Silver Blades Ice Rink

[Julian]

Some more photos of the Birmingham Mohawks Ice Racing Team. Alas, many of my photos seem to be too large to be accepted by the website.

 

[Julian]

More photos of the Birmingham Mohawks Ice Racing Club. Most photos courtesy of Dave Hampton. I have many more of the Mohawks but they are not captured in the environment of the Silver Blades Arena itself so I have not included them in these uploads.

 

[Julian]

I'm mainly in the old Springhill Ice Rink thread, but skated and raced at Silver Blades. Here is a pic of what a Silver Blades Ice Rink looked like with ice. We helped Mecca to open some in other cities. They were all built generally with the same design. The race pictured was a relay race and believe the skater in the centre with his hands on his knees was Ken Pendry and the skater holding his wrist was Dave Boddington.
oldmohawk

Hi Old Mohawk. The photo I am seeing is the Bristol arena, skated there a few times myself, and the notation at the bottom of the photo says Phil Ridgeway and Eric Grinsell. I'm still in touch with Dave Bodington on Facebook.

 

[oldMohawk]

Hi Old Mohawk. The photo I am seeing is the Bristol arena, skated there a few times myself, and the notation at the bottom of the photo says Phil Ridgeway and Eric Grinsell. I'm still in touch with Dave Bodington on Facebook.

I'm just in front of Eric Grinsell in the Bristol Ice Rink pic. I've uploaded most of my pics in the thread below.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ill-ice-rink-summerhill-road.3143/post-421206
oldmohawk ...

 

[Julian]

Hi Stuart,
If you went to the committee meeting at Sid's house then we must have met. I go past the house about once a week. Most of the committee meetings I went to were held upstairs in a pub run by Eric & Brian' parents, which I think was called the Shakespeare Inn, and it was up the hill towards the city centre. I remember Eric and his ciggies, it didn't slow him down. Alan Doleman had a black VW Beetle car and I could tell a few tales about our travels in that before motorways were built. I use to skate at Silver Blades with my wife-to-be, but in 1968 I got married and decided to settle down - also the new younger guy's were skating too fast ! I suppose you remember the Heartbeat Club at SB. When SB first opened I think 'hockey skates' were not allowed and Mecca only just about tolerated the Mohawks etc. I think that was one of the reasons I used to go to Solihull Ice Rink which was more like the old Ice Rink. I think I've mentioned before that my skates are still in my loft. Did you ever skate at Wyndley Pool in Sutton Park? - there are some pics and tales about it on the forum. I'm the Phil far right in the first row of the pic #183 which names most of the club members. Here in the 'depths' of the forum.

Springhill Ice rink Summerhill Road

Hi rogerstan I too had great times at the ice rink Recall going accross thr rd on skates to the pub around 9.00 and then back till the rink closed then of to a Dance somwhere. The man at the door used to check the skates you were wearing to be sure that were not hired skates. That man...

birminghamhistory.co.uk

Happy Memories
Phil

We had an 80th Mohawks Reunion on 13 December 2015. Do you recognize any of the faces in these photos? We should have another one and ask everyone to bring their old skates if they still have them. Dave Bodington is in there "singing" on the microphone! Actually, Dave was kindly filling-in for Ken Pendry who had taken ill that evening.

 

[Nick O’Nions]

Hi everyone , does anyone remember a lad called Kieth Bick , good friend if mine then , he would have regular skating lessons at Silver Blades and used to compete (not sure exactly in what form) - he would have been 11 in 1969 - lost touch with him when we all went to different schools after the 11 plus!

 

[Yatesy]

Just seen this really sad to hear not there no more it was like a second home to me in the late 60/70s went most days and was definitely there weekends would through my skates in my locker and then down the ramp to Samanthas night club and thought nothing of walking through town to catch night service bus as a young girl walking through town at night with friends is certainly not something you’d nowadays

 

[trevor bow]

Just seen this really sad to hear not there no more it was like a second home to me in the late 60/70s went most days and was definitely there weekends would through my skates in my locker and then down the ramp to Samanthas night club and thought nothing of walking through town to catch night service bus as a young girl walking through town at night with friends is certainly not something you’d nowadays

I'm showing my age but as an 18 year old, I went to the Silver Blades rink when it first opened in 1964. I was there every Saturday night and there was a regular disc jockey whose name I can't remember - which isn't surprising seeing as it was almost 58 years ago. Was it perhaps Ricci the Dee or something ? They used to have pop stars and groups on about every 3/4 weeks and I recall seeing Herman's Hermits, Dave Berry (the 'Crying Game' ), The Rocking Berries ( a Birmingham group), The Animals etc. Someone I worked with named Barry Hall was in The Mohawks team I think, perhaps someone could confirm that.

I only went for about 18 months and I went again around 1979 but not to the ice rink. The ten pin bowling alley on the ground floor had been converted into squash courts and I played there for a while. What I do remember about the bowling alley was that they hosted the Ten Pin Bowling World Championships which was quite a feather in the cap for Birmingham at the time.

 

[Jehu]

Good day my name Richard Downing I raced for the Birmingham Mohawks from 1961 to 1965 and I remember helping some of the Herman's Hermits to skate after the session had finished at Silver Blades,
I also was presented a trophy by one of the cast of James Bond's Dr No, if my memory is correct it was Yvonne Shima.
I do not remember a Barry Hall, but after winning a trophy at Spring Hill ice rink I was walking home at night as I lived by the Ridgway cemetery, But I got stopped by a police car in Hockley Jewelry area, The police asked what I had in my kit bag, when they saw this big cup they took it out and asked me my name, after telling them one said, I don't see your name on it, so I said no one knew I was going to win it until tonight, he said don't get smart with me kid. and then let me go.
That happened about four times to me and once was in daylight!!!!
All the best.

 

[Clive allen]

Hi Old Mohawk! We had a 80th Mohawk reunion a few years back - were you there? I was in attendance and met some Mohawks that I would never have met otherwise. I've just posted the link to this thread to the Solihull Mohawk Facebook page so you may see a few more participants shortly. If its not too much of an intrusion could I please ask your name? I've been looking at many old Mohawk photos and actually knew Ken Pendry as a Ref and Dave Boddington was my coach. I skated with the Mohawks in the late 1980's and competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada on the Long Track. Willie O'Reilly and I were training partners on the Short Track at Silver Blades until I had to move to the Netherlands to train on the Long Tracks. Willie went on to win two Gold Olympic medals at the 1988 Olympics and World Champion in 1992.

Remember Clive pass taking out collin loyd in the Bristol rose bowl so dave Boddington could win it around about 1969 i raced for Stretham royals