If you go the search facility on this site and type in Hunters Hill open air school you will see lots of information, there may well be photos as well.
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Birmingham Open Air Schools - Cropwood, Hunter's Hill, Marsh Hill and Skilts (excl. Haseley Hall and Uffculme)
- Thread starter ChrisM
- Start date
tina james
proper brummie kid
did you remember miss rimel think i spelled her name right
petedelaney 56
New Member
unfortunately no photos of me or the school and its grounds, but vivid memories lining up for a soup spoon of cod liver oil and the clatter of the spoon being chucked into a metal basin. The crushing of cornflakes between two dishes so that more could be piled on , was something that was reserved for the boys who were on "good" terms with the server, generally one of the older pupils. The garish purple blazers that I think were worn on visiting day
Peter crumpton
proper brummie kid
Some of the names I remember but the scary one for me was the head teacher who lived with the school nurse. Nurse barrett was one the child carers for the younger kids. I never wore a school uniform because I was tall and had no clothes to fit me. Were you in the dorms or the "block" as they called it
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Hello Peter. When I first went there in 1965, I was in Clent dorm, then moved to the block late 1968, before leaving in the summer of 1969. When were you there Peter ?
Peter crumpton
proper brummie kid
I was there from 1963 to 1966 and was always in the block. As an older pupil, I sometimes supervised the dorms at bedtime until the staff took over.
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
You were there whe I was, though I do not remember you. It has been a lot of years since I was there & have forgotten what many of the pupils looked like. There are a few who I do remember how they looked though. I do remember a pupil check on the dorms, & just before bedtime, we had half an apple braught to us on a tray, & seem to remember a puplil carrying the tray. but can not put a face to him. Maybe that was you.
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Peter crumpton
proper brummie kid
Yeah there were two of us who were tall and had to wear adult clothes so maybe you thought we were staff
We also served at meal times and the kid who always had sweets got xtra so we could beg them of him. Was there a tuck shop run by the staff when you were there. Mr tebbitt also taught gardening which I hated. The winter of 63 was good at school because we built sleds and used them for werks
Peter crumpton
proper brummie kid
I went to hunters hill and remember the girls from cropwood coming over every now then for dancing g and watching films all supervised of course. It sounds like it was hell for you and that's sad but fortunately things must have changed apart from the butcher of a dentist
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Yes. I remember now Peter. I always thought you were staff. Yes, I remember Mr tebbitt teaching the gardening as well as the woodwork class. He taught me about bee keeping & had me looking after them on the allotment by the block. I loved those Sleds. My favourite was a red on. It seemed faster than the rest, & used to take it up the top field & race down towards the road. A couple of us used to have a little competition to see who could get closest to the hedge before coming off. They were fun times.
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
Hi there,
I just joined the site today.
I was at Hunters till 1967 and have mixed feelings about it.
My twin sister Catherine was at Cropwood at the same time I was at Hunters.
I think the caretaker was a Mr. Harris who had a disabled daughter.
My memories are of being cold and hungry during the winter and the boys in my dorm ate toothpaste to ward off hunger pains
Our dorm teacher was Mr. Pinner who we called Plug.
I think the dorm was Cleese house, the colour was yellow.
Lots of other memories.
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Hi Walkscrow. I was there at the same time you, & left in 1969.I remember Mr Pinner (plug) very well. I got on well with him in geography class. The dorm you were in was Clee house, & yes, the color was yellow. Even though I first arrived in 1965, I never mey the caretaker. I really liked our head mistress, Miss Buckley & a couple of other teachers including Mr Brownsword, our P.E teacher.
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
Hi there,
The PE teaher i remember was a Welshman named Jones would you believe!
I also remember a young teacher with a beard named Evershed who we called "Hedgehog" He drove an old teo seater car and sometimes gave us rides in it.
In my dorm I remember a David Peter's and the two McCluskey brothers.
Plug would show us films in the form during the winter.
I also remember him taking photos on visiting day!
Do you remember the "hunted cottage" at the entrance to the Hill.
How about Saturday tv night watching Batman and the Man from Uncle?
The PE teaher i remember was a Welshman named Jones would you believe!
I also remember a young teacher with a beard named Evershed who we called "Hedgehog" He drove an old teo seater car and sometimes gave us rides in it.
In my dorm I remember a David Peter's and the two McCluskey brothers.
Plug would show us films in the form during the winter.
I also remember him taking photos on visiting day!
Do you remember the "hunted cottage" at the entrance to the Hill.
How about Saturday tv night watching Batman and the Man from Uncle?
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Hi there Walkscrow. yes, I remember a mr jones. I can not remember if he was before mr brownsword. Yes, I remember Mr Pinner taking the photo's & the film shows in the assembly room. If I remember rightly, we had film night on a thursday evening. I vaguely remember the Mcclusky brothers, Though it has been many years since I left there. I never liked it there at first, but after talking with Miss Buckley, I began to start liking it. I do remember a Mr Evershed.Of all the teachers we had, I had, I had 3 favorites, Mr Powell, who had a disabled daughter, Mr Brownsword & Mr Pinner.
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
My sister Catherine and I were also at Skills when Mr. Cameron was there.
I contracted TB while I was at the school and was quite ill.
My sister and I were smuggled at one night and driven home never to return.
About a year later we ended up at Cropwood and Hunter Hill
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
Was Mr. Powell the caretaker with the missing fingers?
I remember the fil s in the gym and the girls coming over from Cropwood for the weekly dance. This gave me the chance to see my twin sister.
Miss Buckley let me go over to Cropwood on a Sunday to see Catherine.
Can you remember the name of the art teacher? I think he may have been a Georgie?
I remember getting our mail first thing in the morning and moms sending Nesquick to their sons and asking the dinner ladies for the skin off the custard!
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
If my memory serves me well, Mr Powell had missing fingers. I remember the girls coming over for dance nights, though I was too scared to join in.I can not remember a Male art teacher, though I do remember a woman teacher. I can not remeber her name though. Her class was my favorite as I learned a lot about drawing from her. I did a large oil painting & gave it to Miss Buckley as a retirement present & to say thank you for how she looked after me. I can remember she retired the same time as I left. I do remember one person who was in Clee house with you, though I think he was up at the block. I knowhe was a prefect. His name was Stephen Braker.
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
No female art teacher in my time that I recall.
Stephen Baker rings a bell.
I remember well the day before we went home for holidays.
Having a shower, handing our school clothes in and getting our own back.
The days before that singing the song 3 more days to go 3 more days of sorrow 3 more days in this old dump and we'll be home tomorrow.
Insert number of days for the 3!
Stephen Baker rings a bell.
I remember well the day before we went home for holidays.
Having a shower, handing our school clothes in and getting our own back.
The days before that singing the song 3 more days to go 3 more days of sorrow 3 more days in this old dump and we'll be home tomorrow.
Insert number of days for the 3!
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
I got his surname wrong Walkscrow. It was stephen braker. Yes, I remember singing that song too when I first arrived at HHOAS, though changed the old dump to something else as I began to enjoy my time there.I can remember what mr pinner looked like. He was shortish, bald, had a round face with harry potter type glasses on.I can still remember the horible smell from our own clothes when we went home for the holidays. Have not liked moth balls ever since. Such a sickly smell.
Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
That was Plug alright.
I can't say I ever liked Hunters to be honest.
I guess it was a place you loved or loathed.
After Hunters I attended Bierton Road Secondary for a year then when we moved I was at Moseley Mixed.
My replies/postings may be late in the day as I live in Tennessee and we are five hours behind the UK.
I can't say I ever liked Hunters to be honest.
I guess it was a place you loved or loathed.
After Hunters I attended Bierton Road Secondary for a year then when we moved I was at Moseley Mixed.
My replies/postings may be late in the day as I live in Tennessee and we are five hours behind the UK.
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Wow. I bet you miss living in dear old birmingham. I had a dislike for hunters hill due to the bullying, some of it from teachers like my tebbitt. As you wasin Clee house dorm, I wonder if you remember Patrick O'kane & his brother. Patrick was in Clee house when I was there. When I left in 1969, I had 3 days holiday, then straight into work. I was going to suggest we try & meet up to have a catch up about those days, but now see that is going to be difficult. Have not seen anyone from Hunters Hill since I left, though, since joining this forum, I have found someone who was in the same dorm as me.We were hoping to meet up, but then this pandemic hit us all. I guess you are about the same age as me then Walkscrow, (68).
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
Hi Walkscrow. I can understand how difficult it is to remember names from all those years ago. Will keep that date in my diary. To think, you are just 2 years younger than me. I will be 68 16th july. Just had a thought. If you have facebook, we can have proper chats on there away from the forum if you want.
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Walkscrow
knowlegable brummie
Gave up Facebook when I moved to the States mate. I don't do "social media" but couldn't resist this one because its Brum based and as I get older and am thousands of miles away I think of Brum and my youth more often.
I often think how strange it is that my first home was an old Victorian slum in Bolton Road and nearly 60 years later I'm living in California and now Tennessee and an an American citizen.
I often meet British ex pats and still suffer the prejudice against Birmingham and Brummies.
When they discover I'm a Brummie I get " oh, you're from Birrrrrrrrrmingham". I then get the sneer and they walk off.
My American wife has seen it and cannot understand it.
Now I'm in my mid sixties I just walk away from these snobs thinking "stuff em"!
I often think how strange it is that my first home was an old Victorian slum in Bolton Road and nearly 60 years later I'm living in California and now Tennessee and an an American citizen.
I often meet British ex pats and still suffer the prejudice against Birmingham and Brummies.
When they discover I'm a Brummie I get " oh, you're from Birrrrrrrrrmingham". I then get the sneer and they walk off.
My American wife has seen it and cannot understand it.
Now I'm in my mid sixties I just walk away from these snobs thinking "stuff em"!
michaelwicks54
Aston bred & proud.
I know the feeling. That kind of stuff still goes on here. For some unknown reason, people tend to class us brummies as the lower class of society, when in fact we are the best. I have always thought that, even though I am not a true brummie, as I was born in Nottingham. I miss those old houses that we thought were slums at the time, but have noticed that some of the houses & the area's of today are much more of slum. I am the same now I am getting much older. When I was so much younger, I never thought about the life we had, but now, I find I am always remembering the old days & the fun we used to have. I think it is good that we remember all those wonderful day. They are the days that make us who we are today. We are so much wiser.
If you do decide to exchange information by a different route, gentlemen, do please remember to try to share as much of it as feel able to, later, on the Forum. It will always be of interest to other members and it will add to our permanent, accessible store of knowledge of these institutions. And possibly prompt the memory of others, now and far into the future, and encourage them to make further contributions.
We tend not to use the "F" word here, any more than we have to! We try not to be stuffy about it because, clearly, that particular "F" has its place and function in modern life. But it can never serve the purpose of recording the history of our City, and of those who live here and have ever lived here, in the way that this Forum is able. Of keeping information available in an orderly framework, of making it searchable, of ensuring that it is a pleasure to read. And of making sure that there is a comfortable environment to do everything in.
Thanks, both, for your exchange of posts recently. And a belated welcome to the Forum, Walkscrow. Do please dig around in your memory and tell us what you know and remember about anything to do with Brum.
(End of Easter Day sermon!)
Chris
We tend not to use the "F" word here, any more than we have to! We try not to be stuffy about it because, clearly, that particular "F" has its place and function in modern life. But it can never serve the purpose of recording the history of our City, and of those who live here and have ever lived here, in the way that this Forum is able. Of keeping information available in an orderly framework, of making it searchable, of ensuring that it is a pleasure to read. And of making sure that there is a comfortable environment to do everything in.
Thanks, both, for your exchange of posts recently. And a belated welcome to the Forum, Walkscrow. Do please dig around in your memory and tell us what you know and remember about anything to do with Brum.
(End of Easter Day sermon!)
Chris