H
harley
Guest
is there anyone who lives ,or has lived on castle vale .i dont see a mention of the place on here ,where are you all folks harley
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Michael_Ingram
gone but not forgotten
I have two connections. When I was a student one of my holiday jobs was working on Castle Vale when it was being built. Me and my two friends where employed by one of the firms of finishers to clean the tile on the sides of some of the buildings. We found it a difficult job as the tiles were perfectly clean and so we were just going through the motions. The foreman did no work at all; he spent all day reading his paper, listening to the wireless, smoking and drinking tea in his base which was in a garage of one of the new blocks.
At the end of the week we collected our wages. We had all done exactly the same work for the same amount of time and were all three, students. However, we were all paid something slightly different. When we queried this with the foreman, he phoned up his office who told him to sack us on the spot for complaining. The next week we got a job at Wimbushes Bakery.
The second connection. A couple of years later one of my best friend lived in one of the high rises and so I visited regularly. I remember there was a sewage farm near bye with tomatoes growing on the side. I am told it is common for tomatoes to grow near sewage. My friends were Kevin Donaldson and his wife Eileen. Kevin had been a psychiatric nurse then went to universtity to study psychology and became and educational psychologist working for the prison service.
At the end of the week we collected our wages. We had all done exactly the same work for the same amount of time and were all three, students. However, we were all paid something slightly different. When we queried this with the foreman, he phoned up his office who told him to sack us on the spot for complaining. The next week we got a job at Wimbushes Bakery.
The second connection. A couple of years later one of my best friend lived in one of the high rises and so I visited regularly. I remember there was a sewage farm near bye with tomatoes growing on the side. I am told it is common for tomatoes to grow near sewage. My friends were Kevin Donaldson and his wife Eileen. Kevin had been a psychiatric nurse then went to universtity to study psychology and became and educational psychologist working for the prison service.
frederick
master brummie
a friend of my farther-in-law lived in one of the blocks of flats i remember going with him to there a couple of times, and i used to work over the road at Pressed Steel Fisher. but befor all that i have been on the runway roller skating getting some practice in there would also be racing cars on there, and a long time befor that my dad took me to an R.A.F open day that the R.A.F had.
I lived on the Vale in the 1970's Meteor House Filton Croft
john knight
signman
I lived in Stornoway Rd. for 6 years, people used to call it millionaires row because it was one of the few private rows of houses, I used to drink in the Trees, Albatross, Tradewinds, Skylark, Tyburn House.
H
harley
Guest
i went to castle vale comp then left in 1972. lived in chigwell close ,then cosford tower top floor oooodizzy, then turnhouse road , then longclose walk ,loved the place then, and i think they done a fantastic job of it now bringing it all up to date.so very clean and tidy.harley
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
Me and me Dad Built the steps in the underpasses
It was TK Ales, aka Thomas Keresley Brewery. I didn't much care for their range of beers and most people were happy to see the Ansells takeover.
I have a feeling that TK were based in Mansfield or that vicinity bur I'll be happy to be corrected.
Ian
Not clever, a little obscure, maybe. I've no idea why they were granted the licence. Perhaps it was the Monopoly's Commision thingy....
There are so many knowledgeable people on this forum that I feel sure at least one will have the answer....more than one, probably.
Ian
the silver fox
master brummie
I have no personal connection with Castle Vale but a colleague of mine lived on the 14th floor of one of the high-rise blocks with his family. He had a toddler son, about 18 months old and the father and son bond was forming with the games of football being regularly reported on.
The guy was a bit of a scrounger really, liked his booze and his car was like an ashtray. One day he arrived home in mid-afternoon; someone told him that a bag of clothes had fallen out of a widow onto the canopy over the entrance. He climbed up to discover that the bundle was in fact his young son who had climbed through a window; Bob's son died in his arms.
This was one of the saddest experiences of my life.
It did lead to the modifdication of the window catches but at what cost!
The guy was a bit of a scrounger really, liked his booze and his car was like an ashtray. One day he arrived home in mid-afternoon; someone told him that a bag of clothes had fallen out of a widow onto the canopy over the entrance. He climbed up to discover that the bundle was in fact his young son who had climbed through a window; Bob's son died in his arms.
This was one of the saddest experiences of my life.
It did lead to the modifdication of the window catches but at what cost!
G
gham
Guest
Toddler tragedies are heart-rending. A deceased uncle of mine -not in Castle Vale-had a toddler son..this happened in the early 1940s..who put his head into a tub next to the mangle where there was a very small amount of water in the bottom of the tub-he drowned within minutes/moments.The boy's name was Malcolm.:angel:
Hey All! I moved to Castle Vale approximately 2 years ago after living in Nechells for a while and I am trying to get as much information as possible about the place. Old pictures, memories of the pubs that used to be round here, what you think of the place now and so on. I know somebody posted before asking about the place and got a "put it in the search bar" answer (which i did and couldnt find anything really!) Im especially interested in hermes tower (now innsworth green) and as much detailed information as you can pass on please!
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Hi Dippy
I have a few pictures of the early version of Castle Vale but I know very little of the place itself other than the fact that they moved a lot of our neighbours out that way when they demolished Nechells but we resisted and just moved to a better house in Nechells. I did work on the estate for a while in the 60's when they were finishing it off, but that was on the houses near the top of the estate near Kingsbury rd. We did later in the early 70's use the tip at the top of Farnborogh Rd by the old hangars.
Phil
I have a few pictures of the early version of Castle Vale but I know very little of the place itself other than the fact that they moved a lot of our neighbours out that way when they demolished Nechells but we resisted and just moved to a better house in Nechells. I did work on the estate for a while in the 60's when they were finishing it off, but that was on the houses near the top of the estate near Kingsbury rd. We did later in the early 70's use the tip at the top of Farnborogh Rd by the old hangars.
Phil
Hi Phil.
thankyou for the photos they are brilliant, just the sort of thing I am after. I know the housing estate as was is a bit of a dark patch and apart from a book (no longer notorious) i have found very little. I remember my parents telling me that they moved from Cromwell Street in Nechells to Castle Vale and they lived in Hermes tower which is why it holds some fascination for me. In a weird twist of fate i met my girlfriend who lived in a flat her grandparents bought on Cromwel Street (right next to the school) and we also moved to castle vale!
Right now I am living at the Kingsbury Road end of Castle Vale and i had no idea where the old hangars were located or that there was a tip there. thank you for the information
thankyou for the photos they are brilliant, just the sort of thing I am after. I know the housing estate as was is a bit of a dark patch and apart from a book (no longer notorious) i have found very little. I remember my parents telling me that they moved from Cromwell Street in Nechells to Castle Vale and they lived in Hermes tower which is why it holds some fascination for me. In a weird twist of fate i met my girlfriend who lived in a flat her grandparents bought on Cromwel Street (right next to the school) and we also moved to castle vale!
Right now I am living at the Kingsbury Road end of Castle Vale and i had no idea where the old hangars were located or that there was a tip there. thank you for the information
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Hi Dippy
I'm sure that you realise that Castle Vale estate was built on Castle Bromwich Aerodrome that was used by the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory during the last war. A search on this site will produce much information on this fact.
The hangers to which I refer would have been the last remaining vestiges of the aerodrome and would have been on the opposite site of the estate to where you now live.
Phil
I'm sure that you realise that Castle Vale estate was built on Castle Bromwich Aerodrome that was used by the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory during the last war. A search on this site will produce much information on this fact.
The hangers to which I refer would have been the last remaining vestiges of the aerodrome and would have been on the opposite site of the estate to where you now live.
Phil
Hi Phil
I have done a fair bit of research into the old estate and what it was before and it certainly has had a multi use past! I have clicked on google earth and they have a "back in time" feature which allows you to see it in 1945 on an aerial view. I was just wondering about the hangars because i thought everything like that would have been demolished when the estate was built. That must be the site of the new nature reserve.
Darren
I have done a fair bit of research into the old estate and what it was before and it certainly has had a multi use past! I have clicked on google earth and they have a "back in time" feature which allows you to see it in 1945 on an aerial view. I was just wondering about the hangars because i thought everything like that would have been demolished when the estate was built. That must be the site of the new nature reserve.
Darren
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
The hangers was where the betterware building is now. My wife works there and she says there some older parts to the building. Makes me think they built around the hangers
Here's a link to solihull local history info. Has some info on Castle Vale and the RAF connection. Viv.
https://www.solihull.gov.uk/localhistory/16337.htm
https://www.solihull.gov.uk/localhistory/16337.htm
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Frothy
I think you are possibly right, all I remember is we used to drive up Farnborogh Rd and where the road started to veer off to the left we used to drive down a hard core track to the tip. I know they only accepted non degradable loads (brick, concrete & soil) so they must have been doing some infilling, but I can't remember what.
Phil
I have had a quick look around, ask of the neighbours and rode my pushbike over there earlier on and it turns out there is some remnance of the hangars left down the very far end of the estate, by the nature reserve which leads off farnborough road. Also i have been told of a cycle path right next to a small brook that leads to an old factory platform used during the war/ industry fair years so i shall have a look and take some pictures tomorrow.
I must say that i take great interest in local history. I am 26 and i know about the estate now but i want to know about its past because i hear all these horror stories and looking out of my window now i cannot imagine it.
I must say that i take great interest in local history. I am 26 and i know about the estate now but i want to know about its past because i hear all these horror stories and looking out of my window now i cannot imagine it.
chocks2
master brummie
The Hangars to which you all refer remained after the housing estate was built because they were not sold off with the rest of the airfield. The airfield was, as we all know "RAF" but the hangars that remained belonged to the Royal Navy. Known as RNAY (Royal Naval Aircraft Yard) Castle Bromwich. This could be clearly seen written on the Farnborough Rd side of the hangars. They were still in use in the very early 60's but when they closed the navy was very reluctant to sell them off but soon realised that they could never be used again and eventually got rid of them. Their original use was for conversion of the spitfire to the naval variant, the seafire and afterwards for maintenance of the aircraft.
bill.dargue
master brummie
Castle Vale History
There are a couple of good downloads on the Birmingham City Council website - https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/castlevalehistory
and the Wikipedia page is pretty good and has lots of references listed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Vale .
There are a couple of good downloads on the Birmingham City Council website - https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/castlevalehistory
and the Wikipedia page is pretty good and has lots of references listed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Vale .
Here's a bit of first hand knowledge. The Hangars were off Park Lane, on the 's' bends, opposite the Milk Float Depot, (both long gone I'm afraid), there are numerous photos and maps to show you where they were. The Alec Henshaw Book, "Sigh for a Merlin" is invaluable here. About 10 years ago a pit was excavated on this site and tons of Merlin Engines & spares, wrapped in greased hessian & crated were dug out from where they'd been buried after WW II. They are now at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight HQ in Lincoln.
There is a very good book of Photos detailing the area, showing the Sewage Farm that was Castle Vale. Essentially a Farmhouse stood just below the Tyburn House PH. The fields up to the Railway were used to spread ther 'Night Soil' from that side of the City.
By the time I became aware of Castle Vale in the late 60's it was being built. I started working on the Railway atr the old Castle Bromwich Stn in the early 70's. Many of my workmates lived on the Vale, and I drank in the ALbatross PH, (now gone). We had to drive across the Council Rubbish tip, (now Football fields and the Baths), to get to the Railway lines. The old Airfield layout was still recognisable then, with many buildings locally still camouflaged.
It was a new estate with, essentially, young families. However it soon developed problems with Teenagers stealing cars in the 1978 - 1986 period. Indeed there was a 'League Table' of who could nick what in the area! One major thief had a string of Garages in Watton Green, linked to a radio controlled door opener in order to evade Police pursuits. (I was working for Wartwickshire Police 1978 onwards). West Midlands Police mounted several major operations to catch the thieves and eradicate the problem. Linked to this, the Tower blocks were becoming infesated with the worst of B'hams scummy families. In 1988 I started working as a 'Paramedic' with the WM Ambulance Service. You NEVER parked a vehicle beneath the Towers, if you did you got sharpened spikes or teles through the roof! The lifts - you had to stand in the middle and ignore the human faeces! The whole place was a mess. The HAT was the best thing that happewned to the site. Many of the problem buildings have now gone, and, despite the garish colour scheme, it's a far better place. I still have friends there, long time residents, from the 60's, and they say so too.
There is a very good book of Photos detailing the area, showing the Sewage Farm that was Castle Vale. Essentially a Farmhouse stood just below the Tyburn House PH. The fields up to the Railway were used to spread ther 'Night Soil' from that side of the City.
By the time I became aware of Castle Vale in the late 60's it was being built. I started working on the Railway atr the old Castle Bromwich Stn in the early 70's. Many of my workmates lived on the Vale, and I drank in the ALbatross PH, (now gone). We had to drive across the Council Rubbish tip, (now Football fields and the Baths), to get to the Railway lines. The old Airfield layout was still recognisable then, with many buildings locally still camouflaged.
It was a new estate with, essentially, young families. However it soon developed problems with Teenagers stealing cars in the 1978 - 1986 period. Indeed there was a 'League Table' of who could nick what in the area! One major thief had a string of Garages in Watton Green, linked to a radio controlled door opener in order to evade Police pursuits. (I was working for Wartwickshire Police 1978 onwards). West Midlands Police mounted several major operations to catch the thieves and eradicate the problem. Linked to this, the Tower blocks were becoming infesated with the worst of B'hams scummy families. In 1988 I started working as a 'Paramedic' with the WM Ambulance Service. You NEVER parked a vehicle beneath the Towers, if you did you got sharpened spikes or teles through the roof! The lifts - you had to stand in the middle and ignore the human faeces! The whole place was a mess. The HAT was the best thing that happewned to the site. Many of the problem buildings have now gone, and, despite the garish colour scheme, it's a far better place. I still have friends there, long time residents, from the 60's, and they say so too.
eddie marsh
knowlegable brummie
Hey there, if your still readinmg this, I lived in Cosford Tower 1966 to 76. 7th floor.
Regards Eddie