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Bilberry Hill training centre Association of Boys Clubs

A

Astonian

gone but not forgotten
hi guys
i was up by the lickey hills today, and at the bottom of the hill
on the main rd travelling towards the car works i noticed what i appear to be a large building black and white and on this building at the bottom of the lickey hills and on top of this building there was writing which said
bilbery hill centre can any body tell me what was it or what is the use , a house or some kind of hostel or 2what or does any body live there
i would be very intrest to learn what it is and all about
its on the bottom of the hills and by the island
many thanks astonion ;;;
 
Hi

In my day's it was the Headquarters of the Birmingham
Association of Boy's Clubs. A movement championed
by Frankie high kicks Vaughn Lead by Jack Hickman it was a
training centre for various Youth club activities. Mainly
leadership roles.I did several courses there over my 5 years with the
Youth clubs.
Historically it started its life has teas rooms.

Mike Jenks
 
Hi,
I don't know about now, but in late 60's early 70's it was linked with the Birmingham Association of Boys Clubs and was used as a training centre offering courses to youth club members.
Outdoor pursuits (e.g. abseiling etc) and various development courses.
Steve
 
I think this sounds like the place where I went on a school residential trip for a week in either late 70's early 80's.

It was great fun and I really enjoyed my week there.

I have no idea what it was used for before and can barely remember the building at all. It was just great being out of the city with my friends enjoying the lickies.
 
hi all...there was a bilberry hill tea room in the early 1900s...dont know if this is the spot you are talking about but heres a pic of it...

lyn
 
hi guys
many thanks for all your inputs and now after all these few years i know what it is and being used for i have leart some-think today
and astoness many thanks for down loading the pic of the 1900 scene
i would certainly say thats the one its certainly looked picturestand country fied
best wishes to you all astonian ;;;;
 
that would have been when you were at harry lucas then mabz. or maybe not...you may have left by then.....glad you like the pic astonian...

lyn
 
Outward bound and inside out Tom ............... Lyn, Ihad just left school and was doing it through my youth club. Mabz
 
Hi

Managed to dig out one of my old certificates 1967
ouch. Others i have dont specificaly mention
Bilberry Hill but this one does.
Happy day's

Mike Jenks
 
hi mike
many thanks for showing us your award do you know if it is still used today for that purpose of youth clubbing is it connected to the duke of edinborough scheme
today is it only certain youth clubs that use it or what or was it a thing of the past
to be quite honest i have never been up the lickey hills in my life
i have been up the clent hills thou when i was a kid on the old claribelle coaches
of lichfield rd when i was a kid with the sunday school at dyson hall and aston parish church sunday trips
have a nice day best wishes astonian ;;;
 
Hi

It allowed Leaders to support youngsters in Youth Club
sports activities. It wasnt part of the Duke Of edinburghs
scheme this was more for invidual activites.
Im not sure of today's teaching and Training on this side
of Youth Club Activities. The Youth Club Leaders Course
is some 3 years similiar to a teaching degree but moulded
around Youth Club running Lea's etc.
My aspect was purely Sports based activities and not the
running of the Youth Club. First Aid training other than sports
training. In most cases it was plasters, bandages and TCP.

Mike Jenks
 
Hi,
Dug this out and gave it a scan.
March 71 (so it's a bit of a tatty looking piece of paper).
"Life and Leisure Course for School Leavers" course programme.

Steve
 
The building was donated to Birmingham City by the Cadbury family in 1904. It was a tea room untill about early 1960's.
It was then used for residential training courses. I think companies/organizations could rent it out. My husband had to stay there for a week when he joined British Gas in the early 80's. They sent him a map how to get there which was really funny beacause he lived near by and all he had to do was walk over the Lickeys to it. Some of the other lads came from miles away and had never seen the Lickeys before. They had a great time, he said it was like being on holiday and he only lived 5 munutes away. Seeing this post was strange - I passed it today and wondered who used it now!
Polly
 
Another view of Billberry Hill Training Centre. I can never remember seeing this in use after it closed as tea rooms. There again I don't suppose it would have been in use as a Training Centre weekends and Bank Holidays.

Phil
 

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  • Rednal Billberry Hill Training Centre.jpg
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hi guys
once again i have to tank you all for all your in dept information
and a special thanks to mike for the very much detail of under standing what it was all about and going by the picture and what polly as said i will await the summer months
and i will get my son to take me up there for the experience am i right in saying by the lickey hills there is a church cemetry which was stated on the tv about 12 months ago about a priest of the oritary church on hagley rd was burried there and they reckoned he was a saint because when they come to remove is remains it had disappeared from the plot is this true or not ? . best wishes astonian ;;;
 
The building was gifted to the people of Birmingham in perpetuity by Mrs and Mrs Barrow Cadbury in 1904 as a tea rooms and remained in that use until the early 1960s (approx 1963/64) when it was converted for use as a residential youth training centre.

As a child and a youth I ate there with my family on many occasions. In the 1950s it served a full range of meals from strawberry cream teas to daily roasts with three veg and it had a uniformed waitress service and white linen table cloths. By the 1960s it had become self service and was mostly fried food such as breakfasts or fish and chips (and the table cloths were not linen but easily wiped down plastic ones). You could still get a full range of plated ice creams and a pot of tea. The place was always very busy at the weekends and you often had to queue before getting a table.
 
Hello. I am almost afraid to write this but here goes !!!!!!!!!
I think that MAYBE you have the wrong building ?????????????????????????????
The Bilberryhill Tea Rooms is on the main road going up Rose Hill towards Bromsgrove.
It is in no way as attractive as the picture you have posted.
Yes it was originally a tea room and at one time they held dances there.
The only way I suggest we verify this is : Wait for a sunny day, book a charabanc and have a ride up the lickys.
Betty. {This was sent from the anderson shelter.}
 
Betty Hopper said:
Hello. I am almost afraid to write this but here goes !!!!!!!!!
I think that MAYBE you have the wrong building ?????????????????????????????
The Bilberryhill Tea Rooms is on the main road going up Rose Hill towards Bromsgrove.
It is in no way as attractive as the picture you have posted.
Yes it was originally a tea room and at one time they held dances there.
The only way I suggest we verify this is : Wait for a sunny day, book a charabanc and have a ride up the lickys.
Betty. {This was sent from the anderson shelter.}
Click to expand...
Is this the one Betty?
 
hi betty i am re posting this pic i have of the tea rooms for you

lyn

Lickey_Hills_Bilberry_Hill_Tea_Rooms_zps322153e0.jpg
 
Hello Bernie,

That is as I remember it. Mind it has been a good many years since I saw it ! !

Just a thought, there is another rather impressive building in that area, namely the Chalet.

{ does this mean we are not having a charabanc ride ????>???? not that I could get up the steps anyway }

Betty
 
Hello Bernie,<BR><BR>That is as I remember it. Mind it has been a good many years since I saw it ! !<BR><BR>Just a thought, there is another rather impressive building in that area, namely the Chalet.<BR><BR>{ does this mean we are not having a charabanc ride ????&gt;????&nbsp; not that I could get up the steps anyway }<BR><BR>Betty
 
Hello Lyn,
Many thanks for the picture having seen the one from Bernie that is the one in my mind.

I am now racking my brain , having just noticed Bernie's slogan at the bottom of his reply.

Think I had better go into hiding immediately. just to cap it all I pressed the wrong button AGAIN. Off with `er `ead.
 
I am a regular visitor to a web site called "28 Days Later" which is an urban exploration group [but actually records explores much more widely than that]. A recent post reports that the Bilberry Hill Training Centre is now closed. I used to go past this on many occasions like lots of others on a trip to the Lickeys with the family.

Very sad to see a well known building closed and increasingly vandalised. Have attached a few phots from site but the report can be seen at: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/bilberry-hill-centre-birmingham-june-2021.129514/
1627659325214.png 1627659366261.png

1627659394433.png 1627659431377.png
 
You are correct Superdad3, Bilberry hill training centre (tea rooms) closed a few months ago. Living right by there i noticed it was well used, especially at weekends. The last group to use it returned the keys back to the owners which is Birmingham City Council, and it now stands empty. I suppose our council will forget about it due to the commonwealth games, and it will probably be mysteriously burnt down. This is sad how it has been abandoned, because there is a lot of history about the place.
 
donated by the cadbury family in 1904 sadly will not mean a jot to bcc...i think most of us on here know by now the lack of interest they have in preserving our historial buildings...so sad when it could be put to good use

lyn
 
Agreed Lyn, they only painted it about three years ago. It seems to deteriorate by the week. Further to the Cadbury family, they also donated the Lickey Hills country park to BCC. And although it falls inside the Worcestershire, the BCC are thinking of charging to use the car parks now. One wonders who is going to pay for these games ?
 
Jeepwolf said:
Agreed Lyn, they only painted it about three years ago. It seems to deteriorate by the week. Further to the Cadbury family, they also donated the Lickey Hills country park to BCC. And although it falls inside the Worcestershire, the BCC are thinking of charging to use the car parks now. One wonders who is going to pay for these games ?
Click to expand...
also jeepwolf this building is far away from the city centre which is really all the powers that be are interested in changing....you only have to look at the golden lion pub that has been languishing in cannon hill park for at least 15 years to know that nothing will be done to help save this building...as for the games i think it best i make no comment on this thread

lyn
 
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