Pitts had a daughter Janet I think maybe a son as I remember. They were younger than me. Yes I think he was a policeman and do remember an alsation. That could be the name of the chemist seems a bit familier. Thats right about the barbers remember seeing him use a taper to singe the hair didnt like that idea Did the girls and ladies up stairs they seemed so steep. Wasnt that the norm kids having to wait. Remember the waste ground just above walked across to catch the Midland Red in to the City.
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Booths Farm
- Thread starter Kelly
- Start date
Barmybrummy
proper brummie kid
Hi, I grew up on Turnberry Road and spent most of my time playing on the 'cracker' in the woods at the pump house, all gone now I understand.
What wonderful times those were! paddling in the brook, catching frogs and butterflies and building dens. A family was actually living in Booths Farm House when I was very small, but I remember they moved out and the house got boarded up and became derelict. It's gone now, a bit of a shame really considering it was a lovely house and the history attached to it.
What wonderful times those were! paddling in the brook, catching frogs and butterflies and building dens. A family was actually living in Booths Farm House when I was very small, but I remember they moved out and the house got boarded up and became derelict. It's gone now, a bit of a shame really considering it was a lovely house and the history attached to it.
Hi Sorry Im late replying. I had a laugh at your "cracker" comment of course it bought back the memory straight away of the clunking of the pump. Yes we had a great childhood all that freedomn and open spaces. Were never bored. Remember playing on the quick sand suddenly my legs went straight down. Scared me to death. We kept away from it after that. Was talk of a horse being sucked into it. Whether that was an urban myth. Played truant from school used lay on the big hill by Booths Farm watching the clouds pass by. Knew Turnberry Rd we cut through a Gully to the brook close to Booths Farm Rd end had a huge power pylon in the back garden. 2 girls lived there. Agree it is a shame they pull everything down. See most of St Margarets Hospital has gone also. Red House Park was another lovely place. I have never seen a slide anywhere since as big as that one. Nothing left again.
Barmybrummy
proper brummie kid
Hello Newbie Brummie, I'm assuming you lived on Cadic or Bowman Road? I remember that pathway well, in winter when it got dark early we used to dare each other to see how far up the pathway we would get before running back down with fright. We lived close to the gully you mention and we could spend the best part of a day just wondering up and down the various gully's around Turnberry Road. We also collected bull rushes each year and took them round the houses selling them to house proud housewives at a couple of bob a dozen, also went on regular hunts to find discarded pop bottles as we got threepence each on returning them to the sweetshop. Looking back we were very smart when it came to improving our financial status! We tried to put all our little earners in the firework or Christmas club at the sweetshop so we were able to pay for our own pleasures and entertainment from a very young age. I also recall the Saturday morning matinee at the Beacon cinema at the Scott Arms which showed mainly western films but we never got bored watching them. We spent a lot of time looking for pram wheels and wood to make our trollies, then we would cruise the streets with one of us sat on it steering and another pushing from behind and jumping on the back as it picked up speed. Do you remember Smokey Joe the eccentric road sweeper who swept the gutters of Turnberry Road wearing a top hat and tails? He had dark skin, mainly from the dust and grim of his work and also shoulder length black hair, what a wonderfull sight! We used to wait for him coming up the road and then accompany him along the way as he told uss marvelous tales about his life. Looking back they must have been just tales.......but you never know! What about the hazardous past-time of 'scrumping' where you spent some time travelling round looking for apple trees in gardens and then deciding if they were 'eaters' or 'cookers' . Then if the apples seemed acceptable to us there would be a conflab about who was going to be lookouts and who was going to go in and get the apples. If the householder saw us and came out we would split up run off, meeting back up at a previously agreed spot to share the booty. Of course this would be seen as criminal now, but in those days it was an accepted danger for anyone who decided to have an apple tree in their garden and householders were accordinly vigilant! I have lovely memories of Great Barr though I no longer live there.
A Sparks
master brummie
great pics topsy..just found this newspaper cutting..hope its readable..
There is a mistake in that article I think - it mentions the Boars Head pub and then goes on to say the pub is situated where the Scott Arms pub sits today?!!
W
Wendy
Guest
Hello and welcome Barmybrummy great memories of your childhood similar to my brothers I think. The used to take me scrumping I was scared stiff. I was also allowed to go on their trolley if I was good. They called it Sputnik It was red with a white Sputnik painted on the front. They were always after good pram wheels!
Hello The names Cadic and Bowman Rds seem familiar are they in what we called the new houses an estate that was builr after the war on ground below the actual Booths Farm. I lived in Foden Rd. Booths Farm Rd. ran from Turnberry Rd to Walsall Rd. Then moved to Jayshaw Ave. Wandering around the district is familier even finding the odd beer bottle in someones back garden. Yes scrumping was the delight of autumn never seeing fruit. Most times it was far to sour for even our sugar less diet. Yes went to the Saturday morning shows. Hated Westerns boys would be yelling out at the badies or Indians. My brothers were always looking for pram wheels for trolleys and marbles. If someone managed to get hold of an old bike we were in heaven. Or even a ball to play rounders in the St. for hours. We didnt have toys so made the most of anything we did find. We went on hunting sprees for anything to burn weeks before Bonfire night we piled up on the backfield. I grew up in the early 40's. probably older than you I don't remember Smokey perhaps he was about later. He was dressed for the part anyway. He probably had been quite the part at one time. Remember the rag and bone man with his "orse" and cart I gave my coat to him for a balloon when I was about 4yrs. My mother ran out but he had vanished down Cramlington Rd. Knocking at doors and running away was another game at night. We used to tie cotton to the door knocker hide and tap the door people would answer but not see the cotton of course. Remember the little cottage sweet shop by the pre fabs and brook close to Beeches Rd School. On occasions would have Walls Ice Cream Came to Adelaide Aust. in 1964 Went back mid 70's for a holiday. Have no family there now. I do miss the History and old architecture and buildings. Something you take for granted when living there.
Barmybrummy
proper brummie kid
Hi, yes cadic and Bowman Road were just below the old Booths farm, there was a long narrow field with horses in it just between the new houses and the farm house. I remember the rag and bone man well, it seems unbelievable now but we used to have the breadman call at the house everyday. He carried a large basket to the door and we chose the bread we wanted, if lucky we also got to buy a pack of Tunnocks Caramel Wafers, such a treat! The brush man also called every couple of weeks with his suitcase full of dusters, dishcloths and brush heads. The laundry man called every week, he took all the sheets and pillowcases away in one of the pillowcases with a label attatched to the string tied round the top. He bought it all back washed and pressed the following week and took away the next lot. I remember the cottage sweet shop and there was a garage there to, I think it was called Tyzer's? My best friend lived in the prefabs and we spent many happy hours playing in the bluebell wood next to them. Do you remember Mr Turvey, he had a mini bus, (looking back now it was probably more like a death trap on wheels) but he used to collect all us kids in his van and take us to church down the Beeches for Sunday School and various events. I remember he used to regularly hand out toffee apples and must have chopped the sticks himself from rough wood because you had to be careful not to get the huge splinters in your hands and mouth, it wouldn't be allowed today!
Do you remember when the pumphouse used to flood? The water was very deep and trecherous, there was a long metal pipe that used to sit on v shaped metal legs coming from the pumphouse and when it flooded the pipe was only a couple of inches above the water level. We used to walk along the metal pipe to test our balance and bravery, I am suprised we lived to adulthood! My Grandparents lived in the house next to the gully, there was a huge pylon between the house and gully, my grandparents had a coal business and you may have a vague recollection of my aunty Joyce who lived there as she would be about the same age as you.
Do you remember when the pumphouse used to flood? The water was very deep and trecherous, there was a long metal pipe that used to sit on v shaped metal legs coming from the pumphouse and when it flooded the pipe was only a couple of inches above the water level. We used to walk along the metal pipe to test our balance and bravery, I am suprised we lived to adulthood! My Grandparents lived in the house next to the gully, there was a huge pylon between the house and gully, my grandparents had a coal business and you may have a vague recollection of my aunty Joyce who lived there as she would be about the same age as you.
The windows of the cottages look to me as though they've some church connection, rather than a malthouse. Maybe a malthouse for a priory or religious order? Viv
Thanks Bernie. Found a little bit more on the Digital Handsworth site. It says:
"Built in 1913 Malthouse Cottages in Malthouse Lane formed part of the estate of Booths Farm". It's claimed the photo is dated 1968. All this is very surprising as the cottages look much, much older than 1913. So the cottages must have simply been named after the lane. Viv.
"Built in 1913 Malthouse Cottages in Malthouse Lane formed part of the estate of Booths Farm". It's claimed the photo is dated 1968. All this is very surprising as the cottages look much, much older than 1913. So the cottages must have simply been named after the lane. Viv.
leonardjob
Great Russell St
I a,m pretty sure that Booth's burial place is in Handsworth and his headstone has been moved to the wall surrounding the graveyard.
Hi I'm trying to trace my fathers side of the family and my father was born and brought up in Booths Farm Sutton Coldfield.the family name is Bonell my grandfather Harry. I believe he was a diary man and won sutton cups in 1932 to 36 for horse and cart best traders man award we still have the cups much treasured . Would you know anyone who would remember the family ? They left Sutton Coldfield in the early 1950s to settle in South Wales .
thanks Craig Bonell
thanks Craig Bonell
leonardjob
Great Russell St
Can't help Craig...except to say Booths Farm was in Great Barr Birmingham...not Sutton. Try Great Barr Website as a start.
Barmybrummy
proper brummie kid
Sorry Craig, never heard of a booths Farm in Sutton Coldfield.
Think the Great Barr Booth's Farm was so named due to Wm Booth's notoriety as a forger. It must have originally had another name. Viv.
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info on william booth..i used to live just off booths farm road in the 70s..my brother was involved with the excavation of the farm when it was demolished..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Booth_(forger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Booth_(forger)
Did they find any buried forgeries or equipment Lyn? !! The place was supposed to be littered with stuff Booth had buried. I think it's a fascinating piece of local history. Viv.
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hi viv...i find it fascinating as well..the farm was still standing when i lived close to it but unfortunately at that time i did not know of its history...i then moved to the north of scotland for a couple of years and this would have been round about the time it was demolished..would have been first in if i could have lol...i dont think my bro did not personally find anything but i will ask him later if anything at all was found...
lyn
Hi Lynn
I have just been reading some of the threads of the forger booth
I recall being told that the very first forger was hurried in within cemetery all those years ago and it was behind the big wall
As you go up from witton could this be the same guy I was never told his name only just behind that wall in the early fifty
As we was walking up they mentionined it and they say it was the 18oos so there may be a possible answer to be or not to be him
Or some one else could there be a record of it at the history ledgers of the cemetery or is there a y other older member
Whom may recall him have a good day best wishes Alan,,, Astonian,,,,,,,
I have just been reading some of the threads of the forger booth
I recall being told that the very first forger was hurried in within cemetery all those years ago and it was behind the big wall
As you go up from witton could this be the same guy I was never told his name only just behind that wall in the early fifty
As we was walking up they mentionined it and they say it was the 18oos so there may be a possible answer to be or not to be him
Or some one else could there be a record of it at the history ledgers of the cemetery or is there a y other older member
Whom may recall him have a good day best wishes Alan,,, Astonian,,,,,,,
Been trying to work out where exactly Booths Farm stood. Does anyone know if these are the foundation remains of Booth's Farm (red dot)? The M6 is the road to the right and Booth's Farm stands on Booth's Lane. And are the parallel markings next to the farm old field patterns? If it is the Farm, it seems to have escaped development and hasn't been built upon since demolition. Viv.
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viv i really cant be sure it was so long ago but i thought it was nearer to booths farm road than that but thats only my thinking...i think we could do with mikes help on this one to be sure but having said that those foundations look to be about the right size for the farm...