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West Brom Baths Question

L

Langstraat

Guest
Jenniann and Sylvia,
Oh what a shame - all those memories I have. Memories are always powerful enough to penetrate through deriliction, concrete jungles, and CHANGES.
Lewis's brought me a lot of fun, pleasure and shopping.
It's what they call progress I suppose.
The pictures brought everything back as if it was yesterday.
Never mind eh?

Anne,

I know I'm off the thread but your web site about diving is smashing. I always wished I could dive, maybe I'll try when I can swim
Did you learn @ West Brom baths?
 
The baths were opposite the old grammar school by the town hall. We used to go from school. It's a long time ago now but I can remember going during the school holidays. I think they were still open in the sixties. After messing about we would go to 'Chad's' for lunch: Fish n chips, a mug of tea and a slice of bread n marg. Then along the high street before cutting through the covered market to the bus stop. You could get a huge block of pink coconut icing from a sweet shop by the Kings cinema.
By the underground toilets at the clock an old war vetran would shout 'eveninexpressnmail' He didn't have anylegs and sat in invalid carriage which was propelled by two 'push me pull you' levers and always had a fag on the go.
West Brom carried the scars of the war well into the fifties like other places in the midland.we also used to go to Grove lane baths on Sunday morning.
It were bostin in them days.:redface:
 
West Bromwich Baths

Oh yes, it was one of my second homes! as well as Woodcock Street Baths.
I'm really anxious to have any photos of the swimming bath for my website. has anyone got any????
I know my sister in Australia has a beauty when the palm trees were up on the first deck changing cubicles balcony. This was before I was born. I'm going at Xmas so I shall be scanning it, and any other. My 3 sisters were all swimmers, and my parents were officers of West brom swimming Club, so I had no choice when I was born.
I've been in contact with the Sandwell Community History and Archives Service in Smethwick Library for more info. Here is the link and more history.
https://www.blackcountryhistory.org/
Search Gala Baths

I've included an attachment when I dived and swum for my school - Secondary Technical School v.the Grammar School. Sec Tech. won the shield. I'm the one on the right.
And what about all the dancing during the winter. My first beaux and I used to go and dance to the bands. We'd had dancing lessons at Charlemont School. Great days
Are we straying out of Brummie territory here?
Anne
 
What a lucky find those pictures were Anne I could almost smell the chlorine and sweaty socks in the dressing room one.:D
 
Pictures

Yes, I remember the baths with great affection, and its where I had swimming lessons under a fearful Mrs Jakeman The school pictures I raked out of my swimming and diving album - I was about 13! The coloured ones I took as a set a couple of years ago on a trip down memory lane. According to my sisters who have visited recently, it now looks quite derelict.
 
Thanks for the info, Anne, and the great pictures.

... Are we straying out of Brummie territory here?
Anne

I don't think you're straying too far. My trouble was not straying far enough. I never got passed the Baggies' ground so know little about that other world.
 
Thanks for the info, Anne, and the great pictures.



I don't think you're straying too far. My trouble was not straying far enough. I never got passed the Baggies' ground so know little about that other world.

Oisin,

If my memeory serves me right the reason why you never got past the baggies was that the buses used to stop instead of going right through for some reason. Am sure someon could explane the reason why?
 
In those days that was the boundry between Bormingham and West Bromwich. You paid your fare either to Birmingham City Transport or West Bromwich, depending which way you were going, at the boundry you had to pay again to the other org.
 
Boundary

Absolutely right Apollo, and thanks for yours too Oisin - also about the Brummie Territory!.
The Boundary was a pain when I did the journey so often into the "other world" !!!!! I suppose that says it all.
If the weather was nice and I had the time I used to get off the bus at the Boundary and walk down Forge Lane (which was a lane in those days) and onto the Newton Road. Walked up there to the Old Church (All Saint's) and I was home. I did think the Lane was a heck of a treck though.
Anne
 
Absolutely right Apollo, and thanks for yours too Oisin - also about the Brummie Territory!.
The Boundary was a pain when I did the journey so often into the "other world" !!!!! I suppose that says it all.
If the weather was nice and I had the time I used to get off the bus at the Boundary and walk down Forge Lane (which was a lane in those days) and onto the Newton Road. Walked up there to the Old Church (All Saint's) and I was home. I did think the Lane was a heck of a treck though.
Anne

Wow that really was a decent trek, bet you wouldn't do it now. The Sandwell Valley has much history attached to it. I used to go to Churchfields comp.
 
Anne,

Forge Lane is still a Lane. Despite what I stated in my earlier post, around there was one of my old haunts. There's a bit about it on the main Handsworth site - "Handsworth and Beyond".
The whole area has now been developed into a country park. Have a look here: https://tinyurl.com/269msj
 
Forge Lane and Churchfields

Oisin, Thank you, I will. When I walked it it was a rough old road surface. Not like that now??
Also Apollo,
Churchfilds Comp. was near my family home. I went to All saints Infant and Junior School. I was born to the sound of the Churchbells. I remember when the site for Churchfields were allotments, and then the state of the art school was built. But sadly the state of the art school has now been bulldozed. I believe for appartments.
Over those fields were my haunts, and my friends and I used to enjoy many birthday parties and "secret society" meetings down on Churchfields (Kemps) Farm. I still walk over those fields when I visit. Pity the farm has gone - in fact I met the son not so long ago and he is still farming but in Worcestershire. My parents belonged to Dartmouth Golf Club which I'm pleased to say still exists. I used to Caddy for them over those fields UGH what hard work that was.
 
Re: Forge Lane and Churchfields

Hi there, if I'm not mistaken Kemps Farm was where Churchfields school was. Does anyone know where Bunny's Wood is and the Fairy Ring nearby?
 
Re: Forge Lane and Churchfields

Hi there, if I'm not mistaken Kemps Farm was where Churchfields school was. Does anyone know where Bunny's Wood is and the Fairy Ring nearby?

I was brought up and lived very close to these areas. I often played with my friends at Kemps Farm - we had our "secret" "club" meetings with the permission of Mr Kemp and his son in the barns, and I attended my classmate's birthday parties in the farmhouse. it was very rural in the 40s/50s/60s
We used to walk over the Fairy Ring often, which the shorter route would be to go down Newton Road - almost a quiet lane then, and Old Church stood at its corner - walk passed the Grammar School tennis courts and just passed there was a small turn in through a hedge to walk over the fields behind the graveyards toward the Kemps Farm and the Dartmouth Golf Club(my parents were members) En route you would walk through the Fairy Ring!

The Farm has gone - the Golf Club remains - Newton Road is a dual carriage almost Expressway - (I used to cycle and walk down Newton Road often) the grounds of the All Saints Church have much been reduced with tarmacadam covering the sites of the once graves, for car parking - the tennis Courts have gone and you hear the roar of the M6 cutting through the meadows we picnicked and said Hello to the Cows - now covered with housing estate upon housing estate. I have just noticed my former entry - some of which may be repeated.

Churchfields School was built on the site of allotments bordering All Saints Road before it merges into Hallam Street nearby where the Ring o' Bells pub was - the pound remains. Walking over the Fairy Ring you would have walked behind the school on the way to the Farm. I watched it being built and what was an allotment walk cutting through from Hallam Street to Churchfields Lane is now conjested with parked cars.

The school has gone and you've guessed - a housing estate takes it's place.
 
Hi Anne, many thanks for your reply. My mother grew up very near there during the 40's and 50's. I am specifically trying to find out if either the Fairy Ring or Bunny's Wood still exist. From some research I have done it seems Bunny's Wood does exist - it's Sot's Hole nature reserve and was knows locally at Bunny's Wood ... does that ring true for you? And also can you tell me if the Fairy Ring is still there? Kind regards, A
 
Hi Anne, many thanks for your reply. My mother grew up very near there during the 40's and 50's. I am specifically trying to find out if either the Fairy Ring or Bunny's Wood still exist. From some research I have done it seems Bunny's Wood does exist - it's Sot's Hole nature reserve and was knows locally at Bunny's Wood ... does that ring true for you? And also can you tell me if the Fairy Ring is still there? Kind regards, A

The Fairy Ring was situated on the edge of the golf course and confirmed by my siste, it was a small copse of trees. At this moment in time we think it should still be there - can't find reason for the trees to be cut down or built over being so close to the golf course. My sister has recently rambled through the nature reserve with her group so...yes I'd think Bunny's Wood in principle is still there.
 
The Fairy Ring was situated on the edge of the golf course and confirmed by my siste, it was a small copse of trees. At this moment in time we think it should still be there - can't find reason for the trees to be cut down or built over being so close to the golf course. My sister has recently rambled through the nature reserve with her group so...yes I'd think Bunny's Wood in principle is still there.

It looks so pretty "Bluebell Wood aka Bunny's Wood" https://www.homeview.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/sotshole/intro.htm
 
The Fairy Ring was situated on the edge of the golf course and confirmed by my siste, it was a small copse of trees. At this moment in time we think it should still be there - can't find reason for the trees to be cut down or built over being so close to the golf course. My sister has recently rambled through the nature reserve with her group so...yes I'd think Bunny's Wood in principle is still there.

Perfect, thanks :)
 
Perfect, thanks :)
It looks so pretty "Bluebell Wood aka Bunny's Wood" https://www.homeview.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/sotshole/intro.htm
Hi again Anne, apologies for the silence of 5 years. I’m still on the hunt of the fairy ring. Sots hope i have found easily but I am still confused by the fairy ring as there are several corpses around the golf course that could be it. That said if it’s near the old church graveyard and where the old grammar school tennis courts were (which is now football fields behimd the graveyard) I wonder if it’s the copse by the lay-by on Newton Road. Does that sound right to you?
 
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