BROUGHTON, Cyril - shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

[Elaine Tuck]

Hi im trying to find out which childrens home my grandfather went to. His name was Cyril Broughton born in 1913 he had three brothers and a sister , they were all put in the same home, there mother Georgina was taken ill when my grandfather was only eight years old she went to the hospital 1 western road,and the children were all placed in a home. Georgina died in 1923 age 34 my grandfather was only 10. Does any one know how i can find out which one he was in? It would be very much appreciated thankyou.

 

[jennyann]

Re: shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

Hi Elaine:There is a very interesting Birmingham Gov website called Connecting Histories that contains a very comprehensive record of Birmingham's Children's Homes over the decades since their inception in the early l900's for some of them. You can access this site via: https://www.connectinghistories.org.uk/ There is "contact us" on the top menu and perhaps you could ask whether the records you are looking for are accessible. There is so much information on this site for Erdington Cottage Homes, much of which I had never seen before. Personal histories about the houses, etc. I see there was a Children's Home in Copeley Hill close to Salford Bridge and off Slade Road and also a Boat Hostel for the children of the canal boat owners around the Erdington area. We are allowed to display the url to this site on our forum but are not allowed not to quote from anything written there.
There are several other projects for Birmingham History on this site as well.

 

[john knight]

Re: shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

My mother was taken ill and had to go into hospital.
We were put in Middlemore Emigation homes in Weoley Park Road. (now Westhill training college)
Me and my younger brother escaped down the fire escape one night, but we only got as far as the Bristol Road, we were met by a policeman who said "and where do you two think you're going",
end of story.

 

[Elaine Tuck]

Re: shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

Thanks for that Jenny i will look at that site and see if there is any information to help me, you dont realise how hard all this is espesially when my Grandfather didnt talk about his life in the home much never said which one it was, all the brothers told different stories, My Grandfather said he could see Aston Villa football Stadium from where he lived, we thought it must have been the home and thought Erdington because it was on a hill, but one of my grandfathers nieces said she was told it was Shenley Fields. So this is was im searching at the moment. Thanks again i will let you know if i have any luck

 

[Elaine Tuck]

Re: shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

So i guess you were taken back to the home ,did you not like it there?I only been looking into two possible homes i didnt realise there was so many.

 

[Gudrun]

Re: shenley Fields or Erdington cottage homes

Hi

Thought you might be interested that there is a new book on Erdington Cottage Homes - The Children of the Homes: a century of Erdington Cottage Homes. It is a complete history of the Homes plus lots of memories of people who lived there as children.

It can be found on Amazon but the postage is cheaper from the Children's Cottage Homes website: www.childrenscottagehomes.org.uk/bookshop​