Many thanks for your welcoming words.
Perhaps I had better explain straightaway that I lived in Sheldon from 1948 to 1965. I have been back only once since then and I was shocked by the dramatic changes that had taken place .....some for the good but not all I am afraid. This is of course very subjective. What one person sees as progressive another may see as destructive. Having said all of that I really only know Sheldon as it was, in the 50's and 60's - Having read all of the entries on this thread some of the comments are a mystery to me because they post-date my knowledge of Sheldon. I am still finding them of great interest, nonetheless, because Sheldon whatever its form will always run in my veins because it is the place that moulded my character in those early days of my youth.
In my previous contribution I mentioned Victor Skipp and his excavation of Kents Moat. Another commendable thing he did was to bring together a group of people to study the history and evolution of Sheldon. It was a sort of evening class comprising I suppose about twenty people and we were given permission by the Rector at the time to examine, transcribe and interpret all of the documents in the Parish Chest of St Giles Church. This took place in the late 50's and early 60's and culminated in the production of a book entitled Discovering Sheldon. I would imagine it has now become a rare publication and in fact I have even seen it for sale at a specialist bookshop for 65 or 70 pounds. I recall that the task that Victor Skipp allocated to me was to examine what were called the Perambulation Records. There was an ancient ceremony which took place annually in Sheldon (and no doubt in many other parishes) called Perambulating the Parish Boundaries or "Beating the Bounds" Because there were few or no maps in olden times and because it was essential to know exactly where the parish boundaries ran, all of the small children of the parish were taken around the boundaries in a ceremonial fashion and given a good thrashing at important landmarks on the boundary so that they would remember for the rest of their lives. (It must have been tough on the poor kids but I suppose it served its purpose!)These annual perambulations around the boundaries were dutifully recorded in parchment books by the Parish Clerk and stored in the Parish Chest in the vestry..As a student fascinated by history it was of great interest to me. And I was certainly very proud to make a contribution to Victor Skipp's publication "Discovering Sheldon" In fact, Victor Skipp went on to do a similar (and more extensive) exercise with similar publications dealing with the History of Yardley and of Bickenhill.. He really did a magnificent job preserving the history of these midland parishes as they gradually lost their identities amid growing urbanisation. At the same time he became a national authority on local history in midland parishes.
I hope to goodness I have not bored you! And I am sorry, Beamish, I can't help you much with Rectory Park Road.
Ray