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Salford Park Aston cycling

My grandfather Harry bought the shop from Charlie Smith of Steelhouse Lane in 1919. At the time it sold -guns -cycles -motor cycles -radios & gramophones. By the 1930s it was perhaps the leading lightweight cycle shop in the city. My father Dick took over the business in 1946 when he came out of the Royal Navy. He ran it until his retirement in 1972 when the site was sold to Collier Motor Holdings
 
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Rememember Salford track very well
Rememember lutz durra re winning many cycle rashes there an at Dunlop sports day held at dunlops sports field the main prize was the Brookes 500 I believe sponsored by Brooke's who was cycle saddle makers which was opposite the birch field harriers track

Lutz was a waiter at thr old grand hotel in the 50 s he also won a gold medal in the sprint at the maccabigames the Jewish sports top honour
Also et the Salford track Carole guinton trained a hurdler from birch field her dad was a top cop at Sutton police station she was an medallist at the commonwealth games an if course as I have before my old mate Kenny Matthews trained there regular an electricians mate at hams hall power station an waled from there to Salford park walk about 19 tines around the pool an if course the result was a gold medal at the Olympic s in toykio won by a distance a great lad an real amatier sportsman .proud yo be his pal I also trained there regular evenings after work outside the football season with a few of my mates needed to be fit before ore season training began always paid off

I used to fish on the lake often as well as often as possible near the pope outlet at the gravelly hill end

Some dimmer Sundays you could the pool packed with anglers fishing about 4 yards apart ! Happy days


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There is a memory rekindled around every corner on this forum. We used to have our school sports at Salford, and just after I left school, we would go down on a Tues and Thurs evening and use the track for getting fit for our weekend football matches
 
ronald coooer121 said:
Rememember Salford track very well
Lutz was a waiter at thr old grand hotel in the 50 s he also won a gold medal in the sprint at the maccabigames the Jewish sports top honour
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Lutz was a good friend of mine and he won gold in the 1km Road Time Trial, not in the sprint, at the Maccabi games.
 
I remember the shop well as it was your father that encouraged me to ride and join the Ivy Wheelers, he put a Cyclo Conversion on my 3 speed giving me six gears, later helped me get a more lightweight Raleigh Lenton back together and then finally I have a fully Campag record Holdsworth built to race. I think you were Richard, not in the shop too often, I'd love to see photo's of the shop or the family with their bikes but I believe all were dumped when your father died? I think you mother had a beautiful Claud Butler ladies with cantilever brake circa 1950?
 
From where is the picture taken?

Two pictures I had taken, which due to the lack of traffic, may have been just before the opening of the Gravelly Hill interchange in 1972.

www.ipernity.com

Spaghetti Junction early 1970s (Scan)

By Pedrocut. Due to the lack of traffic the picture may have been taken just before the opening of the Gravelly Hill interchange in 1972.
www.ipernity.com www.ipernity.com
www.ipernity.com

Spaghetti Junction early 1970s (Scan)

By Pedrocut. Due to the lack of traffic the picture may have been taken just before the opening of the Gravelly Hill interchange in 1972.
www.ipernity.com www.ipernity.com

Two said:
Salford Park Postcard - (Low quality image.)
View attachment 134957
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Morturn said:
It looks to me its taken form the side of the old boathouse looking toward Copeley Hill.
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That confirms what I was thinking. The postcard may give a tantalizing view of Copeley Hill that has been mentioned in other threads. At one time a very posh area.

I seem to remember fishing at Salford with a high embankment behind, perhaps when the Reser was low water?
 
Pedrocut said:
That confirms what I was thinking. The postcard may give a tantalizing view of Copeley Hill that has been mentioned in other threads. At one time a very posh area.

I seem to remember fishing at Salford with a high embankment behind, perhaps when the Reser was low water?
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The embankment may have been Coperley Hill. I recall it as quite a wooded area on the other side of the canal. There were some air rais shelters built into the hillside too.
 
philbee said:
we used to walk down long acre to cuckoo bridge aross the lichfield road and walk or run up what seemed a very long drive stopping at the water fountain for a drink then playing on all the grass that seemed to go on for miles , never cycled on the track but was it made of wood ?
then came spaghetti junction and it all changed progress eh!
phil
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No it was a Tarmac track, had many happy hours riding and watching top riders race on the track.
 
barryth1949 said:
Hi Folks...I am trying to research a bit of my cycling history from around 1961 to 1966.Does anyone remember the THORNHILL CYCLING CLUB we used to meet at a church hall on the Pershore Rd. Edgebaston Old names Peter Pitt,BarryEagles , Brian "Badger" Lee.Some of our guys raced at Salford Track and we held a road racing series at Tamworh.
Has anyone any info on GARFIELD CYCLES shop, was opposite The Abbey in Erdington.Finally any info on CLIFF PETERS CYCLES Aston.Got my first set of shoe plates from Cliff the slots were so deep I cold never get my feet out of the pedals.Thanks for any info.
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Hi Barry, your post is 9 years old sadly but Brian "Banner" (not badger) Lee is still around! He's my father. :)
 
Bill Mc Cormack was the judge at Salford Park and Halesowen and Coventry. Many well known world class Birmingham cyclists raced at SP. Shame Birmingham was never interested in its cycling heritage ( or industrial heritage) as the demolishing of Salford Park proved
 
Penns said:
Bill Mc Cormack was the judge at Salford Park and Halesowen and Coventry. Many well known world class Birmingham cyclists raced at SP. Shame Birmingham was never interested in its cycling heritage ( or industrial heritage) as the demolishing of Salford Park proved
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I raced at Halesowen and the Butts Coventry in the 1950s
 
In around 1972 I was working at a tarpaulin manufacturers ( Swacky?) was the owner) just over Cuckoo bridge on the
right hand side. When the weather was fine we used to run over the bridge at lunchtime to play footy at Salford for half hour.
Then going back to work pop into The Reservoir? on the corner for a swift pint. I was under age by a couple of years
but was hidden at the back of the bunch. Then a race back over the bridge to not be late back to work.

Wish I had that energy now!
 
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