spirehouse22
New Member
Sadly the sites are due for demolition as of 2026 I believe planning for housing still find driving past it has a creepy dubious feeling to it.i can remember the woods with lined up used condoms on the barbed wire.
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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
We all looked forward to the sweet parcels that would arrive from time to time, these parcels were shared out at break times. I have no recollections of any sort of toys/games or television.
After dinner we would go on long walks round the countryside, we had long macs with hoods and went out whatever the weather. I remember one day on a walk, my friend was leaning on my shoulder with her elbow to walk, she did this quite often, I stepped out of line and the teacher came alongside and slapped my legs.
During the winter months the tunics would rub and chaff the front of your thighs which would often bleed. I learned to walk holding my tunic away from my thighs as often as possible to reduce the rub. At bedtime a teacher or older girl would bring us a pot of cold cream which we were allowed to rub on the sore areas of our thighs. I remember a Welsh teacher one evening teaching us goodnight in Welsh "nos da".
At tea time we would wash up in the sinks that ran down the middle of the hub and return to our wooden bench seat that ran down either side and we would sing songs until we went into tea. After tea we would go to the dormitory and and get undressed. We would wash our pants and put them on the radiator ready for the next day. We would have a strip wash in cold water and clean our teeth.
The bathroom was a place inhabited by all sorts of different moths, small ones, medium sized ones, big ones and then there were some huge moths. I soon learned that they were harmless, and not to disturb them, but to this day its a predominant memory. We would get into bed and we were told to face the wall. We did what we were told, there was never any pillow fights or mucking around type behaviour at bed times, girls remained facing the wall and went to sleep.
Once a week we would have a bath with warm water. The older girls would wash our hair in warm water.
I remember the medicals when a doctor would come in and examine us all. We would strip down to our underpants and sit in our dressing gowns awaiting the check. This was a day you could be told you would be going home, the excitement was overwhelming. On one occasion I remember sitting waiting whilst some excited girls were mucking around and and there was an arm torn out of a dressing gown which was thrown into the air and landed in my lap. The nurse turned the corner and immediately grabbed my arm, she took me into the treatment room where the doctor was waiting. She pulled out a chair threw me across it and spanked me with my sandal several times. The doctor carried on and did all his checks whilst I sobbed. I don't know what upset me the most that day , being told I wouldn't be going home or the spanking.
The doctor recommended physio exercise to strengthen my feet. The exercise was to pick up bean bags between the toes and place them into a bucket then a piece of wood was put in place with another another bucket on top, this exercise was repeated until you had made a tower.
Eventually I was moved from the big dormitory to a smaller room with some other girls one of which had some kind of back problem that affected her walking. She slept with a contraption on her bed that look similar to a small horse saddle. She was a persistent bed wetter, rumour had it she got the slipper on a regular basis for all the bed wetting.
During the summer we were issued with lovely cotton dresses that came heavily starched so there was still some rub around the arms and neck but they were far more comfortable than the rough material tunics.
On Saturdays we would go to brownies, I remember there being some steps which we would enjoy jumping from as a group, but unfortunately for me it went wrong one day and I really hurt my ankle, I was assisted to hop back to school by a couple of other girls and later taken to hospital for treatment. I remember waiting and feeling worried yet again about asking to use the toilet, I remember finding the courage to ask one of the hospital nurses who kindly offered to carry me, I felt really awkward because I was already wet, but to her credit she didn't say anything. They taped up my leg with something similar to a huge plaster it stuck well and stayed in place for a few weeks before a doctor cut it down the middle and tore it off along with all the hairs from my leg!!! During my recovery I was allowed to go home and returned once the plaster had been taken off.
On Sundays we would walk to church and spend the morning there, it was a full and very long service which lasted a couple of hours or more, we would walk back to school arriving in time for lunch. During the winter months we had an occasional film show with a projector, reels of film were loaded on, they would run out mid film and the projector would be reloaded with continuation of the film show. oh how things have progressed!
Eventually I was moved from the big dormitory to a smaller room with some other girls one of which had some kind of back problem that affected her walking. She slept with a contraption on her bed that look similar to a small horse saddle. She was a persistent bed wetter, rumour had it she got the slipper on a regular basis for all the bed wetting.
During the summer we were issued with lovely cotton dresses that came heavily starched so there was still some rub around the arms and neck but they were far more comfortable than the rough material tunics.
On Saturdays we would go to brownies, I remember there being some steps which we would enjoy jumping from as a group, but unfortunately for me it went wrong one day and I really hurt my ankle, I was assisted to hop back to school by a couple of other girls and later taken to hospital for treatment. I remember waiting and feeling worried yet again about asking to use the toilet, I remember finding the courage to ask one of the hospital nurses who kindly offered to carry me, I felt really awkward because I was already wet, but to her credit she didn't say anything. They taped up my leg with something similar to a huge plaster it stuck well and stayed in place for a few weeks before a doctor cut it down the middle and tore it off along with all the hairs from my leg!!! During my recovery I was allowed to go home and returned once the plaster had been taken off.
On Sundays we would walk to church and spend the morning there, it was a full and very long service which lasted a couple of hours or more, we would walk back to school arriving in time for lunch. During the winter months we had an occasional film show with a projector, reels of film were loaded on, they would run out mid film and the projector would be reloaded with continuation of the film show. oh how things have progressed!
The doctor recommended physio exercise to strengthen my feet. The exercise was to pick up bean bags between the toes and place them into a bucket then a piece of wood was put in place with another another bucket on top, this exercise was repeated until you had made a tower.
Eventually I was moved from the big dormitory to a smaller room with some other girls one of which had some kind of back problem that affected her walking. She slept with a contraption on her bed that look similar to a small horse saddle. She was a persistent bed wetter, rumour had it she got the slipper on a regular basis for all the bed wetting.
During the summer we were issued with lovely cotton dresses that came heavily starched so there was still some rub around the arms and neck but they were far more comfortable than the rough material tunics.
On Saturdays we would go to brownies, I remember there being some steps which we would enjoy jumping from as a group, but unfortunately for me it went wrong one day and I really hurt my ankle, I was assisted to hop back to school by a couple of other girls and later taken to hospital for treatment. I remember waiting and feeling worried yet again about asking to use the toilet, I remember finding the courage to ask one of the hospital nurses who kindly offered to carry me, I felt really awkward because I was already wet, but to her credit she didn't say anything. They taped up my leg with something similar to a huge plaster it stuck well and stayed in place for a few weeks before a doctor cut it down the middle and tore it off along with all the hairs from my leg!!! During my recovery I was allowed to go home and returned once the plaster had been taken off.
On Sundays we would walk to church and spend the morning there, it was a full and very long service which lasted a couple of hours or more, we would walk back to school arriving in time for lunch. During the winter months we had an occasional film show with a projector, reels of film were loaded on, they would run out mid film and the projector would be reloaded with continuation of the film show. oh how things have progressed!
There was a swing outside and I remember watching some girls one day swinging it and jumping over it. I thought I would give that a try but it caught my foot and I hit the floor head first. I can remember waking up in the nurses room on the couch. She concluded it would be best if I went straight to bed and there I stayed until the next morning. I had a huge lump on my forehead for a while.
I remember waking one morning and feeling very unwell I told the supervising girl who sent me to the nurse, she took me to the sick bay and put me to bed. I can't remember what was wrong with me but I spent that day in bed. The next day the nurse checked me over then told me to strip my bed, get washed, remake the bed and when I had finished that, I needed to shake the mat which lay beside the bed outside. Outside was several flights downstairs, but I did what she asked of me, I was so glad to get back into bed. I spent about a week in the sick bay repeating that routine. My meals were brought to me so I wonder if I had something that was contagious, I just cant remember.
I remember waking one morning and feeling very unwell I told the supervising girl who sent me to the nurse, she took me to the sick bay and put me to bed. I can't remember what was wrong with me but I spent that day in bed. The next day the nurse checked me over then told me to strip my bed, get washed, remake the bed and when I had finished that, I needed to shake the mat which lay beside the bed outside. Outside was several flights downstairs, but I did what she asked of me, I was so glad to get back into bed. I spent about a week in the sick bay repeating that routine. My meals were brought to me so I wonder if I had something that was contagious, I just cant remember.
During one summer evening I remember Miss Urquhart coming into the main hub where the sinks were with her dog in a really bad mood. She asked one of the girls "what she had been telling her parents", she continued with quizzing her for sometime. We all knew instinctively that this girl was in some real trouble. Eventually we went in for tea and it was a particularly horrible atmosphere that evening.
I remember the hairdresser who came to cut our hair, I had long blonde hair which I wore in a ponytail. The hairdresser cut it considerably shorter, I didn't like it but didn't protest. When half term arrived and I went home my mum was really angry, she said she would complain. I asked her not to do that. She did complain and as a result I felt the disapproval of Miss Urquhart, she repeatedly gave off quiet angry disapproving stares directed at me for a few weeks. She never said a word to me but she made a point of making me feel very upset and uncomfortable with her disapproving stares.
I remember the hairdresser who came to cut our hair, I had long blonde hair which I wore in a ponytail. The hairdresser cut it considerably shorter, I didn't like it but didn't protest. When half term arrived and I went home my mum was really angry, she said she would complain. I asked her not to do that. She did complain and as a result I felt the disapproval of Miss Urquhart, she repeatedly gave off quiet angry disapproving stares directed at me for a few weeks. She never said a word to me but she made a point of making me feel very upset and uncomfortable with her disapproving stares.
During one summer evening I remember Miss Urquhart coming into the main hub where the sinks were with her dog in a really bad mood. She asked one of the girls "what she had been telling her parents", she continued with quizzing her for sometime. We all knew instinctively that this girl was in some real trouble. Eventually we went in for tea and it was a particularly horrible atmosphere that evening.
I remember the hairdresser who came to cut our hair, I had long blonde hair which I wore in a ponytail. The hairdresser cut it considerably shorter, I didn't like it but didn't protest. When half term arrived and I went home my mum was really angry, she said she would complain. I asked her not to do that. She did complain and as a result I felt the disapproval of Miss Urquhart, she repeatedly gave off quiet angry disapproving stares directed at me for a few weeks. She never said a word to me but she made a point of making me feel very upset and uncomfortable with her disapproving stares.
Harsh treatment aside, the surrounding area around Cropwood House was beautiful winter and summer, I remember going to bed and listening to sound of Owls hooting and waking in the mornings to the sound of bird song and Cuckoos. The building itself although daunting initially, was beautiful inside with its oak floors and wood panelling along the walls and doors, there was a lovely fireplace in the room we used for physiotherapy and film shows. The building always smelt of polish.
The school was once a lovely building, but is now derelict and in a dilapidated state.
Why? Is this due to a deliberate policy to allow it to deteriorate to such an extent, that justifies its demolition, with the site eventually transformed into housing. A disgraceful destruction of history.
The school was once a lovely building, but is now derelict and in a dilapidated state.
Why? Is this due to a deliberate policy to allow it to deteriorate to such an extent, that justifies its demolition, with the site eventually transformed into housing. A disgraceful destruction of history.