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Sheldon

the photo would have been taken from the shops opposite side where there was a toy shop called Nurseryland. where as a child i used go in there and ask for the sixpence draw. The man would pull out one of the drawers to which i could choose a toy. I remember the man who run the shop had a large brown chow dog, who used to take the man for a walk. and just down from there was Taylor and Wane( a sweet shop and post office. ) then a hardware shop and then Wrensons. I also remember as a kid there was a farmer who came on a tractor and trailor from Chelmsley Wood up the Radleys and pick up woman and there kids and take them potato picking on Chelmsley before it was built on. Stars
 
I was brought up at 227 Cranes Park Road and went to Mapledene School.My grandparents on my dad's side lived round the corner in Whitecroft Road.I can remember the row of shops at the end of Cranes Park Road.The number 60 Corporation bus used to terminate there.My parents moved in 1958.
Attached are two photos of the Coronation street party of 1953,held in front of the shops.
 
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The Brays Rd/Sheldon Heath Rd Shops 1955. Len.
 

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Quick question - I live in an Edwardian House in Church Road, YARDLEY built circa 1891. In the deeds the land to build was bought by a Charles Harvey (Tube Mfctr) who lived in KITE HOUSE Sheldon, situated where the brilliant Coopers butchers are now I think, over the Rd from what was the Good Companians. Another bowling green gone forever... Any one know anything about this house? The original land was owned by the Barrows family.
 
Jean, Artists impression (go to #140 & #146 this thread) of the proposed Hotel to be built on the site of the Neighbourhood Office which has been demolished & The Radley Arms pub site when that is knocked down on the Sheldon Heath Rd/The Radleys corner. Len.
 
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Thanks Len. I remember Pete saying there was a great sandwich shop close by then he moved to the Radleys office. Jean.
 
Jean, There was a chippy, Braggs (now Greggs), and Fureys cooked meat shop who would make up a sandwhich, what years was Pete there?. Len.
 
Len now you're asking. I think it must have been the cooked meat shop but I have the Cabin in mind but I do get things mixed up. Will ask him. Be used to use Braggs too. Their was a housing office at the back of his and they would buy cakes on someones birthday. Jean.
 
I have just joined the Forum and some of the topics have stirred up lots of long-hidden memories of my childhood in Sheldon. Someone a while back mentioned Victor Skipp who, back in the 60's, did a great deal of work on the history of Sheldon. He was my history teacher at Sheldon Heath and had the inspired insight to use local history as a kind of conduit to the bigger historical picture. He brought history alive by showing us the history around us. One vivid memory I have is helping him (along with other pupils in his class) to undertake an excavation of the moated site that used to be at the Hayes just off Blakenhale Road. It was historically known as Kents Moat though there had not been a building on it in living memory. The excavation showed that it had been a fourteenth century manor house which had burnt down in the fifteenth century and never rebuilt. We were able to date the building from all sorts of interesting finds that we made during the course of the excavation, including charred roof tiles, and shards of pottery. I often used to conjecture that the origin of the name Blakenhale Road could have had something to Blaken Hale .... a blackened hall which no doubt would no doubt have slowly crumbled away following the fire That suggestion could be completely off the mark but it seemed to fit. We traced the manorial boundary (or pale) - the Manor incidentally was called East Hall - through the fields that in my day bordered the Pool Way shops. And we also traced the ancient shire boundary (Worcestershire/Warwickshire ) that was clearly delineated through these same fields. Broadstone Road was almost certainly named after a large stone that marked the County line. Strange to think that in days gone by Yardley was actually in the County of Worcestershire, while Sheldon was in Warwickshire! I could tell you lots more about those early local history explorations with Victor Skipp if anyone was interested. Incidentally for those who knew him Victor Skipp is now in his 80's and lives quietly in an old picturesque Norfolk rectory. He was an outstanding teacher. Ray
 
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
 
Thanks Ray, a lovely dissertation. You may like to know that Victor's 'Discovering Sheldon' book is free to view on the 6th Floor of the Birmingham Library in the Local History Section anytime. Was browsing through it only last week. Fascinating stuff. There was also an anecdotal, local research type book next to it that seemed to be interviews and reminiscences by various Sheldon elders, which was even more illuminating if you like people, places and tales from yesteryear. I don't think it was ever formally published, but well worth a look, especially if you have galloping Sheldonitis.


Dennis
 
Hi Ray,

Interesting to hear of the poor kids being beaten, - where
I was born in Suffolk there was also an annual beating the
bounds ceremony, but the only thing that got beaten was
the ground around the edge of the village!
I always understood that it was something to do with
keeping out evil spirits.

Kind regards

Dave
 
Interesting, Dave. I have just had a quick look at the Wikipaedia entry for "Beating the Bounds":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beating_the_bounds

Evidently in some parishes the boundary stones were beaten, and in others, the poor kids, themselves, got a beating. But I don't think it was anything to do with evil spirits.

Good to hear from you.

Ray
 
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Do any of you people who spent their childhood in Sheldon in the 50's remember a place that we, as kids, called The Diamond Dump? It was a a vacant site where if you scratched around in the soil you would find lots of colourful glass beads. Goodness knows where they came from. My recollection is that it was somewhere off Garrett's Green Road.

Ray
 
Yes Ray, I remember the place well. I hung onto my "Diamonds" for quite a few years.

I think the "dump" was behind a nursery (children's) off Garrets Green Lane. I lived in Duncroft Road
 
Hi Rowan

Thanks for sharing that memory with me. I lived on the other side of Garrett's Green roundabout (off Hollyfaste Road) and went to Blakenhale Rd Primary School.

Ray
 
I have some very vivid memories of playing in Chelmsley Woods when I was a boy in the fifties. What a beautiful place it was especially when the bluebells and primroses were in profusion. A gang of us kids would walk from our homes in the Garretts Green area - across the cornfields on Garretts Green Lane, past the farm near Mackadown Lane,under the railway bridge, on past the old Toffee factory near Tile Cross, past the Bell Inn, and Hatchford Brook and on to the Woods themselves. What a variety of fun confronted us. I remember one particular occasion when we ventured further into the Woods than we normally did and were confronted with what seemed to be an impenetrable swamp. The only way to cross the swamp was to leap from grassy tussock to tussock. If you missed your footing you sank into the bog up to your knees. This seemed to go on for hours. When we finally conquered the swamp we came to a wide river. Thinking back it must have been the Cole. On the banks of the river a local farmer was allowing his sow to forage about freely for food along with six piglets. We chased the piglets for hours, delighting in the way they scampered through the bracken but always returning to the haven of their mother. Happy days indeed!

I wonder if others have fond childhood memories of playing in Chelmsley Woods?


Ray
 
cathray, The sweet factory was Moseleys taken over by Walkers who are now in Hay Mills just down from the old Adelphi cinema going towards the City, their factory is of the highest standard available, a lot different to Marston Green which was infested by squirrels. Len.
 
Hi Ray
I remember your route well. We use a similar one. Coming down the radleys to the end, crossing the road by the sweet factory and up the hill towards Marston green. When we arived up by the station, we turned left where just down the road in marston green there was the pub on the left, on just a bit further where the road went into a fork, there was a public garden with a bench at the end. I remember being there as a kid, we had been out all day and was very hungry and sat on the bench and directly behind was a little apple tree, I don't know what kind they were, but they were red all the way through. We only know this because we could not stand the hunger no longer and picked one each and would turn our backs to face the tree and take a bite and turn back again, hoping no one would see us. With our bellies full it was off to the train station and up on the footbridge and waited for a steam train to come and blow all over us. Then it was off home by another route. Over the train lines and turn right down the lane with the golf course on our right. on we went through King george Playing fields with the big umberella tree on our left untill we reached the towpath where we turned right up the hill to Elmstead ave follow that to the Radleys and home safe and ready for another days adventure. Perhaps tomorrow we would buy some caylie and make some pop and jam butties and off to the bluebell woods for a pickpick or perhaps i would go with my mom potatoe picking at Chelmsley Wood.

Happy Days hey Stars
 
I remember Chelmsley wood and Bluebell wood very well. when I was a youngster we lived in Tile Cross and I used to spend many happy hours exploring Bluebell wood , another favourite place was Babs Mill , when I was about 5 we moved to Kingshurst but we could still go and explore bluebell wood via babs mill , we used to cut through the farm leading onto Cooks Lane and walk the short distance to "Bluebell Lane" as us kids called it .. happy times..
 
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