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Rivers: River Cole

Alberta, you can still access the pathway from the churchyard, you go through a field, heading down to the River, but I thought that one was the River Blythe, over the bridge and then there is a nice walk towards Maxstoke Golf club. I'm only saying the River Blythe, because from that bridge I've just mentioned if you look over the fields you can see Blythe Road and Blythe Hall!!! We walked past Cuttle cottages a few months back, I can understand why your hubby was abit upset!!! :)
 
Sorry senior moment Loisand it is the Blythe ,the Cole and Blythe merge past Cole End near the Freight terminal.
 
The river your talking about is the Blythe and it joins the Cole not far from Hams Hall and at the back of Blythe Mill
 
Alberta
My brothers and I used to go down to that spot to go swimming and yes there was a Small shop run by the owner, it used to be like the seaside in very hot weather families galor and all us messing around in the river which was the Blythe and its called Blythe Cottages.
 
Vic
At the bottom of Coleshill Hill over the Bridge there is a small Park and it has a large concrete bridge that carries a sewage pipe over the river to the local sewage works near the old Lurgie plant
 
hi all
when we lived in fordbridge road the cole used to flood and cover all the grass where we played and all the wheel trenches that the dumpers made when they were building kingshurst they filled up and we used to find red crested newts in the water which i had never seen before, there was also two sewer outlets that fed into the cole and we used to walk up them to a manhole that came out in the newer part of fordbridge road keeping our heads down so the rats couldnt get you neck! but we never saw any.
i dont know what our parents would have said if they ever found out.
happy days phil
 
Where I live now, Conway Rd by Meriden park, it is stiill quite a sight after continous heavy rain to see how rapidly the banks are flooded and the paths under the bridges are under water, and the speed the water flows. Eric
 
As a kid growing up in Kingshurst in the 1960's, I remember the River Cole would "swell" and bring with it loads of furniture!
It would also cover what is now the football pitches at Babbs Mill after heavy rain had collected up stream of it most winters.
Only once do I remember it being frozen enough to walk on one winter
 
hi vic, I think the place you are looking for was called the Cuttle . the road to the Cuttle was facing the old cinema, called the Cameo i think the first road to the left lead down to the cuttle people came from brum to fish there, over the bridge led to maxstoke castle . mick mcgrath:cool:
 
philbee, as I stated earlier in the thread the Cooks Lane bridge used to act as a dam when it filled with debris and flood Babbs Mill, it was particularly bad one year in the late 70's. I remember the outflows you talk about, one came down from my old school at Fordbridge, the other was a bit further upriver, I assume this is the one you used to crawl up. I don't know what your parents would say, but I would say you must have been mad.
 
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My late father John Gladstone was a keen fisherman. He died when I was 6, in 1978. I always wondered whether there were any anglers who remembered fishing with him when he was a boy in the 50s along the river Cole?
 
Hi Flanders,

I wonder where your dad used to fish. Certainly where I lived in Stechford in the 50's the river was totally polluted,
and I would think for a few miles upstream.

I understand the river rises in Yardley Wood, and that there were many fish in it there, but I never found out
where the pollution actually started, - if anyone knows I would be interested.

Kind regards
Dave
 
I really don't know, I'm guessing as he lived in Sparkhill and didn't have a car but would have travelled to rivers and possibly canals. Do you know when the river got less polluted?
 
Dave89 said:
Hi Flanders,

I wonder where your dad used to fish. Certainly where I lived in Stechford in the 50's the river was totally polluted,
and I would think for a few miles upstream.

I understand the river rises in Yardley Wood, and that there were many fish in it there, but I never found out
where the pollution actually started, - if anyone knows I would be interested.

Kind regards
Dave
Click to expand...
Dave89, I do not believe it was any one place but a number of different locations just added to it. I left in 1962 and it was still pretty bad, but being remediated in earnest by then. At least that is my recollection!
 
Flanders said:
I really don't know, I'm guessing as he lived in Sparkhill and didn't have a car but would have travelled to rivers and possibly canals. Do you know when the river got less polluted?
Click to expand...
Flanders, see my earlier note to Dave89, I think the big clean up stated or at least it was being talked about in the early 1960’s. My recollection that it was alway pretty cruddy.
 
Pedrocut said:
Evening Mail, March 1994.

View attachment 184712
Click to expand...
Hi...
Just read your thread on River Cole pollution....
Back around early 90's , the Head teacher at Audley Road School got a contractor to install a sink unit in each of the classrooms.
This was a great idea... now the pupils can wash their own paint pots/brushes and craft items...
Alas... Several months later iI got a call to attend a meeting on site with a Waterways inspector about pollution...
The inspector explained to me that the River Cole has been contaminated with several colours of paint and glitter ! and the culprit could be our school.
I showed him the new sinks which was installed and then he investigated the outlets , yes , the school was to blame....
Apparently, the dodgy contractor had plumbed all the waste outlets ( 6 ) outside into the storm drains....
With big apologies from the Head to water authorities didn't issue a fine , but the sinks was decommissioned.....
And the contractor ? done a runner !!
 
thanks tony...it just goes to show how easy it can be to pollute rivers if the job is not done properly

lyn
 
most old buildings all waste water went into the sewer i remember them putting a new huge main sewer pipe under aston brook st all the waste pipes from the houses went into it and on to minworth.

Where does the water go after you flush the toilet or drain the sinks in your home? When the wastewater flushed from your toilet or drained from your household sinks, washing machine, or dishwasher leaves your home, it flows through your community's sanitary sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility.....sinks waist should go into its own gully before the main drain to stop pongs going up into the sink
Where does rainwater go UK?
Surface water drainage occurs when rainwater falls on a property and drains away. Most rainwater falling on properties drains into public sewers owned by the ten water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. These companies are responsible for removing and processing this rainwater.
 
In Birmingham we operate a storm and foul wastewater sewer system. So, all rainwater goes into either soakaways or the storm drains. Most of the storm drains water ends up in the small brooks, stream and rivers. The foul water, WC. Bath, sink etc heads of the Minworth for treatment.

Of course, this is in an idea world that does not always happen. A lot of storm drain water end up going to Minworth and of course cowboy builders, DIY etc. end up connecting their foul water to the storm drains.
 
Must be very interesting exploring the underground storm drain system. Think I''ll pass on this one though. Not only because of the risks of the freak weather we're experiencing at times, but even the sight of one rat would be enough for me ! Viv.
 
cookie273uk said:
I live by the river Cole at Chelmsley Wood, this is a painting in winter many years ago. Eric
Click to expand...
I know that view well. On the way to and from school in the mid 90’s we often walked along it and crossed a narrow risky dam type concrete crossing (just outside old police station). Also great memories walking from Meriden park along it and under the m6 towards coleshill. Great times.
 
I have done some drain exploring. Went up the one under Spring Lane Erdington when we hear rushing water in front. Turned around to run out and fell over. Was covered in grey smelly slime
 
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