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Baskerville residential school/ hospital Yewcroft School

  • Thread starter Thread starter webecca
  • Start date Start date
Hi I am Edward Powell, from Baskerville School, one of our classes at Baskerville School is doing a project on the old school,
so if you would any pictures or material please could I possibly have some, you may know Chris Owen who posted some
information on the site.
 
keny r said:
hi i lived there for 6 years 1968 , i rember the sunken garden and the woods and lots of daffs . it was yewcroft school when i was there , a man from the blind school over the road came over to tune the piano . i went back to see it but the scumbags had burnt it down .i have 3 photos of the old school . my mom was at baskerville. there was a new baskervill down from the old one . PM me if you wont the pics
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Hi Ken, I was there from 1970 till 1974 Geoff Woodcroft, surely I should remember you
 
I tried to reply in detail but it has got lost in the ether. Briefly:- My grandfather was Frederick Ryland 1845-1899. His great grandfather was William Ryland 1731-1810. William's brother was John 1726-1814, of the original Baskerville House destroyed in the Priestley riots of 1791. You will have seen the print of the ruined house in Views of the ruins of the principal houses destroyed during the riots at Birmingham (1791). I think John's line died with his granddaughter Louisa Anne Ryland, unmarried, who left a lot of her property to Birmingham city. My mother and her four sisters all lived in the later Baskerville House from about 1880 to the early 1920s.It was a late Victorian house, but I don't know whether my grandfather built it, but the date seem to fit. I would love to hear more.

Christopher Ryland Thompson, Edinburgh
chris@candat.plus.com
 
hi, I have just found this site all about 'Baskerville' I was resident there for nearly 4 years, 1947-1950, I remember Miss Jenkins-headmistress,Miss Rook-and Miss Constable-teachers,Nurse Bell-very nice and kind to us, Nurse Thomas, Sister Nichols, and the caretaker Mr. Burrows who lived at the house to the entrance in Court Oak Road, I can't remember any more, but does anyone remember 'Pluto' the big Golden Retriever. I was there recovering from Sydenhams Chorea. I can also remember some names of the other boys and girls, we had great fun there. red73.
 
Welcome to the forum red73

Here is a picture of Baskerville School.

scan0092.jpg
 
i suffered with rhumatic fever as a child and was sent to baskerville to converlescent i was there for about 6 months and we were given medical treatment as well as been schooled. I remember those trees well i used to sit beneath them and dream of going home cause i was so homesic.Apart from that we were treated well and i made a lot of friends.
 
I am also interested in Baskerville House, Harborne because my father, Sydney Pullinger (1899 - 1973) was an early patient/resident there in about 1909. He and an elder brother had been abandoned on the streets of Birmingham, where he contracted polio, or ricketts or possiby osteomyelitis - whatever he had his legs operated on and had a long stay of 2-3 years. While there he received the only formal education he had. I am researching a book on his life and want to verify some of the family stories about him. Does anyone know where the archives of Baskerville House/ Birmingham Crippled Childrens' Hospital (I think one of George Cadbury's Charities) are kept and whether the public has access to them? Thank you, Bryan Pullinger (formerly of Solihull now living in Cornwall)
 
I remember Mr Briggs the headmaster and Miss Dixon the 'Halfman' Peter Collins and other staff. The residents I knew where... Nancy Bowen, Mary Hardy, Mary Murray, Amanda Wassel, a girl called something Gibbons, Sean Russel, Alan Finan, Tony Prince, Paul Coates, Tony Faulkner, and some others.I used to be rather naughty then! Let me know your memories and who and what you remember.
 
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Julie you can right click and copy to your PC if Polly is happy with it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
SAM_1973.jpgHi Julie 1. I have 3 photos 2 black and white are from books I have on Birmingham, Old postcards by Andrew Maxam and Harborne second selection.
SAM_1966.jpg Like your self I am proud of my achievements from yewcroft where I didn't get proper schooling , I spent a lot of time with the girls and old taffy the gardner trimmings and cutting the grass round the school . I left before you came when I was 15 has I had a job .. I was their from about 68-74 . I joined the army with a lovely mate John O'Brian he sadly died aged 22 .
I became a security officer in the Birmingham side of the shopping center looking for IRA bombs then did the doors on the old taver and mulberry under the rotunda both got bombed. I became a minder for bands and whent on to become a bodyguard then whent into construction and know I do photography . Amazingly I meet prince Charles the qween and pop benedict blessed me and im not religious .. good luck with the photos I wish I had moor of the inside with all that beautiful wood know gone. my mother whent to the old Baskerville House long before me I still have many fond memories of the place sadly only ever meet 2 other people from their in all the years .


SAM_1974 small.jpg
 
I was a resident of this school from 1962 until 1964. I was sent there to convalesce after I got rheumatic fever. I was initially very sad and homesick and missed my family terribly but I made friends with a boy called John Whitehouse (a friendship which lasted well into my teens) who helped me recover so much that I would call the period I spent at Baskerville one of the happiest of my life. A poster on this thread David Seymour I remember well and also the people he mentioned and many more. One reason for the homesickness was that visits from family were restricted to only one two hour visit per fortnight and only two people per visit. The sweets left by visitors were put in a box and we were only allowed something from the box on rare occasions, I think only after tea on Sundays.
Like David, I recall Nurses Bell and Southall and there was also an Irish and Scottish nurse there whose names I have forgotten. The husband of the Irish nurse would sometimes take us Catholics up to St Mary's church in Harborne for Mass. Also, we would sometimes be taken on little trips to the Clent Hills and once to see Aston Villa play Manchester United. Villa won 2-1, Denis Law was sent off and I remember the shaven headed Derek Dougan.

The headmistress was Miss Jenkins who seemed very severe and from another era. She had quarters on the first floor and I remember going there to earn part of my Cubs housekeeper badge. I was part of a class she supervised preparing for the 11 plus. She tried very hard to inculcate us with Greek mythology and also English literature.

Teachers I remember were Miss Burfitt who had a broad Lancashire accent. She was very warm and kind and led the assembly for us Catholics every morrning. A Scottish teacher Mrs Faulkner gained a reputation for giving lines as a punishment. Mr Edwards who gave some of us lessons in elementary woodwork but one of my dearest memories was him giving chemistry lectures and demonstrations in his house which was separate from the main school building. Unfortunately, these were spoiled as he insisted on total silence and things usually descended into him bawling at the top of his voice, which was sad as he clearly worked very hard to prepare these lessons for us. There was also a tall female teacher with a deep voice who encouraged my first efforts at English composition.

We slept in large dormitories. After lights out, we would spend many happy hours listening on small 'transistor' radio's to pirate radio stations Caroline and London as well as Luxembourg. Some of us would go for nocturnal walks around the school grounds on exciting 'dares'. Sometimes we would even meet up with a party from the girls dormitories.

Other inmates I recall were Michael Noonan, whose sister Pat also worked at the school, Peter Stewart, Michael Ullah, Alistair Kavanagh, Pat Naughton, Janice Robinson, Michael White and Tony Douglas. There was a system of coloured badges which indicated how active or quiet you had to be which ranged from yellow with green stripe (quiet D) who had to only walk and talk quietly to green who could run and shout.

When you had a cold you were sent to a separate ward called Isolation until you were well again. We had different teachers to the rest of the school and I remember getting lessons in art from a teacher who taught us to closely observe the lovely garden scenes through the windows and try to paint them.

There was a room near the front door which was used as a TV room where we watched the very first episodes of Doctor Who and also Diskjock Jury (I'll give it foyve). This was near the magnificent entrance area which had a beautiful polished wooden floor and carved wooden staircase. The fireplace also was impressive which in the winter often had a real fire. On the first floor there was a banister which went all around. At Christmas the staff would all gather around this banister and together with us children sing Christmas carols before the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. It was here that I read in the morning newspaper about the death of President Kennedy.

It was really hard to begin with but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
 
Hi,
There's another thread runnung with information about the school - I think it's Baskerville Residential School / hospital.
Also you might be interested in this YouTube clip of the school in the 60's showing daily life in the school / hospital and the start of buildng work for the new school - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_AhnwNql4I - enjoy! Chris
 
Hi Chris, thanks a million for this clip of Baskerville, it brought back many memories of my 3 year stay there, left in 1950. Red 73..
 
I was at Baskerville school from 1955 to 62 l remember it with fond memories. I recall bonfire nights watching from our dormitories with hot chocolate, also the shows we put on l was a black & minstrel.
 
Hi, carol, nice to hear from you, I was there 1947 - 1950, I had sydenams chorea ( st viruses dance) most of the other guests I read about were there 1960s, you were there 5 years after me, so you would probably remember Nurse Bell, she was very nice to us, Nurse Thomas, Sister Nichols, Miss Jenkins head teacher, or Miss Took teacher, not that we did much schooling it was all recreational, i had a great time there, I have an aerial photograph of the school and more recently, a film of the interior and the gardens, which were downloaded from the forum, have you seen them? Will contact you again when I have more time. Brian.
 
Hi Brian, l do remember Nurse Bell, do you remember the different colours we had to wear to say what we capable of doing like badges but made of cloth ?. Bye Carol.
 
Hi carol
Please excuse me for being introducive but I see you come from Ladywood and you are a Mitchell
Could there be any case of you being Mrs Mitchell's daughter whom had the little shop at the bottom of kingedwards red
By the passage and lived next to the Allen's family which we all called Mitch the penny tray for her sweets or related to the steadmans
Please except my opologises for asking if you are not related as I lived up the hill next to bonna ,
The chimney sweep man ,as I was very curious as know old little Mrs Mitchell she was a lovelylady indeed
I also went to the steward street school and came into her shop day and night
Best wishes Astonian,,,,,
 
Hi Brian, not related, but l attended Steward St School, and l loved going to the shop you are talking about. At the time l lived in St Marks St. Ladywood. I did not mind you asking me, it's lovely that l can speak to someone who may share the same memories as me. Carol.
 
Hi carol
Many thanks for replying to my question I recall st marks street which end of the st marks street was you in
The little end or the big one that took you to Shakespeare red I know old Mitch did have a carol for a daughter but
Clearly not you never mind and I know the carol I knew was on the old Ladywood site afew years back
Best Wishes Astonian,'''
 
Hi, I lived near the Shakespeare end, there was a little shop opposite my house called Patrick's, run by a elderly lady. It's a shame it's all very different now. Which School did you attend after Steward St. My Dad worked in Spencer St, the jewellery quarter, Hockley.Carol.
 
Posting this lovely view of the old school as it may have been one of the photos lost in earlier posts on in this thread. Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalkHD1423907357.769565.jpg
 
No Carol, sorry. I found the picture and, as so many of our pictures were lost a while ago, I post any I think will replace lost ones or would be of interest. Viv.
 
001.jpg001 (2).jpg
I don`t have any real information on Baskerville House as such, but my mother was struck down with rheumatic fever at the beginning of the Second World War. She was sent to convalesce in Malvern but when her health improved she was sent to Baskerville. Ironically when she married she moved with my father from Kings Heath to Harborne where she (and I still reside) lived for the rest of their lives.
This is a letter from the Medical Officer in Malvern to my grandmother informing her in somewhat cursory terms of my mother`s health.
The letter reads:
THE CHILDREN`S HOSPITAL.
LADYWOOD ROAD, BIRMINGHAM 16.
EDGBASTON 2957.

27/5/40 The Hugh Sumner Home, Malvern Link, Worcs.

Dear Mrs Stanley,
Thank you for your letter about Winifred; I can quite understand that you would like to know how she is getting on.
I am pleased to say she seems to be improving steadily, she is sitting up now (and) before long, she will be getting up. Then I propose to transfer her to the Rheumatic School, Baskerville, where she can be watched (and) get (to) go to school. She has had such a long illness and has had to be sent to Hospital so much that I feel we must give her a long period of observation and get her really fit before she returns to normal life. We shall of course notify you when she is to go to Baskerville,
I am,
Yours sincerely,
H. R. Plowright.
(Resident Medical Officer.)
 
I understand your philsopy. I am just trying to find any body who attended Baskerville at the same time as me, l also went to Malvern but your mother sounds older than.
 
Hi Carol.

What years are you looking at for attending Baskerville? I know of at least one person who went to Baskerville. She now lives in Erdington but formerly lived in Harborne. I`m not sure of the exact date she was there, but it was sometime in her teens which would be between 1974-1980. I can ask her if she has any information if you want me too? Or are these years of no use to you?
 
Mercian Liam said:
Hi Carol.

What years are you looking at for attending Baskerville? I know of at least one person who went to Baskerville. She now lives in Erdington but formerly lived in Harborne. I`m not sure of the exact date she was there, but it was sometime in her teens which would be between 1974-1980. I can ask her if she has any information if you want me too? Or are these years of no use to youQUOTE]
Click to expand...

Thanks for your prompt reply l am looking for years between 1955 to 1961.
 
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