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Spring Hill roller rink

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
A lot has been written on spring hill ice rink. but it later became a rollar rink. does anyone have any memories. i used to go there in the late 60s early 70s. me an my mates would jump the no 8 bus from nursery road at least 4 or 5 times a week. if memory serves i am sure that the DJ les ross started his days there. i will never forget the night we all turned up as usual and found it all boarded up. no warning was given. to say we were gutted is an understatment. birmingham needs another rollar rink. i for one would give it another go if only for the nostalgia of the good old days. wales
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi again. further to my last post. i was wondering if any of you out there had any photos of the inside of spring hill rollar rink. i have noticed there are quite a few on the site taken when it was an ice rink but none when it was rollar. i am in touch with someone who is writing a biography of one of the young DJ's who worked there in the 60s. he is still a DJ now living in australia. many thanks if you can help. wales
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

i met my husband at the roller rink.(still married after 35 yrs). l used to go a couple of times a week and loved the all night sessions they sometimes had.
also enjoyed the figure of eight sessions where you all had to skate round at high speed and avoid one another at the centre of the figure of eight. i got some nasty injuries there!
les ross was a dj there. very happy memories. chris
 
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hi christine. nice to find someone who also went to the rollar rink. yes i remember the night sessions very well. i also remember when we formed a chain and went speeding round the rink. it was hang on time if you were on the end of the chain. ive seen many a broken bone. i do know les ross was a dj there. but do you also remember a young dj called frankie. i do. anyway thats the one whos who this biography is being written about. i could do with inside the rink photos. maybe someone will come up with something soon. if you go to the springhill ice rink thread there is a picture of the outside. i am sure it will bring back memories to you. if you cant find it send me a private message with your email address and i will send it to you that way. by the way where did you live at that time. wales.
 
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hi wales, i lived in witton then and worked at the gec electric ave
i do remember the chains but i didnt often join in on that one. wasnt good enough. i used to go with my friend moira. i ll have to ask her about the dj. cant remember myself. do you remember the halloween nights they had as well. very scary for the young girls as all the ghosts, etc jumped out on us. will look at the picture. chris
 
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hi chris. i must have missed the haloweens. dont know how as i used to go at least 5 times a week. dont blame you for not putting your hand up for the speed chain. it was pretty dangerous. prob would not be allowed it these days due to the health and safely regs. i lived in hockley at the time. i remember the very short skating skirts we used to wear. they raised the odd eybrow with the lads. let me know what you think of the photo. any probs send me a message. ps i live not far from you. im in kingstanding. wales
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

:cool:
can i join in?, i used to go to the roller rink with my friend Marlene Robinson, we caught the 55 bus from Shard End to the city centre then walked the rest of the way, we only did sat. afternoons we were only about 13/14 at the time.
we loved going there, we even wrote to Birmingham council as to why it was closed and where were we to go for pleasure, their reply was there is always the museums ugh!
when i hear the golden oldies on the radio now, particularly "i heard it through the grapevine" & "reach out i'll be there" images of those times come rolling back.
even now i'm tempted to buy a pair of roller skates just for old times sake, but theres no where to go.
oh well! dream on
love this site, check it out on tea breaks whilst i'm at work........
:rolleyes:
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

:)hi jen. course you can join in. you are very welcome. the more the merrier. great days wasnt they. i used to live there. a very sad day when it closed. given the chance i would still don on a pair of boots and give it a go ha ha. if you would like to private message me your e mail address and you are interested i will send you a photo of the rink. it was taken just before it changed from ice to rollar. the memories came flooding back when i saw it. happy days. best wishes wales.:)
 
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hi chris. as an ex spring hiller and if you havnt already read it are you interested in coming to our 60s them night. dress in the style(complete with heavy make up lol) lots of 60s music via record player. you can read all about it at the top of the page under 60s them night. should be great to turn back time and have a laugh. best wishes wales.
 
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Hi Wales - I used to be one of those posers in the late 60's that never skated, just walked around the rink and drank in the bar. If I remember, the dj was called Doc something?

keith
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

keith so not only did we both attend farm st at the same time we were both a the rink at the same time too. we should have a lot to talk about when we meet up. o yer and we both like the man in a suitcase theme lol. so you were one of the posers that i used skate past at 90 mph were you. sorry i never said hi but at the time you were just a blur ha ha. have you seen the pics i have posted of the outside of the rink and one of the inside. (by the bar) wales.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

wales said:
keith so not only did we both attend farm st at the same time we were both a the rink at the same time too. we should have a lot to talk about when we meet up. o yer and we both like the man in a suitcase theme lol. so you were one of the posers that i used skate past at 90 mph were you. sorry i never said hi but at the time you were just a blur ha ha. have you seen the pics i have posted of the outside of the rink and one of the inside. (by the bar) wales.
Click to expand...


No Wales - where can I find them?
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

keith. as i couldnt remember ha ha ive had to have a look. before becoming a rollar rink it was originally an ice rink. so if you go to spring hill ice rink thread on page 8 is a pic of ice skaters outside what i think is the bar. if you look closely you can see a coca cola sign. here is the rink itself. just as i remember it. o happy days. wales. ps there are other pics on if you go through all the pages.
 
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My lasting memory of the roller rink is always falling over, yet when i went ice skating once I never fell over (thought it would be the other way round).

Great days--where is the nearest roller rink now?
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi malvern. no idea but maybe someone will know. the last one i went to was about 12 years ago and that was in wolverhampton. boy was it good to put on the boots again. wales.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi all...thanks to the forum i have been tracked down by a friend who i used to go to the rollar rink with 38 years ago...and 3 years ago she was found by another of our friends who also lived next door to me in villa st....i am very excited about this as sometime next month carol will travel from newcastle...pick up mary who lives in leeds and the pair of them will come to brum for a reunion..

we have managed to find a ladies rollar skating club here in birmingham and after i expained all about us girls meeting up again they were only to willing to let us join in one one of their practice days.

i shall not however be wearing the little short skating skirts that used to be a must in those days:rolleyes: going to buy meself a track suit i think.. apparently carol still has her skirt and mary still has her rollar boots....

i will be posting the time date and venue when we have it all arranged just in case any other of you ex rollar rinkers would care to join us...you are most welcome.....

just hope i can still stay upright:D:D:D

lyn




 
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Ho how lucky you are to be meeting up with old pals from the sport you loved, I to have met ex skaters from the ICE RINK DAYS at SPRINGHILL on the Forum & it brings back so many HAPPY MEMORIES.
Hope all goes well with the roller skating get together.
When you were Roller Skating at Springhill we had moveed on to skate at the OLD WINSOR THEATER BEARWOOD(The ice plant from Springhill was taken to the Winsor a long with some of the old rink staff)We then went on to SOLIHULL when it was completed.
 
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hi keith...what a stroke of luck it was finding each other after so many years...we really cant wait to meet up for old times sake and see if we can all stand up..lol...anyway i am stuffing a pillow down me trackies to ensure a solf landing:rolleyes:

i have read that the revamping of the silver blades is underway so you have no excuse for you not to give it a whirl again.....i may go and have a look at it myself for you cant beat the atmosphere of a proper rink be it rollar or ice......

i dare say i will post a couple of piccies for you all to have a good laff at....:D:D:D

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Hi Lyn, Well we have been on the ice at solihull be it few years ago now but due to my wife being knocked over one Saturday night & breaking her wrist, as a couple we have not been other than to see the Hockey Games.
I like Solihull it has the feel of the old Springhill,which is hard to find in todays rinks.
Re Springhill, we never had the good fortune to have a BAR in the rink in my day, as Phil has said in earlier posts, it was a run over the road with our skates on to the pub
 
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hi keith..i am sorry to hear of your wifes nasty accident..hope she is well now....if soliull has a good atmosphere i may just get meself overthere...yes i remember the bar at the roller rink...one night my friend mary came off the rink and we used to run up the steps to the bar but on this occasion i reckon she was going at speed and went straight through the bar doors...lol....something like that anyway.....looks like nowadays shin and knee pads are required for roller skating...never used them in my day but i supose its health and safety...i am going to look a right sight wearing them...:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

hi, was just reading the threads about the roller rink, have i missed the get together or what? i dont know if the old bones & nerves could take to skating again but as you've said to previous loggers, its a laugh!

regards
jen
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Mayfield said:
Hi Wales - I used to be one of those posers in the late 60's that never skated, just walked around the rink and drank in the bar. If I remember, the dj was called Doc something?

keith
Click to expand...
doc was the manager, when the roller rink closed he took over another roller rink near whiteheath off hagley rd near halesowen.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Mayfield said:
Hi Wales - I used to be one of those posers in the late 60's that never skated, just walked around the rink and drank in the bar. If I remember, the dj was called Doc something?

keith
Click to expand...
doc was the manager, when the roller rink closed he took over another roller rink near whiteheath off hagley rd near halesowen.afraid i cannot remember his last name, i think it may have been lindsay.
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

Doc Lindsay was indeed the manager at Spring Hill roller rink he was a good friend of my husband Michael or Mick as he was known. Doc's real name was Brian. I wonder where he is now!:rolleyes:
 
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There was no bar when I used to go ( early 50s ).A good thing...I was wobbley enough, without a drink,never mind with one.:rolleyes:
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

ahh yes ray..i remember the bar very well...not that i went in it of course....:D:D

lyn
 
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Seems like it was luxurious when it became a rollar rink, having a Bar. When it was an ice rink, we had to sneak out from the exit by the shop tip-toeing on our skates over to the pub. Can't remember the name of the pub, it had a tiled floor, but they used to have a special mat for us to stand on with our skates.:)
 
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oldmohawk...it may have been the summerhill tavern...thats the one we went in to drown our sorrows after we turned up one night to it all boarded up...not a by yer leave.....:(:(:(

lyn
 
Re: spring hill rollar rink

does anyone remember johnny stokes breaking the world record for staying in a barrel up the flagpole? when he came down he skated round the rink. I think he was up there for about 42 days wasn't it
 
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