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Tile cross/ marston green / dorridge

Hi Terry,

We've been shopping today at Fort Dunlop and did a detour on the way home to see my old school, Byng Kenrick. So returned back to Sheldon via Mackadown Lane, ducking as the planes went over our heads!
I've found this photograph of the prefabs in Mackadown Lane. I remember walking past them on the way home from school. Thought you might like to see it.
(Replacement)
Ann
 

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LEN....... do not remember the flooding in 1956... only 3 years old then. Did not move to Mackadown lane roundabout 1963ish.


This other one of the prefabs.
below... to me that looks as if it was taken from the top of the railway embankment looking over Tile Cross Road. I think the trees edged what was known as the sand-pits. You can see the blocks of flats in the distance further down Tile Cross/Shirestone Road area.
(Photo Replacement)
Terry
 

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Terry,

So gald you liked the photographs. For yourself, like me, or anybody else that grew up in this area, I recommend 'Around Sheldon' by Margaret D. Green. Some things, that I could only vaguely remember, became such vivid memories as I looked through her book. I suppose I hadn't noticed, as it was happening, the way the countryside around Sheldon had disappeared. The photos, in her book, of the Bluebell Woods (now Chelmsley Wood) reminded me of myself and my brother, out on our bikes with all the other kids, picking all the bluebells, and then, delivering to our moms, such a very large bunch of very limp blue flowers. And the time we went, when we were chased off by a very large bull. Have to say Sheldon/Tile Cross/Marston Green were quite magical places to grow up. We had bikes. would travel!

Ann
 
Len,
There are photos of the Sports Club in Mackadown Lane in 'Around Sheldon' by Margaret Green (people are going to suspect that I am her publisher). I'm not! I had it out from the library first and then I bought it off Ebay the other day. They have some copies on Amazon (I'm still not her publisher). Len, I think there was something quite special about that
I moved to Sheldon in 1949, when I was six weeks old. Growing up in Sheldon, back then, you didn't have to go far for it to feel 'rural'. So, in 1946, I could imagine, you could really 'smell the grass'.

Ann
 
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When i was a lad at school, we were told that Sheldon as an area grew up around Mackadown Lane, the original site being an ancient Briton
camp founded by someone known as 'Macka'.

Anyone else ever heard this story?
 
Macka was an Anglo Saxon King. Mackadown Lane is reported to be the oldest named road in Birmingham after the Roman ones.Ann in the book you mention there is a photo of Church Road taken from ST Giles Church looking up towards the Radleys, the pavement on the left hand side is about50/60ft wide with a green and trees making the road way almost single track,this must be as late as the 40s. I bet Lencops can remeber that. A few weeks ago i asked if in any one had a photo of the prefabs in common lane, well in Anns recomended book there is not only a photo of them but the actual one i was looing for. A really good find Ann.
 
Robert,

Glad you got hold of a copy of the book. You must be chuffed that it includes the photo of the prefabs in Common Lane. My brother had a friend in Common Lane, Neil I think. From Church Rd., he lived a little way up, on the right hand side. I was also pleased that it includes photos of my school. I haven't seen those anywhere else.

All the best
Ann
 
changinman1 said:
mmm ive always loved elmdon lane/road ....my parents were that close in the late 60,s to buying one on elmdon road ...its lovely now ...can you imagine it in the 60,s backing onto the golf course...it was a lovely country lane.....but they couldnt afford it so bought on Bell lane...nice house big garden and really enjoyed my childhood there......its now not as nice as it was in the 70,s / 80,s....is it because ive got rose tinteds on ....

how old r u btw..
Click to expand...

Changinman, it's Elmdon Lane which abutts the Golf Course. I lived at No. 200 for 30 years. My paper round was "Elmdon Lane, 2nd Half, Odds". My brother's was "Elmdon Lane, 2nd Half, Evens". A pal of mine, who also lived in Elmdon Lane, at 174, also had a paper round and called brother Evens and me Odds. Still does! He was best man at my wedding and works in the next business unit to mine.
Elmdon Road is off the Lane and eventually merges with Station Road at the Garden of Memory.

Ian
 
When I was a small boy during the second world war, we lived with my grandparents in Tile Cross Road, Marston Green. The buses from Birmingham stopped at Kitts Green in those days so we had to walk the length of Mackadown Lane to get home.
I used to hate that walk, it seemed endless to me, being only 4 or 5 years old. Halfway along there was a pig farm and the smell from it was awful. We used to walk past, holding our noses and hoping not to get a whiff of it.
 
I used to live in Lea Hall road and in the summer my mother father and me used to walk to the Mackadown club over donkeys oller and the fields beyond and come out in mackadown lane opposite the club. I can still remember my eyes streaming with all the smoke in there. The Mackadown sports and social is now at the other end of Mackadown lane near to the Meadway, my husband is still a member there.;)
 
Annveitch

'Donkeys Oller' that term strikes a chord somewhere. Was it that place off Mackadown Lane before the railway bridge what I refered to as the sand pits. A big area of sunken ground that contained loads and loads of tree trunks and big roots of trees lying all about the place. It was a great place to go climbing around.

I used to live in the corner of Lea Ford Road/Fordfield Rd, before we moved to Mackadown Lane.

Terry
 
Annveitch / Terry Carter .

Donkeys oller was between Kundells bakery Garetts green road and the railway , it was also known as the cornfields , the sand hills was behind copes garage . I spent many happy hours there cus i was born in the area .
ragga :)
 
Terry Carter donkeys oller used to be behind "bills garage" as it was called before Copes on the island at the Meadway, we used to walk across it towards the railway embankment and then walk across the fields to Mackadown Lane, there was a small streem half way allong that seemed to come through the railway embankment, not very wide you could jump across it. When i first lived up there about 1950 there were no factories along Garretts Green Lane. Kunzles must have been built around the early 60,s. They had a shop they used to open one day a week to sell there misshapes, you could buy their showboat cakes for a few pence each. They had thick chocolate shells with sponge at the bottom and different flavour cream on the top. Mmmm i can still taste them.
 
For Graham S a photograph of Central Grammar School for Boys in Gressel Lane.
(Replacement)
Ann
 

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Annveitch

My mother worked at Kunzles for a time in the late 60's. I can always remember sitting in the car with my dad when we went to pick her up at the finish of the evening shift. Never eat so many mis-shapes Kunzle cakes in my life.

When we lived in Mackadown Lane, the scrap yard end by the bridge, I sometimes walked to school (Sheldon Heath Comp) accross the fields and emerging at Clopton Avenue. Nowadays the land is full of carparks for the airport or Used Car dealers.

Terry
 
Thanks Ann - I can smell that science lab even now! Given a bit of time I could probably put names to some of those faces!

Graham
 
Graham, I hope you do better than me. I can't recall one girl in the photographs of Byng Kenrick (Byng Kenrick thread). I have a photograph of my physics teacher, and as much as I try, I can't remember his name.

Ann
 
Terry Carter


My kids went to Sheldon Heath from 1975 onwards, its still there but they have changed the name, can,t think what to offhand.

Kunzles factory is still there but i think its been empty for a while.

I used to know a George Carter from Lea Village, (leaford road/gressel lane/whychbold crescent) any relation?

Annveitch:grinsmile:
 
It is now Sheldon Heath Community School or something like that. I went to Lea Village Juniors from 1960-64 and Sheldon Heath Comp from 1964-69.

Terry
 
Hello annveitch, i lived in kelynmead rd knocked about with the round family used to go to lea village school with terry lived by the legion, i also worked at beals shop down the bottom had a paper round there,also helped the co-op milkman & Wilson,s bread man.
Used to go over donkeys at the back of baileys garage,remploy next door, later on by the 17 bus terminus and the fire station,my sister worked a kunzel cakes i past my hgv the bottom of granby avenue,after donkeys holla was all gone but when it was as it was had some grt times over there.
i must just add when i was at school i used to on a Saturday and Sunday morning,and with Ann b Bing Kendrick ref also Wilfrid mart school used to collect pig swill on a horse and cart for a farm down the bottom of gressel lane bills farm.
we used to and there was two of us have to catch the horse and as it goes we were out in all weathers the farm backed on to york woods, a place a lot of people know dib dib dib. enough even though there,s more. happy memories.. regards Derek.
 
dereklcg
small world i used to live about 6 doors down from the Rounds on the "bank" Kenny was about the same age as me. Do you remember the bloke who kept pigs in Gossey Lane?
 
i think that,s the lane that went down opp mirfield across the meadway,
did you know the jeys kettles and the cassons?
 
yes new all of them, the jeyes ran a coach company I don,t know whether they still do. the kettles mom used to be a collector for a club of some kind, didn,t she used to ride a moped and the cassons i knew joey he always used to sing sylvest in the Tavern when he,d had a few. My husband still sees one of the Cassons occasionally. cant think of his name off hand, (casson that is not the old mans )
 
well there you go then strange but true i used to go to lea village with terry and one of the jeys and one of the cassons i have it on good authority drinks in the white hart,also one of the kettles as it goes lives 5 doors from my sister in Tamworth, we were all in the same class,there,s another guy in redditch, bravington as well happy days,there was a girl i went out with up by you i can,t think of her name.
there is a lot of people who lived round the area and as it goes are still there.
catch you later Derek
 
Hi ANN VEITCH ,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your call.
I was brought up in Crossfield road the railway
end , i went to ridpool road school , but never
to Lea Village school like you did , my older
Brothers & Sisters did so you may know of them.
keep up your good posts Ann Veitch your
memories are wonderful the same as mine.
ragga :)
 
Annveitch said:
yes new all of them, the jeyes ran a coach company I don,t know whether they still do. the kettles mom used to be a collector for a club of some kind, didn,t she used to ride a moped and the cassons i knew joey he always used to sing sylvest in the Tavern when he,d had a few. My husband still sees one of the Cassons occasionally. cant think of his name off hand, (casson that is not the old mans )
Click to expand...

Ann, are you related to Alan and Colin Veitch by any chance?

Ian
 
welder
yes i married him, do you know him? (i hope your not one of his battling partners from way back) he,s changed a bit mellowed with age. Only don,t tell him that cause he,d deny it. Who and where are you from?
 
RAGGA
my mom used to have a cousin in crossfield ANNIE HEAD ring any bells? I used to go to school with a girl from Gillscroft Janet Dyson
 
Annveitch said:
welder
yes i married him, do you know him? (i hope your not one of his battling partners from way back) he,s changed a bit mellowed with age. Only don,t tell him that cause he,d deny it. Who and where are you from?
Click to expand...

I'm Ian Whitaker, from Water Orton. I used to have a drink with Colin in the Two Hands, Shard End. I attended his birthday party in the upstairs room at the Lea Hall British Legion and remember the rather succint banner suspended above the stage....
The other thing I remember is that the buffet was just fantastic!
Colin, along with brother Alan, occasionally did some work for Keith Steele, my brother in law, who had a small building business until he suffered a stroke five years ago.
You and I may well have met. Please give Colin (The Hoot) my best regards.

Ian
 
Ian, thanks for appreciating the buffet so much it took 5 of us all day to do that plus the my daughter in law worked all friday evening getting the turkey and salmon done, it was agreat night though. I remember Keith (i used to go to school with his sister Angela.) I most probably know you as well, but there is that many people who know Colin i cant put faces to the names. When you said you knew him i wondered whether it was some one he had upset many moons agolol, he,s quietened down now, but he can still be a bit arguemental when the mood takes him, he,s ok though he,s semi retired now still does a bit now and then for Les Heard or newmarsh. He had a bit of a health scare a few years ago, couldn,t get his breath and having pains in his chest, he was admitted to Solihull for tests but they found nothing serious, just put it down to breathing difficulties and high blood pressure,( If he,s got high blood pressure now i,d hate to think what it was like when he was younger). He has to use an inhaler sometimes but other than that he,s fighting fit NEARLY. How is Kieth now? is the 2 hands still open, do you remember the old cabin on the radleys, that is closing tonight, another one bit the dust.
ann
 
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