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Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

R

RobertS

master brummie
Pleasure Grounds

I'm looking for information on 'Happy Valley'. As far as I know it was on the Warstock section of the cannal towards Yardley Wood. I imagine it was just beyond the section that borders Cocks Moor golf club. Some of the accounts describe going to Alcester Lanes End on the Tram and walking. From the photo's it looks like there were summer amusments and boating on the canal.

Can anyone pin it down on the map, give me an idea when it was openned and when it closed (looks like 1910-25 ish), owners, amusements or events?
 
Hi there.
As far as I know there is a bus depot built on the site of "happy valley"
When you look at pictures of the site it cant be on the "Billesley" side of the canal as the ground falls steeply down to the valley at the border of "Warstock/Billesley".
Is there anyone old enough who remembers this site??
Pete
 
bilsat

You are most likely right as Happy Valley was an area favoured for boating and picnicking centered around the canal bridge on Yardley Wood Rd in the early part of last century.Phil


Phil

Yardley Wood Happy Valley 1.jpg
 
Thanks PMC1947 and bilsat

The new picture is a good one. You both seem to pin it down at a canal bridge on Yardley Wood Road. I'm struggling to 'place' the bridge, and any help would be good.

In the early 1960's I had a Saturday job at a DIY shop in the Yard (think the owners name was Hay) and every week I was sent up the road to a bus garage to change some notes for the float for the till so I might have been close!

Do you have any more information?
 
I always understood that Happy Valley was on the opposite side of the Yardley Wood Road to the bus garage,where Pendeen Road is today, although never seen anything to support that.
Robert, you will find a number of photos of Happy Valley and Yardley Wood in Barrie Geens book (From Kings Heath to the Country ), and there's a reference to a newspaper article dated 22nd March 1935 where..." residents opposed an application for a music licence for an Easter Fair to be held at Happy Valley on April 18th to 23rd, the resident complained that the noise on such occasions was so bad that his three young children could not sleep at night"
See my website https://www.bhamb14.co.uk/index_files/STRATFORDUPONAVONCANALHAPPYVALLEY.htm

Colin
 
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RobertS

If you are travelling outward on the Yardley Wood Rd the Garage is on the right hand side. The canal Brige is just before the garage.

Colin B

If Happy Valley was centred around the canal bridge, that would put it each side of that bridge wouldn't it? Further to that the photo that I downloaded must be to the right of the bridge as you can see the upward incline of the Yardley Wood Road at the rear.

pmc1947
 
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I recall my father indicating where it was as a young lad and my recollection is that it was on the right hand side, as one travelled out on Yardley Wood Road, and adjacent to the River Cole ? (think this is the correct name for the river). This is the river that ran through the recreation fields.on the left of the YWR and flowed towards Highfield Road.
Happy Valley extended along the righthand side of the valley adjacent to the river towards Alcester Road.
Am somewaht perturbed at the size of the so called river, in the photo, for it does resemble a canal but I am sure the location showed to me by my father is as I reported.
Will.
 
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I agree with Willoughby and it was certainly not on any river as the Cole would be hard put to support a canoe in that area. Sadly none of my family are still alive who might have remembered it though my father (born in Prince of Wales Lane) used to talk about it. And the Bus Garage is on too high a ground to be the location in my view.
 
Thanks folks (AWilloughby,PMC1947,ColinB) and Bernie

Been at Google Map and Sat Nav since last clue and have either or both of the locations. Unseful tip about applying the photo's to the layout. Have ordered the book so I should have the additional info next week.

From the 'licence application information' Happy Valley was still there later than I thought. It couldn't have been any later than that when the area was was developed. The concrete road bridge has a 30's look to it.

Wonder when it was started and who owned and ran it?

From the collection of photo's it looks as though there was boating, tea rooms, some sort of camping ground, challets, a stage and concert field, and an ornate machine on the edge of the water. Would love to dig up some more information.

Everything gratefully received

Many Thanks
 
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Try this link to the Acocks Green History Society.

https://aghs.virtualbrum.co.uk/water/watercrses.htm

I copied this paragraph from this source.

The STRATFORDCANAL began at Kings Norton in 1793. It follows the Chinn valley, and enters Yardley at Warstock. Leaving, it cuts deeply into Yardley Wood Common, then follows the bounding brook valley. Wharves for coal and lime at Warstock were later the venue for townees: meadows between the canal and the Chinn Brook were called 'HappyValley', a fairground, pavilion, and boatyard being the attractions. Fairly well maintained by British Waterways as the link between the Worcester and WarwickCanals, the cut is used only by pleasure craft: for many decades it was not only a source of fuel and materials but a quick route to Birmingham market by 'flyboat'

So happy Valley was between the canal and the Chinn Brook.

pmc1947
 
Mmmm that gives me food for though as the curvature of the canal looks right based on pictures I have seen in the past. I might try to see if my cousin remembers it but have not spoken to her for years. She is older than some of my uncles were as my Gran (bless her) had 13 kids that survived all sons the last one was a daughter who sadly did not. They lived firstly in Prince of Wales Lane and then in Peterbrook Road in one of the Cottages at the top.
 
Thanks again folks, barely have time to follow up the links.

Wonder if Happy Valley was in any of the trade directories?
 
The Valley Pub used to be on the Yardley Wood Road next to Chinn Brook and those playing fields, I wonder if this was a reference to the Happy Valley area?
 
Hello Gee m

Suspect you are right, there are loads of references but not alot of info. There was even a Happy Valley community festival not long ago but no one I contacted had any information other than there 'was a Happy Valley' and 'its what the area was called'. I've googled and found a narrow boat cottage for hire in the same stretch of cannal using the name.

Feel this one is slipping away. Those with any memory of the actual pleasue grounds must now be very scarce.

Just spent a couple of hours looking for a detailed OS map later than the one on the previous family history site but without much luck.
 
On VB there's a number of photo's, if you run your cursor over them, one shows Happy Valley c1910 says "it was located on the north east bank of the canal, by bridge near the bus". There are also a photo of canal side cottages, "over the bridge from happy valley," these cottages are still there west of the bridge, and photo dated 2000 is east of the bridge, taken from the bridge.Maybe it was where I thought.

https://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/yardleywood.htm

Colin
 
Hi All.
I asked someone by me who remembers going there as a child he said that Q homes which is on the corner of Yardley Wood Rd/Pendeen Rd was a sweet shop and as you approached the canal it was on the left hand side, not where the bus garage is as I previously said!, there was a public toilet there that was only demolished recently.The site across the canal is were Highpoint Garage is now! Best I can do..
Pete
 
Thanks Bilsat Colin B and BernieD'Boult.

I'm now fairly confident the area on Colin B's map is the right one for the buildings. Been peering at Google earth Sat pictures and charting the Cannal and the stream, and the photos for hours. I'm also trying the 1901 census to see if I can pick up any residents along the cannal or even a mention of the 'grounds'. It may be a bit early and I'm having trouble trying to 'find by place'.

The free preview on the 'historic maps for sale for alot of money' aren't detailed enough to provide much more information however it appears there might be a Godfrey map that might catch it.

Bernie, your remembered article would be a godsend. All power to your memory. (Even the publication would give me a start.)

Many thanks
 
Re: Happy Valley community festival

The Happy Valley Community Festival takes place on Daisy Farm Recreation grounds and is organised by the people at Warstock Community Centre, usually around June so contact the centre for more details..
Pete
 
Hello Bilsat

Thanks. It was some of the people who use the Warstock Community centre I spoke to. They also have pictures from previous festival on their Web site.

The problem was that neither of the people I spoke to had knowledge of the history. Although they couldn't think of anyone involved who could there still might be someone.
 
Family LEA. Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

I have just receive the excellent book 'Kings Heath to Country' by Barrie Geens. (A gem of a book to be highly recommended).

There are a group of photographs on Happy Valley and on one of them the tea room is credited with the caption 'Propriotor Lea'.

I have looked for 'Lea's' in the area and there are a number. On the 1851 census there are a family of Lea's who are nailmakers in Wythall.

Thought it was worth a post to see if the family name and Happy Valley ring any bells.

thanks
 
Re: Family LEA. Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

Hi RobertS

The Happy Valley canal cottage is up for sale.

https://www.caldecottegroup.com/propertydetail.aspx?id=ttDC2%2bFCiM0%3d

Are you still researching this area , the canal cottage is the only permanent structure on the towpath and does not seem to appear in any of the Happy Valley postcards I have, and to my mind puts the boating area to the east of the canal bridge.
I'm told the man who rented out the boats lived in this cottage and used to keep his boats in the winding hole opposite.
 
Re: Family LEA. Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

Thanks planet

just going back to the maps to place the cottage and see if I can relate the signposted 'to happy valley' photos to the ground coming down from the road.

Do you know if the boat rental survived the building of the estate, bridge and bus garage?

cheers
 
Planet, since having made the post 11 in 2008, I have had it confirmed that it was the location of Happy Valley.
Robert the cottage is located on the left hand side (west) of the Yardley Wood Road, opposite side of the canal to the bus garage.


Colin
 
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Re: Family LEA. Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

RobertS said:
Thanks planet

just going back to the maps to place the cottage and see if I can relate the signposted 'to happy valley' photos to the ground coming down from the road.

Do you know if the boat rental survived the building of the estate, bridge and bus garage?

cheers
Click to expand...


In the "Kings Heath to the country" book the picture on page 134 of the ford over the chinn brook has the sign "this way to the pleasure boats" . The road from the ford leads uphill, as it does today though realigned, to the canal bridge.
The other features to look at are the canal towpath, which is only on the north side and always has been and also that all the land to the south of the canal is uphill.
 
Colin B said:
Planet, since having made the post 11 in 2008, I have had it confirmed that it was the location of Happy Valley, I have a small piece on Happy Valley on my website https://www.bhamb14.co.uk/index_files/HAPPYVALLEY.htm
Robert the cottage is located on the left hand side (west) of the Yardley Wood Road, opposite side of the canal to the bus garage. The three pitched roofs of the garage can be seen in the picture on post 11.
Click to expand...
hi Colin,

I've always put it to the east of the canal as some of the photos show the same curvature of the canal though many locals insist it was to the west.
What it clear though is that theres activity both on the north and south canal banks, and also to the east and west of the bridge.
 
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Re Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

There's an article in one of the Birmingham papers , not sure which one and either 1935 or 36, where it says that to demolish the od bridge they had to load it with 126 tons before it broke.
 
Hello folks
just returned to computer and looked at your discussion. Generally agree. It appears that the boats were hired from the cottage to the West of the bridge. The cottage and the land for sale has the same footprint as that detailed in the maps (about five posts back) that show Happy Valley intact and its demise under development. The photos of the resort all seem to focus on the area to the East of the bridge. The entrance, tearooms and challets on the opposite bank are also on the maps. As pointed out, the giveaway is the location of the towpath and the challet track in relation to the old bridge.

The other clue is how the land slopes away down the valley from behind the tearooms and upwards on the oppossite bank (photo's)

Did the boat hire continue into the 1930's?
 
RobertS said:
Did the boat hire continue into the 1930's?
Click to expand...

I've not found any references or anecdotes to the 1930's.
The Billesley estate was built and occupied by 1926, then the Yardley Wood estate built between 1926 and 1930.
The new bridge from 1935/6 and the bus garage at the end of 1938.
I guess the war put paid to any return.
 
Re: Family LEA. Happy Valley Pleasure Grounds

Greetings from a new member making first contact. I remember many rowing boats tied at right angles to the towpath outside the cottage that is opposite the garage, 1945 to 1956 as best I can remember.
 
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