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O.C.
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A few years ago a good friend of mine the late Dr Keith Doney who was a teacher of language at Handsworth Grammar School took me on a tour of the school after organizing a talk their about the Great War with a few friends.
Noting my interest in heraldry he told me how and why the school badge was designed and what the zig zag was on the school badge, so trying to remember what he told me and with more info I found, below is the result.
At one time Handsworth was in Staffordshire and references to the old bridge at Perry Barr (known as Perry Pont) were found in the family deeds of the Wyrleys of Hamstead who owned the mill in the meadows in Perry Barr lying near Perry Bridge in 1590, and after a few owners the mill became a blade mill with clauses in the lease to allow fishing from Perry bridge and reserving the right to draw off water for the purpose of repairing the bridge.
(Another mill was erected at Hol Brook which later became a famous wire mill worked by Mr. Webster later it moved to Penn’s Mill then to Hay Mill …Horsfalls and in the late 1800’s the Perry Mill dam became one of the reservoirs of the Birmingham water system)
As the year went by Perry Barr Bridge was kept in good repair by a trust that had been set up which eventually founded Handsworth Grammar School in 1862.
The school badge which is still in use today was designed with the Staffordshire knot on the top and underneath a representation of the Zig Zag Perry Barr Bridge.
The old Bridge was due to be demolished in 1890’s but there was such an outcry, the idea was abandoned when folk learnt of its history going back the times when Henry V111 had his hunting lodge nearby at Sheldon Hall in the Great forests that stretched over the land.
In the year 1327 Perry’s 11 people were taxed £1 -17shillings and 2 pence
The Bridge has never had to endure any undue strain caused by the water hence its good condition, its time eaten stones with its V shaped recesses make it a very unique bridge which in its style very few have survived. Today it’s hardly noticed as you go over the new bridge that was built alongside the old Zig Zag Bridge on the Aldridge Rd
One which has survived and almost identical is the old Zig Zag Bridge at Water Orton which was built a few hundred years later in the 16th century with the stone from the old manor house and looking at it today is hard to say whether it will survive for another few hundred years with the pounding its taking by the traffic that goes over it daily which it was not designed for
First pic is the badge 1940 This image unfortunately lost
2nd pic badge today (but the colour might be wrong) Image replaced
1830 map image replaced
Perry Bridge 1890 photo replaced
Noting my interest in heraldry he told me how and why the school badge was designed and what the zig zag was on the school badge, so trying to remember what he told me and with more info I found, below is the result.
At one time Handsworth was in Staffordshire and references to the old bridge at Perry Barr (known as Perry Pont) were found in the family deeds of the Wyrleys of Hamstead who owned the mill in the meadows in Perry Barr lying near Perry Bridge in 1590, and after a few owners the mill became a blade mill with clauses in the lease to allow fishing from Perry bridge and reserving the right to draw off water for the purpose of repairing the bridge.
(Another mill was erected at Hol Brook which later became a famous wire mill worked by Mr. Webster later it moved to Penn’s Mill then to Hay Mill …Horsfalls and in the late 1800’s the Perry Mill dam became one of the reservoirs of the Birmingham water system)
As the year went by Perry Barr Bridge was kept in good repair by a trust that had been set up which eventually founded Handsworth Grammar School in 1862.
The school badge which is still in use today was designed with the Staffordshire knot on the top and underneath a representation of the Zig Zag Perry Barr Bridge.
The old Bridge was due to be demolished in 1890’s but there was such an outcry, the idea was abandoned when folk learnt of its history going back the times when Henry V111 had his hunting lodge nearby at Sheldon Hall in the Great forests that stretched over the land.
In the year 1327 Perry’s 11 people were taxed £1 -17shillings and 2 pence
The Bridge has never had to endure any undue strain caused by the water hence its good condition, its time eaten stones with its V shaped recesses make it a very unique bridge which in its style very few have survived. Today it’s hardly noticed as you go over the new bridge that was built alongside the old Zig Zag Bridge on the Aldridge Rd
One which has survived and almost identical is the old Zig Zag Bridge at Water Orton which was built a few hundred years later in the 16th century with the stone from the old manor house and looking at it today is hard to say whether it will survive for another few hundred years with the pounding its taking by the traffic that goes over it daily which it was not designed for
First pic is the badge 1940 This image unfortunately lost
2nd pic badge today (but the colour might be wrong) Image replaced
1830 map image replaced
Perry Bridge 1890 photo replaced
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