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Springhill Ice rink Summerhill Road

This was the Saturday morning group around 1954. I'm the one on Little Bo Peep's right. You might know some of the faces on there. A lot of us started lessons on Saturday morning and then went onto private. Who did you have for teachers, Wendy. You must have been there at the same time as me, I had Ken Vicars for dance and Miss Thomson for free and figures. I can't remember whether I had Ken for free as well. Malcolm Cannon was another friend at that time and he would sometimes dance with me at the general dance sessions, I didn't do it competitively.
I was friendly with Bernard and Janet too and others at that time. I think Bernard came to Canada to the skating club in Toronto but I never went to visit there but wish I had. :)Maureen
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Hi Keith,
We have to thank Wendy for bringing the thread alive again, and Maureen, it's nice to see that lovely picture. I used to watch the ice dancers and listen to the music, drinking tea in the cafe before the general session started. One photo I took of two mates in the centre of the rink was a 15 sec time exposure - no flash. Many people were skating around us and some even passed right in front of the camera. When the photo was developed no one who was moving appeared on it - just two people standing in an apparently empty ice rink !
Phil
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Hi, any one remember that juke box in the cafe which played vidios as well as the music, Spent most Saturday lunch & tea times (BEANS ON TOAST) in there listening & watching the top pops of the day (Mr acker Bilk,Kenny Ball, The Vipers Skiffle Group & many more ), before going back on the ice for the 7.30pm Evening skate.
The one song I do remember skating to when I first started, was Guy Mitchel's "SHE WEARS RED FEATHERS".
 
I remember the juke box and spent may hours in the cafe with my mom and friends and their parents. The Fords and the Cannons were always there, there were others but I can't remember their names.
I used to have beans on toast most late afternoons before the figure patch. Then we would have our Free/dance skating lessons, it was quite a long evening by the time we had finished and took two buses home. As I got older I would go on my own and then when I started work I would go straight from work.:) Maureen
 
Hi Maureen, I was only 5 in 1954. I did go to the Saturday classes I finished in Harry Francis. My first teacher was Miss Winchurch and then Harry Francis. My friend Val Jenkins was with Ken Vickers. I am putting some photos of the Christmas shows on you might be on them.
 
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the photos, certainly brings back good memories. Lots of work must have been done to make those identical dresses etc. Nice to see the Union Flag in the one pic.
oldmohawk
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Wendy the photos are amazing where did you get them?
I know I was in two of those shows but I can't see myself. We had different scenes and I think we came in for a morning of just photos so if I was in two scenes we may have had our other costumes on for the other photo. I was in the one with the silver crowns, winter wonderland.
One year we did, I think it was called a Gardeners Dream. I have some photos but do you think I can finds them. Some of us had head dresses like daisies if you see the photo any where.
I remember the little girl on the sled and of course Bernard and Janet. The shows were fun but it was always so cold in practice as weseemed to have a lot of standing around in between.
Ken Vickers was a good teacher, as I said before I had him and Miss Thomson. I think it was Harry Francis that produced the shows.
Malcolm Cannon had the Mr and Mrs Hartung (not sure of the spelling now) as teachers. Do you remember them? Thanks for the photos Wendy, I'm hoping to save them. :0436:Mo
 
What great pic Wendy,fantastic memory joggers.
What days we had those of us who had that rink in our youth.
Is it just me or do those day seem such happy carefree times with pals both male & female who you could see week after week & never get bored, we may have gone round & round that rink, but bored no way.
We kids I think had the best of days in the 50/60s, I feel sorry for the youth of to day, so much to do but no money to do it with!
Fond memories of this place of miss spent youth.
 
The photo's are just lovely thanks for posting them from one Wendy to another.:)
 
Sakura said:
Wendy the photos are amazing where did you get them?
I know I was in two of those shows but I can't see myself. We had different scenes and I think we came in for a morning of just photos so if I was in two scenes we may have had our other costumes on for the other photo. I was in the one with the silver crowns, winter wonderland.
One year we did, I think it was called a Gardeners Dream. I have some photos but do you think I can finds them. Some of us had head dresses like daisies if you see the photo any where.
I remember the little girl on the sled and of course Bernard and Janet. The shows were fun but it was always so cold in practice as weseemed to have a lot of standing around in between.
Ken Vickers was a good teacher, as I said before I had him and Miss Thomson. I think it was Harry Francis that produced the shows.
Malcolm Cannon had the Mr and Mrs Hartung (not sure of the spelling now) as teachers. Do you remember them? Thanks for the photos Wendy, I'm hoping to save them. :0436:Mo
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this is 1963 or 64? Press Photos of the opening.
 
Are you on the photos Wendy? Where did you get the photos of the Ice Shows from?
When was the opening of Silverblades?
What date did Springhill close, I can't remember. I went to Silverblades once to visit Ken Vicars. I thought I skated at Springhill until about 1962 but I might be wrong. I just found your other thread for Silverblades.:rolleyes: Mo
 
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That must be the opening of silver blades then wendy? As springhill never had fancy boards like that (see pic 2)
 
Hi Keith,
It was Silver Blades, the barrier sloped inwards and was lit under the top shelf with flourescent tubes. I was in a race once and my blade hit a matchstick, I slid towards the barrier feet first, skates went upwards, flourescent tubes broke, and I was lying in a shower of glass !
Phil
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Sakura said:
Are you on the photos Wendy? Where did you get the photos of the Ice Shows from?
When was the opening of Silverblades?
What date did Springhill close, I can't remember. I went to Silverblades once to visit Ken Vicars. I thought I skated at Springhill until about 1962 but I might be wrong. I just found your other thread for Silverblades.:rolleyes: Mo
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Yes from left me Val Jenkins Linda, Larine . The SilverBlades opened in 1963 Springhill only closed just before.
 
I do have Photos of myself from early on, you might recognize me?
 
Last of my photos linking me with the ice rinks at Spring Hill and Silver Blades.
Went up in the loft yesterday and found some skating medals, they've been up there since 1968. Here's 3 of them.
Early Med 57, I'd become established in the team, but started in 53.
Mid med 63, skating ok but probably at Silver Blades by this date.
Last med 67, I got married the year after, and my skating days were over.
The medals seem as bright as my memories still are of those times.
Maybe it ain't history, but it sure is nostalgia !
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Great memories of the place as a roller skating rink and spent about five nights a week there. I recall a snack bar on the left called the Hast Tasty and a bar at the bottom also I think a DJ called Doc.
When the place closed down it was quite a long trek but I used to go to Whispering Wheels in Wolverhampton.
An abiding memory of Springhill though was a very undignified entrance into the bar one night.
I seem to remember that it had double doors but they certainly had glass panels.
One night yours truly hadn't noticed that the glass was no longer there, went to push the door as usual and fell through the now unglazed door landing flat on my face in the bar-and that was stone cold sober
 
I think Doc as he was known was manager for a while. He was a friend of my husbands I think his surname was Lyndsay.
 
Hi! Wendy,

this thread is certainly evoking memories-I seem to recall that he was called Doc Lynsey.

He managed the rolller rink for a while and then went to work at Silver Blades ice rink
 
Wendy, I look forward to seeing more photos of you when your were young. I still haven't found mine but I know I will and then I will post them. I don't recognize you and your friends on that photo. Mind you it is nearly 45 years since I was last at Springhill so I may have forgotten.:rolleyes: MO
 
Any of you guys remember Mr BUTCHER Manager of the rink when it still had ice.
If I remember right He never liked the girls wearing those short skating skirts.
But he was the first Manager to give us guys hockey ice time & I will be forever greatfull for that.
 
Wendy, at last I found one. I think the show was called a 'Gardeners Dream' I think you posted one of this show earlier.:)
I don't remember Mr Butcher having a problem with us wearing short skirts but we were quite young and did figure skating. :) Mo
 
HI KEITH
Spoke With Pete Last Night Up At OUR Club
And He Brought A Couple Of Photos Up For Me To See .He Has A Load More
Of You And The Gang I Said I WOULD Try And Bring Up The Old Photo Of You And The Mowhawks He Said He Thinks It Was Taken On A Sunday Afternoon
He Was Experencing Problems Down Loading The Pic But He Would Try Again
Pete Is A reat Guy And Hes Very Active And His Wife Are Great Friends Of Ours
It Was Only By Chance Pete To Me About Is Mowhawks Days At The Rink
So I MENTIONED tHE fORUMTO Him And Told Him To Log On Last Tuesday Evening
He Came Last Night Ito The Club And He Was Estatic ND Shown Me A Couple Of
Pics And Said He Made Contact With Phil Any Way Keith Its Nice To Know You And Phil Are Good Old True Friends To A Fiend Of Mine
I LL Stop Here For Now And Let Pete Say A Word Or TWO HE SAID LAST He Will Try Again With The Pics To Down Load Speak Again Soon Keith Best Wishes ASTONIAN ;;
 
Hi PETE has emailed 4 photos to both Phil & I he says he will post as soon as he gets is head round how.
Its great to get another old skater on board & keep a photo record of old times & pals.
KEEP IT UP GUYS
Keith
 
Hi, All
Got the photos via email and looking forward to seeing them on here. I recognise Wally Webb and Alan Dolman on one photo. Alan Dolman had a VW Beetle and we went to many away matches in that. I'm out today but will get my skates on tonight !
Phil
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Hi Everybody

I am a'newbie' to the site and just finding my way around so please excuse any mistakes.I have great memories of the Sring Hill Ice Rink and the Mohawks.I was skating there in the late 50s and went Monday Wednesday Friday and Saturday Evenings.Most Saturdays after skating we would walk with the skating crowd to Snow Hill Station and have a hot pie'.On Sunday me and Ken Pendry[who lived close by]would join the skating crowd at the Odeon Cinema New St.
As a Mohawk I only managed to race on the Wednesday Night Club races in what I would term novice plus the handicap events.I also went to Nottingram and Richmond on mohawk coach trips.It was at the Rink where I met my beautiful girl friend Joan[she will be checking this message shortly-we have now been married for 48yrs- sorry about the cheese]
I left the Mohawks and stopped skating in about 1959 after a serious illness.
Here the pictures I have found

pic1 Bill Jones, Pete Jennings, Wally Webb and ? Nolan

Pic 2 Skating round in general sesssion ( I like many others was suspended from general sessions for 4 weeks for speeding) I thought my world had come to an end when this happened.

Pic 3 Me skating at Walsall Arboretum in the freeze of 1963. I had managed to rescue my speed skates from the loft as I hadn't skated for quite a while.

Pic 4 This was taken at Sutton Park Jamboree in about 1958? The six of us were regular skaters from left to right Eric Jackson ( Mohawks Brian .... Eric......... Pete(me) Ken Pendry) Rogers Phillips

I will now put in pictures hope it works
 
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Hi Pete,
Welcome to the forum.
In your 1st photo Wally Webb is on left and Alan Dolman is on the right.
You can see both of these named in a colour photo in my post #82.
In the photo in my post #70, Ken Pendry is 4th from right 3rd row, and Alan Dolman is extreme right 3rd row. Pete Jennings is immediately in front of him, and Wally Webb is in front of him. I'm on the right of front row.

In the photo in my post #79, Ken Pendry is 4th from right 2nd row. Tom Nolan is extreme left 2nd row.
I recognise Ken in your park picture, he looks younger than I remember !
I was doing RAF National Service from 1956 to 1958, but still managed to race occasionally. My 'Mohawk' days ran from 1953 until 1967.
All the very best
Phil
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Hi Phil
On your post number 70 I remember the club photo being taken as this was the time that I was in the club.As well as recognising the 'stars ' I also remember other faces who were only in the Wednesday races.
I cant remember why I wasnt at this session but I did have a copy of the photo, but fifty years on I can't find it.

All the best
Pete
 
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