St Benedict's Road School Small Heath

[Gary collins54]

Hi Gary,

I absolutely hated the infant school St Bens, I can't remember the pupils at the school, but who could forget Miss Quinn the Headmistress, I remember my first day being taken to her office to be introduced to her and the school, I stamped on her foot and ran for my life, leaving my poor mum flabbergasted. Finally had to go to school, under threats of the Schoolboard man. Sweet heart Miss Cleesby any person on earth would have been a better teacher of Math, she used to make me stand by her desk until I could answer a question correctly, which if the concept had been explained to me in a friendly manner, I may have been able to answer, but no she just left me staring at the book the whole lesson, what a terrible way to teach a child anything. I've learnt more since I left school at 15, then I ever did at school. I sincerely agree sit up, feet together, they didn't teach, they scared us and no child deserved that, you never forget it. I did like the free milk when it wasn't warm and Christmas making decorations and those icy slides in the playground when we had icy weather LOL

Yes like wise I left oldknow road starting work at the gpo on April 6 1970 as a training storekeeper, and took early retirement in may 2013 as a technical training officer with HSE endorsement 43 years!!! I learned a lot I feel more than some now coming out of school now but hey my hand writing is crap remember the thick crayon we had to use? And maths well 2&2=5 as far as I am concerned! Now ohms law and electronics I can understand.

 

[Lorraine Bennett]

My three brothers went to oldknow road, we lived on Waverley Road, at the top, Bill, Steve and Roger Bennett, probably well before your time, in their 70's and 80's, just lost two of them. just me and the youngest left. They hated a teacher called Mumford, used to throw the blackboard cleaner that had a wooden part to hold at their heads, what a small world, I worked at the Gpo too, trained as a telephonist down in Esher in Surrey, crayons big fat and the points moulded down, so writing with them was a joke. Silly, 2&2 is 6, or was it 2+2+2, your last comment made me smile, my husband's trade was Electronics not sure what ohms law is, but he'd know. small world, I'm in Australia these days been here for 30 yrs, love it.

 

[Gary collins54]

Yes like wise I left oldknow road starting work at the gpo on April 6 1970 as a training storekeeper, and took early retirement in may 2013 as a technical training officer with HSE endorsement 43 years!!! I learned a lot I feel more than some now coming out of school now but hey my hand writing is crap remember the thick crayon we had to use? And maths well 2&2=5 as far as I am concerned! Now ohms law and electronics I can understand.

 

[Gary collins54]

View attachment 161038View attachment 161039View attachment 161040

Some pictures of mr Beal? Me,and I think mrs Quinn? Thanks

 

[Lorraine Bennett]

Thanks for sharing Gary great photos of the past X

 

[Richard the Red]

Well, things don't change in the education system much. I moved to Coventry and ended up in a Comprehensive start of my second year. Remember in one class a mate of mine was caught looking out of the window and the proverbial board rubber came flying across the class room. Cane was in use too. This school was arranged on a house block system. I got the cane for forgetting my geography book from the house master. (An aspiring school !) Not quite Master and Commander or 'Before the mast'. No tar and feathering, rum or keel hauling. Or was the latter the compulsory cross country that I suffered for 4 yrs. Did girls ever get caned?

I ended up in an apprenticeship with GEC Telecommunications. Over the summer at the end of my 1st year, I was sent to Newhall Street telephone exchange for an appreciation of installation work. Where I met my Neighbours son Robert Climber. He worked for the Post Office before it became B.T.

Must have been offline as I do not remember anything about the teachers in infants.

 

[Gary collins54]

Hello Barbara.

Seems we missed each other tho' may have passed you on the road to and from school. I assume you must have been in the infants section, while I was in the Junior part. Thinking back I only knew people about 3 houses either side of where I lived. Like you guys my Grandparents lived across the road but I cannot recall the house number. I am some what amused by the thought of the 28 leaving the road. There was the post office at the bottom, on the left which had a set of garages which they rented out. My Dad had one. I think a butchers on the right. Opposite that a hardware store???? Can't remember what or if there was a 4th shop. Remember the Co-op group of stores near Monica Rd. Not sure if true that apart from St. Bens., all the roads were named after family members whose land the houses were built on. And Small Heath little park....my oh my....don't go back folks. Its not what we remember.....

The hardware shop was mr reekie he sold pink paraffin from in side the shop

 

[addams]

Mervyn Wylie here ---- i lived at 192 heather road small heath from 1955 to 1962 with my 2 sisters margaret and elizabeth we were at st bens infants and junior school then to oldknow sec mod --and we all went to the Cristadelphian church at the top end of heather road sunday school-- its a mosque now i think ----we first came from north ireland as my father found work there we left in 1962 to return to northern Ireland me being 75 now my sisters being younger all this has brought so many memories back ----up to a couple of years back i went to see nabours of ours the HUNTS at 208 heather road but since both have passed away ---im still in touch with their son who lives up north now --------------- may be in the back of somebodys mind they remember us

 

[oldMohawk]

In 1920 the Birmingham Small Arms Company Motor works was being built and behind it in this aerial view is St Benedict's Road and looking at all the sheets on garden washing lines it was probably a Monday .... 'washing day' in most districts of Birmingham. Left click the image twice to enlarge

image source 'britainfromabove'

 

[Tinpot]

In 1920 the Birmingham Small Arms factory was being built and behind it in this aerial view is St Benedict's Road and looking at all the sheets on garden washing lines it was probably a Monday .... 'washing day' in most districts of Birmingham. Left click the image twice to enlarge
View attachment 178301
image source 'britainfromabove'

I only new this building as Singer factory. Did it originally belong to BSA?

 

[oldMohawk]

I only new this building as Singer factory. Did it originally belong to BSA?

In the aerial view (date 1920) in post#39 BFA described it as Birmingham Small Arms Company Motor works. In the image below (date 1934) BFA described the factory as the Singer Motor Car Works. I think here is another thread about the BSA factory and detail discussions about it should be there to stay on topic. The school is in the image below.

 

[addams]

i was at oldknow sec mod school till 1962 in the play ground there was a road running up the side of it which led to the BSA motor cycles dept the guys who tested new gleeming bikes would ride past helmets on and white boiler suits up to the coventry road on a test run --now bikes from that era are worth a few bob

 

[oldMohawk]

The school as it is today ...

 

[Tinpot]

When I was taking my Foundation Year at Birmingham College of Art in the 60’’s part of the course was spent at St Benedict’s School for the introduction to printing. This included screen printing and acid etching of metal plates.

 

[Sue Carter/Powis]

I was at st Ben,s 1962 to 1967 ish the on to oldknow road secondary lived in Monica rd Gary Collins

Hi... I was at St Ben's Infant and Junior from 1959 until 1965. Head of Infants was Miss Quinn. Lovely lady I remember. I went to her office every Friday for extra reading as I was that most hateful of children - a clever clogs. I could choose a sweet out of the jar she kept in her stockroom. My teachers in Junior were Miss Eunison (scary), Mr Price (lovely, kind man), Miss Cleasby (a dragon who whacked me over my knuckles with a ruler for not wanting to do PE in the hall) and Mr Overd (fair but strict). There was another teacher, whose name evades me at the moment, who ran the swimming team. We had to go to Woodcock Street baths for the gala. Stuart Spires and Martin Hubbard were the stars who made our team look good. (The rest of us were rubbish!)
I lived in Brunton Road off Heybarnes with Bedders on the corner.

 

[Sue Carter/Powis]

When I was taking my Foundation Year at Birmingham College of Art in the 60’’s part of the course was spent at St Benedict’s School for the introduction to printing. This included screen printing and acid etching of metal plates.

I remember the upstairs of St Ben's being the art school. I was at the junior school between '61 and '65.

 

[Sue Carter/Powis]

I only new this building as Singer factory. Did it originally belong to BSA?

I only new this building as Singer factory. Did it originally belong to BSA?

In 1920 the Birmingham Small Arms Company Motor works was being built and behind it in this aerial view is St Benedict's Road and looking at all the sheets on garden washing lines it was probably a Monday .... 'washing day' in most districts of Birmingham. Left click the image twice to enlarge
View attachment 178301
image source 'britainfromabove'

I am trying, but failing, to get my bearings. There was an entrance off Heather Road with a gate and two sandstone/granite pillars to St Ben's school. I am sure the walkway was parallel to the boys' playground which is clearly visible, as is the girls' to the side of the buildings on a slight incline. Hopeless for netball! The Infant School playground is tucked behind. But the entrance to BSA with its lovely metal pedestrian entrance was next to Holy Family School and St Gregory's church was on the other side of Golden Hillock Road which I can't see in the pic.
Regarding washing day... it all depended on how much smog there was! The air looks pretty clear in the pic.
But I do remember the Rootes building on the Cov Rd. This looks like the same square building of my childhood. It had red lights on the side at night advertising Humber, Hillmann, Sunbeam, Singer, Commer, Carrier. I could see the lights clearly from Mum and Dad's bedroom. (The site is now an ASDA.) Could this be the Rootes building which was bombed in WW2 as they turned away from car manufacturing to making items for the war effort? (I lived in a house that had been caught in the fall out of the bombing.)

 

[oldMohawk]

Sue Carter/Powis ... I am trying, but failing, to get my bearings. There was an entrance off Heather Road with a gate and two sandstone/granite pillars to St Ben's school. I am sure the walkway was parallel to the boys' playground which is clearly visible, as is the girls' to the side of the buildings on a slight incline. Hopeless for netball! The Infant School playground is tucked behind. But the entrance to BSA with its lovely metal pedestrian entrance was next to Holy Family School and St Gregory's church was on the other side of Golden Hillock Road which I can't see in the pic.

This first image is dated 1951 but was taken from a greater height and resolution is not so good. The road on the left is St Benedict's Road and the road on the right is Heather Road and the Coventry Road runs across the image. The Holy Family RC Church visible lower left. Looking at the 1920 dated image in post#39 the church building does not look the same (maybe later rebuilt) and looking at the gardens of 1951 it again seems to be 'washing day' ...

image source 'britainfromabove'

This image dated 2022 shows a similar view. The church is still there as are the houses on the far side of Coventry Road.

 

[HayleySpires]

Hi... I was at St Ben's Infant and Junior from 1959 until 1965. Head of Infants was Miss Quinn. Lovely lady I remember. I went to her office every Friday for extra reading as I was that most hateful of children - a clever clogs. I could choose a sweet out of the jar she kept in her stockroom. My teachers in Junior were Miss Eunison (scary), Mr Price (lovely, kind man), Miss Cleasby (a dragon who whacked me over my knuckles with a ruler for not wanting to do PE in the hall) and Mr Overd (fair but strict). There was another teacher, whose name evades me at the moment, who ran the swimming team. We had to go to Woodcock Street baths for the gala. Stuart Spires and Martin Hubbard were the stars who made our team look good. (The rest of us were rubbish!)
I lived in Brunton Road off Heybarnes with Bedders on the corner.

Hi Sue!

Your memories for my Dad's birthday inspired me to try and find any other people who may remember him. So if anyone recalls Stuart Spires who apparently lived at Brooks Cottages (?), along with his younger sister Susan, please let me know.

Many thanks,

Hayley

 

[MWS]

Parents (I think) appear to be listed at 3 Shipway Road on the ERs in 1950s & 60s. Some houses or several together were named, so no reason that it couldn't have been one of Brooks Cottages as well.

 

[MWS]

Sorry, search results doesn't always match the scans on ERs and it might not this time because I've just spotted Brook Cottages behind 1036 Coventry Road on the 1950 map...



...and they still appear to be there.

 

[addams]

Hi, aud my sister and i went to St bens 1957 to 1962 mervyn and margaret WYLIE we left birmingham to go back to north ireland

I would love to discover anybody who went to St. Benedict's Primary in Small Heath, between c.1960 and 1964.

My parents moved out of Birmingham in 1966 and I've only been back twice over the years!

 

[Covroad]

Sorry, search results doesn't always match the scans on ERs and it might not this time because I've just spotted Brook Cottages behind 1036 Coventry Road on the 1950 map...

View attachment 179143

...and they still appear to be there.

I remember the cottages , the access was down the jitty by the Italian Barbers (Tonio’s) and Harris Dry Cleaners the cottages had the original blue brick paved footpath.

 

[aggie2347]

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St Benedicts Road School. The larger of the two must have been taken in 1956 as it has identical setting to second photo in #1 post. I think the smaller one was taken a year earlier but not sure.

Hi Crimble repaired and enhanced your picture and took the liberty of posting it on the small heath history group where it has gone down a storm. Regards.