Pype Hayes Estate

[pedlarman]

Jim
Thanks for your posting. For my own research of an unmarried teenage family member who abandoned her two children in the late 60's I would be interested to know what happened to the children in the Pye hayes home who had reached the age of five years old. Were they allowed to stay there or were they moved to another home.

Also if there were two brothers one a baby and the other aged about three would they have been kept together or adopted seperate once one reached five.

Louisa

　
Hi, Louisa,

Let's try again...

My wife started her service at Pype Hayes Hall during the late Forties and early Fifties. In those days it was a residential home for abandoned children, and for children whose parents were unable to cope.

The children's ages ranged from tiny babies to five-year-olds, after which age the children were transferred to a residence such as the Erdington Cottage Homes.
The reason for the transfer at the age of five was that the Hall was furnished only with cots as the sleeping arrangement.

In the case of the children of parents who were unable to cope, it appears that the parents were allowed to visit in order to retain their bond with the children.
When the parent was able to provide better circumstances in which to take care of the child - either through (say) marriage to a partner, or the aqcuisition of suitable accomodation - then they would re-claim possession of the child.

But such children - if not reclaimed by the age of five - would still be transferred to another residence for older children.

The same applied to abandoned children. If they had not been fostered or adopted by the age of five, then they, also, could be transferred.

With regard to your specific query regarding (say) an abandoned child of three years of age arriving with a sibling who was a small baby, my wife says that she doesn't remember anything of this nature happening while she was at the Hall.

But, going on her own experience of the social arrangements of those days, she thinks that the two children would have been kept together for fostering or adoption purposes - even to the extent of making special arrangements for the older child to stay at the Hall, should he (or she) have reached the age of five...

As I say, these were the circumstances that prevailed in the late Forties and early Fifties. But I hope I have been able to enlighten you a little with regard to your research. I wish you luck in your efforts, anyway.

All The Best for Christmas and The New Year.

Cheers,

Jim Pedley (pedlarman)

　
　

 

[Louisa]

Hi Jim and Mrs Jim
Thank you so much for the information about Pype Hayes Hall, it has answered a few questions for some of the older members of my family who are still bothered about the adoption in the 60's.

Its very fortunate that the children were cared for in Pype Hayes Hall,

Thank you again
Louisa

 

[postie]

A picture and a little bit of its history

 

[Templer]

And as it looks today.

 

[pedlarman]

Hi Jim and Mrs Jim
Thank you so much for the information about Pype Hayes Hall, it has answered a few questions for some of the older members of my family who are still bothered about the adoption in the 60's.

Its very fortunate that the children were cared for in Pype Hayes Hall,

Thank you again
Louisa

Louisa,
I thought you might like to see a couple of pictures taken at Pype Hayes Hall during the early Fifties.

One is of the kids enjoying a ride on the Hall’s donkey - “Tiny”. My wife is the one on the left in nurse’s uniform controlling the kids. The lady holding on to the donkey is Gwen Lawley, one of the nurses who, obviously, was off duty but couldn’t keep away from the place…!

The other picture is of my wife with a toddler named Mary Keiren. Mary was about two years of age, at the time. Now, she would be in her sixties!

Cheers,

Jim (pedlarman)

　
　
　

 

[sylviasayers]

Jim, what lovely happy photos of your wife and the children, I hope the children look back with affection the time spent at the home. Wouldn't it be lovely if little Mary could see the photo.

 

[LindyB65]

My nan lived at 141 Pype Hayes road up until 1981 when she passed away ,she moved there from Hunters Vale Hockley in the 1930's i believe.I spent many a happy time there during my childhood,i last visted there in late 1990s to have a look around and was suprised to see my nans house was the only one occupied at the time with the houses eitherside boarded up.

My mum and dad were foster parents in the 1960/1970,s and they fostered children from Pype Hayes Hall, i remember visting as a child with my parents and getting upset because i was leaving the children behind.
Sad that all the houses have gone now but thats progress for you

 

[Debbie M]

Hello folks, this is a long shot because this is a very old post & I can tell that several people on it haven't been on this forum for some time. I myself am new here, and it was your post which brought me to the forum as I am looking for photos of Varley Road. I have photos of family from the mid 1930s ... I know they lived in Varley Road from 1939 through the 40s, but don't know where they were living at the time the photo was taken, so I was looking for photos from the time to compare ... can anyone point me towards where I might find some please?

 

[andywax]

I lived in Varley Road from 1957 until I moved to Tamworth in 1980. I worked at AMAC in Wood Lane from 1974 to 1979. Last time I was there was about 2003.

I have some very happy memories of those times. Thanks for the photo’s.

my dad worked there since 1962-79 , maybe you remember him , Albert Carr