Stretton Lodge School, Gravelly Hill

[ChrisM]

Out of all the little schools, public and private, which came and went in 20th century Birmingham, I wonder if anyone else apart from me has ever heard of this one, Stretton Lodge High School for Girls, Preparatory School for Boys and Kindergarten, in Gravelly Hill and owned and run by the Misses Widdowson.

My elder brother and my sister were sent there - at enormous expense, by the look of it - in the 1920s and up to 1931 before the family moved out into the open countryside of Streetly.

Chris

 

[wjmoore]

I was at Stretton Lodge Kindergarten from the age of 3 (I was born in August 1932) until I was about 5. If my memory serves me right the headmistress was Miss Spencer but the teacher I remember best was Miss Vase. From Stretton Lodge I went on to Gravelly Hill College another small private school located some distance on along Gravelly Hill towards Erdington shopping centre. From there I passed the 11+ to go to King Edward the VI Grammar School Aston and eventually on to read Medicine at Birmingham University. I remember my time at both Stretton Lodge and Gravelly Hill College as very happy. I've often wondered what happened to Miss Vase. W.J.Moore (Honiton)

 

[Vivienne14]

One boy secured a King Edwards High School scholarship in 1918. It mentions Miss Widdowson of Stretton Lodge alongside his name. Viv.

 

[Lima]

Do we know who these "Misses Widdowson" were, specifically? Names? Family? Anything about them?

 

[John Cook]

I was at Stretton Lodge Kindergarten from the age of 3 (I was born in August 1932) until I was about 5. If my memory serves me right the headmistress was Miss Spencer but the teacher I remember best was Miss Vase. From Stretton Lodge I went on to Gravelly Hill College another small private school located some distance on along Gravelly Hill towards Erdington shopping centre. From there I passed the 11+ to go to King Edward the VI Grammar School Aston and eventually on to read Medicine at Birmingham University. I remember my time at both Stretton Lodge and Gravelly Hill College as very happy. I've often wondered what happened to Miss Vase. W.J.Moore (Honiton)

I too am a formerly pupil of Stretton Lodge and remember Miss Vase very well. One day she left her bicycle propped up against the wall and I picked up a leather belt which was lying on the ground. I took it away and after a time became bored with it and threw it into a field. Subsequently Miss Spencer asked the pupils if anyone had seen the missing article and a girl named Barbara Pettifer said “I saw John Cook take it” and I was then told to pay sixpence from my weekly pocket money. I decided a life of crime was not for me!
JC

 

[ChrisM]

Do we know who these "Misses Widdowson" were, specifically? Names? Family? Anything about them?

My elder brother, who was at Stretton Lodge between 1927 and 1931, recalled that there were three elderly sisters who ran the school. He thought that they had connections with Church Stretton and that this was the reason for the school's name. (It was ironic that when he was called up in 1942, his first posting for basic training was to that village). No further information about them, I'm afraid.

This is as close as I can get to an image of the school uniform at that time. A picture of my brother in 1928, aged six, and his younger sister who had made her appearance the previous year.

Chris

 

[ChrisM]

And his School Report for that time. (It tells us that one of the sisters was named Nellie).

Chris

 

[John Cook]

Most interesting after all these years.

I seem to remember the colours of the necktie were brown and yellow.

Just one more thing. A fellow pupil at Stretton Lodge was John Storr. He was the youngest of several brothers and in later years rode his Norton motorbike in the Manx TT races. I see he was still active in the sport in 1952.

That is the end of my trip down Memory Lane.

JC