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Horseshoe tunnel

Ian Binnie said:
Does anyone know where this tunnel is? Apparently a number of people were whilst sheltering there during the Blitz.
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From memory, it was in the vicinity of Majors Green under the Stratford canal. I was being used as an air raid shelter. I am sure I heard a story that it was hit too. Ill have a look later
 
A couple of newspaper articles put a horseshoe tunnel between The Worthings and Allens Croft Road in Stirchley...

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Thinking about it, I recall there may have been some photos on the Shoothill Gallery showing it as an air raid shelter.
 
There was a tunnel mentioned on the BHF regarding a Shoothill photo in which 11 were killed during a raid but maybe it is a different tunnel
see

Bomb damage in unidentified streets

The Shoothill collection of photos contains many photos of bomb damaged streets which don't seem to have been identified. This first set #1 -#12 shows damage to non-residential properties. I've numbered each photo so that if you wish to comment it would be helpful to quote the number of the...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
MWS said:
A couple of newspaper articles put a horseshoe tunnel between The Worthings and Allens Croft Road in Stirchley...
Click to expand...
In 1960's would regularly use this tunnel to get from outer circle at Stirchley to the estate at Dawberry Fields.
 
The horseshoe tunnel connecting The Worthings to Allen’s Croft Road was always an unwelcoming place when I lived nearby in the 70’s and 80’s. There was an old lamp post half way along it but often as not it wasn’t working and on a cold winter’s night the place was very dark, damp and downright eerie. When I moved away from Brandwood in my mid teens I still had a girlfriend who lived on Waldrons Moor, and to get home I used to have to catch the No11 bus on Fordhouse Lane at night. Walking into that dark, musty tunnel with only the sound of my breathing and my echoing footsteps was an unnerving experience no matter how many times I did it. It was decades later I learned of the tragedy that occurred there in WWII.
 
Godber said:
The horseshoe tunnel connecting The Worthings to Allen’s Croft Road was always an unwelcoming place when I lived nearby in the 70’s and 80’s. There was an old lamp post half way along it but often as not it wasn’t working and on a cold winter’s night the place was very dark, damp and downright eerie. When I moved away from Brandwood in my mid teens I still had a girlfriend who lived on Waldrons Moor, and to get home I used to have to catch the No11 bus on Fordhouse Lane at night. Walking into that dark, musty tunnel with only the sound of my breathing and my echoing footsteps was an unnerving experience no matter how many times I did it. It was decades later I learned of the tragedy that occurred there in WWII.
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I had a friend who lived on Allens Croft in the 1980s and regularly used to walk through that tunnel. Defo was creepy and would imagine creepier at night.

My grandparents lived that estate in Reeves Road, and remember waldrons moor and dawberry fields very well. At the back of their garden (they has their own allotment and greenhouse) was a park of sorts which had a childrens nursery in next to the Allens croft exit. (Entry was via Reeves Road). Thats now long gone to developers as I think it was used and abused by kids / young adults of the area.

I spent half my childhood on that estate as childcare was covered by my nan whilst my mom / Dad worked. Very working class family. Dad for the Austin and Mom for Cadburys. She used to walk to work after dropping us off, the route being going past the Hazlewell Pub and down that hill to cut though to Stirchely where the old factories /Workshops) were (I remember them as being quiet derelict when I went with her to use the workers swimming baths (cadbury) - I learnt to swim there.

That was very quiet, usually empty, and had metal cubicles painted white. Felt quite victorian. Its located where the clock is and is directly opposite the Social Club (Bournville) on the other side of the road. Id imagine the baths were listed. But Ive not been back in years. No idea if its still used as a swimming pool.
 
Lily_Mae said:
I had a friend who lived on Allens Croft in the 1980s and regularly used to walk through that tunnel. Defo was creepy and would imagine creepier at night.

My grandparents lived that estate in Reeves Road, and remember waldrons moor and dawberry fields very well. At the back of their garden (they has their own allotment and greenhouse) was a park of sorts which had a childrens nursery in next to the Allens croft exit. (Entry was via Reeves Road). Thats now long gone to developers as I think it was used and abused by kids / young adults of the area.

I spent half my childhood on that estate as childcare was covered by my nan whilst my mom / Dad worked. Very working class family. Dad for the Austin and Mom for Cadburys. She used to walk to work after dropping us off, the route being going past the Hazlewell Pub and down that hill to cut though to Stirchely where the old factories /Workshops) were (I remember them as being quiet derelict when I went with her to use the workers swimming baths (cadbury) - I learnt to swim there.

That was very quiet, usually empty, and had metal cubicles painted white. Felt quite victorian. Its located where the clock is and is directly opposite the Social Club (Bournville) on the other side of the road. Id imagine the baths were listed. But Ive not been back in years. No idea if its still used as a swimming pool.
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Oh and I remember teh glue sniffers. They always had that acne look around their mouths and left their empty plastic bags on the floor in the gully between the estate and Kings Road. Now that was creepy at night.
 
Lily_Mae said:
I had a friend who lived on Allens Croft in the 1980s and regularly used to walk through that tunnel. Defo was creepy and would imagine creepier at night.

My grandparents lived that estate in Reeves Road, and remember waldrons moor and dawberry fields very well. At the back of their garden (they has their own allotment and greenhouse) was a park of sorts which had a childrens nursery in next to the Allens croft exit. (Entry was via Reeves Road). Thats now long gone to developers as I think it was used and abused by kids / young adults of the area.

I spent half my childhood on that estate as childcare was covered by my nan whilst my mom / Dad worked. Very working class family. Dad for the Austin and Mom for Cadburys. She used to walk to work after dropping us off, the route being going past the Hazlewell Pub and down that hill to cut though to Stirchely where the old factories /Workshops) were (I remember them as being quiet derelict when I went with her to use the workers swimming baths (cadbury) - I learnt to swim there.

That was very quiet, usually empty, and had metal cubicles painted white. Felt quite victorian. It’s located where the clock is and is directly opposite the Social Club (Bournville) on the other side of the road. Id imagine the baths were listed. But Ive not been back in years. No idea if it’s still used as a swimming pool.
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One of my earliest memories is going to that nursery as a little lad and playing with sand there. After that is was Pineapple Junior and Infant School and then Brandwood Comprehensive. Regarding the factories in the area I have one thing that sticks in my mind: the smell of the smoke. Allens Croft/Brandwood Park Road is close to the Lifford refuse centre which would burn waste (as shown on an episode of “Look at Life” I posted a link to it on another thread) and I think there were other factories in Stirchley with working chimneys, too. I remember that it could get quite smoky there some days if the wind was in the wrong direction and the smell was pretty unpleasant. As for the glue sniffers, I remember them as well. Late 70’s early 80’s, cold sores and acne around their mouths. Apparently, Evo-Stik was their poison of choice and I was told there were even certain shops where glue in a bag could be bought over the counter…probably the same kind of shops that would sell you a single cigarette and a match even if you were a young child.
 
Godber said:
One of my earliest memories is going to that nursery as a little lad and playing with sand there. After that is was Pineapple Junior and Infant School and then Brandwood Comprehensive. Regarding the factories in the area I have one thing that sticks in my mind: the smell of the smoke. Allens Croft/Brandwood Park Road is close to the Lifford refuse centre which would burn waste (as shown on an episode of “Look at Life” I posted a link to it on another thread) and I think there were other factories in Stirchley with working chimneys, too. I remember that it could get quite smoky there some days if the wind was in the wrong direction and the smell was pretty unpleasant. As for the glue sniffers, I remember them as well. Late 70’s early 80’s, cold sores and acne around their mouths. Apparently, Evo-Stik was their poison of choice and I was told there were even certain shops where glue in a bag could be bought over the counter…probably the same kind of shops that would sell you a single cigarette and a match even if you were a young child.
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I did my work experience at Pineapple Jr and Infact school in the mid 1985. I was a Swanshurst Girl and my best friend at the time lived on Allens Croft so spent a lot of time that side, although I lived the other side of Kings Heath. Her family was a little rough around the edges so to speak and there was always a little bit of drama there.

Ive moved away now. Only coming into Birmingham to visit my mom. But my nan was unique, and I still carry a few of her sayings with me. I do remember she always was going on about the family at bottom of Reeves Road and ahem - what they did - or she thought they did :)
 
Lily_Mae said:
I did my work experience at Pineapple Jr and Infact school in the mid 1985. I was a Swanshurst Girl and my best friend at the time lived on Allens Croft so spent a lot of time that side, although I lived the other side of Kings Heath. Her family was a little rough around the edges so to speak and there was always a little bit of drama there.

Ive moved away now. Only coming into Birmingham to visit my mom. But my nan was unique, and I still carry a few of her sayings with me. I do remember she always was going on about the family at bottom of Reeves Road and ahem - what they did - or she thought they did :)
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I moved away from the area long ago, too. I’ve googled a few names of people I remember all those years ago and some of them….crikey!
 
Morturn said:
From memory, it was in the vicinity of Majors Green under the Stratford canal. I was being used as an air raid shelter. I am sure I heard a story that it was hit too. Ill have a look later
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The horseshoe tunnel is at the bottom of my road The Worthings Stirchley. 16 people died when a bomb hit the Allens Croft Rd end.
Morturn said:
From memory, it was in the vicinity of Majors Green under the Stratford canal. I was being used as an air raid shelter. I am sure I heard a story that it was hit too. Ill have a look later
Click to expand...
 
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