I was there same time commandant was miss Greeny her slipper kissed me many a time it was father Crean always had a bottle on him I recall Joe Gallager I moved to the new school on Trinaty rd in my last year
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Larry Byrne
Brummie babby
I went to Our Lady of Lourdes in Tile Cross after moving to Lea Village. Then went to Doebank Primary on the Pheasey Estate (which was great), but my dad thought we were enjoying school too much, and moved us to Maryvale (next to Cardinal Wiseman), which in comparison, was like going back into the time of Dickens 'Oliver'. My brother and sister and I hated it soooo much, my mom over-rid my dad (who was a 'pub Catholic' rather than a church one, so didn't really care which school we were in), and we went back to Doebank Primary in Doebank Lane.
Larry Byrne
Brummie babby
I too have pics of my First Holy Communion at Sacred Heart school, in the playground as well. Like you, will have to dig them out!
Hi Molly, I was there from 1943 to 1951 when I moved to Birchfield Road School. I had all those teachers you mentioned. I don't recall your name but some of my classmates were Douglas Jukes, Brian Bull, Dennis Thorniwork, Desmond Morgan, Pat Collins, Pat Naven, Peter Butler, Michael Philbin. I remember Mr. Ludden playing the piano at lunch time. He was quite an accomplished pianist.
Hi all I've just found this website and thought I'd join in. I'm Robert McLellan and attended during the 1950's. I remember some of the teachers and pupils' names posted here. The headmaster when I attended was Mr Burchill , I remember Mr Whittle, Mr Ludden and Miss Powell, and some of the nuns too.
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Graham Paul Smith
Brummie babby
My name is Graham Smith. I went to the school probably 1950 to 1956.
I lived in Emscote Road, Witton. My three sisters Susan, Theresa, Paula and young brother Martin all attended the school. we all walked to school which was very exciting crossing major roads and looking in the shops and walking past the factories on Witton Road, between the Broadway and Trinity Road.
I particularly remember an exotic car that was parked outside one of the factories - It was an Armstrong Sidley Saphire.
I remember Miss Greeny the head, Fr Crean parish priest, No other teachers’ names come to my mind apart from Miss McParland who I thought was lovely. She taught in an annex around the corner, Grange Rd.
I have a memory of being in the first class and writing on a slate with a slate pencil. Apparently some of us did a good job of writing and we were selected to parade in the next class showing them our slates.
I remember big partitions between the classes. And also taking a sleep in the afternoon which always seemed odd to me. And the milk - as others have written.
I think I enjoyed school.
I learned a lot.
When I was a little bit older, I used the library on the corner of Albert Road. For me that was a treasure trove.
I went to school with Rosie Green, a year older than me, she lived in Dunsink Road.
A boy that I often sat next to was Geoffrey Burton, with bright red hair. A tough kid in the class was Joe …, I got on well with him. Another friend whose name escapes me was left-handed and amazed me when he wrapped his left arm around the exercise book to write.
I remember being in competition with a clever girl called Janet Fish. I think she always came top of the class but in my memory, I was top in the last school exams.
I recall a spelling test. I think we were preparing for the 11+, and one dreadful failure when I misspelled pneumonia. I didn’t know about the ‘p’. I was good at art and I think I had some work displayed in exhibitions. The Roman Centution I painted has legs that are much too short, I now realise.
I remember the dreadful tin-shed loos. I associate this memory with religious processions(!) which went past this particular hellhole! Of the processions I seem to remember the girls having little posies of Lily of the Valley.
I was an altar boy, for some time I attended daily and some evenings. Swinging the thurible in the big services - including Benediction. I recall on one occasion being dressed in cassock and surplice waiting for some time between services when, with a couple of others, we found ourselves crawling along the centre aisle ‘trench’ in the Sacred Heart, where the heating pipes ran. Looking up through the metal gratings. I fear that we played in the asbestos ‘snow’ that insulated the pipes. My chest seems to be OK….
The parish priest Father Crean gave me a new bike - to make the 0.6 mile journey to school a bit more convenient. The bike was a single speed with a back-pedal brake. It took some getting used to and I fell off a few times, dreadfully grazing my knee on one occasion - when our street had been tarred and gritted and was horribly sharp to fall on. That bike gave me great freedom which of course was a characteristic of the 1950s when car ownership was low. I don’t think that any other neighbours in Emscote Road owned a car while I was at Sacred Heart.
I passed the 11+ and went to Saint Phillips Grammar School. Janet Fish went to Saint Pauls and I completely lost contact with her. My left-handed friend went to a comprehensive in Camphill? A part of Birmingham that was devastated by the 1960s roads.
After St Phillips grammar school I went onto Birmingham College of Art, and then Saint Martins in London followed by the Royal College of Art. In my working life, I taught at an Goldsmiths College of Art and Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, where I taught in Architecture. Later I studied Urban Design which I then taught for the last 20 years of my career.
I’d say that the Sacred Heart gave me a good foundation in education and life.
I lived in Emscote Road, Witton. My three sisters Susan, Theresa, Paula and young brother Martin all attended the school. we all walked to school which was very exciting crossing major roads and looking in the shops and walking past the factories on Witton Road, between the Broadway and Trinity Road.
I particularly remember an exotic car that was parked outside one of the factories - It was an Armstrong Sidley Saphire.
I remember Miss Greeny the head, Fr Crean parish priest, No other teachers’ names come to my mind apart from Miss McParland who I thought was lovely. She taught in an annex around the corner, Grange Rd.
I have a memory of being in the first class and writing on a slate with a slate pencil. Apparently some of us did a good job of writing and we were selected to parade in the next class showing them our slates.
I remember big partitions between the classes. And also taking a sleep in the afternoon which always seemed odd to me. And the milk - as others have written.
I think I enjoyed school.
I learned a lot.
When I was a little bit older, I used the library on the corner of Albert Road. For me that was a treasure trove.
I went to school with Rosie Green, a year older than me, she lived in Dunsink Road.
A boy that I often sat next to was Geoffrey Burton, with bright red hair. A tough kid in the class was Joe …, I got on well with him. Another friend whose name escapes me was left-handed and amazed me when he wrapped his left arm around the exercise book to write.
I remember being in competition with a clever girl called Janet Fish. I think she always came top of the class but in my memory, I was top in the last school exams.
I recall a spelling test. I think we were preparing for the 11+, and one dreadful failure when I misspelled pneumonia. I didn’t know about the ‘p’. I was good at art and I think I had some work displayed in exhibitions. The Roman Centution I painted has legs that are much too short, I now realise.
I remember the dreadful tin-shed loos. I associate this memory with religious processions(!) which went past this particular hellhole! Of the processions I seem to remember the girls having little posies of Lily of the Valley.
I was an altar boy, for some time I attended daily and some evenings. Swinging the thurible in the big services - including Benediction. I recall on one occasion being dressed in cassock and surplice waiting for some time between services when, with a couple of others, we found ourselves crawling along the centre aisle ‘trench’ in the Sacred Heart, where the heating pipes ran. Looking up through the metal gratings. I fear that we played in the asbestos ‘snow’ that insulated the pipes. My chest seems to be OK….
The parish priest Father Crean gave me a new bike - to make the 0.6 mile journey to school a bit more convenient. The bike was a single speed with a back-pedal brake. It took some getting used to and I fell off a few times, dreadfully grazing my knee on one occasion - when our street had been tarred and gritted and was horribly sharp to fall on. That bike gave me great freedom which of course was a characteristic of the 1950s when car ownership was low. I don’t think that any other neighbours in Emscote Road owned a car while I was at Sacred Heart.
I passed the 11+ and went to Saint Phillips Grammar School. Janet Fish went to Saint Pauls and I completely lost contact with her. My left-handed friend went to a comprehensive in Camphill? A part of Birmingham that was devastated by the 1960s roads.
After St Phillips grammar school I went onto Birmingham College of Art, and then Saint Martins in London followed by the Royal College of Art. In my working life, I taught at an Goldsmiths College of Art and Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, where I taught in Architecture. Later I studied Urban Design which I then taught for the last 20 years of my career.
I’d say that the Sacred Heart gave me a good foundation in education and life.
Dionysius//88
master brummie
I didn't go to the school but I did attend the chursch a couple of times , we lived in Witton Rd for about 6 months after getting married . We moved to Winson green from there, my wife became pregnant . After the birth I approached the SH to baptise the baby, I dont think it was the parish priest I saw about the arrangements he was a curate . He told me what was what to the effect that because I didn't attend church regularly he was well within his rights to refuse to baptise my son. I took his point my mother was a staunch catholic , I was always brought up in a catholice school and believed the church would reach out and help people . His dressing down however had the affect on me to go elsewhere so much so I ended up at St Patricks on Dudley Road .