• 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

Bordesley green

berniew said:
Belchers lane playing fields long before our time
Click to expand...

Brilliant pic Bernie, as per...so, just boasting now. Played cricket there for Albert Road Primary, Stechford (1951-3), many times. Opened batting with old chum and near neighbour (Neston Grove) Johnny Finlan (later English International fly-half with Moseley), and followed by Neal Abberley, later of Warwickshire and England at No3. Yet all of us were considered inferior to our best player Clive Parr, of Parr's Grreengrocers, corner of Richmond Road opposite the Pub, and he went on to become a Vicar!! You never can tell can you...! But not bad for a tiny back street little school that also boasted Joan Armatrading as a near neighbour I suppose....proud history... happy memories galore...

Oddly enough, some fifty years later, I could lookout of the window of a Lab I used to work in at Heartless Hospital, to see the old sports field just derilict, and looking so sad from lack of use...probably will become a car park sooner or later for the ever expanding Hospital...there must be thousands of similar stories out there...?
 
I'm suprised the playing fields haven't become a car park for heartless , you kept some esteemed company at school Dennis they were the playing fields used by my old school Alston Road
 
I'm surethey soon will be so Heartless can charge the nurses an arm and leg - and other body parts - to go to work!!
Lovely pics though Bernie, all saved to show Dad later!
Sue
 
Hi alana124,

Just spent the last hour reading this thread, so I was suprised to find you lived at 39 PAS. I lived at 33, the Goughs were our landlords. The other side of us were the Harrisons. The timber yards, opposite the Vine Pub [victoria 1670] & the big saw-mill at Coleshill, were my playground as a kid with Peter Gough. My parents were Bill & Elsie Horton, opposite was Direct Coaches, used to earn a few shillings cleaning out the Coaches.

What a small world.
Ray Horton.
 
I was a Villa fan from Small Heath. As a teenager during in the last great Villa decline during 1967-71 I took some stick. My response was that Small Heath alliance (BCFC) really played in Bordesley Green, as Small Heath began further up the Coventry Rd. If I remember there was a sign proudly proclaiming 'Small Heath' just in front of a Chinese chippy about 100 yards from Small Heath police station, All gone now....
 
JohnJames said:
I was a Villa fan from Small Heath. As a teenager during in the last great Villa decline during 1967-71 I took some stick. My response was that Small Heath alliance (BCFC) really played in Bordesley Green, as Small Heath began further up the Coventry Rd. If I remember there was a sign proudly proclaiming 'Small Heath' just in front of a Chinese chippy about 100 yards from Small Heath police station, All gone now....
Click to expand...


The Blues Ground id in Bordesley. B9, but was in Muntz St/Swanage Rd years ago, which would have been B10. Although Small Heath was part of Aston till, I think, till about 1914. Might be wrong there though.

I think this has been discussed on this forum before, The boundary was somewhere around The Oxford pub I think.

Come to think of it, isnt Villa Park actually in witton ?
 
Sorry "Old Boy" I wish I had gone to Waverly Grammer School, I finished my education at 14, I was the last one of 6 children so my parents had no dosh to send me there although I was clever enough, I finished in 1940 and 4 years later Grammer school became free, just luck of the draw. Geff
 
Another one for the collection.
 

Attachments

  • pretoria rd.jpg
    pretoria rd.jpg
    121.2 KB · Views: 69
There was a outdoor in Pretoria Road,we used to have a crafty pint in there now and again.

Those trees look so young,wonder if there's any left.
 
Good point about Villa's location...A heresy from a died in the wool Villa fan but I have a huge soft spot for BCFC. Perhaps something about how the ground keeper would allow neighbourhood kids to kick a ball around the billiard table pitch during the summer of 1969 or maybe the great reggae disco in the bowels of one of the stands during winter 1970. Does anyone remember this? maybe we can start anew thread on Reggae and Brum..
 
I don't have a date for the pic Neville but they moved to St Andrews in 1906 so some time in the preceeding 20 years
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top