Aston Commercial School Holte Grammar

[nezbleu]

hi - a former pupil Janet James (known as Jesse) sent me this - she is the lady/girl in flowery dress. its from a day trip in 1955 9 she dates it as such - as said they left dec 55) my dad Lewis Wright is the tall guy middle row, pleat dark trousers with girls on either side of him ( well ones popping head around)
anyone else on here??

janet said my dads friends she remembers were phil hollins and a 'snowy'. only person i really know was john hipkiss, who we used to see at blues games, when i went with dad.

 

[Astoness]

what a wonderful photo thanks for sharing it with us all

lyn

 

[Vivienne14]

A school trip to inspect Birmingham’s water supply in 1936. Viv.

Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[SDUG]

I went to Prince Albert Primary up the road in the 60s/70s and we all knew this as "the Annexe". I had some of my lessons there and I think my form class was in the Annexe for a year. I have been racking my brains and searching trying to find what this school was originally called since old maps aren't actually much help here. It just seemed a bit more old fashioned than the main primary school, which had some modern extensions and it also felt colder inside during the winter months. It also felt oddly detached from the main school in its atmosphere, like we were visting some other school. I didn't particularly like it at the time once the novelty wore off and was glad to get back to Albert Rd.

Now it seems to be Broadway Comprehensive, of which the original site itself in Witton is now an academy, whatever that branding really means. The Annexe wasn't a huge school and Broadway Comp was, so not sure how it's all working out now.

Aston Manor was a different secondary school over by what was Vicarage road way before it was pulled down as far as I can remember although I never ventured past KEGS. As for Holte Grammar, wasn't that what became Holte Comprehensive over in Wheeler St, Lozells? My sisters went there.

 

[sandrada]

Holte Grammar was previously Aston Commercial School and certainly was known as Aston Commercial in the 1920s and up to early 1950s. Hope this helps

 

[SDUG]

So, nothing to do with the comprehensive that took its name in the 70s? I always thought they were one and the same.

 

[sandrada]

I went there 1959 to 1966 and it was known as as Aston Grammar Commercial and later Holte Grammar Commercial. I dont know about its subsequent history other than it later moved to the Lozells area and believe it was a Comprehensive by then

 

[SDUG]

Ok. I am going to try a timeline based on what I have found from this thread and a search or two.

1900-1915 The Higher Elemental School, Aston Manor. (Aston Manor being the ward, not the name of the school)
1915-1960 Aston Commercial School
1960-1970 Holte Grammar/Commercial School
1971- xxxx Prince Albert Primary School Annexe
xxxx- 2011 Broadway Comprehensive School

will edit if I get more info.

 

[sandrada]

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/10e009b1-75a9-447e-b062-b806444ef2e7. Does this help you?

 

[SDUG]

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/10e009b1-75a9-447e-b062-b806444ef2e7. Does this help you?

Not really. I saw this on the Holte Grammar webpage. The two archived logs don't really span many years but the archivists confirmed some of the useful transition dates. I am guessing, since the last edition of the schoolpaper, the Axe, came out in 1970 and the headmaster's note within confirmed some reorganisation controversy that the move (to Lozells?) must have happened from 1971 onwards and the building was then given to Prince Albert. This seems about right as I would have been eight or nine when I was in the Annexe.

Not sure when Broadway took it over but I would suppose sometime in the noughties only to move back out to Birchfield in 2011. I think it has been empty ever since.

 

[sandrada]

I attended Holte from 1958 to 1965 and was part of the first 11+ entry when the school changed it's name from Aston Commercial. I spent 7 happy years and especially enjoyed the 6 Form. I kept in touch for number of years but as time has marched on I have lost contact.

Have you seen the group on Facebook? There are a few posts relating to the time you were there .

 

[Brummie Bev]

Just joined the site went to Holte Grammer 1966 till 1971 was a brilliant school remembered Head and dep head my form teacher was Mr Ashworth music teacher. We went to the new school combined with other school to become comp..? Wrong year for us to take exams -then it was a soul less place. Stayed in lower 6th to retake exams then left to do nursing eventually left Birmingham in 74. Saw old photos of school in sorry state on another site

 

[Brummie Bev]

I would really like to Download these 2 photos and include them on the Holte/ACS website that I created. Although I doubt there's anybody around now who can identify the people in the photographs.
https://holtegrammarcommercialschool.000webhostapp.com/Holtndx.html

I really hope this reaches you ,I have only just joined the site and found your copy of the Axe from 1971 with the photos of the play. I spotted my old friend Elaine Taylor as a fairy and other names of friends at the Swimming gala. I remember our swimming lessons were at Victoria Road baths(old Victorian baths) then later at Newtown new swimming pool. We used to have to walk to some sports field for our sports lessons can’t remember the name not far from Perry Barr if I’m correct. I used to hate those fields especially in winter when the winds blew! It brought back happy memories of the whole school wish I had kept my copy of magazine lost in the tracks of time! Thanks again for the memories Best wishes

 

[albertpowell]

Have you seen the group on Facebook? There are a few posts relating to the time you were there .

I am not on Facebook but have had a lot of contact with the Group. I was at Holte 1958-1965 and my three sisters Lesley Simpson/Georgina Simpson and Deborah Simpson followed me. In fact my middle sister Georgina went to Warwick University ( Coventry ) and after obtaining a BSc returned to teach at the School ( Married and became Georgina Glover ). You may wonder about my different surname! My father died before I was born and I was brought up as a Simpson but my surname was never altered. When school friends visited it always caused confusion when they addressed my " dad" as Mr Powell!!. Let me if I can help with any further info.

 

[Brummie Bev]

I am not on Facebook but have had a lot of contact with the Group. I was at Holte 1958-1965 and my three sisters Lesley Simpson/Georgina Simpson and Deborah Simpson followed me. In fact my middle sister Georgina went to Warwick University ( Coventry ) and after obtaining a BSc returned to teach at the School ( Married and became Georgina Glover ). You may wonder about my different surname! My father died before I was born and I was brought up as a Simpson but my surname was never altered. When school friends visited it always caused confusion when they addressed my " dad" as Mr Powell!!. Let me if I can help with any further info.

Hi many thanks for your reply .I do remember Georgia She did well for herself! Like you I,m not on Facebook ,years ago I found some on the old Friends Reunited site but after a couple of messages it dried up with contacts.
I really enjoyed Holte before the move to Wheeler St, couldn’t wait to get away then! I did nursing at Royal Orthopeadic for a while then moved to Blood Transfusion Service then married and moved to Germany as my husband was in the Army. Over the years lost contact with friends mainly Elaine Taylor and Carmel Shortland looked at the old place on Google it looks very sad nobody in there now? As relatives have all gone now I don’t get to Birmingham now but the accents still there! Again many thanks for your message!

 

[Brummie Bev]

Hi many thanks for your reply .I do remember Georgia She did well for herself! Like you I,m not on Facebook ,years ago I found some on the old Friends Reunited site but after a couple of messages it dried up with contacts.
I really enjoyed Holte before the move to Wheeler St, couldn’t wait to get away then! I did nursing at Royal Orthopeadic for a while then moved to Blood Transfusion Service then married and moved to Germany as my husband was in the Army. Over the years lost contact with friends mainly Elaine Taylor and Carmel Shortland looked at the old place on Google it looks very sad nobody in there now? As relatives have all gone now I don’t get to Birmingham now but the accents still there! Again many thanks for your message!

I am not on Facebook but have had a lot of contact with the Group. I was at Holte 1958-1965 and my three sisters Lesley Simpson/Georgina Simpson and Deborah Simpson followed me. In fact my middle sister Georgina went to Warwick University ( Coventry ) and after obtaining a BSc returned to teach at the School ( Married and became Georgina Glover ). You may wonder about my different surname! My father died before I was born and I was brought up as a Simpson but my surname was never altered. When school friends visited it always caused confusion when they addressed my " dad" as Mr Powell!!. Let me if I can help with any further info.

After all that Albert I forgot to give you my name! It’s Bev Weston then now Bev Dickson and I was in Mr Ashworth,s form.

 

[albertpowell]

After all that Albert I forgot to give you my name! It’s Bev Weston then now Bev Dickson and I was in Mr Ashworth,s form.

Bev, it was nice to read your comments. You started at Holte after I left and I was never on the new site. I have happy memories of the old site with the separate entries for boys and girls. My sister Lesley married Jeff Finnemore who was in the year above me and was one of the last 13+ intakes. Later they divorced. I am no good at languages but took French and Russian. I can always remember Mr Morris the French teacher saying " Powell if you can pass French anybody can--I did!!" In the 6th Form I took Law and Economics at A level and book keeping and accounts at O level. After leaving school and with no idea what it was I went into insurance merely because the advert in the Birmingham Mail said the insurance company had vacancies in their claims dept and I thought Law would help-it did. A potted history--spent 24 years with the company ( claims clerk/senior clerk/section leader/claims inspector/chief claims inspector. Based in Birmingham/Ipswich/Wolverhampton and back to Birmingham. In 1969 I left and went to work for a firm of solicitors who wanted me for my insurance knowledge. With different firms I qualified and became a solicitor ( legal exec/associate/senior associate/partner/consultant). I retired after another 24 years. Currently living in Sutton Coldfield.
Although I never went to University full time I studied a lot and obtained a number of qualifications and lectured at Central University part time as well as being an Examiner etc for the insurance industry.
When I found this site I had subsequent emails with Dennis Moody who is part of the Facebook Group who posted a lot of the emails I sent to him on the their site. I am sure he could help you with more info.
Albert
A.E.Powell F.C.I.I.,B.A.,LL.B.,LL.M.,A.C.I.Arb.
Solicitor ( retired )
Chartered Insurer retired )

 

[mixed memories]

I remember Miss Chatwin but not as headmistress. I was there from 1956 to 1959 when the head was C Normington Mitchell and Mr Mordecai was deputy (with Miss Chatwin perhaps). The wooden huts where we went camping were at Bell End near Belbroughton.
I have school photos for some of those years.

 

[Nonny Mouse]

My late cousin was there also, Sheila Gray (born 1932)......I have one of those very long school photos (with her in it), where it featured the whole school (over 2')

I'm rather late to this thread, but I am trying to track down a Sheila Gray mentioned on the back of a photograph.

 

[Ivy]

One of the founder members of the group Terry "Geyser" Butler went to the same school as myself and was in the next year up. The school was Holte Grammar Commercial School in Whitehead Road Aston. I have a website for it at https://members.lycos.co.uk/holte61

good luck with the research, I am still in touch with some of Geyser's old classmates

His nickname was actually Geezer and he was in the above me too when Mr Mitchell was the headmaster with Mr Mordecai and Mrs Chatwin as deputy headmaster and mistress respectively.

 

[fiona50]

I went there from 1970 and I loved it. Mr Ashworth was our form teacher and also English too. Viona Hawkins nee Brace form 1 Alpha!