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Lyndhurst Estate

I too lived on the Lyndhurst Estate in 1959. On the 6th floor of Fairbourn Tower, Wilmote Drive. My parents had been living with my maternal grandmother for eight years while on the council waiting list.

I loved it as a very small boy, it was still a building site! I believe that Fairbourn Tower may have been the first black to be completed on this estate. I certainly recall that Harlech Tower was still under construction, and none of the maisonettes had been completed either.

I used to play on the building site and sit in the canteen with the workmen. The good old days when building sites still had a thunder box toilet. A lot of Irish workers on the site. One man would fry his breakfast then eat it straight out of the frying pan. There was always a cup of tea on the go on the coke braziers, served in a white enamel cup.

The flats were very modern, low level WC cistern, and a hot water system. Fitted kitchen and underfloor hearing in the living room. Mom used to go onto the roof top to hang out her washing.

I recall one flat had a cigarette machine on the wall in the hall.

The hall floors were polished like an ice rink. I think that a lot of mothers who lived in the flats were bored to death and would wash the floor so they could chat to the neighbours.

My mom said she did not like it even with all the mod cons. I lady called Mrs Greenway offered us an exchange for a three-bedroom house with a large garden in Stanwell Grove, Erdington. Mom jumped at the offer, we had only lived in the flat for 8 months.
 
The shops at the top of Beechmount Drive were built during the latter stages of the Lyndhurst's construction and I've been trying to recall who occupied what, when they first opened, the plan below is my best effort. But one part of my memory tells me there were more units; and I am not of one mind with my wife regarding the hairdressers (where she worked for a short time), her recollection is the unit was just a hairdresser, mine is as the plan.
Of one thing I am certain - there was a telephone box opposite the off-license, which I would use to ring my girlfriend (now my wife) on those nights we did not meet, (in those days if your home had a phone you were well posh, and she did!).
Peg.
P.S. She's quite open about the fact she only married me because I looked a bit like Scott Walker, mature lady threaders may remember the 60's hearthrob who fronted The Walker Brothers (which they weren't).
P.P.S. 6 May 2018: I've recently seen an old photo of the shops, there were 6 units.
Lyndhurst Estate Shops.jpg
 
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Peg Monkey, as far as I can tell (and I'm happy to be corrected on this) from Spaghetti to Weelwright Road is Gravelly Hill, from there to Six Ways it's Gravelly Hill North, from Six Ways to to the fork in the road it's Summer Road, from the fork to Mason Road is Sutton New Road, from there to the Abbey (Now Highclare School) is High Street and then Sutton Road as we decided before. I find it quite difficult to imagine the trams coming down Erdington High Street and continuing to the border.
 
Lady Penelope said:
Peg Monkey, as far as I can tell (and I'm happy to be corrected on this) from Spaghetti to Weelwright Road is Gravelly Hill, from there to Six Ways it's Gravelly Hill North, from Six Ways to to the fork in the road it's Summer Road, from the fork to Mason Road is Sutton New Road, from there to the Abbey (Now Highclare School) is High Street and then Sutton Road as we decided before. I find it quite difficult to imagine the trams coming down Erdington High Street and continuing to the border.
Click to expand...
Thanks Lady P, although I travelled that route countless occasions much of the time I was not in full possession of my faculties. Usually following an evening at The Top Rank on Saturday and Thursday (Grab-a-granny night). You have shown the Sutton Road is actually much shorter than I thought, starting somewhere near The Cross Keys pub, which was my dad's favourite watering hole.
P.S. Scott Walker did indeed go very experimental. My wife was his greatest fan but even she did not know what to make of his Tilt album.
P.P.S. I once saw Roy Wood (Wizard) whilst I was waiting for the 64 at the 6-ways island, he came from reservooir Road (In a Mercedes, I think.)
P.P.P.S. Think I've led us perilously close to illegal threading, more discussions on Birmingham Night Clubs of the Past?
Peg.
 
Peg Monkey, going back to the Lyndhurst Estate (before we get the sack), I can see one of the blocks of flats from my front windows. They recently (sorry, can't remember when) installed bright green strip lighting around these flats and I was coming home from Boldmere one night when I spotted them - I was sober as I was driving - and I couldn't think what the lights could be. Had the martians landed?

They are building some very nice properties on this site now but I'm not sure if they are private or social housing. I always felt that the residents of the Lyndhurst (and other such developments) were short changed, espcially those people who lived in the maisonettes. I believe that architects and planners should have to live in these properties before they move the real people in. I think Morturn was right when he said that housewives were scrubbing the halls all the time so that they had some contact with other people. No longer could they pop out of the front and see a friendly face.
 
Lady Penelope said:
Peg Monkey, going back to the Lyndhurst Estate (before we get the sack), I can see one of the blocks of flats from my front windows. They recently (sorry, can't remember when) installed bright green strip lighting around these flats and I was coming home from Boldmere one night when I spotted them - I was sober as I was driving - and I couldn't think what the lights could be. Had the martians landed?

They are building some very nice properties on this site now but I'm not sure if they are private or social housing. I always felt that the residents of the Lyndhurst (and other such developments) were short changed, espcially those people who lived in the maisonettes. I believe that architects and planners should have to live in these properties before they move the real people in. I think Morturn was right when he said that housewives were scrubbing the halls all the time so that they had some contact with other people. No longer could they pop out of the front and see a friendly face.
Click to expand...
It is certainly true if you lived in a tower block and your exit and arrival times didn't coincide with your neighbour(s) you could pass like ships in the night and never see them, unless you knocked on their door, which did happen. But to be fair when the blocks were newly inhabited there was a degree of communal spirit driven by the commonality that all the residents had moved in at around the same time, so all were sharing the same exciting experience of a modern dwelling, many had moved from inner-city back-to-backs often sharing an outside toilet with bathrooms unheard of, and now your own inside toilet and a bathroom how good could it get?!
Peg.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Maybe this is familiar to former residents ? Viv.

View attachment 124576
Click to expand...
I was 11 when this appreared and been on the estate for about a year, I feel guilty that I don't know for certain its location, the maisonettes behind don't give a clue, because there were so many, my guess is it was close to Harlech Tower the tallest block on the estate at 16 stories (the others were 11 except Standleys, which I think was 10) on the city end of the estate (as opposed to the Sutton end).
Peg.
P.S. At first I couldn't make out the cats, then I saw a leg above the little lad's head!
 
The answer to the above is Yes, providing you are looking to the south-east from a window in a Lyndhurst tower block flat, 6th floor or higher (probably 4th in the case of Harlech, because it's on a hill) you will see the flashing beacon of Elmdon Airport (yes, I know it's now Birmingham, but I'm set in my ways).
Peg.

P.S. Moderators - Why if I Google Lyndhurst Estate, Birmingham History Forum I don't get what I want? I get Photos of Houses on Sutton Road prior to 1950....... - we could be missing out on viewing/discussion.
P.P.S. I've been off-grid for a few days, my anti-virus thinks the forum's cookies are a threat, it's not the first time, I've got around it by adding a trusted site in settings.
 
Peg Monkey, there was an open green space with a very steep hill on the Lyndhurst. You walked up past the pub, if I remember rightly and you had a wonderful view westwards.
Shortheath park was quite high up too and I remember Dad telling me where Elmdon was but I'm not sure if you could actually see it. This was pre-development. I'd go and check but there is so much in the way I wouldn't be able to see anything past the new estates!
 
peg monkey when i google lyndhurst estate birmingham history forum it takes me straight to this thread...

as for you being off forum if this was because you couldnt log on we were given a weeks notice by warren that he was moving the server and while he was doing this the forum would not be available..thread below..if however you have been off the forum because you think that the cookies are a threat to the forum then please contact warren via private message expressing your concerns as he is our technical adviser

lyn
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/april-17th-down-time.48767/#post-616440
 
Hi Lyn, I've just had another couple of goes - still no luck going straight to Lyndhurst Estate, no problem for me I'm going in via the index, I'm confused if everything works for you and not me - we using the same search engine; as regards the cookies, I didn't know forum server was shutting down, this explains why I had a problem, sounds like it was nothing to do with the cookies - back to business.

In my post #9 I meant to add: My block had a fishing club and my mother went to keep-fit sessions, both at Lyndhurst School and at least one tower block I know of had an annual residents get-to-gether in the school hall, but after a year or two people began to move away for various reasons (one being there were only 2 bedrooms so if you had a third child you were moved to a larger dwelling) and these things became less well supported.
Peg.
P.S. My father was a keen fisherman and a member of the Fishing Club but I didn't inherit the gene, fishing to me seemed like watching paint dry, in the rain (most of the time!).

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-3#post-616735
 
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I've copied the original thread to this thread (newly created). See if that now works for you Peg. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I've copied the original thread to this thread (newly created). See if that now works for you Peg. Viv.
Click to expand...
Still no luck, Viv, but thanks for trying.

January 1960 and things are at fever pitch in anticipation of our move (Mr & Mrs Monkey and their son, 10 yr-old Peg) from Heaton Street, Hockley to brand-new flat on the Lyndhurst, we arrive safe and sound and a day or two later my mother declares:
"Right Peg, we need to get you moved from Farm Street School to the Lyndhurst School, where you'll be until July (1960) and then you'll go to Moor End Lane Senior School in September (1960) when you are 11."
All sounded straight forward, right? Wrong.
"Sorry, Mrs Monkey," Apologises the Headteacher at Lyndhurst School, "Inview of there being only months left of this academic year it will be better for Peg if he continues at Farm Street and then go directly to Moor End Lane from there."
My heart sank.
The plan was for me to make friends at Lyndhurst School and move with them to Moor End Lane. Ok, no problem, and off we treck to the Yenton Junior School, where we get back on track? No. Same response from the Head at the Yenton.
So I contiune at FarmStreet and then go to Moor End Lane, right? No.
To cut a short story long I end up going with my friends from Farm Street School to Harry Lucas School, just a few hundred yards away.
And there you have it for the next 5 years, or as near as dammit, I commute from the Lyndhurst to Hockley.
Looking back, it makes no sence at all - an hour commuting (64 and Inner Circle 8) at the beginning and end of each day and a fortune in bus fares, but that's the way it was!
Ah! Happy Days!
Peg.
P.S. But it was all worth it because I got fantastic CSE Grades, right? No - but that tale is well chronicled on the Harry Lucas School thread.
(Viv - does the technology exist to insert a hyper-link to #234 on the Harry Lucas School thread?)
 
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Find the specific post you want to link to
Right click on the post number (bottom right)
Select 'Copy link address' if using Chrome ... goes to your computer memory
Select 'Copy Shortcut' if using IE ... goes to your computer memory
Select 'Copy link' if using Edge ... goes to your computer memory
Paste it in the post you want to link from.

A quick way to paste is
Position pointer in the target post
Hold down CTRL key and press V

Here is an example link to your post#230 in the 'Harry Lucas school' thread
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/harry-lucas-school.39524/page-12#post-584793
 
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oldMohawk said:
Find the specific post you want to link to
Right click on the post number (bottom right)
Select 'Copy link address' if using Chrome ... goes to your computer memory
Select 'Copy Shortcut' if using IE ... goes to your computer memory
Select 'Copy link' if using Edge ... goes to your computer memory
Paste it in the post you want to link from.

A quick way to paste is
Position pointer in the target post
Hold down CTRL key and press V

Here is an example link to your post#230 in the 'Harry Lucas school' thread
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/harry-lucas-school.39524/page-12#post-584793
Click to expand...
Thanks OldM, works like magic!
Back to business.... Within hours of moving to the Lyndhurst (Jan 1960) my Dad departed to check out the local hostelries, the nearest was the Yenton (An impressive building) but after checking out all within walking distance he chose the Cross Keys (Corner High St (Lady P to confirm) and Station Rd. I vaguely recall The Roebuck in the High St opposite Woolworths being an impressive black and white timbered building, I never went in, I wasn't of age, before it got demolished to build the precinct, which again I think incorporated a modern version of the pub.
Talking about pubs, reminds me of one of my most enduring memories from that time, each Saturday night, after an evening at the Cross Keys my father would procure 3 portions of Telfers steak and kidney pie and chips from the Mermaid Chippy almost opposite the pub, upon his return to our flat the paper would be simply unwrapped and we'd demolish the contents without pausing to get plates, very little was spoken during the feast.
I can now only dream of such a feast, I'm under strict dietry instuctions. Ah Well, that's life!
Peg.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-3#post-616702
 
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The Pavillion Cinema, corner Chester Road and Gravelly Lane, was still operating when me and my family moved to the Lyndhurst Estate (Jan '60) and I did go and see 1 or 2 films there, it was an impressive detached building, can't really remember the interior but all large cinemas were like palaces inside and I'm sure that was the case. Then the cinema closed and it became the Pavillion Bowl - a 10 pin bowling alley, where you could get a pretty decent burger. When I first met my wife we visited it a number of times and then of course it was demolished for housing.
The Palace cinema then became the nearest venue to see a film but even that eventually secumbed to the developers bulldozers when the precinct was built, then I suppose the nearest cinema was the Plaza, Stockland Green, a cute little cinema that also soon disappeared.
Then at 18, or so, my thoughts turned to clubbing, it was great to have two hotspots so near, in the High Street: The Carlton Club (opposite the parish church), which became Mother's, and the assembly room behind The Queen's Head at 6-ways Erdington, both venues hosted top bands and were great for me because I could walk home.
Ah! Happy Days!
Peg.
P.S. The Queen's Head had curious ultra-violet lights, which, unfortunately, told everyone if you were using the right shampoo, or not,
the answer was only to wear white! (You could soon see who the regulars were).

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-3#post-617633
 
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To the casual observer the decision to build an estate of Tower Blocks on the flight path to an airport might seem an odd one, but that was the case with the Lyndhurst, infact I'm pretty sure the block I lived in was actually on the centre line of the runway at Elmdon. Some planes past over at an alrmingly low height you could almost see the passengers fastening their seatbelts ready for landing.
Each flat was equipped with a drying cupboard but my mother preferred to hang her washing on the roof of the tower block on which was a communal drying area. I was pressed into service carrying newly washed laundry and assisting with pegging out.
The roof was enclosed by a safety glass screen of some 7ft in height, the majority of the glass panels were opaque but the odd one was a viewing panel of clear glass.
The views were fantastic and they would have been even more impressive from Harlech Tower, at 16 stories the tallest on the estate and on the top of a hill!
Peg.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-3#post-616792
 
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Peg Monkey said:
The Pavillion Cinema, corner Chester Road and Gravelly Lane, was still operating when me and my family moved to the Lyndhurst Estate (Jan '60) and I did go and see 1 or 2 films there, it was an impressive detached building, can't really remember the interior but all large cinemas were like palaces inside and I'm sure that was the case. Then the cinema closed and it became the Pavillion Bowl - a 10 pin bowling alley, where you could get a pretty decent burger. When I first met my wife we visited it a number of times and then of course it was demolished for housing.
The Palace cinema then became the nearest venue to see a film but even that eventually secumbed to the developers bulldozers when the precinct was built, then I suppose the nearest cinema was the Plaza, Stockland Green, a cute little cinema that also soon disappeared.
Then at 18, or so, my thoughts turned to clubbing, it was great to have two hotspots so near, in the High Street: The Carlton Club (opposite the parish church), which became Mother's, and the assembly room behind The Queen's Head at 6-ways Erdington, both venues hosted top bands and were great for me because I could walk home.
Ah! Happy Days!
Peg.
P.S. The Queen's Head had curious ultra-violet lights, which, unfortunately, told everyone if you were using the right shampoo, or not,
the answer was only to wear white! (You could soon see who the regulars were).
Click to expand...


Think the Plaza Building is still with us
 
Plaza building is still there but it's now a bingo hall. I think it was something else in between but I can't remember what.
 
Yes, I think you're right Morturn, but I wasn't sure and thought maybe it was a warehouse. Seems a funny shape inside to be a supermarket. The floor would be sloping wouldn't it?
 
As a fifteen year old my first job on leaving school was on Lyndhurst estate working as an apprentice plumber for the City of B,ham Direct Labour Dept. Wimpey built the high rise flats and we did the maisonettes and terraced houses. I,d never been over that side of town before except for Villa Park, lived in Yardley Wood so it was a two bus trip to work, 4d on the 13a and 4d on the 64. I was given instructions how to get there but got confused and got off the bus at six ways and headed down Bromford Lane. Came across a building site and asked for the plumber I was supposed to report to. The plumber there laughed and told me I was on the wrong site and kindly took me up to Lyndhurst on his motor bike. It was a great first few months working there, learned so much working with two good plumbers. Most importantly tho I learned how to make the tea in the billy can!! I also remember the scaffold on one of the twelve story blocks collapsing with two painters who were working on it, only minor injuries if I remember correctly. So many years ago but happy memories!!
 
Lady Penelope said:
Yes, I think you're right Morturn, but I wasn't sure and thought maybe it was a warehouse. Seems a funny shape inside to be a supermarket. The floor would be sloping wouldn't it?
Click to expand...

Its was a funny shape, I do recall. It was significantly remodelled inside and I think they did extend one side of the building. The floors must have been sorted too, as they seemed normal when I looked in.
 
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