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Lickey Hills

The no 98 and 47 buses get close to the border. But you have to get off and walk.

The 98 turns from Lickey Road up Leach Green Lane.

98 bus route.jpg
The 47 you get off at the terminus on Groveley Lane near Rednal.

47 bus route.jpg
 
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Like many other members Mom and Dad would take us on the tram to The Lickies but later in life I drove a bus like the two above when I worked at Selly Oak garage for awhile.
 
BOK 8?V bus was a WMPTE bus which is outside my archive and interest.
The older 269 GON was a former BCT bus which was new in 1963 and withdrawn somewhere between 1977 - 1980. A Daimler Fleetline with Park Royal (Southall) body which was part of a 300 bus order (the largest single order placed with Daimler outside London) with bodywork split between Park Royal and MCCW (Saltley): there were some differences in appearance between builders and dates of entry into service.
 
The 98 dropped me off on Lickey Road in Cofton Hackett. I then walked up Rose Hill and Monument Lane to return to Beacon Hill.

The Duck Pond seen on Rose Hill.



Beacon Hill



 
You guys forgot to mention the huge toilet building (that's now a restaurant) or Fletchers Copper Coin amusements where I spent way to much time my friends pop owned the place now he does, I lived right there the Lickey Hills were our play ground up there in the winter snow sleding we even played crown green bowls in summer.
I lived on Edgewood road the one before Leech Green Lane
 
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I did not realize what a treat a trip to the Lickey Hills was for some folks, sure I remember lots of folks up there in the summer but it never occurred to me how far some people travelled and from where.

Now as I am older I understand why we ended up there or why my mom and pop moved there, they where from the Nechells green and Aston area, Rednal Rubery must have seemed like being out in the country in fact all my other relatives live over the other side of Brum.

As a kid I just like other kids took the hills for granted after all it was our back yard, when I look at some of the pictures on the forum I can see how a tram ride to the Lickey Hills was like getting transported to another world l
 
Yes, Bob. the Lickeys were always a treat and I only ever once went out there after the trams finished. After we moved to Kings Heath in 1950, then it was fishing with Dad on the canal up near Alcester Lanes End until we suddenly lost him two years later. He never lived to get a pension and basically died on the job at 69, but needs must, but happy memories.

Maurice
 
The Lickeys - Birmingham's Bank Holiday Playground. :laughing: In the days before widespead car ownership of course.
Folk enjoyed their day out at the Lickeys as far as I saw; I wonder how many new friendships - or eventual marriages - resulted from a day trip to the Lickeys? In the days of the tram it was so easy to get there - one ran every thirty seconds I believe on those days.
It was always said that tramcars were not as flexible to operate as buses, maybe so, but BCT pulled out all the stops when drafting in trams from other areas for the Famous Lickey Day Bank Holiday services.
 
We used to get on the bus that went along Bristol Road to the Lickey's. When we got off the bus there was an arcade with "one armed bandits" and "The Laughing Policeman" outside. I had a look on Google maps just to see where it all was but it has changed so much and I can't remember. Does anyone else recall the arcade?
 
Sue

Fletchers amusement arcade is still there and still owned by the same family I believe.

Rednal Lickey Hills Amusements.jpgfletchers.JPG
 
Sue ,It was so much better in the late 40s early 50s on the front of a TRAM.Wizzing down the dual carriage way to the Lickeys.
 
A long thread here about the Lickey Hillls.

Lickey Hills

These days the only bus route that gets close to the Lickey's from Birmingham is the 98. Although I've only caught it back to the Bristol Road from Rednal (last two times I walked from Longbridge). Photos here Lickey Hills Country Park
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
Also some reminiscences on the 'Electric Trams' thread.
 
We used to travel from Kitts Green to the Lickeys for the day.Getting home about 8-9 clock at night tired but happy on a bank holiday in the early 50s.Didnt we have to queue a long time for the trams in town.
 
My Aunt lived in a road at the far end of the "Leach Green" as she called it. Sometimes my Mother used to go the extra bus stop to the terminus and we could play on the "Penny Falls" in the arcade for a little while, that was a big treat in those days!!!
rosie.
 
I first visited the Lickeys as child of 5 or 6, went with dad and Mr Long in his Austin 7, smelling of leather and petrol, I thought it grand, later every Sunday dad would take me to the Sunday Foot ball meets, on the park over looking the tram terminus. We visited Mr Wigen, who kept the pigeons and ate his home made ice cream, walked up to the fun fair, up the steep log steps, and later, when a youth would catch the bus with my latest love to court in the woods, or sit in the fields at the wood edge in the sun, happy, memories of a golden time when money was't everything, but kindness and happiness was. Paul
 
It's quite a long walk from the National Express West Midlands bus stop near Cofton Hackett to the Lickey Hills. Even a long walk from Barnt Green Station to the Visitor Centre. No buses go anywhere close to the car park now. Used to be the 98 on Lickey Road, but that route doesn't exist any more.
 
Fletcher's Copper Coin owned by Jim Flecher's sadly no longer with us you can see the where the sign was on the right.
Now owned by Joe Fletcher Jim's son and my best and long time friend.
You can now understand where the name for the bar comes from.
The arcade was modeled after a Las Vegas style casino with nice carpet and ash trays with the copper coin logo, back in the day they served one of the best burgers around Joe's gran ran the snack bar and had a apartment upstairs.
Spent many a night there next to the apartment was a workshop and Joe and I restored a sit up and beg Ford Pop in there.
Just a little more I once saw Jim Fletcher assemble a fruit machine(one armed bandit) blind folded.
 
rosie said:
My Aunt lived in a road at the far end of the "Leach Green" as she called it. Sometimes my Mother used to go the extra bus stop to the terminus and we could play on the "Penny Falls" in the arcade for a little while, that was a big treat in those days!!!
rosie.
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The arcade was called Fletcher's and the one down towards the island was owned and run by the smart family when I left the UK my friend Sam Smart owned and ran the arcade.
 
paul stacey said:
I first visited the Lickeys as child of 5 or 6, went with dad and Mr Long in his Austin 7, smelling of leather and petrol, I thought it grand, later every Sunday dad would take me to the Sunday Foot ball meets, on the park over looking the tram terminus. We visited Mr Wigen, who kept the pigeons and ate his home made ice cream, walked up to the fun fair, up the steep log steps, and later, when a youth would catch the bus with my latest love to court in the woods, or sit in the fields at the wood edge in the sun, happy, memories of a golden time when money was't everything, but kindness and happiness was. Paul
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The park is called Coften Park spent many a afternoon in the summer there when I was young there was a entrance at the end of my street, Birmingham City has a nursery there for growing plants for the islands and such.
Sadly the little fun fair fell out of favor and by the mid 70's it was still there but no longer in operation owned and run by the smart family.
To get there you would take a path just at the base of Rose Hill right before the golf course entrance and yes it climbed up hill with logs to stop erosion on the path.
That same area had a club there also but to get there by car you had to go to the top of Rose Hill and turn left and left again and drive down a dirt road.
 
Robert Ensor (bob) said:
That same area had a club there also but to get there by car you had to go to the top of Rose Hill and turn left and left again and drive down a dirt road.
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The Lickey Hills visitor centre is there now, Warren Lane as you say left just before the church then left again. A great place to take the kids or grandkids.
 
RogerJ said:
I've noticed, on my walks in the Lickey Hills, circular concrete foundations, mainly overlooking the old Longbridge Factory. Does anyone know if these were World War 2 gun emplacements?
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there
RogerJ said:
I've noticed, on my walks in the Lickey Hills, circular concrete foundations, mainly overlooking the old Longbridge Factory. Does anyone know if these were World War 2 gun emplacements?
Click to expand...
there was a large army prescence during the war to pr to geotect lonbridge, i have been unable to get much info but those pools i suggest were gun enplacements, if you stroll around beacon hill there are some signs such as manhole covers inside the wooded side where they had toilets,
 
Used to love the Lickey Hills when a kid. Parents poor so rarely went anywhere but two sisters lived next door who used to take me and brother to Lickey Hills every few weeks. Used to love going to the front of the old trams with open fronts. Then walking among daffodils and going into little tea room for pop and scone. What memories
 
Many happy days spent at the Lickey Hills when i was a child. Im fortunate enough to now live up there. When i moved up there 5 years ago, i got talking with a neighbour (who has now sadly passed away), he spent all his life living in this area, and knew it inside out. He told me about a woman who lived rough on the Lickeys. She was known as "Blackberry Jane" . She used to dress in all black clothing, and a lot of the kids who saw her thought she was a Witch. She used to pick Blackberries and other wild fruit, and sell them to visitors for a penny or two. It is thouht she came from a very posh family, and dropped out of society when a relationship broke down. Have any of you followers on this forum got any information on this subject ? I would be interested if you have. Thanks in advance.
 
when was this, what time frame jeepwolf, I was always up the Lickey's from a boy, late 40's, 50' s, early 60,s never heard of this woman. Paul
 
every sunday we went with gran,complete with her banana sarnies and flask of tea,for a walk up there,and collect blackberries on the walk back to the bus. arrrrrrrrr.
 
I think the magazine cutting answers a few questions. My neighbour also mentioned that for a while she lived in a caravan along the Stocken. This is a walkway, or bridlepath that runs from Chestnut Drive, past Cofton lake and down to Cofton Church Lane. I got the impression that she was about in the mid to late 60s and early 70s. Hope to see more replies on this subject, and thanks go to db84124,
 
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