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Spring Hill roller rink

Re: spring hill rollar rink

Astoness said:
hi phil..i cant recall seeing geno washington but most certainly our skates would have crossed as we were going there at the same time....happy days...

lyn
Click to expand...

Hi Lyn,

Park Road, Villa St - Driver Southall Ltd - The Vine now the Roller Rink we must have more than crossed paths.....

Phil
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

its a small world phil...although park road holds no history to me the rest does...didnt have my own skates so i hired them..always asked for no 121 skates....i went to the ice rink a few weeks back and although it was ok and i enjoyed it it just was not the same as rollar skating...i was just wondering if you were one of the ones like me who turned up one night and the rollar rink was all boarded up..no notice given:(so we headed for the pub across the road...

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Hi Lyn,
Sorry about the Park Road bit...got you mixed-up with someone else, probably "maggieuk", but I remembered you lived in Villa St, where I started work.

I don't remember when the rink was boarded-up.

When was that? Was it closed from then on.
Phil
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

yes phil..maggie is from park road....ive just realised you had stopped going around 69 so missed the closing of the rink...it was about 71 ish....and yes im afraid never reopened...became a car showroom and was later demolished...
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Hi All

This brings back memories, who rembers the all nighters that they put on. You used to get a small breakfast around 4 to 5am as part of the admission.
They did a new years "all nighter" one year and when we came out it had been snowing it was so magical, we ended up in the middle of town to get one of the last all night services for home and had a snow ball fight with the others waiting on the other side of the road. I can not remember the road but it was at the back of Lewis's where all the late night services would stop on the hour.

They were good times, Charles
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

smashing memories charles...i did not do the all nighters but was there at least 5 nights a week...happy days...

lyn..

i wonder when time permits if this thread could be moved to the theatres..cinemas and rinks section please..

cheers

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

I went a few time with my friend Rosalynd we worked together at the same hairdressers shop. When Spring Hill closed we went to Silver Blades. Michael used to go at an earlier time to me his friend Brian Linsey known as Doc was the manager. I will have to get him to relay some stories..
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Wendy said:
I went a few time with my friend Rosalynd we worked together at the same hairdressers shop. When Spring Hill closed we went to Silver Blades. Michael used to go at an earlier time to me his friend Brian Linsey known as Doc was the manager. I will have to get him to relay some stories..
Click to expand...

Wasn't "Doc" the DJ for sometime at the roller rink along with Les Ross?
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

He may well have been Michael says he had a lovely office at the roller rink with a wardrobe full of suits...
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

No Doc was the manager, i know because i worked as a red coat there and he nearly sacked me !!!! i used to knock around with les ross the things we got up to you would not believe, oh happy days
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi dalehunt and welcome to the forum...happy days indeed at the rollar rink and so sad when it closed its doors...i do have a couple of photos of it so if you give me a few mins i will post them on here...

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

taken when it was an ice rink...

roller20rink20springhill.jpg
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

oh my goordd ! i remember wearing those red coats what bab magnets they were , also worked in the skating room and cloak room , worked and played there 7 nights a week, as soon as you started there you put a deposit down for your own skates, well you woul'nt wear thier rubbish skates would you (so uncool)
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

lol dale..i had no choice but to wear the hire skates as i was not working when i used to go there...used to try and get the same ones everytime i went..what years were you there then...i think it may have been a bit before me...
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi Astoness if my memory serves me I started going about 1965 up until about a year before it closed , believe it or not the rink was a massive part of my life (so sad) we all got the number 8 from aston cross, started going once or twice a week until i got myself a job there , then every night and weekends to. so if you went around that time there is a good chance i've met you, doc Holladay was the manager and Les Ross worked there , our little gang spent many a late night early morning drinking and lisening to les's records in his d j room.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

You know it sounds like you guys had as much fiun as we did when it was the ICE RINK great days & very happy memories KEEP THEM COMMING :0)
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

We had such fun in the 60s at The Rink ....I Can smell those boots now. My friends and i would put panstik on our lips in the ladies but made sure it came off on the way home as we were still at school . I remember the roar of the skates when Nutrocker by Bee Bumble and the Stingers was played .Then on the way home the rush to get to the no8 bustop before the crowds got there.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

oh yes kieth we had so much fun..it was my life for a good couple of years before it closed...used to go at least 5 nights a week so i bet our paths did cross dale..i also jumped the no 8 bus from nursery road as i lived in villa st at the time..do you remember the DJ frankie (mop of black curlie hair) who came after less ross left he is now living in australia and still a DJ...i have posted this before but i remember vividly the tuesday night that we all turned up and the rink was all boarded up..no warning at all of if closing..we were gutted to say the least so we all traisped over the the pub opposite to drown our sorrows...

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

I was lucky being spared that Lyn, I left to join the Army and heard about it while abroad, to be there and see it on the night would have devistated me, I'm sure I remember Frankie jet black wavy hair
young looking always dressed smart, I knew so many people there and it is so strange you never seem to bump in to anyone from the Rink, It was sad that they never replaced that sort of thing, if I remember they opened one in wolverhampton after but I could not go and betray the memory. Dave
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

totally agree with your sentiments..i did take a trip to the wolverhampton rink about 15 years back...smaller than spring hill but still a good atmosphere..now thats gone and so as far as i know we have no rollar rink within striking distance..i also went to the reopened silver blades ice rink earlier this year (now called planet ice) but it was not the same as rollar skating...

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

dalehunt said:
hi Astoness if my memory serves me I started going about 1965 up until about a year before it closed , believe it or not the rink was a massive part of my life (so sad) we all got the number 8 from aston cross, started going once or twice a week until i got myself a job there , then every night and weekends to. so if you went around that time there is a good chance i've met you, doc Holladay was the manager and Les Ross worked there , our little gang spent many a late night early morning drinking and lisening to les's records in his d j room.
Click to expand...

Hi Dalehunt
I remember Clive Preston as the manager around 1965 and then someone who's name I can't remember took over for a while, and then the "Doc".
I remember an attendant in the red jacket called Ralph who was always nice to us kids.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Strange event at the Spring Hill Roller Rink. Johnny Stokes spent 40 days approx in a barrel up a pole. There's a link to the film in post #40 Here
I wonder whether he sneaked down in the early hours....

He looks happy enough !
BarrelJohnStokes.jpg

Quite a tall pole !
Barreljs.jpg

And if it rained he was ok with umbrella
Umbrella.jpg
 
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Re: spring hill rollar rink

I used to go to spring hill roller rink every week-end from 1968 up untill it closed, happy days. Can anyone remember any of the redcoats at that time?
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi foxbat..same here i was going right up until they closed..didnt take much notice of the red coats as i was too busy skating...did you live locally...
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi Foxbat
my brother Richard and I was red coats along with others, little billy was one I remember, but the one that really sticks out was pete, he was the head red coat and hard as nails if any of us had trouble

with yobs we told him and just stood back, if i remember he had jet black hair with a goatee beard,
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi astoness, didn,t live locally we had to get two buses from the maypole by kings heath but it was well worth it. I got my first car in 1969 a mini cooper and met my wife xmas that year. were still together, i asked her on to the rink for partners only and the hollies were singing "he aint heavy" it still puts a lump in my throat when i hear it today. great days.
 
what a lovely romantic story foxbat..thanks for sharing it with us and yes they were great days alright..

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi dalehunt, do you remember a redcoat by the name of dave burley i think he lived in winson green at the time.
 
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