farmerdave
master brummie
My first school trip to an area outside Birmingham was in 1958 to Kew Gardens. This would have been from Camp Hill GS, Kings Heath, and 33 of us were on the trip. I guess that this would have been before the M1 was built as I have recorded in my diary that we went via Stratford-upon-Avon, Woodstock, Oxford By-pass, High Wycombe, Slough and London Airport. The journey took 3 and a half hours each way and it rained a lot while we were there. I particularly remember seeing all the cacti in one of the glass-houses and also the view of the Pagoda. The standard entry price for an adult in 1958 was one old penny. The entry price to Kew Gardens today, and I was there today, is £15. Of course, the trees have grown significantly since 1958 and there is more to see. One thing that I do not remember from my school trip is the noise of low-flying jets, every two minutes, coming in for a landing at Heathrow. Dave.