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Happy Valley Yardley Wood

L

LaytonLily

knowlegable brummie
Can anyone identify this photo please, where it might have been taken and possible time - 1900's ?
A family contact in Australia has sent me some old family photographs of our mutual family who lived in Birmingham, hoping I can identify them. The wooden railings look typical of what would have been in parks at that time, but the boats look to be on a canal. I think it is a great photo. Group gathering and canoe.jpg
 
I
LaytonLily said:
Can anyone identify this photo please, where it might have been taken and possible time - 1900's ?
A family contact in Australia has sent me some old family photographs of our mutual family who lived in Birmingham, hoping I can identify them. The wooden railings look typical of what would have been in parks at that time, but the boats look to be on a canal. I think it is a great photo. View attachment 144464
Click to expand...
Great image, it looks like Perry Hall Park, I can't find any contemporary images with the boat house to confirm this though.
 

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just beat me to it john...i also think perry hall park is a possible...i was trying to view the old photos on the perry hall park thread to compere but the forum is having a problem at the min...seems to be on a go slow

lyn
 
Do not seem to have photos of a boathouse at Perry hall. I saved them all,(I think), but no boathouse
 
link to perry hall house thread...some show the same type fencing as in the original photo but i guess that could be typical of any park in the 1900s

Perry Hall the house

#6 - Perry Hall - The Avenue. #7 - Perry Hall - The Avenue. #8 - Perry Hall - The Avenue. #9 - Perry Hall - The Home Farm.
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Just seen these replies to my query - had been expecting an e-mail if anyone replied ! - and I feel certain it is 'Happy Valley' Yardley Wood Road - the photograph is so similar to the one I posted! So thank you so much. Is there any chance of having a bigger copy of the photograph, as this one shows very small so difficult to see details. What do you know about 'Happy Valley' as a place for people to go and spend time. Was it a park ?
 
LaytonLily there is a lot of information and photographs here

aghs.jimdofree.com

Happy Valley, Yardley Wood (with information and photographs kindly provided by Barrie Geens, Colin Scrivener, Andrew Mealey, and "master brummie")

Happy Valley is one of those phenomena which seem so unlikely in the history of Birmingham that the phrase "You couldn't make it up" seems highly appropriate. Here was a leisure area on a canal lasting half a century in various forms, for which there is so much affection that the name Happy...
aghs.jimdofree.com aghs.jimdofree.com
 
Was it the 48-50 bus that took you to the Canal,we always called that Happy Valley.Caught a few Stickle Backs in there,,and broke my wrist tripping up under the bridge on the raised bricks.
 
Edifi said:
Was it the 48-50 bus that took you to the Canal,we always called that Happy Valley.Caught a few Stickle Backs in there,,and broke my wrist tripping up under the bridge on the raised bricks.
Click to expand...

My old pot and pan used to call sticklebacks Jack Bannocks.
 
LaytonLily said:
Can anyone identify this photo please, where it might have been taken and possible time - 1900's ?
A family contact in Australia has sent me some old family photographs of our mutual family who lived in Birmingham, hoping I can identify them. The wooden railings look typical of what would have been in parks at that time, but the boats look to be on a canal. I think it is a great photo. View attachment 144464
Click to expand...
This is Happy Valley in Yardley Wood:

aghs.jimdofree.com

Happy Valley, Yardley Wood (with information and photographs kindly provided by Barrie Geens, Colin Scrivener, Andrew Mealey, and "master brummie")

Happy Valley is one of those phenomena which seem so unlikely in the history of Birmingham that the phrase "You couldn't make it up" seems highly appropriate. Here was a leisure area on a canal lasting half a century in various forms, for which there is so much affection that the name Happy...
aghs.jimdofree.com aghs.jimdofree.com
 
IMG_2777.jpeg

Happy Valley. Yardley Wood, c. 1913.
“Situated between Alcester Lanes End and the Maypole, crowds thronged the area on summer weekends. Boats and punts could be hired and day trippers could buy tea at the wooden bungalows and huts and sit at the tables provided outside. A cub of tea during those summer weekend excursions was fundamental to their enjoyment. There was also an open stage where parrots would perform to keep the crowds amused.”

(The story of Ty-phoo and the Birmingham tea industry by Williams. Ken)
 
LaytonLily said:
Can anyone identify this photo please, where it might have been taken and possible time - 1900's ?
A family contact in Australia has sent me some old family photographs of our mutual family who lived in Birmingham, hoping I can identify them. The wooden railings look typical of what would have been in parks at that time, but the boats look to be on a canal. I think it is a great photo. View attachment 144464
Click to expand...
Happy valley Yardley Wood
 

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Pedrocut said:
View attachment 182894

Happy Valley. Yardley Wood, c. 1913.
“Situated between Alcester Lanes End and the Maypole, crowds thronged the area on summer weekends. Boats and punts could be hired and day trippers could buy tea at the wooden bungalows and huts and sit at the tables provided outside. A cub of tea during those summer weekend excursions was fundamental to their enjoyment. There was also an open stage where parrots would perform to keep the crowds amused.”

(The story of Ty-phoo and the Birmingham tea industry by Williams. Ken)
Click to expand...
This notification appeared in my e-mails yesterday - thank you for sending Pedrocut that's a good photo - but I wanted to ask about the entry in brackets - The Story of Ty-phoo and the Birmingham tea industry by Ken Williams. I am interested in that book because my grandfather was a tea mixer with Warriner & Mason in early 1900's and I have always wanted to find out more. Is that book still available do you know ?
 
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