• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Gospel Lane

I remember Gospel Lane from Redstone Farm Road I lived in Arkley road and went to Lakey Lane Primary. I went into Severne road many times but not sure why probably to see my mates.
 
Hi
Yes I Can Remember The Gospel Oak Pub Don't Know If It Still There Opp The Golf Links And The Terminus For The 32 Bus I Think The Newsagents Near There Was Vernons ??? Also A George Masons Or Wrensons Along With A Hair Dressers And A Chip Shop
Down The Road Was The Moonraker I Think.
John
 
I went to Severne Road infant school and then onto Pitmaston Secondary. When I was big enough to carry a bag of clubs I used to caddy for the golfers at the club mentioned. My mom did almost all the shopping in Lakey Lane and Redstone Farm Rd. The shops mentioned are all correct. I remember a footpath from Redstone Farm Rd. It ran alongside the golf course and eventually it came to a disused army camp of some sort. It was a layout of nissan huts type of thing and we used to play in them. The path carried on and passed what we called The Rubber Dump. It was a large enclosed area full of aircraft tyers, innertubes, flexible reinforced rubber tubes of all sizes and dozens of other things all made from rubber. We would steal an innertube each and blow them up at a garage then take them to Lincoln Road Olton and play with them on the canal. I Digress, the path would eventually open out onto St. Bernards Road. Across the road it carried on until Streetsbrook Rd. Acroiss Streetsbrook Road was The Bluebell Woods where we would play hide and seek and other things. Back to the canal. I can remember swimming as far as Catherine De Barnes from Olton and back again. Not in one go, we would stop and play then swim some more. This is true, we would knock on someones door for a glass of water and they would give us a buiscuit and a glass of pop you must emember these were large private houses and we all came from Acocks Green, we were in awe at the luxurious hallways of these house. Happy days, gone forever I'm afraid.
 
Not sure what it is called now as The Gospel Oak has had a couple of name changes,but its still there the Moonraker has gone.I lived off Gospel Farm Road must be twenty years ago my children went to Lakey Lane my daughter went onto Pitmaston but it closed after her first year.
 
Yes the Gospel Oak is still standing today, but I think it is more of a place you can get something to eat rather than somewhere to go for a drink. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a restaurant. Not that I pass that way much, but when I do, it does not seem to be doing much business.

I've attached two photo's, one of how it used to look and one how it looks today.

Phil

AcocksGreenGospelOakAcocksGreen.jpg
AcocksGreenOakGospelLaneAcocksGreen.jpg
 
Last edited:
My dad was captain of the Gospel Oak bowls team for a few years. He used to take mom and us four kids to the matches at the Maggies on Shirley road and the Red Lion in the village, as well as the ones at the Gospel. I remenber well the magnifcent silver cup that was usually on display in the cabinet above dads writing desk.
 
Hi Sticher , How Long Ago Did Your Father Captain The Bowls Team At The Oak
And I Used To Run The Red Lion In The Village Afew Years Ago
The Gospel Will Never Make Money , I Remember When They First Tryed It
And When The Italian Guy Used To Run It , It Always As AND Always Will Have Got What We Gathers Say A Chequered History Of A Pub
 
Oddly enough I had to pass the Gospel Oak late last night, and its all boarded up again. I don't know how long it been boarded up, I think they will demolish it this time. Room for another Aldi Supermarket.

Astonian

Was this your Red Lion or did you run the new one. I've had a drink in both and I have to say I prefered the old building.

Phil

AcocksGreenTheRedLion_opt.jpg
 
Hi Phil
Nice One Yes I Done Both Of Them , Old And The New One
The OnlyGood Thing I Liked About The Old One Was It Had A Good Bowling
Green , The New One Never Did And Most Certainly The Older Punters Did
Not Like TThe New One , When I Moved To Kings Norton I Took On The
Kings Head
 
Astonian, I dont the actual date but I was a child and I am almost 70 now so it must have been prior to 1950. Sorry I cant be more specific.
 
When I posted about attending Severne Road and Pitmaston, I recieved a message about Miss Green and Porky Norwell. I replied but I dont know where it went as I am qite new to this.
 
Re: Severne Road.

In 1953 I did a paper round for Gills newsagent in Oakhurst road, opposite the park gates. My round was Severne Road from top to bottom both sides and the two groves down the bottom end. It was hard work in the winter and a nuisance in the summer but it was all worthwhile when I got my tips at Xmas.
 
My older brother worked part time Saturdays and school holidays at the greengrocers situated on the corner of Severne Road and Gospel Lane. The shop proprietor had a mobile round and did all over oltol with his lorry.
 
Redstone Farm Road was originally part of Gospel Lane as well, but the people on the even number side which has always fallen on the Solihull side of the boundary did not really want to be associated too much with the council house plebs! Hence the rename from Gospel Lane to Redstone Farm Road prior to ww2.
 
leanderpoole said:
Redstone Farm Road was originally part of Gospel Lane as well, but the people on the even number side which has always fallen on the Solihull side of the boundary did not really want to be associated too much with the council house plebs! Hence the rename from Gospel Lane to Redstone Farm Road prior to ww2.
Click to expand...


I never knew that!! I used to walk up that way to Pitmaston School. I used to live Tavistock Road at Broomhall Cresent end.

I can remember what Stitcher was saying about all those lovely houses on St Bernards Road and the Solihul end etc..and the golf course - spent hours there collecting golf balls and used to make a few pence selling them back to the golfers (ha ha ha had to buy sweets somehow!!)

I also remember there was Langley Hall Road just off Gospel Lane and a social club there - there was a path that led to what we called a brook/pond and some trees there we'd spend afternoons there with a picnic and mess in the water when we couldn't afford to go over to Tudor Grange swimming baths and park. I looked at this a while back on a map it's amazing how far around we used to go as kids. We'd walk for miles and loved those big houses - they always seemed really posh for us kids off the council estate. But I'd not change it if I was given a chance cause where we lived was nice and a real community back then (mid 1970's onwards) our end of the street was great.

I often wonder whether it's still as nice there.
 
Hi Elizabeth1

My grandmother lived at 143 Redstone Farm Road from 1941 onwards and gave me all the goss. What the old Gospel Lane numbers were I don't know but I think they were somewhere in the 500's.
I lived with my grandmother for a while until she died in 1979. The Birmingham side of the street mixed predominantly with the Brummies and the Solihull side
stuck with the Solihull people. Different dustmen, different schools for the kids etc. It was very much us and them but we were on the better side and it was great.
I used go round Langley Hall myself and follow the path round myself and I think I know the pool you are mentioning. Don't know if it is still there though.
Some of my friends and I were in on the act of flogging golf balls back to the club as well. Nice bit of extra pocket money if you could get it.

Regards

Leo
 
I do laugh when I think back to selling the golf balls back to the golfers (some cheek? ha ha ha) My parents would have gone mad had they known we did that ha ha BUT I suppose they had their money raising scams in their days too?

I used to do a paper round from Perrins Post Office on Gospel Lane and I had my own street to deliver to as my round which was great cause it was easy. When I had to do the other rounds on the Solihul side I used to have to get up much earlier as the rounds were spread further away it took ages to do the round but it paid more money.
 
Anyone remembers the Grocers at 184-188 Gospel Lane? I believe the shop was called "Wallisdown Stores".
It was opposite the entry of Fox Hollies park and next to the allotments.
In the Seventies (1970-1976) it was owned by Kenneth and Winifred Perry. They had a son Richard Perry who was into Motorsport and owned a silver TVR Vixen.
All info about the shop or the Perry family is welcome
 
I noticed the other day that The Gospel Oak is being renovated once again after letting it be vandalised practically down to a shell. Anybody got any idea what is going to be now?

Phil
 
Drove past the Gospel Oak over the weekend , I see there is a sign outside. "Coming soon apartments for sale". Another pub bites the dust.

Phil
 
I did post this somwhere else but I will put it on here as well. The Gospel Oak Pub is now a CO-OP food sales outlet. The exterior remains exactly the same but there is a sign over the door.
 
My grandparents Harold and Elsie Ireland lived at No 4 Gospel Lane, near the Olton Boulevard/Warwick Road junction and my other Grandad George Bayliss lived opposite at no 11. My parents Beryl Ireland and David Bayliss both grew up in Gospel Lane, marrying in 1961. No 11 was a council house but No. 4 was privately owned and Grandad bought it as a new build in 1933. My brother still owns it so it has been in the family for 80 years. If you go on Rightmove.co.uk there are some houses for sale in Gospel Lane B27 7AA click on Streetview and you can take a virtual tour of the road as it is today.

I remember visiting my grandparents regularly as a child in the 1960s. Sometimes the chimney sweep would come and I would be taken outside to see the brushes appear through the chimney top. The coal man would bring a bag of coal and carry it through the entry to the coal house, next to the privvy. I think he had a horse and cart, I know one of the delivery men did. Grandad toasted "Mother's Pride" from a waxed paper packet using a long toasting fork close to the flames. Sometimes we were allowed in the parlour which was the best room, reserved for guests. It had fancy cushions on a barely used three piece suite and smelled of slightly wrinked apples from the fruit bowl and sweet peas from Grandad's allotment. In 1971 the house was victim to an arson attack and had to be completely refurbished in 1970s style during the following year. Fortunately my grandparents were unhurt.

No 4 bears little resemblance now to the house from my childhood but the original fireplace in the front room is still there behind a 1970's gas fire. There are a few 1930's houses remaining at Warwick Road end but most of the road is a modern 1990s built housing estate. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-37224268.html
 
The Gospel Oak is now a Co-Op the land at the back has been built on to create the flats/houses. The Red Lion is supposed to being re-opened as a Hairy Lemon!
 
ELIZABETH1 said:
I never knew that!! I used to walk up that way to Pitmaston School. I used to live Tavistock Road at Broomhall Cresent end.

I can remember what Stitcher was saying about all those lovely houses on St Bernards Road and the Solihul end etc..and the golf course - spent hours there collecting golf balls and used to make a few pence selling them back to the golfers (ha ha ha had to buy sweets somehow!!)

I also remember there was Langley Hall Road just off Gospel Lane and a social club there - there was a path that led to what we called a brook/pond and some trees there we'd spend afternoons there with a picnic and mess in the water when we couldn't afford to go over to Tudor Grange swimming baths and park. I looked at this a while back on a map it's amazing how far around we used to go as kids. We'd walk for miles and loved those big houses - they always seemed really posh for us kids off the council estate. But I'd not change it if I was given a chance cause where we lived was nice and a real community back then (mid 1970's onwards) our end of the street was great.

I often wonder whether it's still as nice there.
Click to expand...
It's nice enough as we live just off St Bernards Road in Mereside Way, it's close to the Olton Mere but most of the large Edwardian houses are still there though some have been converted into flats now. Obviously Solihull has changed greatly over the last 40 years since we moved here from Hall Green. I am a member at the golf club you mention though nowadays they don't let people in to hunt the balls.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top