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Court Farm Primary Tedbury Crescent School Erdington

Hello Lady P,

I'll ask my sister Dianne if she can add any names to the photo. She is in it but not 'the pretty blonde girl', only by virtue of not being blonde I hasten to add (she'll be reading this!).

I'm not sure where in Goosemoor lane they lived but the sisters were Denise (b.1951) & Lynne Harris; Lynne becoming our son's mother in law. Denise I am assuming was in the class below mine.

I remember the pre-fabs and the fulltime 'parkie' Mr Mitchell; uniform and all. In those days the park was fenced and closed at night. And a belated apology for the times our football may have ended up in your garden!
 
I remember Mr Mitchell too, he was a real kind gentleman.

He seemed to do a lot of work in the park. There was this amazing lawn outside his office, the gardens opposite, the bowling green and an allotment garden at the Goosemore End of the park.

He seemed to look after all of it and have time to sick a plaster on your knee if needed.
 
Morturn, yes, I'd forgotten the gardens (roses - yes?) and bowling green which was eventually absorbed into the rest of the park. There was a natural deference to even minor officials in those days. Can't see one nice old fella keeping order and telling kids not to ride their bikes in the park these days! More's the pity.

I used to wish Court Farm played football on the pitches at the Court Lane park, just at the end of our road Jerrys Lane. When I went to Marsh Hill Tech. that's where they did play, although it seemed miles away from the school.

Lady P. Denise & Lynne Harris and family lived in Topcroft off Goosemoor Lane. But I have now found out before that the family lived at 14 Flackwell road, opposite The Leopard. This would put them literally round the corner from us, as I say, small world.
 
The Park keepers did wear a uniform in those days, so I imagine it gave them an element of authority. Saying that, Mr Mitchell was just a very nice man, so we respected him for that.

Yes, Court Farm School used Short Heath Playing Fields. It was only a short distance from the school and did have a ceader wood pavilion and loos to change in. I recall there was also a running pitch marked out and a long and high jump area.

Which side of Jerrys Lane did you live on? I did know most of the locals around that area. I remember the Easthope family on Flackwell Road almost opposite the Leopard.
 
I was going to post these two pictures on 'Pubs of the Past' but in view of the Leopard being mentioned in the last two posts I'll put them here instead. There was a bad fire at the pub some years ago but just look what they've done to it now. Even kept the pub sign!

P1170003.JPGP1170006.JPG
 
The park keeper was always 'Parkie' Mitchell to us. Forbidden to play in the nets the boys would be shooed off with 'out them nets' to which the reply was 'worn't me Mitch'.
 
Morturn,
We lived in the first pair of semi's after The Leopard. You can see the end wall of the first house in Lady P's photo, ours was the adjoining house, 'two doors down' from the Leopard. The two semis formed a temporary fire station during the war, on the back wall you could see the inverted 'V' from the interior paintwork from when there was a wooden extension housing the fire engine built on the back, the entrance must have been from Flackwell before The Leopard was built. During decorating we came across the old two-tone green and brown paintwork on the walls with some racing some starting prices written in pencil.

When our son's mother-in-law lived in Flackwell road, they must have walked past our house to go to the shops and when they lived off Goosemoor, past our house every day to go to school. The Harris's lived at 14 Flackwell road, Lynne says almost opposite The Leopard and looking at looking at Google Maps satellite image that could be the first pair of semis after the old peoples bungalows, which for several years was a derelict site - former nursery?

Lady P,
Thanks, great photo, I had imagined the pub had been demolished so it's nice to see the old place spruced up. The sign was never there in my day though. BUT, it looks like they've kept the old concrete pillars that used to skirt the car park. We used to use them for leapfrog and they got progressively higher, or so it seemed to a 5 year old. Oh many's the time I returned home with the backs of my legs grazed 'cos I didn't clear the last one successfully!
 
I was at Court farm with a girl calls Hazel who live in one of those semies. I had been told a story that the site of old people bungalows were once a prisoner of war camp.
 
Morturn,
We lived in the first pair of semi's after The Leopard. You can see the end wall of the first house in Lady P's photo, ours was the adjoining house, 'two doors down' from the Leopard. The two semis formed a temporary fire station during the war, on the back wall you could see the inverted 'V' from the interior paintwork from when there was a wooden extension housing the fire engine built on the back, the entrance must have been from Flackwell before The Leopard was built. During decorating we came across the old two-tone green and brown paintwork on the walls with some racing some starting prices written in pencil.

When our son's mother-in-law lived in Flackwell road, they must have walked past our house to go to the shops and when they lived off Goosemoor, past our house every day to go to school. The Harris's lived at 14 Flackwell road, Lynne says almost opposite The Leopard and looking at looking at Google Maps satellite image that could be the first pair of semis after the old peoples bungalows, which for several years was a derelict site - former nursery?

Lady P,
Thanks, great photo, I had imagined the pub had been demolished so it's nice to see the old place spruced up. The sign was never there in my day though. BUT, it looks like they've kept the old concrete pillars that used to skirt the car park. We used to use them for leapfrog and they got progressively higher, or so it seemed to a 5 year old. Oh many's the time I returned home with the backs of my legs grazed 'cos I didn't clear the last one successfully!

The nursery buildings were still there when I was at school. Not sure whether they were being used. I understood the nursery was for the mothers who were working during the war.

Talking of racing, I remember the old (probably younger than me now) chap who stood in the doorway with his black oilcloth bag. Men walked past and surreptitiously dropped a little package into the bag. Money wrapped in their bets I suppose. Mom was always a bit iffy about what went on there.
 
Who was your sister dressed as in the earlier picture Dsh (Post #32)? I'm hoping to see my brother in May, if all goes according to plan and try to name a few more. Can she name any of the others? It would really help if she can. These youngsters were two years ahead of me but I remember most of their faces. Another name came up the other day, either from John or Rick, Colin Newey - but he didn't say which boy he was (frustrating!!).
 
Lady P, It doesn't look like Dianne (Shelley) was in fancy dress. She's towards the left hand side, as you look at it, second row in the cardigan with horizontal stripes, just in front of Little Bo Peep. The only additional one she can name is Hazel Soden, end of second row, standing in front of Mr Keeping. Turns out they've been living around the corner from each other in Streetly for years without knowing until recently.
Hope this helps.
 
Thank you D Sh - so your sister isn't on the picture then? I'm getting confused (which happens a lot these days....). I shall have to re-write my cast list for the photo as I have three names for one person. Hazel must be right so I'll have a look and see where I've gone wrong. Everything helps though. My brother lives in London now but it will be something to discuss when we next (?) meet up. Thanks again.
 
Lady P., yes she's there, just not in fancy dress. If you look at the boy at the end of the front row with his arms folded, LHS as you look at it, my pretty sister is just behind his left shoulder in the cardigan with horizontal stripes. Then behind Dianne is (one of the) BO Peeps. Hope that helps.
 
Thanks Dsh. I think I had a senior moment somewhere along the way (happens a lot...) I now realise you said that in your previous post! Sorry.
 
Not really about Tedbury Crescent but earlier on this thread the swings at the park were mentioned. I took this photo the other day and was going to call it 'Death of a Playground'.
 

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Hello, my first posting on this thread - be gentle with me!

I just wanted to share one of those 'small world innit' coincidences but first my Court Farm credentials. Started in 1955 and my teachers in more or less the right order were: (Miss/Mrs/Mr) Keeping, Gilbert, Jones - lovely lady, wooden classrooms - Griffiths, Sinclair (twice). Also notable, Mr Hill, and Mr Mortiboys who ran the sports teams. Mr Wildgoose was the head for my first year only which was also the year my sister Dianne left to go to Waverly grammar. Dianne Shelley, she get's a mention earlier on the thread. Miss Codling was then the head for the duration of my very happy stay. The caretakers were Mr Barrow(s) and then Mr Gumley: how can I remember this stuff and not know what I came downstairs for?!!!

Anyway, my wife and I left Birmingham in 1975 never to return except for family and the Villa - not necessarily in that order! Our junior son was born and raised in Reading and moved to Brighton where he met his now wife. Early on word came back that her mother came originally from Birmingham but we couldn't get any more information out of the kids. So, when we eventually met the in-laws the conversation went something like this:

'I understand you come from Birmingham',- 'Yes, Erdington',

'Whereabouts in Erdington', - 'Goosemoor Lane',

Hair starts to prickle on the back of the neck!

'You didn't go to Court Farm Primary did you?' Well, you can guess the rest, turns out she and her older sister would walk past our house (two doors down from the Leopard) every day on their way to school. The Mother in Law is a few years younger than me so our paths would not have crossed but I've just found out her elder sister who sadly died , I think in her thirties, was born in 1951, the same year as me. She wasn't in my year so I’m pretty sure she would have been in the class below. As I say, small world isn’t it!

David Shelley
Hi Lady P, here’s my attempt to put names to faces/characters. Again, apologies for spelling errors!
Stanley Povey - Policeman, Roy Francis - next to jockey, Susan Patten - Florence Nightingale, next to me,
Roy Brannigan - front row extreme left, Pat Butler - front row extreme right, Roger Ralph - next to her (In blazer and tie), there are 3 girls in front of Mr Keeping.... the smallest to the left is Linda Barstow and the middle one is (?) Harris. I have a copy of this old photo too! And another one taken at the same time... just of me!
I am attaching another photo 1953-54 of the school football team. I‘m in the middle row, sitting on the outside next to Head, Mr. Wildgoose, the other teacher is Mr Jones. Sadly I can’t recall the names of the boys as I was one of the youngest!

Hi,
I have just come across this photo and can confirm that the one dressed as Sir Walter Raleigh is me Dave Illingworth. The photo was taken in 1953 as many of us had the costumes made for street parties held for the Coronation (a very wet day). The photo was taken I think as a Christmas production of a play written by a teacher (cannot remember whom) titled 'The Wax Works', we where the exhibits that came to life. The wonder of our production was that every participant had words to say. My words where to Pauline Hacket who is Queen Elizabeth, I said 'Tread on my cape your majesty to stop your feet getting wet'. The policeman I Believe is Stanley Povey and the runner is Roy Goulden. I am trying to remember names of all the class members I have 20 names at present.
Dave Illingworth
 
Hi,
I have just come across this photo and can confirm that the one dressed as Sir Walter Raleigh is me Dave Illingworth. The photo was taken in 1953 as many of us had the costumes made for street parties held for the Coronation (a very wet day). The photo was taken I think as a Christmas production of a play written by a teacher (cannot remember whom) titled 'The Wax Works', we where the exhibits that came to life. The wonder of our production was that every participant had words to say. My words where to Pauline Hacket who is Queen Elizabeth, I said 'Tread on my cape your majesty to stop your feet getting wet'. The policeman I Believe is Stanley Povey and the runner is Roy Goulden. I am trying to remember names of all the class members I have 20 names at present.
Dave Illingworth
Hi Dave,
Well impressed with all your memories of that photo and details of performing in the Town Hall! I do remember that! Very happy memories of time at Court Farm and Stockland Green School. I know you went to George Dixon’s (next door neighbours in Glendon Road) and we did meet up a couple of times when we lived in Mere Green. I’ve been in Devon for the last 45 years... where are you?
Good to hear from you! Best Wishes. Barry Hart.
 
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