Peter Walker
gone but not forgotten
One of the big changes in our lifetime is in how kids get or are got to school.
I lived in Hill Crest Grove, off Warren Road, the far side of Witton Cemetery, and my infants' school was Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, about 10 minutes' walk (no problem), but you had to cross the Hawthorn Road. As I remember, one of the mums from our road would take us up to Hawthorn Road and see us over the road, after which she would do her shopping. From there on we only had two local roads to cross and we could be trusted to find our way there. Coming back was varied. Sometimes one of the teachers would walk us up to Hawthorn Road and see us over. Other times a mum would collect us in Hawthorn Road after doing her shopping. Our parents' only worry was that we crossed the main road safely, which, if we were alone, we could be relied upon to do, but in a group was a different matter. On our way back I can remember sometimes calling in on other mums and getting a glass of water or a biscuit of even a 'piece'. There was never any notion of stalkers, attackers and suchlike, but our parents had something to think about when there was an air raid.
To get to Hawthorn Road Junior Boys' I didn't have to cross a single road, so there was no problem. By the time I was 8 I was trusted to go on my own to piano lessons in Lozells, a 3-mile bus journey.
Aston Grammar was about 3 miles away, with a long and boring walk along Frederick Road. I already had a bike, but I hardly ever used it to get to school, I think because I was too lazy.
Peter
I lived in Hill Crest Grove, off Warren Road, the far side of Witton Cemetery, and my infants' school was Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, about 10 minutes' walk (no problem), but you had to cross the Hawthorn Road. As I remember, one of the mums from our road would take us up to Hawthorn Road and see us over the road, after which she would do her shopping. From there on we only had two local roads to cross and we could be trusted to find our way there. Coming back was varied. Sometimes one of the teachers would walk us up to Hawthorn Road and see us over. Other times a mum would collect us in Hawthorn Road after doing her shopping. Our parents' only worry was that we crossed the main road safely, which, if we were alone, we could be relied upon to do, but in a group was a different matter. On our way back I can remember sometimes calling in on other mums and getting a glass of water or a biscuit of even a 'piece'. There was never any notion of stalkers, attackers and suchlike, but our parents had something to think about when there was an air raid.
To get to Hawthorn Road Junior Boys' I didn't have to cross a single road, so there was no problem. By the time I was 8 I was trusted to go on my own to piano lessons in Lozells, a 3-mile bus journey.
Aston Grammar was about 3 miles away, with a long and boring walk along Frederick Road. I already had a bike, but I hardly ever used it to get to school, I think because I was too lazy.
Peter