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Burlington St Schools

H

Harvey Barr

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I started at Burlington St Infants in 1937, memories of those days are very hazy,in 1940 I was sent on Evacuation ( privately ) I was away for two years. I thought what really happened in those days especially at Burlington Street School in war time
Took myself of to the Birmingham Reference Library where most of the Birmingham School Records are kept. Sorted out the Log Book for Burlington Street it dates from 1909, it's like a 'Heads' desk diary of daily events. I.ve started to copy some of it and will post the results latter.
In the mean time has anyone memories of the school during the war years

Harvey Barr
 
Burlington St School J & I

I'd be interested, Harvey, in your research into Burlington St J&I School.
My wife, Marian Hill attended the school from 1933 - 1939 when she was evacuated to the countryside. There are some pictures on Virtual Brum on the school. She is on the 1937 Coronation play photo etc.
Her sister, Alice Hill, married a Edward BARR b.23.4.17 and was a Flight Sgt when he was reported missing 4.9.42. Their daughter, Sheila, was born 18.9.40 and died in 2001.
Could there be any connection with you? :?:
 
School Logs

John Houghton is currently working on transcribing some of the school logs for Burlington Street. Once done they will appear on the site.
 
I was at Burlington St. from when I was 5 (I think it was 5 in those days, not 4, like now, but I could be wrong)...
so that would be September '64, and left in June '69 when we left Aston.

Teachers I remember.
Mr. Burgess of course.
Mr. Eastwood - (ex-army, I think, as I think mom had him too)
Mrs. Hardy (Dark hair- red lipstick I remember)
Mr. Stevens (was Welsh)

Classmates I would love to hear from if you read this, or anyone knows them..
Lois Willis born same day as me, exactly.. 26th June '59...
she lived, for a while, in Parliament St. 6 or 7 houses up from us (odd numbers)
Then her parents were landlords at the pub on the corner of Newtown Row (Waggon and Horses?)

Julie Scott- her mom (or mom and dad) had the off licence/sweet shop) on the corner of Talford St. and ?
us kids used to buy sweets and sit on the rounded corner step of the shop to eat them.

Steve Rigby - lived on Parliament St. and had a younger brother called Mark. We used to play together and it was me and Steve that saw burglars stealing trophy cups from a classroom (in the new block) of Burlington St. school. (Must have been school holidays, or a Saturday). We told our parents, and police were called and culprits found, I think.
Steve and Mark's uncle was Terence Rigby who was in Z Cars.

Roy Farnall - lived at the top/Park Lane end of Parliament St.

Kenny Dunbar

Paul Slater - Who later moved near us in Perry Common.

Anita Tustin?

Sifonessa Hassan

Deborah Harris

Gwendoline Taylor - also lived on Parliament St. I think.

Pamela Waile

Kitty ?

Michael Cox

Jaqueline Barlow

Malcolm Ordidge (Parliament St?)

thats just some that I remember for now..
 
Maz question. Do you or any other good people remember a teacher by the name of Mr Jones at Burlington St I think he was Deputy Head , he had been my Teacher at Cowper Street and I went to see him at Burlington about 1960 O0

I'm sure I saw him on a School photo Burlington site ^-^
 
no, sorry Alf, I don't remember him...
but I can't remember many of the teachers now...except the ones that were my teachers (as I mentioned)
 
Hi Marion, glad you joined the forum, its a small world isn't it,
Steve and Mark Rigby are the sons of my cousin Maureen nee Horton and John Rigby, but I didn't know Terence Rigby the actor was John's brother, they lived next door to
Mrs. Grigg's shop (to the right facing it) and on the other side of the shop lived Sue Bonner's husband's aunt Beryl and her husband Malcolm and their children. Steve now lives and works in Paris.

You said you had some school photos, I have 4 from Michael's time - 1964 teacher Mrs. Friedrich, Michael is standing right behind her pulling a face. Lynne Storer is 2nd left middle row, that's the only children I can identify.

1965 - teacher either Mrs.Jackson or Miss Stock. Michael is 6th from left in striped tee shirt.

1966 - teacher Mrs. Jackson, again Michael is standing right behind teacher. Lynne Storer is 5th from left on the front row.

1967 teacher Mrs.Hardy with her face scribbled over, obviously Michael didn't like her! Michael is 4th from left back row.

.Mr. Eastwood also taught me when I was in the juniors, I think he spent his whole career at Burlington Street, except for war service, I remember him and Mr. Barker returning to the school after the war. Mr. Barker was a lovely teacher, but Mr. Eastwood had a temper and was renown for throwing chalk at anyone talking or playing up. He also used to bring the National Geographical magazines into the class for us.

Other teachers who taught me and were still there in the 60s were Miss Rock, a really lovely teacher, very kind, and Miss Wilcox, who we all thought a bit of a battleaxe.

Mr Eastwood came to the celebration of the centenary of the school about 1977/78. .
 
Can anyone remember Mr Jones at Burlington in the 1960s :-\
 
Hello again Sylvia... :)
Miss Stock rings a bell (65?)

I'll try and scan those 2 pictures tomorrow...I've got a rotten cold at the moment and haven't felt like doing much :(
Yes, Mr. Eastwood and Mrs Hardy were quite strict.
I was generally quite a good girl ;) from what my mom says, but I remember Mrs. Hardy hit me on the hand with a ruler... :'(
 
Mrs Hardy was very clever at hitting children in her "CARE" with a ruler. She would start waving it up and down before your bum had left the seat, and she'd bring it smartly down on the palm of your hand leaving your hand red and sore. Her hair, if it was indeed her own? was never out of place!! Very strict, and very demanding. If she sent you on an errand she had a strange way of telling you to take something to someone? she would say " BRING THIS TO MR BURGESS" She loved country dancing, and never missed a chance to get us in the hall doing In And Out The Scottish Bluebells ::) Cant say I liked the woman, on the other hand I liked MR Eastwood, and got along with him fine, he was strict but never unfair? Mr Keeping on the other hand, well he loved shouting down earholes, he also managed to produce a deafening whistle at the end of each playtime session.
 
Yes, I remember 'In And Out The Scottish Bluebells'...didn't remember doing that with Mrs. H though...

I remember she used to get us to repeat
Good, better best,
Never let it rest,
Till your good is better,
and your better best

Enough to make anyone a perfectionist  ::) (which I was till I got over it 8))

I remember in Mr Eastwood's class doing the poem...
Faster than houses hedges and ditches..
He taught us 'double-writing' (as we called it then.)
 
How l remember Burlington St School, happy days, l always enjoyed school never wanted to leave . l started in 1940 and left in 1950 Miss Busby was my first teacher such a dear she was,not long after l was evacuted for 2 years and then came back to to Miss Wilcox,Miss Rock Mr Barker and Mr Eastwood, as already mention Mr Eastwood was strict,he would get red in the face,veins would bulge in his neck also he seemed to go tippytoe when he really got mad, l've seen him throw chalk and the board eraser at any pupil that was talking,l swear he had eyes in the back of his head or so it seemed, but he was a great teacher he left a lasting impression on a lot of us. Friday afternoons he would always read to us and make the stories come alive Wind and The Willows was my favourite,also while l was in his class he would go mountain climbing and always brought picture slides back to show us all of his adventures. The only person l was really scared of was the headmistress Miss Martin she was more like keeper on the keys as she always walked around holding a huge wad of keys,always very stern looking with her hair plaited and wrapped around her head l don't think she had a smile in her. l also went to the senior girls the teachers l remember were Miss Hudson Miss Guy and Miss Prescott, Miss Prescott was strict, had a few rapped over the knuckles from her she was also our music teacher and taught us country dancing. l started out with Miss Azlin as our headmistress and after a couple of years she was replaced with Miss Marsh
 
With lovely stories like that we need to see more stories Brenda keep writing ,looking forward to No 3 :D
 
I was at Burlington St from '43 to '53 - My Mom (Joyce Dunn) and her elder sister Edna and younger sister Jean (sadly the only one of the sisters still alive) in the '30s, and my younger sister Ann around 8 years after me. I remember well Miss (Barbara) Rock, Mr Eastwood, Mr Barker, Miss Wilcox, Mr Lovie, Mr Burgess and Miss Pattison (I think that's the spelling) the school secretary and general factotum!

My Aunt Jean was also in the '37 Coronation play photo - Friends Reunited has quite a number of Burlington St photos, including Class photos, and loads of contacts across the years.
 
Miss Pattison was a smashing lady, along with a great many others I used to get a little time off lessons to help her in the stock room dishing out paper, clay, pens and pencils etc. Miss Pattison also stood outside each day making sure each class had it's quota of milk, do you remember those little bottles, and next to useless paper straws?  :crazy2:

Miss Rock was my very first teacher, and I was taught by Miss Stock and Miss Wilcox as I got older. I havent heard of Mr Lovie, might you mean Mr Lovett?  :eek: I met Miss Stock many years later she was working in a charity shop near the Beaufort Cinema.

Does anyone remember Mr Troth? I think he got into a bit of trouble with parents because of his support for the BanThe Bomb campaign of the early sixties?
 
During my schooldays at Burlington Street, I remember Miss Rock, how nice to know her christian name - Barbara Rock,
there was also Miss Tennant who took me and Mavis Clark to the theatre one Saturday afternoon, it is a bit hazy now why she took us, or where we went but I think it was either to Oozells Street or Margaret Street, the Education Department to see plays by other schools. Miss Martin the headteacher- Brenda you describe her to a T. Mr.Barker and Mr. Eastwood, and Miss James, her classroom was at the far end of the upstairs hall, with some steps leading to the headmistress' study from a door at the opposite side of the classroom to the hall. She was another strict teacher, and used to tie unruly pupils to the iron frames of the desk.
On one occasion she tied June Holmes to the blackboard easel by the ribbons of her plaits. Can you imagine that in this day and age. Brenda, Miss Busby had retired by the time I started school but she taught my sisters and brother and lived with her sister in Talford Street, the first house past the corner of Upper Webster and Talford Streets, she always spoke kindly to us children whether she had taught us or not.
 
Here's the 2 photos I promised.
They have come out in different sizes, even though what I scanned were the same sizes...guess it's something to do with the originals.

Rod, I'm sorry, but I'm not too good at editing...sharpening etc etc...I always do too much or too little  :-[

I'm the round faced girl in the white dress on the bottom left-hand corner here

BurlingtonStschool65.jpg



and here, I'm right in the middle, with a checked dress on (dark-haired girl)

BurlingtonSt.jpg


Sylvia, if your Michael is on these, can you point out to me which one he is?
thanks :)
 
Lovely photos Marion of your schooldays and of your parents
wedding, that picture shows your mom just how I remember her.

Michael isn't on your school photos, I guess he was in the class above you as he was born in January 1959, and started school in January 1964. As you were born in June, you probably didn't start until the September term.

John Houghton has scanned my photos, perhaps he will be good enough to print them for us. Please John.
 
I see "Little Ray" a neighbour and good friend of mine in the lower picture. Raymond Joyce....... He lived a few doors away from me. His big sister Sheila came to the 2004 reunion. They were super friends of ours back then, their dad slaved all hours to look after them. Cheers :)

In the top picture I see a lad I think may have been Paul Gant? he came from the courtyard that bridged Burlington Street & Lower Webster Street....  If its not him then it's remarkable the likeness?
 
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