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Sutton Park

Yes  Peter, I remember all the things you mentioned,plus I remember one time I was in

there through Banners Gate and there had been a grass fire and it was still smoking. I

found a dead rabbit with all the fur burnt off and I walked out the gate with it under my

coat. When I got home, Mom skinned it and we had  rabbit stew for dinner.

Another time in there I was paddling in a creek and stepped on a peice of glass and cut

the side of my foot open, had to ride my bike home with the blood pouring out of it. I still

have the scar to remind me. But now they are all happy memories of my childhood. I sure

had a lot of happy times in Sutton Park because I lived so close to it.

                    Have  a  Nice  Day,  Wally. :D :D :D
 
That map is really fascinating, Crom. Checking it up with modern maps, the stage coach route was almost exactly as the Chester Road (A 452), but with a lot of different names. You can see how it left the London-Coventry-Birmingham road at Stonebridge (81 miles) and passed through the middle of Castle Brom (75 miles), past Pipe Hall (Pype Hayes Park now) and a place then called Blue Bell, which I would guess was the house later called Berwood. Across the Sutton Road (A 5127), and on to what became New Oscott, with the predecessor of College Road (A 453) clearly shown. After that came the Parson & Clerk, and a slight bend to the right which I don't think was as much as appears on the map.
At first sight I thought the road turned right along what became Thornhill Road to Streetly and Four Oaks, but I don't think that is right, as later on the route passes through places like Stonnall, like Chester Road does today.
I love looking at old maps. You can get so much out of them with a bit of mental effort.
Cheers
Peter
 
Peter here is another stagecoach map which is quite intresting out of the same book
 
I might as well put another map up as some of us might want to leave Brum for a day out
 
Peter ,
you are correct about the tank testing ground,
the tanks came from the Wolsey factory,
Do you remember the POW camp just inside Banners gate?
was later to become the US army post office
 
was not the US POST OFFICE by the town hall & the main gate where the post office sorting office is now? or was that another one in Sutton?
ASTON
 
Aston,
the one I mentioned,
was just by the woods inside Banners Gate,
as I said it was a POW camp before,and there was a piano
there for some time after it was unused
 
hello all i remember going fishing tp powels pool in sutton park a lot during the 1940s, we lived in kingstanding. and 2 of my mates and i went one sunday morning and there was an old man standing fully dressed up to his chest and he kept putting his head under the water, we ask what he was doing and he said he wanted to die we asked why and he said his daughter had told him he had to leave the home we kept him talking untill one of my mates found a park keeper i never heard what happened
to the man we were only about 14 at the time
 
Use to have my early morning Sunday swim in Keeper Pool when you could use to lake which had diveing boards & there was a raft in the middle of the lake, we would even go in the lake in the rain & that would mean the poor Guy who looked after your safety had to get the boat out & keep his eye on you.As teenages this did not seam wrong that some Guy should get WET just for our FUN.
I later found out when I wed; that the Guy in the boat/ pool Attendant was the brother of My brothering law Norman Hampton.
SMALL WORLD A.
ASTON
 
I know cold regarding Wyndley Pool in Sutton Park. In the winter of 1947 some friends took my brother and I to the Park one Sunday afternoon to walk on the ice. There must have been a slight thaw since you had to walk along some narrow boards to reach the thicker ice a few yards from the edge of the lake. Someone behind me pushed me and I fell off the board straight into the lake which at the shoreline was full of chunks of ice and icy slush. It was quite a shock and I can still remember how it felt. People were screaming, etc. It wasn't that deep but it was frightening experience for a young child.. I was bundled up put in the car and driven home. Never did get to walk on the frozen lake.
 
jennyann, I to have had your fate, I fell in to Wyndley pool one winter, I and a crowd of my ice hockey buddies (+ my now wife) went to try the ice to see if we could play hockey & skate in general.I DREW THE SHORT STRAW, no barrier around the pool as there is to day,so your truly jumps down of the  small wall which  bordered the road side of Wyndley.I had just turned to say OK Guys when crack through the ice I went, Lucky for me I had only skated about 3 to 4 feet from the side so it was only waste deep but cold ,very cold. :-[
I those, days I bet you remember jennyann Wyndley had that loverly thatched cafe' with the grand piano.The manager let me sit  by the fire and dry out. As  teenages never learn we went back the next week & the ice was fine played & skated all day, even by the head lights of the older Guys cars all lined up along the waters edge. O0
We also skated on Blackroot & bracebridge. no ice rink can compare to skating out doors.
I post a Picture of that day, my now Wife is the blond girl in the far distance.I had to keep telling her not the venture to far out after what had happen to me the week before. :tickedoff:
WHAT HAPPY DAY. :smitten:
ASTON
 
That's amazing Aston.....such an awful feeling. That story about the men lining up with their headlights sounds familiar from my first years in Canada. I do remember that thatched building there at Wyndley. Those were such different days for Wyndley Pool. I like it's setting today though. More of a natural wetland type place but not very accessible like it used to be.

The photo of the skating on the lake is very interesting. How much has the climate changed in that respect over the years. It's a very long time since I walked out on a frozen lake and I didn't get to walk out on Wyndley Pool. The closest I got to skating on ice outdoors was when I first came to live in Toronto where they used to freeze over the tennis courts in the winter in certain places in the city, put up lights and people would come and skate around to music. On certain nights some of the minor league ice hockey teams would use the frozen courts for practice.

Over two decades ago our local lake, called Como Lake, by the way, froze over and we all walked out to the centre. We don't get freezing temps here on the coast but back then
it was definitely colder in the winters if you lived close to the sea.
 
Any one remember cruising round Blackroot Pool on the motor launch.
I think its name was "CRUSADER" in the summer brass bands used to play on sundays. My cousin who was band leader of the Hardy Spicers  Works Band at Witton in the 1950s ,
performed from the large raft that they had in the middle of the lake .
 
Could not pass up the chance to post this tranqill lake shot of Bracebridge pool SUTTON PARK.
Hope you like. ASTON

PS Aston posted a photo taken in 1900 of the same pool (for you to compare ) not much has changed in 100 years
Cromwell
 
Had many a picnic & spent many happy hours at the far end of the lake where you can see that Island, used to be able to swim to it but they have stoped all that now.
There is on where in the park to swim these days, all though they do have a Winter Swim in Blackroot pool on Boxing Day. (NOT FOR ME THOUGH)
 
Thanks for the picture Aston, it brings back a lot of childhood memories of swimming in  Sutton Park.

:) :) :) O0 O0 O0

Have a nice day, Wally.
 
Nice photo of Bracebridge pool Graham
I skated on there one year, didn't do my blades too good
as the surface was a bit rough
Powells pool was the location for TS Sutton Sea cadet's
we used the white house as our ship,and sailed our two "Dory"
boats on the pool
 
Sutton Sea Cadets now have had for many years there own concret battle ship HQ complete with its gun,
dennis WHERE WAS THE WHITE HOUSE?
ASTON
 
Three old photo's taken in the 1900's
Photo 1 during the school holidays
Photo 2 Mr C, Townsends Motor Launch on Blackroot Pool
Photo 3 Loading another Motor Launch on Powells Pool
 
Aston,
The White house was just the side of the pool in 1946,
it was much later when they had their "Ship"
the other side of the road by the park gate
 
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