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Erdington

img542.jpgGrange Lane Erdington, outside Harry Greener's cottage in 1895
 
Terrys Lane these days is in Pype Hayes, Erdington.
It leads off Westmead Crescent, which runs around Paget rd school.

The first picture is Westmead Crescent at the juncion of Paget road, with paget school to the right.

The second picture is Terrys lane just a short way up the road.

Terrys_lane_2.JPG Terrys_lane.JPG
 
jennyann said:
Hi Moturn: I am familiar with the area that you mention as I lived very close to Witton Lakes Park growing up. You can have a look around your old area on Bill Dargue's
site: https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-t/turfpits/ There are also a couple of photos I have found which are copyrighted by R. Hughes but the links can be posted as they are on a couple of sites: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1283530 and https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1283532
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Well Jennyann, A real big thank you for those links, I spent countless time over Witton Lakes as a young boy, from dawn to dusk some days. At primary school I had been know to wonder off out, and down to the lakes; completely oblivious of people and my parents franticly searching for a missing boy.
 
Hi Moturn; I am sure that you also walked over to Brookvale Park as well. I expect you will remember the cafe and the boathouse at Witton Lakes Park
and sometimes a fun fair would appear in the Spring at the Bleak Hill Road side. I lived close to the Woolmore Road gate into Witton Lakes and spent hours with my brother fishing in one of the lakes and sledding down the hill in the snowy winters. It really was an ideal area to grow up in with two beautiful parks to play in. I like the fact that Witton Lakes Park is virtually unchanged now. I also remember baseball being played on that area with the players dressed just like the American baseball players. I remember walking over to Turfpits Lane to go to the shops at the Perry Common Road end.My brother lives in Four Oaks and when I visit we go and see the neighbours in our old neighbourhood off Marsh Hill and take the shortcut through Turfpits Lane to get back to Sutton.
 
I certainly do remember. Have walked across both those lakesin winter. My dad used to race model yachts at Witton lakes, there were also alot of people with model radio controlled boats too.
 
Moturn, I watched the men sailing their model boats in one of the lakes many times in years gone by. It was very fascinating to watch the radio controlled boats
sailing along and turning around, etc. The men always looked like they were having so much fun.
 
The men always looked like they were having so much fun
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Well you know what they say about boys and their toys.

I loved the rowing boats, when we could afford them, they had those twin hulled canoes or those clinker built rowing boats on both Witton lakes and Brookvale park.
 
Templer said:
Terrys Lane these days is in Pype Hayes, Erdington.
It leads off Westmead Crescent, which runs around Paget rd school.

The first picture is Westmead Crescent at the juncion of Paget road, with paget school to the right.

The second picture is Terrys lane just a short way up the road.

View attachment 74466 View attachment 74467
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Nice one Templer. Not the original Terry's lane though.
I have the same photo as stitcher ( post 105)
Quote.. "Terrys lane, 1893. Terrys lane is known as Eachelhurst Road. The snow scene shows Mr Thomas Terry and is taken looking towards Walmley. The trees on the left are part of Pype Hayes Park."
 
Great picture Stitch. It's funny how the busses changed so much over the years but the trams did not change at all. They were just right do you think.
 
My memories of the trams are rather vague Rupert, other than the Bristol Road ones to the Licky's, my strongest memory is of the one in the Museum in Newhall Street when we had to put a coin in to hear the sound of a tram from standstill to running and back to standstill again,
To answer your question, yes buses did change a vastly over the years.
 
img602.jpg
This picture was taken in Erdington High street in 1958. It was in todays newspaper.
 
Frothblower put on this photo from another source in post 53 of this thread, but there it was described as in 1953
 
Hi Mike: I remember this place in the High Street in 1953. It looks as though it was redeveloped in 1959. I am not exactly sure what was opposite this place but I think it was opposite New Street. We used to walk the whole length of High Street every Sunday morning. There was a newsagents
that opened on Sunday morning for a couple of hours very close to the old coaching house t. he only shop to open on Sunday mornings. Meeson's Sweet Shop down at the Six Ways end of the High Street used to open on Sunday afternoons to catch people going window shopping along the High Street. Happy days.
 
The last picture is so good. Almost into our era for most and yet 5 years before WW2. There must have been storm clouds of war as there seems to be in the shot symbolising such but no matter it all seems so serene. The schools would have still been teaching kids about the Empire and maybe even it might still have hung on but many things were to change for ever. Not everything though.
 
I understand what you are saying Rupert and I have to agree with your every word.
 
Stitcher said:
My memories of the trams are rather vague Rupert, other than the Bristol Road ones to the Licky's, my strongest memory is of the one in the Museum in Newhall Street when we had to put a coin in to hear the sound of a tram from standstill to running and back to standstill again,
To answer your question, yes buses did change a vastly over the years.
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I used to love that museum. I've allways had a fascination with firearms and there were some beauties in there.

I took my eldest son, when he was little, to look at that steam loco that used to run on a short piece of track. That, also used to give off a loud noise. The sight of that monster terrified my little 'un. (Would the engine have been named "City of Birmingham" ?).
 
The new YMCA building in Erdington is an abomination, it must be the most ugliest building in Brum!
 

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It looks very similar to the new Bournville College at Longbridge - which I think looks awful. Some people may consider these buildings to be on-trend, I however find the shape and colours very 1960's - an era of building styles I could quite happily live without.
 
Looks like the draftsperson had the cad setting wrong and accidentally dragged a corner. If he/she had only dragged the corner a bit further it might have actually have been very good.....a flat line. Make it so.
 
sx.jpeg
I have posted this on the Erdington thread because one of the shops was here.
 
Phil said:
About the wooden buildings in Spring Lane, yes I can see that they were probably ex army buildings. Its just that seeing the women & children in the photo I wondered if they were used for temporary accommodation after the war like the prefabs were.

Phil
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do you still have a copy of that picture? my parents where living in those huts in 1948 when i was born,and i am trying to find out about them. i would be most grateful for any lnfo. thanks. pete.
 
Great photo Viv just as I remember it. I can still see the lovely lights hung on chains inside. I went there often.
 
John can you re-post Erdington High Street please as I can't get it and I have so many memories of the place.
Thanks. Jo.
 
Hi all,

Just catching up with this thread.

I have many vivid memories of Erdington and lived there from 1974-1988

I grew up on the estate (Glenthorne Way) which was built next to, what at the time was called Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre and was a young offenders institute/prison. Both my mum and step dad both worked there and that entitled them to a house on site. Glenthorne was on the Kingsbury Road, just opposite Rookery Park.
I went to school at Birches Green (then later Hodge Hill).
Most of my childhood was spent hanging around the Hight St and i spent a lot of time at the swimming baths and the library, or just knocking around the graveyard reading headstones at the Church. I used to work on a market stall at Wilton Market on a saturday (is Wilton Market still around?)
I joined the Army in 1988 and have not been back to Erdington since, although I am planning a visit soon.

Unfortunately, I lost a lot of my old photo's of Erdington (including all my school photos) and some priceless memories in a house fire.

Despite searching high and low across the internet, I can't seem to find any old photos of Glenthorne YTC or of Birches Green School. Would be delighted if any of you fine people could direct me to any that you know of.
 
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