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Sparkhill Harriers (Athletics) - March 1906

leslam

leslam

Brummie by marriage
This is a copy of a photo of Sparkhill Harriers Athletics Club in 1906.

sparkhill_harriers_W_Wright_Mar1906_enhanced_75pc.jpg

The only name on the photo is W Wright - what he looks like or where he lived! All I do know is that he has some loose connection with my husband's family.
I hope that the photo is useful to others who may have had relatives in the Harriers around this time.
 
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Good photo. Though I personally have no interest, I am wondering what pub/hotel it is. Anyone recognise it? I initially thought the Mermaid, but looking on Streetview, not sure now.

Terry
 
From the signage I would say possibly the Three Horseshoes Hotel. I think a few athletic clubs used to do training runs from their home base to there round about this period.

Phil
 
hi guys
just read the spark hill harriers and just seen the pic of the pub
as i recall from years ago in at least forty if not before the spark hill harriers was on golden hillock rd
and it was virtulaly on the corner from warick rd junction
and if i have got this right it would have been the wagon and horses just along from there club house
or at the exsteam the mermaid but my money was the wagon and horses just along the rd from the club
of theres which was at the end of the rd which we nowknow a the akka,s
it was there along with the old BSA FACTORY
And opersite the old bsa employees houses owned by the Good old BSA COMPANY
BEST WISHES astonian ;;
 
Hi,

I've been a member of Sparkhill Harriers for 33 years. The club was founded in 1902, the original 'clubhouse' being a rented room at Fulham coffee house, Stoney Lane, Sparkhill. The club moved in 1905 to the Horseshoe on Stratford Road and then in 1911 to the Bull in Hall Green. So when the photograph was taken the Horseshoe would have been their main headquarters. One of the five founding members was a certain Willie Wright which is probably the name referred to on the photo (the others being E.H.Carlton, Abe Kerr, Frank Humphries and Herbert M. Young).

The man standing at the back of the group dressed in a suit without the hat and with a big mousetache is E.H.Carlton, the one next to him in the striped top could possibly be Willie Wright.

I hope this helps fill a few gaps
 
HI DRILLEY
many thanks for your reply for giving us the information n the spark hill harriers
and for putting us right about the picture were taken, i now that te sparkill harriers have be around for a many a years and they have produced some very good athletes over the years gone bye;
and the reason i can say that , and that is i myself used to be an athletic person and i used to run for
a welsh team called gilwern harriers in monmouth just out side abergavenny
i was a highly competitive athelete ad race all over the country and i ran a 4 min mile when i was fifteen years old ans i used to run agaist people from the spark hill and the birchfield harrires many times
when i decided to move back to brum i usd to attend birchfield harriers ground and meeting
and the spark hill harriers was in those very sharp and they won alot of trohpies
an alot of there athletes was fast and birchfield was not up to here standards ; but happy to say we have
produced a very good international team now ; i am hoping to get to the 2012 games i i can get a ticket
i have always been athletic and not a soccer mad hooly.
but i do support the villa only because of the old villa connections, must admitt i am a arm chair supporter
i do not attend the grounds sadly my grand kids are those dreaded blue noses ,
we do have our banter over them but they do over ride me with there comments and they say
grand dad shut up.
any way thanks for putting us all right on the pics, and i just want to comment ,
that way back in time in the slums of aston ; it was doctor roger bannister whom influence me into running
as a little whipper snapper siting on the floor on the hot sunny day in front of an old black and white tv ;
when he broke the fastes man on the planet with his 4 min record and i thought about that there nd then it was then he inspired me and i started runnng and for got foot ball
best wishes astonion ;;
 
The Coach & Horses, Coventry Rd, Sheldon, where the Small Heath Harriers moved to, note the price of a gallon of petrol!, photo circa 1937-9?. Len.
 
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Hi Len,
Sorry for reviving an old thread but this is driving me mad. Where on the Cov Road was the Coach & Horses in the pic? What is the name of the road running off behind it? It looks to me as if it might be the original Wagon & Horses at the junction of Wagon Lane, but I know that there was a Coach & Horses pub as well (unless there was a name change.) Hope that makes sense.

Also, this very good potted history of Small Heath Harriers https://solihullac.co.uk/history.aspx says that, at one point in their existence, their HQ was the Three Horse Shoes - no mention of Coach & Horses.

Sorry OP, I know we're meant to be talking about Sparkhill AC!
 
RoyMcC said:
Hi Len,
Sorry for reviving an old thread but this is driving me mad. Where on the Cov Road was the Coach & Horses in the pic? What is the name of the road running off behind it? It looks to me as if it might be the original Wagon & Horses at the junction of Wagon Lane, but I know that there was a Coach & Horses pub as well (unless there was a name change.) Hope that makes sense.

Also, this very good potted history of Small Heath Harriers https://solihullac.co.uk/history.aspx says that, at one point in their existence, their HQ was the Three Horse Shoes - no mention of Coach & Horses.

Sorry OP, I know we're meant to be talking about Sparkhill AC!
Click to expand...
Hi Roy, The Coach & Horses in the pic is on Coventry Rd (A45) going t/wards the City it was two way road so looking at the r/hand of the pic this was going t/wards Elmdon (A45) it was about 1935? when the relief road was built which is behind The C & H pub the two roads were connected by Wagon Lane in later years another C & H pub was built complete with a filling station this has now been demolished and an Aldi Supermarket occupies the site. A mistake was made about The Harriers home it was The Horse Shoes pub, Stratford Rd, Hall Green. Len.
 
Len I think the Horseshoes Pub on the Coventry Rd was the home of Small Heath Harries, I have a picture somewhere that shows the building they used for their clubhouse.

Nick
 
Thank you Len - so that is Wagon Lane running up to the left. So the C&H was rebuilt as the Wagon & Horses which, as you say, was fire-damaged then demolished.

Nick, certainly the history of SHH states the Three Horse Shoes, Sheldon. It would be good to see your pic of the original building - there have been two since including the present one.
 
RoyMcC said:
Thank you Len - so that is Wagon Lane running up to the left. So the C&H was rebuilt as the Wagon & Horses which, as you say, was fire-damaged then demolished.

Nick, certainly the history of SHH states the Three Horse Shoes, Sheldon. It would be good to see your pic of the original building - there have been two since including the present one.
Click to expand...
Roy, The Coach & Horses was renamed The Wagon & Horses when it was taken over as a Berni Inn steak pub in later years. Len.
 
It's been some time, but I've just found the picture of the 3 Horse Shoes, the building on the far right were the ones used by the Small Heath Harries


3Horseshoes.jpg
 
I am currently writing a dissertation on Birmingham Athletic clubs and saw this thread with the picture of the Sparkhill Harriers. I think my grandfather, J.W. Kinchin, was captain of it at the time with R. Noakes as Hon. Secretary. I think the Three Horseshoes on Coventry road was a pub that a lot of the harrier clubs used to race cross-country to in the 1880s- 1900s including Mosely H's and Birchfield and I think Small Heath H's - it doesn't look anything like it used to but it is still there. Diana
 
My mother's uncle, Tom Heeley, was a member of Sparkhill Harriers for a number of years. When he died in 1996 aged 95 he was Sparkhill Harriers' oldest member. He was a former marathon runner winning many marathons and he was involved in the training of Maurice Herriott, the 1964 Olympic 3,000m steeplechase silver medalist. I believe his son Graham, was also involved in Sparkhill Harriers for some time.
 
hi gensec
i would just to say that spark hill harriers was a good team and highly competitive in the fifties and the former years
and they was a strong challenger agaist the birchfield athletes regarding there rating in the midlands
i recall maureece he was fast and well trained always there i am trying to think of names whom he was competeing against
i myself used to run for gilwern harriers right up to about the sixty four years and always done the competitive racing all over the country
and i have sen maureece on numerous occasions and i know he raced agaist a guy stephen allett whom used to glide along like the wind
i have travelled the breast of the countryto these meeting either watching or participating myself
there was some lady athletes whom names escape me at the moment but t6hey was good just like your uncle tom
but around the middle of 64 or should i say 67-8 spark hill had stted to windle i think it was when they closed the club
at the acker entrace golden hillock rd they was good in there hay day eventualy birchfield clawed back to the top of the league
and remained there i my selfused to race some people from birchfield club and beatean them
i still follow the athletics and go to the meeting i am nota foot ball fan but i am also into the rugby
astonian
 
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