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Children's Home Oxford Road, Moseley?

T

The Heathen

Brummie babby
Hi, I wonder if anyone can refresh/confirm/correct my memory about a Children's Home that I believe was in Oxford Road, Moseley?

Many years ago (late '70s/early '80s) I knew a couple of people who had spent some part of their teens there. They had left by this stage and were living independently but had remained friends so having met one, I later got to know the other too.

I found myself thinking about the place lately and what it was, why people were there etc. I didn't ask much back then because I didn't want to pry or maybe stir bad memories for them.

If I recall it was named something like Granville House but I can't find anything about the place any more. I remember years ago coming across something on the net that suggested I'd got the name right. It was an old photo, taken long before the late 1970s period I'm talking about but it was of a Home like I'm describing around the area I remember it being located.

Does this ring any bells with anyone by any chance?

Cheers
 
Yes, I know about Athelstan House. ;) That place was running for quite a long time within my lifetime. I first saw the goings on there from the window of the 50 bus when there was some kind of parade/square drill going on. I thought it was a military thing at first but my mother put me right and told me what it really was. I suppose the "Bad Lad's Army" approach to it was prevalent back then.

Also, when I was in secondary school, there was a couple of lads who got sent there for their teenaged misdeeds and that would be late '70s.

This place in Moseley Village area wasn't a reform place though, I don't think. It was more like a council care home or Barnado's in that the residents there were not there because of what they had done - although they may well have been "challenging" - but more because of their home environment being problematic.

Although I could be wrong about why they were there, I can say the two people I became friends with were as nice as you could wish to meet and in all the years I knew them neither even gave a hint of even being difficult, let alone anti-social or criminal. :innocent:
 
No, definitely not there. That's been a stroke/brain injury rest and/or rehab place for a long time, I think. Whether it was a more general hospital before that I'm not sure. There was/is that place and what was Sorrento Maternity Hosptial on the Wake Green Road in Moseley.

It was neither of those, though, it wasn't anything to do with medical matters. As I say, think more Barnardo or council care type place rather than anything hospital or borstal type place. I'm sure the people there because of home life matters not medical reasons or directly because of misbehaviour.

This place I'm thinking of I'm about 90% on it being on the Oxford Road and about 60-70% on it being called Granville House.
 
If it’s the house next to the church on Oxford Road, it has only in recent years been turned into a private house.
 
Pedrocut said:
Birmingham Daily Post, November 1970

View attachment 157493Post, May 1971..

View attachment 157492
Click to expand...


:grinning: Ooooh, well played, that's the one. Thank you. That's confirmed my recollection of the name being correct and has given me a bit of a greater insight into the purpose of the place.

"Social problems", of course, is quite a broad phrase that can encompass a lot of issues.

And I had absolutely no idea it was connected to the Church, I think I had just assumed it was Council funded and staffed.

Great job digging that out, so thank you very much.
 
Morturn said:
If it’s the house next to the church on Oxford Road, it has only in recent years been turned into a private house.
Click to expand...

It's coming up as The Bridge Project House on Google maps, whatever that may be. This is what streetview shows as number 2 Oxford Road as of a couple of years back. There is a black name plaque between the right hand ground floor window and the front door but it isn't legible when zooming in.

The Bridge Project Bridge Hse · 2 Oxford Rd.jpg
 
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