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Lickey Hills

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.
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.
 
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.
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.
 
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
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.
 
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.

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.
 
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?
there
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?
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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