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Kingshurst

  • Thread starter Thread starter lynn winterton
  • Start date Start date
My parents along with my older sister and late brother moved from Small Heath (Cattel Road) to Kingshurst in 1961.
I was born in Kingshurst in 1961 and moved to The Cotswolds in 1984.
During my time there, I have seen a lot of changes, especially since Solihull Council took control of the estate in the 80's.
My Mother still lives in the house I was born in, and it is quieter now than it has ever been. A lot of the "problem families" (the council's words, ot mine!) were moved over to Chelsmley Wood when it was built.
I went to school at Kingshurst County Infants School, then Kingshurst County Junior School and finally Kingshurst Comprehensive School (aka Cooks Lane School) which I left in 1977.

I remember The Parade when it was a decent place to shop, the Youth Club, the parks, the building of Kingshurst Lake, the re-landscaping of Babbs Mill from the lake upto the bridge at Cooks Lane (by the old "alsation farm") and my favourite place - The Toby Jug!
My sister married a local lad at St. Barnabas Church in 1977, the day that Virginia Wade won Wimbledon!
I can remember some of the festivities for The Jubilee in '77, the fairs and Carnivals at Fordbridge Park and have many fond memories of my childhood.
I also have memories of the fights between the "Greasers" and the "Skinheads" on the green outside of my house near Redwood House flats, especially the day my 3 cricket stumps were pulled from the ground and used as weapons!
 
We moved to Kingshurst in 1958, and had house in Withy Grove. My brother was only 6 months old at the time. Went to Yorkswood Junior School but only for a few months as I was coming up to 11 and was due for senior school. Went to Park Hall. The Parade had excellent shops at one time, and it was a pleasure to shop there. Was in the guides at St Barnabas Church. Friends with Katrina Race whose mum was the leader. Does anyone remember Harry Greenhalge? Would love to know what happened to him. John, Stephen, Paul and Wendy Ashford lived next to us.

Then there the Morgan family who lived at the top of Withy Grove. Was always with the guys with their motorbikes.

My best friend was Maureen Croote, we used to work together at Dunlop and went out what used to be the Top Rank, the Elbow Room, Whiskey, Locarno, and the one in Stetchford, the Atlas. Had brilliant times.

Remember the pool by Kingshurst Hall? We used to fish there for newts and frog spawn. Not forgetting Wally at the house, the farm with the pigs and cows. Wally use to run off some of the yobs, but a gang of us used to talk to him and he would tell us all about the old house. Such a pity it was left to rot, it should have been taken on by some history group as it had so much history.

We use to cycle to Coleshill and free wheel down the big hill, and Chelmsley Wood was a wood.

We left Kingshurst and moved to Yorkswood some 30 odd years ago, have been here ever since and 2 years ago my brother and his family moved out here to live just round the corner.

Still registered with the Doctors on Kingshurst, not that I go very often. Dr. Cranston and Dr Foster were there at first, with Nurse Harrison.

The only bus service we had when we moved was the Midland Red 160.

Had some good times, with lots of friends, but then it started to go down hill so we put in for a move.

It does seem to have picked up now.

Regards to all
 
Nurse Harrison allways had a fag on the go!
I remember her yelling at children who used to kick the undersides of the bench seating just to make an irritating noise.

I can remember the Midland Red 160, then we had the 166 before the Corperation busses.
 
Hi .i moved to kingshurst from polesworth in 1970. No 15 .hemlingford road maisonettes.which have been demolished ...i lived upstairs .i hated it and left in 1972 moved to kingsnorton. The area was ok then but i had neighbours from hell .my sons went to yorkswood school ...i dont remember the names of any of the neighbours but i do remember a girl called judy who lived in the next block down .she had 2 boys and a girl called julie..she was lovely...
 
i lived in redwood house.it was ok.but once caught some one trying to nick my car,just as i was driving down overgreen.and i drove over the pavement and got him as he try'd to escape in to the block.it was the chap that lived upstairs from me.apart from that it was nice.and so were the chips from bunnies lol
pete
 
i have just looked at all the threads on kingshurst so many memories,we lived at 5 kingshurst way in 1960, i went to yorkswood school , left in 1965 moved to nechells, then in 1970 when i got married got a council masionette at 35 withy grove,
 
I lived in hemlingford road .kingshurst .left there 1973...my boy started school at yorkswood ..moved moved to kings norton ..then weoley castle./northfield.
 
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Our family moved from High Street Erdington to Gilson Way in 1961 and then to Dalewood Road in 1968.
I went to Kingshurst Infants (1964), Yorkswood Juniors (1968) and Kingshurst Comp (Cooks Lane) 1972 - 1977.
I was in the 184th Cub Scouts at Bassetts Grove (1968 - 1970) and had a paper round with Dillons newsagents in the shopping precinct (1974).
I moved away to Edgbaston when I left the family home sometime around 1979/1980.
 
in exile said:
Nurse Harrison allways had a fag on the go!
I remember her yelling at children who used to kick the undersides of the bench seating just to make an irritating noise.

I can remember the Midland Red 160, then we had the 166 before the Corperation busses.
Click to expand...

Doctor Cranston's hands were nicotine yellow up to the wrists and he always had a fag in his mouth when doing an examination!... Nurse Harrison was a formidable charactor, like a cross between Vera Lyn and Peggy Mount!.... Ken, do you remember Norton the dentist? His surgery was opposite the entrance to the library. He even used to frighten the grown-ups about getting their teeth done!.... Midlan Red: The 166 used to be the called the 175, and do you remember the 168 that used to stop at Scotsfords on the Chester Road up by the Toby Jug?
 
hi,christina..i am fr kingshurst..60s..my hub..he came fr st martins flats..there is a reunion on sat 20th..at the Cobbs, club in sherlock st..2pm..my hibby has some wonderful pics, fr highgate..still live around the area..kingshurst..do you have any pics,..all the best .pat [christy]
 
A small poster for the reunion in highgate..<IMG id=vbattach_87372 class=previewthumb alt="" src="https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=87372&amp;stc=1" attachmentid="87372">
 
I lived in hemlingford road in 1972.my boys went to yorkswood school...i didnt stay there long as one of the neighbours was axe happy and i had to pass his door to get out .i cant say i was ever happy there .....
 
I lived in hemlingford road in 1972.my boys went to yorkswood school...i didnt stay there long as one of the neighbours was axe happy and i had to pass his door to get out .i cant say i was ever happy there .....
 
I remember looking out of the upstairs classroom at Kingshurst High and watching the bulldozers start to clear the wonderful bluebell woods. The woods would have a protection order these days
The boys school was still being being built.
Do you remember Miss Lees who taught "Hygiene" and gave the strap? Horrible woman.
 
We moved from Trevor St to Kingshurst in 1960/61 we lived in Kinghurst Way and i went to Yorkswood School.We then moved to Inkerman St Nechells.My sister Pam got married in 1971 and she lived in Withy Grove Kingshurst.
 
I grew up in kingshurst. My parents still live there in Kew close(off cooks lane) although the official address is kingshurxt it is really between kingshurst,chelmsley wood and tile cross. My nan has lived in dunton road for many years.
I went to kingshurst school in the 80's and miss lineham and mrs parkinson were still there then.
 
Also Mr bullivent.
I used to go to different groups at the youth centre including drama where i met my husband.
My nan worked at the youth centre.
 
also has anyone seen "memories of kingshurst" on youtube/
about 5 or 6 short films about different aspects of kingshurst,very interesting.
 
lynn winterton said:
hi
did anyone move to kingshurst? i moved there in 1960 from tallbot st, winson green because our house was compulsory purchased by the council.
oh how lovely it was to have our own toilet!
Click to expand...

I have only just found this thread! We moved to a flat at 66 Overgreen drive in April 1956 when I was 10 months old. I understand the flats along with the Mountfort pub have recently been demolished? We moved there from Longford Road Kingstanding where we had been living with my grandparents ( Tom & Alice Rose) I have very happy memories of my childhood. I went to Sunday school at St Barnabas Church and to Kingshurst infants from 1960 to 1962. I remember my teacher was Miss Hunt. I used to be friends with a Linda Knight who lived in the flat upstairs and I think she had twin brothers younger than her but I am not 100% certain about that!! (memory not what it used to be) . Dr Cranston was our GP and I also remember his nicotine stained fingers. He used to scare me but I am not sure why. We left there in July 1962 and moved to the Leyfields in Tamworth where we rented our first house. My Mom was thrilled to bits with it. Happy memories :)
 
Interested in hearing from others who live in the area and have photographs of the area from the 1950s to 1990s. The Stan Tennett photos of Kingshurst on YouTube are great, but does anyone have anything else, particularly from the 1980s and 1990s like the Kingshurst shops and Chelmsley Wood town centre, pubs, sports centre, etc?
 
Some photos of Chelmsley shopping centre I took a few years back.
 

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Sorry no photos of Kinghurst. My Wife and family lived for many years in Laburnam, I used to cover the School services back in the early seventies driving for her brother. My Wife used to be a dental nurse for a Dentist on the Chester road, plenty of good and not so good memmories. Certainly remember the Mountford pub as we used the off licence every Boxing Day to stock up with the booze for the family get together, party 7 was the in thing in the early seventies. Friend of the family used to work at the green grocers on Kinghurst, what a generous woman she was especially as we had just got married and were skint.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies up-to-now. Hopefully a few more will have a look and will put a few more photos and information on the site. My memories go back to the middle to late 80s, and I know many of the things you have referred to. The children went to Fordbridge Infant and Kingshurst Junior Schools, before moving on to local senior schools. Things like the pubs and the chip van are well known, as well as the Midland Red buses that were the 160 and 168 if I remember correctly. I used to visit a cousin in the 50s and 60s, and that's why a I remember the Midland Red buses. There used to be the annual Kingshurst Carnival that consisted of a tour round the area by a lot of floats, before ending up at Babbs Mill with the fair and stalls. The floats included the Girls Brigade, Fordbridge Infant and Kingshurst Primary Schools, Gilson Ladies, the Scouts and many more. My children were on the floats for a few years. Photos and memories of the Carnival, the floats and any Babbs Mill events would be great. The Carnival ended in the late 90s. Any memories of the old Kingshurst shops would be great too, like the greengrocer's, the cafe and the wallpaper shop that were knocked down.

Thanks again

John
 
Hi, I live on Cooks Lane and we back onto the Babbs Mill Parkland/ Nature Reserve. We have a housing estate that runs at the back of us and our garden just misses backing straight onto the park. You access this estate opposite the Texaco now Esso petrol garage. We haven't been here long and I wondered what was there before these houses were built as its like a field at the back of us where we walk our dogs. Could it have belonged to a farm as the original fence is still in place in one part and you can also see the chimneys of Sheldon Hall at the top end of the field. I would love to know if anyone can remember, not sure how long this housing estate has been here as we have only been here a year?
Thanks Karen
 
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