Princethorpe Road School Weoley Castle

[dmillward13]

Hi folks, just thought I'd mention that as well as being a pupil at Ilmington, my first school was Princethorpe Road Junior and Infants from 1949 to 1955 and I have many fond memories of that school as it was a much nicer place than Ilmo. I'm uploading a couple of photos taken at Princthorpe, the first one is a group photo of my class in 1950 so I'm hoping that some of you will recognize yourselves, I am second row down and 5th from the left. The second photo is me taken just before Christmas 1953. It would be great if any of you have old photos from Princethorpe to share with us.

 

[dmillward13]

Hi folks, just thought I'd mention that before I went to Ilmington, my first school was Princethorpe Road Junior and Infants and I have many fond memories of my time there and I'm sure that many of you do too. I'm uploading a couple of photos taken at Princethorpe, the first one is a group photo of my class taken in 1950 or 51 and I am in the second row down and 5th from the left. The lady on the left is Miss Smallwood and the lady on the right I think is Miss Grundy but I'm not sure so if any of you know for sure then please let me know. The second photo is me now in the Juniors at Christmas 1953.

 

[dmillward13]

Sorry about the double post I didn't think the first one was accepted as I'm new to this.

 

[paul stacey]

Good Photo's, My sisters went to Princethorpe Road, I went to Our Lady of St Rose Gregory Avenue, we are younger than you. My first job at "Fatty's", on a Saturday Morning after putting out the meat was to take a note to the "Offie", which was at the bottom of the Square facing John Favours. With a note and 10/-, for 2 small bottles of whiskey, which I put under the box's out back, so his wife did't see them, I heard he changed later in life became quite a dark character, but he was always kind to me. Paul

 

[dmillward13]

Good Photo's, My sisters went to Princethorpe Road, I went to Our Lady of St Rose Gregory Avenue, we are younger than you. My first job at "Fatty's", on a Saturday Morning after putting out the meat was to take a note to the "Offie", which was at the bottom of the Square facing John Favours. With a note and 10/-, for 2 small bottles of whiskey, which I put under the box's out back, so his wife did't see them, I heard he changed later in life became quite a dark character, but he was always kind to me. Paul

Thanks for that Paul, very interesting, I remember the Offie and me and my friend Peter Sutton went there 2 or 3 times a week to get 2 pints of draft mild beer for his Dad. I never really knew old Barnfield much but he was always polite if you met him out walking, he would tip his hat and say hello. He seemed a nice person but the amount of booze he drank would have a bad effect on anyone. Do you remember Coleman's the pork butchers? I worked there from 1960 to 63 as cutter out the back and helped making the sausage and cooked meats. The boss John Coleman was a really nice bloke and like a friend to me.

 

[dmillward13]

Hi Paul, yes I did Know Colin Cave, he is the same age as me (76) and he was in my class at Princethorpe and I think that might be him top row first on the left in the school photo I posted. I think he lived in Quarry Road a few doors from the school gates. Not sure about Mick Whitehouse but the name rings a bell. In 1964 I moved away from Weoley Castle but did visit quite often as my Mom lived there in Ackleton Grove until she passed away in 1984 and my sister still lives in the area. Like you said that you lived in Milcote Road and new the people in the immediate area, most of the people I know lived either in Ackleton Grove or Ilmington Road.

 

[Bloodette]

Hi. I’ve just come across this thread and was hoping that someone may have memories of my parents who went to both Princethorpe Rd and Ilmington Road schools in the 40s/50s. My Mum was Sylvia Eden, from Copston Grove, born 1937, and had a younger sister Christine. My Dad was Anthony Nightingale from Jervoise Road, again born 1937. Both have now sadly passed but if anyone can remember them I’d love to hear about it!
Many Thanks

 

[Vivienne14]

For those interested there’s an Ilmington Road School thread here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ington-road-school-weoley-castle.17782/page-8

Viv

 

[campfremont]

Hi Derek I've just come across this thread after several years of not visiting the Forum. I hope you may still be visiting it, post-Covid.
As a fellow former member of the 'gang' that lived around the grassed areas at the junction of Ilmington Road and Ackleton Grove during the 50s and 60s, I still have a host of memories. I remember you and Peter Sutton being good mates. I also remember Bruce the dog! You were both a few years older than me, but still willing to join in the with our sports and the various 'seasons and fads' we had like marbles, davy crockett, catapults and snowball fights. I could mention many names and the many adventures we had down the Square, round the prefabs, and at Square Park and Senneleys Park, for instance; and, of course, scaling the coke pile at Ilmington School. But I am hesitant to do so, without outing people. May be they will confess themselves. I hope you can recall Peter K, David E and Michael K of your age group and, perhaps, Patrick O'N, Stephen B, and Michael and John Mc. of my cohort? I can still reel off the names of all the shops, barbers and banks on the Square at that time. I still live in fear of Mr Fawkes. Who would put him in charge of a Sweet Shop? I think I recall your sister working in a shop on the Square. I would be happy to share further memories with any of our contemporaries if they wish to do so.
Paul W
(Tom the chauffeur's son)

 

[izzy eckerslike]

I moved to Oxley grove around 1954 aged 8, I went to Princethorpe and was happy there but Ilmington was dreadful.
While at Princethorpe I and several more kids caught food poisoning and I lost 8 weeks off school, it was traced to contaminated dolly mixtures from Fawkes shop

 

[campfremont]

Princethorpe Road School in the 1950s
What a great place to learn and develop. Princethorpe Road School was perfectly located to provide for a mixed catchment that brought children together from the large council housing estate and the several areas of owner-occupied dwellings that surrounded it. Housing tenure seemed to be an irrelevance then. Peace was upon us; Rationing was over; jobs were plentiful; and everyone in Weoley Castle was upwardly mobile.
My twice-daily journey to school (I went home for dinner) was from Ilmington Road. We were privileged to have been allocated a council house there after being slum-cleared from Ladywood. Like all other children, I walked to school. I entered the School by the smaller of the two Quarry Road gates.
After that my route went as follows:

Senior Infants (1956/57) with the maternal Mrs Jones.​

Class 11 (1957/58) with the glamorous Miss Clark, for whom I would have done anything (as is evidenced by my school report).​

(Both of the above had their classrooms in wooden outbuildings; and at some distance from the lavatories.)​

Class 8 (1958/59) with old school and strict Mr Horrocks, for whom we had to do everything he required (and no sympathy for my broken arm).​

Class 4 (1959/60) with Mr Waters, the modern man with a more relaxed way of teaching, but none the less effective.​

Class 1 (1960/61) with the incomparable Miss Beech, certainly the best teacher in my World.​

Under Headmaster Mr Golby, the School’s focus was always on learning and the acquisition of knowledge, and in a very inclusive way, at least for those times.
Competitive pursuits were not favoured. Yes, we had boys’ football and cricket teams, but we only ever played friendlies. Disappointingly for many of us, the School did not participate in the junior school sports leagues. We were quite good though. Under my captaincy, the football team (in its green and yellow quarters) lost just once; 1-0 to Our Lady and St Rose, the nearby catholic school. We did participate in the Birmingham School Sports Day but without conviction or distinction.
Miss Beech preached non-competitiveness and non-aggression. She once ordered me home during an after-school soft ball game for booing a score by the other side. Recorder playing, choir singing, country dancing and mixed-rounders were her choice of suitable energetic activities. We lads just wanted to play football! But Miss Beech was all about learning and improving together. All but one of my sizeable Class 1 passed the 11-plus. By that time we were all good friends. One of us not achieving the mark came as a shock to the whole Class. I do hope that person went on to have a fantastic and fulfilling life.
Writing about Princethorpe Road School has conjured up so many good memories. I think I can recall the names of all my classmates and several others who shared the games and playgrounds with me.
Princethorpe Road School has been a major influence on my path through life. For that I will be forever grateful.
Paul W

 

[Astoness]

hi paul lovely to read from someone who had a good time at school i am sure you are aware that not everyone did...i was the eldest of 6 children born in nans back to back until 5 then moved to a house until i was 18 which would have been classed as a slum house..oh how i hate that word because to me as no doubt you will know the word was directed at the poor conditions of the houses not the people who lived in them...both our nans house and our house in villa st was always kept spic and span...did not pass my 11 plus but i was lucky that mom and dad allowed me to stay on an extra year and pass my cse exams..your school reports bought back memories for me about how they were set out...i wont waffle on now..as most of my school reports said..linda is a good worker but she is a chatterbox..thanks again for your post it made very interesting reading

lyn

 

[campfremont]

Correction to my post of the 9 July: I did a little more research about the shops on The Square and noticed that our Sweet Shop (also a source of fags and fireworks) was run in the 1950s by Mr FAUX (not as I previously spelled his name). Of interest, I happened across the attached Lost Relatives notice in the Sunday Mercury for 1965. But worry not, further research has established that Mr Faux seems to have settled on Gibbins Road where he died in 1968 (aged 68).
Thomas Faux and his wife Elsie are recorded as running the Sweet Shop as far back as 1939 and selling penny bangers, two-penny bangers, jumping jacks etc that terrorised the local animal population long after the War was over.
Paul W