jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Hi Gel: There is some information on this site where you can apply for certain information: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Sa...760&pagename=BCC/Common/Wrapper/InlineWrapper
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Hi I have some memories of being assessed at a childrens home, I think was pype hayes hall as I remember the park setting with families walking through. I feel I was in one of the rooms with a lady youngish where I played with a big dolls house. I would be so grateful if anyone could tell me if they know of this or if it would have been here? I feel sure I stayed in an attic room when I was unwell. The years were 1979 80 and 81. My name is louise o'sullivan I was 5 to around 8 at the time. I would appreciate any information as my memories are jumbled at the moment and I am trying to make sense of them. Thanks
The Hall is to be converted into a hotel. Viv.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/plans-convert-pype-hayes-hall-10398387
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/plans-convert-pype-hayes-hall-10398387
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Looking at the Bowling Green in Pype Hayes Park c1970, I could see the air raid shelter in the background and also in the recent aerial view. It has however been removed as the following photos show ...The Bowling Green Pype Hayes Park in 1970 and a recent aerial view.
An aerial view before the air raid shelter was removed.
View attachment 111313
Before
After
Gerryb1962
New Member
Hi everyone, my name is Gerry I am newbie to this forum l just typed in Google search children's home with a donkey called Tiny. I have never really know the name of the home l was in until now and Tiny is the only thing I remember about it apart from picking blackberries and and making pie and custard with staff. I left the home and the care system in 1962.
PETER FARRELL
Brummie babby
There is no tunnel to the Bagot Arms it was a myth handed down through the centuries.
An account of the Convalescent Home as a mother and baby home in 1940. Source: British Newspaper Archive
Viv.
Viv.
An eBay postcard of a Nursery at the Hall. Viv.
PETER FARRELL
Brummie babby
What interests you about PHH?
Welcome Peter. Just following up on the history, so a general interest. I don’t have any connection with the home. Viv.
A newspaper image from when the Hall first opened as a convalescent home for mothers and babies.
A timeline below of the Hall and it’s use between 1919 to 1993. The information was extracted from the British Newspaper Archives.
7/6/1919 City of Birmingham decided to buy the Hall and 78 acres of parkland (Birmingham Gazette)
12/10/1920 the Hall opened as a civic convalescent home for mothers and their babies at a nominal charge of 10 shillings per week. Mothers convalesced for 2 weeks (Birmingham Gazette)
14/8/1939 accommodation for 24 mother and babies (under 6 months), particularly those from congested parts of the city, for 2 week convalescence. Originally only babies with a mother were accommodated, but some were admitted without a mother at this time (due to mother’s illness or lack of accommodation) (Birmingham Gazette)
8/3/1941 the Hall was a City of Birmingham convalescent home for mother and babies (Birmingham Mail)
29/8/1956 the Hall was a City of Birmingham combined children’s home and residential nursery (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
12/9/1960 still City of Birmingham combined children’s home and nursery for 35 children of all ages. Family grouping was in operation (Birmingham Post)
6/4/1967 still owned by City of Birmingham, the Hall accommodated 35 children (Birmingham Post)
31/10/1991 the Hall was occupied by Birmingham City Council’s North Juvenile Justice Team (Sandwell Evening Mail)
4/3/1993 still occupied by Birmingham City Council’s North Juvenile Justice team helping young offenders and their families (Evening Mail)
A timeline below of the Hall and it’s use between 1919 to 1993. The information was extracted from the British Newspaper Archives.
7/6/1919 City of Birmingham decided to buy the Hall and 78 acres of parkland (Birmingham Gazette)
12/10/1920 the Hall opened as a civic convalescent home for mothers and their babies at a nominal charge of 10 shillings per week. Mothers convalesced for 2 weeks (Birmingham Gazette)
14/8/1939 accommodation for 24 mother and babies (under 6 months), particularly those from congested parts of the city, for 2 week convalescence. Originally only babies with a mother were accommodated, but some were admitted without a mother at this time (due to mother’s illness or lack of accommodation) (Birmingham Gazette)
8/3/1941 the Hall was a City of Birmingham convalescent home for mother and babies (Birmingham Mail)
29/8/1956 the Hall was a City of Birmingham combined children’s home and residential nursery (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
12/9/1960 still City of Birmingham combined children’s home and nursery for 35 children of all ages. Family grouping was in operation (Birmingham Post)
6/4/1967 still owned by City of Birmingham, the Hall accommodated 35 children (Birmingham Post)
31/10/1991 the Hall was occupied by Birmingham City Council’s North Juvenile Justice Team (Sandwell Evening Mail)
4/3/1993 still occupied by Birmingham City Council’s North Juvenile Justice team helping young offenders and their families (Evening Mail)
I used to long term foster, around 1984/85 we were heading for a breakdown in a placement of a teenager. Not that we realised it at the time, but let’s just say things were becoming rocky.
After one incident our placement had to spend a weekend at PHH to give us all a break. Looking back on the thread I did not realise around that time it was for difficult teenagers.
Looking back around that time around fostering a bit more training and input from social services could have saved a lot of heartache.
After one incident our placement had to spend a weekend at PHH to give us all a break. Looking back on the thread I did not realise around that time it was for difficult teenagers.
Looking back around that time around fostering a bit more training and input from social services could have saved a lot of heartache.
Carehomekid
New Member
Excuse me i was one of those kids who resided there and i was not a difficult child, infact i was bullied alot daily
Was only placed there because there was no where at the time to go.
I ended up going to 45 Sutton rd.
I recall chalkie, Dog when we went out on camping trips.
Angela my housing officer.
Loved the place just not the time there.
A part of me is still painted on the wall in the art room when we could paint pics on the wall
This was the Hall in 1929 when it was a mother and baby home. Lovely setting to recuperate in after giving birth.
In 1924 someone was either moving in or out ! Presumably this was the front view, whereas #47 was the rear of the Hall.
The same view in 1944
The same view in 1944
Cath ullah
New Member
This is a long shot but my Dad and his siblings (Ullah Family) were in this home in the late 50s and 60s. Kenny Richards who commented back in 2011 on this thread mentioned them. Trying to make contact with anyone that was in the home during that period of time.
RRJ
Brummie Boomer
I remember a David Ullah from Paget Rd school in the late sixties mainly because he was a great footballer. He used to run rings around our PE teacher ( Jones? ) when playing five a side in the gym. The boys all thought he'd have a career playing footy as he was that good.
Cath ullah
New Member
Mark Tooze
master brummie
Did your Uncle Dave used to work for Dunlop in the IT department?
Cath ullah
New Member
Yes he did indeed!
Donkeys at Pype Hayes Hall children's home.
I was a child in care at Pype Hayes Hall from 1957 until I left in 1970. On reading this forum a popular topic was the donkey kept in the grounds of the home as a pet for the children. The donkey had a stable at the bottom of the garden at the rear of the premises. There were two donkeys associated with the children’s home, the first one was called Tiny and is referred to as Tiny 1. From information available on this site and the Birmingham Post Tiny 1 was at the Home from at least 1952.
Tiny 1 was very occasionally harnessed and used to give rides to the children in Pype Hayes Park. I only remember this happening once. Its not easy to harness a donkey unless you are very familiar with harnessing. In 1962 Tiny 1 sadly died at the age of 23 after 10 years at the home and I remember watching with morbid fascination the body being dragged by ropes and tractor to the recovery lorry.
In 1962 as evidenced by the Birmingham Post a new donkey was gifted to the Children’s Home, according to the Homes matron Mrs Joan Carlisle the children naturally called it Tiny and so is referred to as Tiny 2 to distinguish it from the previous one. The donkey was a 19 week old roan mare. Tiny 2 was a gift from donkey breeder and donkey rides on the beach operative Mr Don Trapnell of Weston Super Mare. The gift was formally given by the Lord Mayor of Weston Super Mare to the Lord Mayor of Birmingham at the Council House in Birmingham on August 8th 1962.
Later that day Tiny was driven to Pype Hayes Hall where all the children and staff, myself included, were on the front drive to meet Tiny. There was great excitement amongst children and staff and much petting of Tiny as she was warmly welcomed to her new home, still wearing her pretty ribbon festooned hat, which had been specially chosen to make Tiny look especially attractive during her handover.
As a pet at the home, the new Tiny, although greatly admired and appreciated, had not the temperament and training to be around young children, She had a tendency to nip or even kick if you stood behind her. I believe she was difficult to harness, if at all.
I would sometimes sit on her back but she reacted by braying, taking a few steps and then weeing on the floor. Most children were a little afraid of her and kept out of the way. The older children myself included often did the mucking out of the stable and hay feeding. Tiny often stood for ages at the back door looking wistfully into the dining room. One day someone left the door open and Tiny came into the dining room slipping and sliding on the parquet floor, much to the consternation of staff and the amusement of children.
I left the Home in 1970 and Tiny was still there, I understand that because of her unreliability with children she was eventually moved on to a donkey sanctuary. This would have been the best outcome for the poor girl, as the Home wasn’t really a suitable place for her. I really do hope she enjoyed her last few years and I’m sure she did.
I was a child in care at Pype Hayes Hall from 1957 until I left in 1970. On reading this forum a popular topic was the donkey kept in the grounds of the home as a pet for the children. The donkey had a stable at the bottom of the garden at the rear of the premises. There were two donkeys associated with the children’s home, the first one was called Tiny and is referred to as Tiny 1. From information available on this site and the Birmingham Post Tiny 1 was at the Home from at least 1952.
Tiny 1 was very occasionally harnessed and used to give rides to the children in Pype Hayes Park. I only remember this happening once. Its not easy to harness a donkey unless you are very familiar with harnessing. In 1962 Tiny 1 sadly died at the age of 23 after 10 years at the home and I remember watching with morbid fascination the body being dragged by ropes and tractor to the recovery lorry.
In 1962 as evidenced by the Birmingham Post a new donkey was gifted to the Children’s Home, according to the Homes matron Mrs Joan Carlisle the children naturally called it Tiny and so is referred to as Tiny 2 to distinguish it from the previous one. The donkey was a 19 week old roan mare. Tiny 2 was a gift from donkey breeder and donkey rides on the beach operative Mr Don Trapnell of Weston Super Mare. The gift was formally given by the Lord Mayor of Weston Super Mare to the Lord Mayor of Birmingham at the Council House in Birmingham on August 8th 1962.
Later that day Tiny was driven to Pype Hayes Hall where all the children and staff, myself included, were on the front drive to meet Tiny. There was great excitement amongst children and staff and much petting of Tiny as she was warmly welcomed to her new home, still wearing her pretty ribbon festooned hat, which had been specially chosen to make Tiny look especially attractive during her handover.
As a pet at the home, the new Tiny, although greatly admired and appreciated, had not the temperament and training to be around young children, She had a tendency to nip or even kick if you stood behind her. I believe she was difficult to harness, if at all.
I would sometimes sit on her back but she reacted by braying, taking a few steps and then weeing on the floor. Most children were a little afraid of her and kept out of the way. The older children myself included often did the mucking out of the stable and hay feeding. Tiny often stood for ages at the back door looking wistfully into the dining room. One day someone left the door open and Tiny came into the dining room slipping and sliding on the parquet floor, much to the consternation of staff and the amusement of children.
I left the Home in 1970 and Tiny was still there, I understand that because of her unreliability with children she was eventually moved on to a donkey sanctuary. This would have been the best outcome for the poor girl, as the Home wasn’t really a suitable place for her. I really do hope she enjoyed her last few years and I’m sure she did.
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PETER FARRELL
Brummie babby
Are you Roy's Daughter?
Cath ullah
New Member
Hi, no I am Roy’s niece. Micheal is my Dad (who posted a pic of himself on the donkey above).
PETER FARRELL
Brummie babby
Oh I see. Roy went to Italy didn't he to open a restaurant. David I think still lives in Wylde Green.
Pype Hayes Hall children's Home organisation and staffing.
Pype Hayes Hall children’s home was set up in 1954 by Birmingham City Council Social Services Department to house children coming into care. Its previous use had been as a residential mother and baby facility. I was a resident from 1957-70
The purpose of the Home was to accommodate families together and avoid splitting the siblings up and thus mitigate any further stress to the already fragile state of the children. The Home could accommodate up to 35 children from the ages of 0-17 years.
A married couple managed the Home employed by Birmingham City Council children’s Dept this was Mrs Joan Carlisle who was designated as Matron, she had a background in nursing and her husband Mr Norman Carlisle who was designated as superintendent of the Home. Mr and Mrs Carlisle both came originally from Hull in Yorkshire.
The Home was divided into four sections, three nurseries for under fives and a school room for children of school age. The Nurseries were called Woodlands, Moorlands and Birdland. The Home could cater for 35 children, usually 5-6 in each nursery and 20 school age children. The children of school age attended the local Primary school Paget Road or Paget Road secondary school. On Sunday children put on their Sunday best clothes and attended Pype Hayes Congregational church on Chester Road.
The nurseries were staffed by qualified staff. These were trained or trainee nursery nurses. They were a mix of residential or day staff, the trainees may have been as young as 16 years. I believe they were qualified as NNEB’s. The under 5’s obviously needed 24 hour care, hence the need for staff to be residential.
The school room staff I believe were not necessarily qualified, they came from all over the UK, including Scotland and Wales. The fact that the positions came with accommodation made it attractive for those moving from areas where jobs were not plentiful. All staff regardless of qualifications were called nurses by the children and were known by their first names. I presume staff were given on the job training if they weren't qualified.
The staff duties were to supervise children during the day, including getting up, bathtime and bedtime, taking children to and from school, supervising meals etc.The staff were constantly mending socks and sewing on buttons and ironing, so were always busy.
The Home provided breakfast, lunch and evening meal, which was courtesy of two cooks Isabel and Enid who worked shifts and also had the use of accommodation when they worked early or late. Isobel came from Barbados and was working to support family back home.
There was also a laundry room to cater for the large amount of laundry required, operated by Joyce the laundry lady.
A handy man was employed to look after repair and maintenance and general handyman/caretaker duties. In the late 1950’s this was Mr Owen, his domain was a large outhouse in the back garden where all the tools of his trade were kept, together with donkey harness and myriad bits and pieces and junk from the ages. Mt Owen retired and one or two replacements came, the last handyman I remember was called Richard, he was a bit of a bodybuilder and gymnast and organised a gym club in the garden for children, he even built a vaulting horse for us to use.
The gardens at the side of the home were formally laid out and extended down to the pond, these were maintained by the Parks Department gardners. There were often romantic relationships between the female staff of the Home and the gardners, including several marriages.
Pype Hayes Hall children’s home was set up in 1954 by Birmingham City Council Social Services Department to house children coming into care. Its previous use had been as a residential mother and baby facility. I was a resident from 1957-70
The purpose of the Home was to accommodate families together and avoid splitting the siblings up and thus mitigate any further stress to the already fragile state of the children. The Home could accommodate up to 35 children from the ages of 0-17 years.
A married couple managed the Home employed by Birmingham City Council children’s Dept this was Mrs Joan Carlisle who was designated as Matron, she had a background in nursing and her husband Mr Norman Carlisle who was designated as superintendent of the Home. Mr and Mrs Carlisle both came originally from Hull in Yorkshire.
The Home was divided into four sections, three nurseries for under fives and a school room for children of school age. The Nurseries were called Woodlands, Moorlands and Birdland. The Home could cater for 35 children, usually 5-6 in each nursery and 20 school age children. The children of school age attended the local Primary school Paget Road or Paget Road secondary school. On Sunday children put on their Sunday best clothes and attended Pype Hayes Congregational church on Chester Road.
The nurseries were staffed by qualified staff. These were trained or trainee nursery nurses. They were a mix of residential or day staff, the trainees may have been as young as 16 years. I believe they were qualified as NNEB’s. The under 5’s obviously needed 24 hour care, hence the need for staff to be residential.
The school room staff I believe were not necessarily qualified, they came from all over the UK, including Scotland and Wales. The fact that the positions came with accommodation made it attractive for those moving from areas where jobs were not plentiful. All staff regardless of qualifications were called nurses by the children and were known by their first names. I presume staff were given on the job training if they weren't qualified.
The staff duties were to supervise children during the day, including getting up, bathtime and bedtime, taking children to and from school, supervising meals etc.The staff were constantly mending socks and sewing on buttons and ironing, so were always busy.
The Home provided breakfast, lunch and evening meal, which was courtesy of two cooks Isabel and Enid who worked shifts and also had the use of accommodation when they worked early or late. Isobel came from Barbados and was working to support family back home.
There was also a laundry room to cater for the large amount of laundry required, operated by Joyce the laundry lady.
A handy man was employed to look after repair and maintenance and general handyman/caretaker duties. In the late 1950’s this was Mr Owen, his domain was a large outhouse in the back garden where all the tools of his trade were kept, together with donkey harness and myriad bits and pieces and junk from the ages. Mt Owen retired and one or two replacements came, the last handyman I remember was called Richard, he was a bit of a bodybuilder and gymnast and organised a gym club in the garden for children, he even built a vaulting horse for us to use.
The gardens at the side of the home were formally laid out and extended down to the pond, these were maintained by the Parks Department gardners. There were often romantic relationships between the female staff of the Home and the gardners, including several marriages.
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Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home Christmas.
Christmas at the children’s Home was a special time. On Christmas morning the children woke excitedly to find on the foot of their beds a pillow case containing presents. There were also Christmas cards addressed to them from “aunties and uncles “, these together with some of the presents were probably from Santa via the charitable arm of Joseph Lucas Aston, who had a close connection with Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home from the late 1950’s to the end of the 1960’s. Other presents would have been purchased on the Home’s budget.
Following the excitement of opening presents and playing with them, the next main event was Christmas dinner. This took place in the main dining room. On the menu was a once in a year treat of roast chicken with all the associated vegetables of a roast dinner. Chicken was of course in those days a very expensive luxury, only usually reserved for special occasions. As the christmas dinner was served, the cooks Isobel and Enid looked on proudly from the serving hatch to see how well their early morning labours were being appreciated.
After the main course. traditional Christmas pudding was served sometimes flamed, but the amazing thing for us children was the fact that there were sixpences inserted into the pudding. These were highly prized as sixpence was the equivalent of our weekly pocket money allowance.
Also in the dining room was a large Christmas tree decorated with chocolates and baubles, although you weren’t allowed to help yourself from the tree we devised a system of opening the chocolate wrapper eating half of it and then carefully replacing the wrapper to look as if it hadn’t been tampered with. I’m sure this trick was replicated in many households. Finally after Christmas dinner it was time to play with your new presents, before retiring to bed, tired but content.
Christmas at the children’s Home was a special time. On Christmas morning the children woke excitedly to find on the foot of their beds a pillow case containing presents. There were also Christmas cards addressed to them from “aunties and uncles “, these together with some of the presents were probably from Santa via the charitable arm of Joseph Lucas Aston, who had a close connection with Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home from the late 1950’s to the end of the 1960’s. Other presents would have been purchased on the Home’s budget.
Following the excitement of opening presents and playing with them, the next main event was Christmas dinner. This took place in the main dining room. On the menu was a once in a year treat of roast chicken with all the associated vegetables of a roast dinner. Chicken was of course in those days a very expensive luxury, only usually reserved for special occasions. As the christmas dinner was served, the cooks Isobel and Enid looked on proudly from the serving hatch to see how well their early morning labours were being appreciated.
After the main course. traditional Christmas pudding was served sometimes flamed, but the amazing thing for us children was the fact that there were sixpences inserted into the pudding. These were highly prized as sixpence was the equivalent of our weekly pocket money allowance.
Also in the dining room was a large Christmas tree decorated with chocolates and baubles, although you weren’t allowed to help yourself from the tree we devised a system of opening the chocolate wrapper eating half of it and then carefully replacing the wrapper to look as if it hadn’t been tampered with. I’m sure this trick was replicated in many households. Finally after Christmas dinner it was time to play with your new presents, before retiring to bed, tired but content.
“Amazing walks” at Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home.
I read with interest the post by Kenny Richards, posted Sept 27th 2011, regarding his time as a resident at the Home. He recalled, amongst other memories, ”some amazing walks”. Kenny left the home in 1963 when I was there as a resident, aged 10 or 11. I thought it would be interesting to elaborate on what Kenny meant by amazing walks.
During the summer months, occasionally on a Saturday afternoon, those children who were of school age and wished to do so could opt to go on a long walk to somewhere interesting. These walks were led by an unpaid volunteer called Mike, who had something to do with Anstey Teacher training College at New Oscott. Mike was around 30 and his cheerful and encouraging manner contributed to the enjoyment of the walks, together with the jovial atmosphere of the children, enjoying banter and gossipping, avoiding or stepping on the joints in the pavement and the interesting destinations.I can remember three particular favourite destinations.
The first was Sutton Park, which was a minimum of 6 miles there and back, plus the running around we did at the park. Once in the park, the more boisterous of us used to charge around in the woods, exploring and having enormous fun. We would stop for a rest and Mike would pull out his rucksack for us to fill with leafmould from the woods to take back to his garden. Of course carrying it was a weighty affair on the way home, which we took in turns. Sometimes Mike would bring his girlfriend along who later became his wife.
Our second favourite walk was across Pype Hayes Park and into Penns Lane and then across the fields below Penns Hall to a particular spot we called the crab apple tree, where there was indeed an apple tree bearing rather sour fruit, which we tasted nevertheless. As we crossed the fields, we kept an eye open for cows which grazed there. We used to warn the younger children that there was a bull in the field and to be very careful if they were wearing anything red, as the bull was bound to be annoyed and charge them. This wind up caused a flutter amongst the newbies to our amusement.
Finally our third favourite walk was across Pype Hayes park, along the Walmley Road to Walmley village and then right into Fox Hollies Road, which we called conker whitegate, because of the conker trees there. I believe there is a wood there called Jones’s wood. It was in this wood that we reached our destination, a pine wood with a soft carpet of pine needles. Of particular interest to us was a pine tree with short broken branches all the way up the trunk, like a ladder. We called it the Flash Gordon tree after a particular episode of Flash Gordon, in which he climbed a similar tree in one of the episodes on television which was in black and white of course. It was our ambition to climb the Flash Gordon tree, but we never could as it was too high off the ground to scramble up.
Another contributor to the Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home thread, Gerryb1962 on May 24th 2020 wrote about picking blackberries for the cook to make blackberry pie. This is indeed what we used to do in the Autumn. We walked to the canal at the back of the Tyburn House pub where blackberry bushes abounded. Arriving back at the Home with purple mouths and bags of blackberries, the cook then produced blackberry pie for tea. I do remember the abundance of white grubs in the blackberries, so I hope they were well washed.
When Mike left he was replaced by another volunteer called Tony and the walks continued in the same manner. Tony was equally as popular as Mike and the walks were just as popular. Both volunteers left many precious memories for the children of Pype Hayes, Home which is a great testimony to their generous contribution.
I read with interest the post by Kenny Richards, posted Sept 27th 2011, regarding his time as a resident at the Home. He recalled, amongst other memories, ”some amazing walks”. Kenny left the home in 1963 when I was there as a resident, aged 10 or 11. I thought it would be interesting to elaborate on what Kenny meant by amazing walks.
During the summer months, occasionally on a Saturday afternoon, those children who were of school age and wished to do so could opt to go on a long walk to somewhere interesting. These walks were led by an unpaid volunteer called Mike, who had something to do with Anstey Teacher training College at New Oscott. Mike was around 30 and his cheerful and encouraging manner contributed to the enjoyment of the walks, together with the jovial atmosphere of the children, enjoying banter and gossipping, avoiding or stepping on the joints in the pavement and the interesting destinations.I can remember three particular favourite destinations.
The first was Sutton Park, which was a minimum of 6 miles there and back, plus the running around we did at the park. Once in the park, the more boisterous of us used to charge around in the woods, exploring and having enormous fun. We would stop for a rest and Mike would pull out his rucksack for us to fill with leafmould from the woods to take back to his garden. Of course carrying it was a weighty affair on the way home, which we took in turns. Sometimes Mike would bring his girlfriend along who later became his wife.
Our second favourite walk was across Pype Hayes Park and into Penns Lane and then across the fields below Penns Hall to a particular spot we called the crab apple tree, where there was indeed an apple tree bearing rather sour fruit, which we tasted nevertheless. As we crossed the fields, we kept an eye open for cows which grazed there. We used to warn the younger children that there was a bull in the field and to be very careful if they were wearing anything red, as the bull was bound to be annoyed and charge them. This wind up caused a flutter amongst the newbies to our amusement.
Finally our third favourite walk was across Pype Hayes park, along the Walmley Road to Walmley village and then right into Fox Hollies Road, which we called conker whitegate, because of the conker trees there. I believe there is a wood there called Jones’s wood. It was in this wood that we reached our destination, a pine wood with a soft carpet of pine needles. Of particular interest to us was a pine tree with short broken branches all the way up the trunk, like a ladder. We called it the Flash Gordon tree after a particular episode of Flash Gordon, in which he climbed a similar tree in one of the episodes on television which was in black and white of course. It was our ambition to climb the Flash Gordon tree, but we never could as it was too high off the ground to scramble up.
Another contributor to the Pype Hayes Hall children’s Home thread, Gerryb1962 on May 24th 2020 wrote about picking blackberries for the cook to make blackberry pie. This is indeed what we used to do in the Autumn. We walked to the canal at the back of the Tyburn House pub where blackberry bushes abounded. Arriving back at the Home with purple mouths and bags of blackberries, the cook then produced blackberry pie for tea. I do remember the abundance of white grubs in the blackberries, so I hope they were well washed.
When Mike left he was replaced by another volunteer called Tony and the walks continued in the same manner. Tony was equally as popular as Mike and the walks were just as popular. Both volunteers left many precious memories for the children of Pype Hayes, Home which is a great testimony to their generous contribution.
