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Moat Lane Yardley

oldbrit

OldBrit in Exile
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John, I have just had a search around & found that the topic of a possible moat in Moat Lane in times gone by has already been discussed on the forum. It seems that there really was a moat way back in history. There was a farm with a moat corner of Harvey Rd/Yew Tree Lane it was there circa 1939/40 very tatty looking and i thought that was where the Moat Lane name came from. Len.
Erebus555
Re: gilbertstone rec moat lane yardley[/h]
Hey, I haven't posted here in a very long time! To answer the question about the moat, I had a look at a map from the 1880s (I'm afraid I cannot post a screenprint of it due to copyright but it is accessible through Digimap if you have it). The map shows there was indeed a moat alongside the lane although not in the location Len mentioned.

Because Yardley is hardly developed in the map it's hard to work out the bearings of the location but from my deductions, the moat was exactly where the car park and playgrounds for the recreation ground is today. The maps show it was there until at least the 1960s, although it looks like it was nearly all dried up by that point, and by the 1970s the car park and an electrical substation had been built on its site. Immediately west of it (where the rough patch of ground between the houses and entrance to the car park currently is) were four prefabs which were there at least into the 70s.

Now, I'm in my mid-20s so my memory obviously doesn't stretch that far but the 1970s map shows there was a post office in the middle of the recreation ground? I can only assume that this is the reason why the path from the northern car park is more like a road (deliveries) and the path from the southern car park is... well, a path! Where the two converge, the building was. And there was also a playground. Anyway, hope that solves the query!
 
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I do remember this before and I also remember barrage balloons up in the park on Church Rd. I also loved to play in the park on Moat Lane. the dips in the back lots of fun to chase around with mates. The Prefabs on the front of the park on Moat Lane. Happy memories are now fading with time and age I am sorry to say. John Crump OldBrit now in Parker, Colorado USA
 
Oldbrit and myself used to live in the area and I played in the park from the 1936's as there were no houses in Moat lane then or Elmcroft rd. We used to walk from our back garden where Ingrams were and cross the lane and go into the park until we were called for meals. Where the playground is now was a farm house and the girls used to play house in it, no roof but it was shelter. The area where the dip was never a gun sight, it used to fill with water and beyond that was a pond but it got filled in as kids used to skate on it, when frozen and I think there was an accident many moons ago.The main park area was a corn field during the war, there were also some allotments up towards the Yew tree Ln and Patrick rd end were prefabs and some up the top end. It was rather an unusual area to have two contractors in a remote lane, Caudle land Gear and Ingrams, caudle had cranes and trucks where W.R.Ingrams had only trucks which were doing a job during the war of bringing in bricks from the bombed buildings. Old Mr.Cheshire used to sit in the yard all day cleaning the bricks and stacking them. Ingrams must have made a fortune out of him, he lived alongside the yard so I don't think he was ever late for work. I used to go to church road school with his Granddaughter who I think may still be around, she lived in the same house which was at the bottom of our garden.
The garage was bombed during the war and was set on fire, Jerry thought he had found a good target and dropped a stick of bombs, the first falling alongside the first house in the park and the rest hit Patrick rd Vera rd Church rd and Rockingham avenue.
My friend, who lives in Australia now, was a devil for starting fires and he set the stubble on fire after the cutting of the corn way back in the early forties, the fire Brigade had to put it out.

Dave
 
Talking about the allotment on Moat Lane, Johnny Headford and I stole two watermelons from there and they called the old bill on us. Got a right dressing down for that. My first girl friend lived in pre fabs. I also got in a fight with one of the Brooks Brothers and knocked out two of my front teeth with a rock. John Crump OldBrit. Parker, Colorado USA
 
John, as I said before i do have one but the graining is bad, and I did have a good look for you but the kids at the far end of the table are a mystery to me. Maybe there was a photo taken from the other end but I have not seen one and nobody has come up with one either. Thgere was a Guest on the forum an Ann "b" she posted one once and I asked her to repost one for you but she did not
I asked you about that photo of you and Headford on email and you have not given me a reply.

Dave
 
Brock, another story about the area of Moat lane, vera rd, Patrick rd and Elmcroft rd, all close together. As I said before, no Moat lane or Elmcroft, just fields so it was paradise for us kid to play, no fear of people around and because of no traffic it was quiet and if my father whistled us from the bottom of the garden he could be heard miles away , so it seemed. As the houses got built down Vera rd it was obvious all the land opposite was going to be built on. When Elmcroft was being built we used to play hide and seek and I used to hide in the porch cupboards, how the heck I did as I am 6'-3" now but I somehow did. One thing we never damaged any of the houses internally, it was not in our nature, today they have to have cameras to keep the site safe.
Opposite where John crump lived , there were Digbeth playing fields, which is all houses now, but in our youth they used to have a local fair in the top field with side shows and games to play, spend an afternoon there trying to get the ball thrown into buckets to stay there. The secret was to throw at an angle so the ball hit the inside of the bucket and spun round and round then stayed. My friend Alan and I mastered this and we were winning many prizes, eventually we were told to buzz off as we were winning too much.
Very happy times.
Jonny Crump will remember those days and I am sure he will be able to add to this post.

Dave
 
Great stories ~ I love hearing about the area that I know these days before it all got so built up.
You mentioned "Opposite where John crump lived , there were Digbeth playing fields". I was just wondering, where does the name Digbeth in the field come from? From what you wrote there was obviously an area known as Digbeth playing fields hence Digbeth in the field as known today but what was the origin of the Digbeth bit?
 
Brock, for the life of me I do not know. There was the church there but I think it is not the original, Jonny Crump will be able to fill us on that, when he wakes up.

Dave
 
The name presumably came from the name of the church. It was Digbeth in the Field Congregational church, built in 1949, now a United Reform church, but heaven knows where it got the name from. It is suggested that digbeth in the city centre means dyke-path, but no evidence of a dyke. Its not far from the old moat, but that's not really a dyke
 
Mike, It's funny you saying about the Dyke, there was a very deep dell or Dyke in the top left hand corner of the back field. Where the church is now ran a hedge right across from left to right where the church is now. When the snow was on the ground it was great to slide down but a devil to get back up as it was steep.

Dave
 
The church across the street from us has been there for some time at least after the war. Dennis Packwood my pal next door and I played tennis there and also cricket on the grass in front of the church. Real strange that living all those years across from a church I never went there. Not very friendly people there! Use to play with the boy in big house next to the church on Barrows lane, Dr Karla live down there. Funny about churches, I just found a book that I have had all these years. 'A Peoples Life Of Christ'. Inside the cover is written. 'To John Crump for merit shown in scripture examination 1945'. (I was 12 yys old). Yardley Baptist Sunday School. Now I do remember this, Robin Kendall John Headfprd and me went there. it was on Rowlands Road and I see from Google street view it is still there ,but in a newer looking building anyone remember this? Also just up from the church by the Cov Rd was a doctors surgery that I went to for boils that I had on legs. Use to come home from Moseley School of art on the bus and the walk down Manor House Lane to my home. John Crump OldBrit, Parker, Co USA
 
Yes I do. I also remember the deep well at the back would have water it at times. As I said before I did meet the vicar? once or twice and he was NOT friendly at all. Do you remember Dr, Karla he had daughters that where very nice but stand offish? had a big house on Barrows Lane? One thing I will NEVER forget was during the bombing of Coventry standing on the front step looking down and seeing the bright red glow as Cov burned.Also my Dad hauling the radiogram from the house across the street to play music for the celebrations of the end of the war. John Crump OldBrit. Parker. Co USA
 
John, I though his name was Dr Kalra, his elder daughter was in my class at Church rd, a very attractive girl, maybe still around, was as youy say a bit offish. Wasn't there someone named John and Sheila Taft living immediately along side the field?

Dave
 
I've just come across this thread and although I know nothing of the Moat I do remember Dr Kalra's surgery. Our GP was Dr Awhad in Cranes Park Rd. but whenever he was not available due to holidays etc, we were directed to Dr. Kalra. This was in the 50s.
John, I though his name was Dr Kalra, his elder daughter was in my class at Church rd, a very attractive girl, maybe still around, was as youy say a bit offish. Wasn't there someone named John and Sheila Taft living immediately along side the field?

Dave
 
There was a Doctor Kalra who had a surgery on Sheaf Lane Sheldon, it was the first house past the shops Coventry rd end.
 
Doctor Kalra also had a surgery at 533 Hob Moor Road. It appeared to be a private semi but he had the front room downstairs as his surgery and used the occupants dining room for the waiting room. I think they only paid a small rent but also acted as caretakers/cleaners for the premises.
 
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