us kids.& there was a woman who lived not far from us, who used to keep jumping our of her bedroom window. I am still puzzled, & trying to work out who you are, especially as it has been 41 years since I left HHOAS. I think I must have been around 7 or 8 years old when I lived in Bracebridge Street.
 
Yes I was at Cropwood for 1 year aged about 8 I think, so that would have been round 1960 Miss Urquart was the Head Mistress and Miss Addis was a nurse there I think, I am not clear of her role. I slept in Extension, I hated it at first and ran away on the same day as another girl called Ann did the same, we both got returned to the school and made to stand up in Assembly while the Head told everyone what we did. I have lots more to tell if anyone is interested
I'm interested Lorraine.. keep them coming.
Try stating dates,and people u knew from both school.?
 
Hello Lorraine. I was at Hunters Hill from 1965, & vaguely remember Miss Urquart, but remember the swimming pool in Cropwood. Yes, it was kidney shaped, & was at the bottom of some steps. Some of us boys used to use it before we was allowed to go into Bromsgrove to the swimming baths there, though I could not swim at that time. I used to cling to the sides, but the teacher used to try to force away from the sides. I too, have not been back since I left in 1069, though am planning on paying a quick visit sometime.
 
Hello Marketman. It is a really small world. Unfortunately, I just can not remember anyone's names from my time in Bracebridge street, though I do remember the chippy on the opposite road to me, & an old gent who used to stand at the bottom of his entry, using his walking stick as a gun,playing with us kids.& there was a woman who lived not far from us, who used to keep jumping our of her bedroom window. I am still puzzled, & trying to work out who you are, especially as it has been 41 years since I left HHOAS. I think I must have been around 7 or 8 years old when I lived in Bracebridge Street.
We was 98 bracebridge street..the other end from u..lol we was by a park with a old steam engine in it..
 
We was 98 bracebridge street..the other end from u..lol we was by a park with a old steam engine in it..
Unfortunately, I only went to Blews Street park a few times, but I think, was a little too young to remember anyone from there, as I was always very quiet & did not mix at that time.My brothers were always allowed to go to the park when they wanted, but I was prevented, even though I was older than my brothers. I do remember an Asian family running a veg shop just down from my house. I used to help the owner slaughter chickens. Really nice family. Still none the wiser who you are though Marketman. I would probably know you if I saw a photo of you from our times at HHOAS.
 
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