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St George's Church Newtown

Lyn I don't know where many of my family were buried they were mostly Aston and Handsworth. I will keep looking though. Michael's family were mainly Ashted, Neachells, Saltley and Ward End. Some found in Witton and Yardley I have found a few but still lots to find.
 
I have a pic of my Nan and Grandad on their wedding day taken outside st Georges church, can't see that much of the church at all (but I know it's there) ;)
Might post it in a bit, better check with my Dad first!! Lol
 
Hi Astoness,i was in the area yesterday,its like a maze so i drove around and up and down to familiarise myself. It all seemed so much smaller than i imagined so it must have been very cramped when the streets were lined with houses. I found the park but i was at the Tower Road end and i couldnt see anything like the photos which have been published. I was on my own and to be honest i wasnt willing to risk walking about and looking. Is the main entrance in Hampton Row,dont know how i could have missed it anyway but i must have. Are there any Brooks or Brookes headstones please. I will go back soon with my husband anyway,its his family that lived in Great Russel St,thanks Angela.
 
sorry angela i didnt see any brookes headstones but of course out of the many hundreds that would have been there only a handful remain...all 3 entrances are still open but if in a car you would enter via the gt hampton row one...its just by the 46 bus stop....me and lynne must have walked around the old streets for at least 2 hours stopping off for a cuppa and something to eat at the cafe in hospital st and although nothing like it used to be it gave a certain feeling knowing our ancestors had trod those paths....

lyn
 
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I never felt threatened while down the old end, folk were very friendly and helpful. It's nothing like it used to be but is anywhere now..
Lynne.
 
i agree lynne...felt sorry for that chap who was working on his fork lift and we stopped him working to ask some questions but he was most helpful as was the boss of that firm in bridge street west lol....villa st and nursery road next lynne...
 
forgot i had taken these now shots...:)

pic 1....is where st georges school would have stood....

pic 2...is where st georges place would have been...

pic 3..taken standing in what would have been gt russell st...you can just see the gt russell st gate into the churchyard on the right...
 
Wendy said:
Here are two wonderful photo's of St Georges Church. These were sent to me to post from Malcolm Caston at the Pen Room.
Click to expand...


hi wend i think these pics got lost in the upgrade is there any chance that you still have them to repost please...like an idiot i didnt save them...

just been browsing a few books looking for any good pics and came accross this one..think its the best inside shot of the church to date....dated 1959..a year before it was demolished..:(
 
My Mum and Dad married at st Georges on 10 Oct 1945 and were the first to have the bells rung following the war. The neighbours all wondered what on earth was going on! Mum's dress had been altered again as she was fourth to wear it. It was made from parachute material. My mother stilll adores fruit cake - a luxury when she was married, she had a box decorated to look just like one!

My sister and I were both christened at ST. Georges. My grandmother used to take us to church there every sunday and I am often reminded that when the collection was passed around I said 'ooh ta, and dipped in!!' Oh to be four years old again! The church grounds were lovely to walk around. My recollections are that it was closed because the steeple wasnt safe(?). I think it nice that it has not been forgotten and some of the curtilege is still quite clear.
 
hi macqueen and welcome to the forum..what a lovely story of your mom and dads wedding at st georges and im so pleased that you can remember walking around the church grounds as from the pics we have they looked lovely...such a shame that the church is no longer there but at least the grounds are...

lyn
 
Hi Astoness,
We lived in New John St West and my older sister went to St Georges and I vividly remember what a treat it was to be taken by my Mom to wait in, what I presume were, the grounds until it was time for my sister to come out of school. As I remember it there was a circular gravel path which I used to zoom around on, on my scooter.
After going too quickly I came a real cropper, landing on knees and elbows; to this day I've still got three black lines on my right elbow which contain dirt or gravel from the path and a nice dent on my knee where I tore a chunk of flesh out.
I expect that nowadays I'd have been taken to hospital but then it was a good wash in running water, some Dettol and a plaster for my knee; my Mom reckoned I didn't need anything for my elbow after she'd washed it, she was dead right too.
Strangely enough I went to Elkington Street, maybe because it was a bit closer and my sister was just about to leave St George's to go to Aston manor; don't know why she never went to Summer Lane with my cousin Gill. It all became a bit immaterial though when we were moved out to Kingshurst in 1958; I hated the place, too quite and living in a flat meant that you hardly ever saw anyone, certainly not the rest of our family who were all moved elsewhere. We never did settle and after a year left to go and live with my Gran in Great Barr.
Great to see the pictures once more, brought back some happy memories.
 
smashing memories you have there peter and you still have the scars to prove it:D my mom and dad married at st georges in 1950..it was such a lovely church by the looks of it...if you have any pics to post we would love to see them:)

lyn
 
Following a report by Lyn of damage to headstones in St Georges, I popped along and took a few pics meself.

Having made various enquiries vis Bereavement Services, it comes under Leisure/Parks, and their man Lee Southall is popping along to investigate and hopefully restore.

Worth dropping in over the next few weeks to check action has been taken!
 
Goodness Brian you don't let the grass grow. Well done for bringing it to the attention of those who are supposed to look after these sites. I would say some of the stones have been broken a while a go. I do hope things get put right. As you say this is a burial place and should command more respect. You never seem to see this problem abroad what is the matter with people....no respect!!!
 
It was Lyn that mentioned it - on the Forum, I thought - but obviously not on this thread!
Hadn't been there for some years so popped in and had a stroll around - presumably local kids who were bored!

Fingers crossed that parks actually do some repairs!
 
Just referring back to macqueen's post - I hate to bust a family myth, but I don't think St George's ever had bells. There are none mentioned in the Victoria County History - https://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22976 - and they'd be mentioned in Mike Chester's Warwickshire Bells website as being a lost ring - https://www.warksbells.co.uk/lost.htm - and they're not there. Bells from demolished churches are generally sold on and often locally, but I can't find any reference to St George's bells anywhere.
 
Hi
My mom and dad got married at st Georges also in 1945. Here is a photo that was lost on the Forum.

Regards Stars
normal_GEORGES_.jpg
 
erics wonderful painting of st georges taken from the previous pic posted..
 

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I have returned 25 of my paintings, including a full screen version of St Georges Church to my profile page under 'Erics Watercolours' as before, another 35 to go, I have also put the same paintings on the new 'Image Hosting'Gallery, just click user galleries, cookie273, then 'Erics watercolours' Eric
 
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