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Yes, I'm afraid the vale lads were not too welcoming of what they saw as strangers, particularly after dark. The Hare and Hounds had a small contingent of Vale lads in the bar, as did the Boat. The gaffer of the boat mid/late 70s was a guy surnamed Cregan, his daughter Liz worked behind the bar.
Life got easier after a year or two once one of the local thugs got expelled from the Vale Comp and ended up coming to Hodge Hill with me : )
Yes, the number of pupils in my class at the Comp (1971-1976) changed weekly as various individuals were wisped off to various correction institutions.
Lived on the Vale in various locations.77/8 Vulcan house 79/80 Cadbury Drive before moving back to Kingstanding.Came back 83/6 living in Pioneer House before once again moving back to Kingstanding.Have cousins who have lived in Kenrick croft since about 71.
Loved the place, always felt it had a reputation it didn't deserve.
Loved the place, always felt it had a reputation it didn't deserve.
brumgum
Proud to be a Brummie!
Used to work on Kingsbury Rd in the eighties and used to pop into the Lancaster and another pub nearby that was definitely a bit dodgy. The old shopping centre had some interesting shops but never seemed fully occupied, there was a dentist in there whose sole aim in life seemed to be to fill every tooth in my head:unconscious: i still have all my own teeth btw. I also had one of me ears pierced in the afore mentioned shopping centre:uncomfortableness::courage:. Concord Tower at the front always seemed a bit rough in my opinion:black_eyed: but it amazed me that the odd blocks here and there remained half way decent.
brumgum
Proud to be a Brummie!
History of The Vale here..
https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-c/castle-vale/
https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-c/castle-vale/
Alan Welsh
New Member
AstonGazz
Thanks for the photos of The Trees. I went in this pub in 1973 on a Canal holiday so must have crossed over the main road to
get to it from the tow-path. Would you please let me know exactly where it was and what if anything has replaced it. Cheers
Thanks for the photos of The Trees. I went in this pub in 1973 on a Canal holiday so must have crossed over the main road to
get to it from the tow-path. Would you please let me know exactly where it was and what if anything has replaced it. Cheers
Hi Alan, I can answer this question for you, the Trees was at the junction of Manby Road and Insworth Drive, you would have left the towpath by the Cincinnati Factory, the moorings were behind the Drome Café which is still there. There are now houses on this site. Regards
Alan Welsh
New Member
Thanks very much Valeboy,
Just looked at a map, and that all makes perfect sense. We would have moored
up just before the lock for a lunch time pint.
Just looked at a map, and that all makes perfect sense. We would have moored
up just before the lock for a lunch time pint.
AstonGazz
proper brummie kid
Hello Alan, Valeboy is right the bridge you moored by was Hansons bridge between the cinncinati and schweeps pop factory warehouse.we used to play around there as kids we used to cross the bridge to hansons bridge road to get to pype hayes park about half a mile away often went into the drome café for some chips next door was harry overton the betting shop the good old days.
I worked at the Schweppes factory from 1981 until it closed in 1989. I used to live in RAF dwellings the old RAF houses that backed onto the other row on the Chester Road. Those were dark days on the Vale, I remember walking to work past burned out cars,. Some poor soul was stabbed to death in the block of flats near our house. I moved to Castle Bromwich shortly after.
Wasn't there a pool at the Schweppes factory known as 'Pikes Pool' ? The source of many a rumour to the size of this mystery fish !
john knight
signman
I was the outdoor advertising manager there in 1973-6.
There was a young lad drowned in the pool whilst swimming, I'll never forget when the police brought his parents into the canteen to break the bad news, he was with 2 other lads who survived.
There was a young lad drowned in the pool whilst swimming, I'll never forget when the police brought his parents into the canteen to break the bad news, he was with 2 other lads who survived.
The pool was on the other side of the fence to the factory. It is part of Plantsbrook nature reserve, still accessible now. It was I believe once an old gravel pit, hence very deep.
hansonbridge
proper brummie kid
The pool you are referring to was once one of the reservoirs that supplied Birmingham's water, before it was piped in from Wales. I may be wrong but I don't think it was a gravel pit or particulary deep. I recall in the 1960's one of my friends swimming across it. Sooner him than me. As my house overlooked the reservoir I spent a lot of time playing in the fields and spinney that were there.
I know it has been mentioned before but there is a great website BRITAIN FROM ABOVE. On that sight type in MOSS GEAR. It was a factory behind the Tyburn Public House. There are clear photographs of its construction in the 1920's together with the surrounding area. Mostly fields, amazing how it has all changed. The website has other photographs of B'ham. Aston Chain and Hook on Bromford Lane springs to mind.
I know it has been mentioned before but there is a great website BRITAIN FROM ABOVE. On that sight type in MOSS GEAR. It was a factory behind the Tyburn Public House. There are clear photographs of its construction in the 1920's together with the surrounding area. Mostly fields, amazing how it has all changed. The website has other photographs of B'ham. Aston Chain and Hook on Bromford Lane springs to mind.
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Bit more about the Pype Hayes Reservoir on Bill Darque's site. My brother and I used to go to the area in the l950's to
collect clay to make models with. Much better accessibility these days though. https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-p/pype-hayes/
collect clay to make models with. Much better accessibility these days though. https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-p/pype-hayes/
hansonbridge
proper brummie kid
That is a very interesting web site you refer to. Thanks for bringing it to attention.
Do you recall that awful area, near the pools, that was all grey and slimey? It was some sort of industrial waste that had been dumped there. As kids we steered clear of it.
Steve
A great little audio snippet of Castle Brom Aerodrome here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01rj3b1
Didn't know that some of the main roads of Castle Vale were the runways when it was an aerodrome. Sad piece in the audio clip about an Australian airman who died in a flying accident and commemorated at the church in Curdworth and there's some ex- RAF houses still in Church Road. Viv.
Didn't know that some of the main roads of Castle Vale were the runways when it was an aerodrome. Sad piece in the audio clip about an Australian airman who died in a flying accident and commemorated at the church in Curdworth and there's some ex- RAF houses still in Church Road. Viv.
Thanks very, very much for posting those Dave! I was only thinking I'd love to go and see the memorial in the church. I'd like to research them for the IWM 'Lives of WW1' project. Would you mind if I used your photos to put on the IWM site please? Is so, I'll acknowledge them as yours. Think it will be very interesting to look into the lives of those airmen. Viv.
I've just found out there are several airmen commemorated at St Mary and St Margaret's, Castle Brom too. Some were a result of flying accidents too. So this will make a very interesting task for me. Most of them were obviously not Birmingham born (I think one airman was) but they are still very much part of its history. Extremely sad though, as some of the airmen were a mere 19 years old. Will probably start a separate thread about them if I can gather together the information. Viv.
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frozenuk
Brummie
Born in 1970, Erdington living (with parents) first in Chester road near the Yenton junction....then a move to Ryland Road off Erdington Hall road then to a high rise flat on Castle Vale called Comet House (over the road from the Skylark pub where my mother worked) 1972-1975 .... I went to St Gerards nursery & primary school .... move then to Bagington Road, Castle Vale until 1979!
Used to Visit my Granddad a lot on Witton Lodge Road (no. 355 i think)...just down from the Spinney at the top where the bus terminated.... remember the last of the old buses with the opening at the back and the conductors! ... also the Leopard pub.
Moved then to Holly Lane, Erdington within some nice block of 3 story flats opposite Holly Lane social Club...went to St Edmund Campion secondary School until 1983 then finally moved to Erdington Hall Road until 1997 when I left home to live in Wales.
Mother worked in the Norton Public House from 1979 until it was pulled down....
Hated School but loved the time after from 1985..... BMX bikes and CB radio! Long time in Brum and a lot seen
Simon.
Used to Visit my Granddad a lot on Witton Lodge Road (no. 355 i think)...just down from the Spinney at the top where the bus terminated.... remember the last of the old buses with the opening at the back and the conductors! ... also the Leopard pub.
Moved then to Holly Lane, Erdington within some nice block of 3 story flats opposite Holly Lane social Club...went to St Edmund Campion secondary School until 1983 then finally moved to Erdington Hall Road until 1997 when I left home to live in Wales.
Mother worked in the Norton Public House from 1979 until it was pulled down....
Hated School but loved the time after from 1985..... BMX bikes and CB radio! Long time in Brum and a lot seen
Simon.
An article on changing the Castle Vale estate, Viv.
https://municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/5098/
https://municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/5098/
Radiorails
master brummie
Looking in greater depth at the Castle Vale area on a map I was surprised to find that virtually all the roads, large and small, were named after Royal Air Force bases or had a connection with aircraft.
Many of those RAF Stations are now gone - reverted to farmland or become industrial areas - however their names now seem immortalized in that area of Birmingham. A fitting tribute given that much war production took place there. but I am sure that was why the planners chose those names.
Many of those RAF Stations are now gone - reverted to farmland or become industrial areas - however their names now seem immortalized in that area of Birmingham. A fitting tribute given that much war production took place there. but I am sure that was why the planners chose those names.
irene floyd
master brummie
I live on Castle Vale been here for 35 years and in the same house.I wouldn't move from here