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Spring Hill Ice Rink

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dennis

master brummie
Does any one remember the Ice rink at Spring Hill?
I remember the time I learnt to skate,two girl friends grabbed an arm,and then when they had got some speed up,just let go of me,and I was on my own Hey Up :D
Then there was the mens "Mad dash" where by we had a session that we could all skate round the rink as fast as we could..
Afterwards,many of us would then walk into the City to Snowhill Station,where we were able to get a cuppa and a hot dog,and have a good old natter,before buying "The Sunday Mercury" to read on the 33 bus in (my case,)on the way home
And of course not forgetting the Speed Skating team The Mohawks.
Regards,
Dennis
 
Only went skating once and that was to Spring Hill in 1958. My wife, then newly met girlfriend, talked me into going.
She was able to control all her movements and was very competent on those two half inch wide pieces of metal. For me I was like a floundering whale.
The trouble, as I have always claimed, were the boots I hired there. they did not fit properly and this is what led to my downfall - and downfall and downfall.
It's a wonder she still wanted to remain with this failure. Not more than six feet from where I now write are her skates, which she has obviously kept, but has never worn since that date. To think she gave up her weekly visits to the rink at Spring Hill to save my embarrassment.
 
Hello "A" sorry do not know your christian name,
but yes you are correct mate,you had to have the right size skates,mine were ice hockey's.
that was the fun of ice skating learningto stay upright on those blade's
take another look at "wifies" skates and you will note the blades are1/4inch wide,those were really good times at the rink,and funnily although my wife was skating there same time as me,we never met up there.
 
spring hill roller rink

I most certainly do remember the spring hill roller rink with great fondness. I started going there with my mates bout 1967. we went at least 5 nites a week. We were all devasted when we arrived one night. think it was a tuesdy and it was all boarded up. no warning as far as i know was given about its closure. Birmingham dj les ross started there. i remember him well. If my memory serves me the skate hire and the cafe part was on the left as we went in and i think there was a bar at the far end of the rink. would love to get up a reunion of us oldies and have a laugh. could always try ice skating at the solihull rink birmingham. it would be funny to see who could stay upright the longest. i am looking for pics of the inside or outside of the roller rink if anyone can help. happy memories.
 
Just Look Under Springhill Ice Rink Topic & You Will Find Out More About The Old Ice Rink & Its Skaters.
Aston
 
Ice rink.

:D I used to go skating with friends from school. I wanted my own skates. Couldn't aford new ones so settled for a second hand pair. [two sizes too small] Did I suffer. I had blisters on my heels that hurt like crazy. I later joined Fairlanes bowling alley and gave up my skating.:DBye for now. Jean.:D
 
spring hill ice/roller rink.

aston said:
Is this the way you remember it?
Click to expand...
many thanks aston brummie for the photo of spring hill ice rink. although when i was going there in the late 60s it was a roller rink. its just as i remember it. what happy memories.
 
Hi All, When I was looking for a new car not long after the MECCA roller rink closed I found myself at the old rink which had been turned into a car show room the cars were on what was the old ice surface which you walked down onto the sales offices were in what was the old cafe' My Wife & I could not beleive it it looked just the same LAYOUT as when we meet for the first time back in the late 50s early 60s.
All now gone on my last trip into the Ctiy.
ASTON
 
Lovely to read your memories of the ice skating rink I spent many happy hours there.A group of us girls used to go about 3 times a week to the general skating in the late fifties. Oh happy days.
Dorothy.
 
Used to go ice skating with Veronica and we used to meet Jackie who was a dwarf, boy could she skate. Attaching a photo of Veronica, Jackie and myself in June 1961. Does anyone remember Jackie
 
Denise is that Veronica Bent from our class at school?. I don't recognise the girl in the middle. Jean.
 
I think I remember you girls wearing hockey skates & the little one on ladies only.
Do you have recall of either myself of my wife, I used to play Hockey at the time of your pic with the BARONS.
 
Yes Denise Pat told me they did but the three were always good friends. I have seen photo's of Doreen and Carol Read at her party. I used to skate at the rink and now remember the little girl as being brilliant. Funny how photo's jog the memory. Jean.
 
Sorry Baron don't recall you or your wife, mind you age hasn't improved my memory, I just remember enjoying myself there. I didn't wear hockey skates not sure about Veronica, as for Jackie she was a minx and used to race round the rink and go through the lads legs :D
 
As the song goes "ah yes i remember it well" started going there aged 13 saturday mornings 1956 and then progressed on to Wed and Sat evenings. Kept going there till it closed i think in 1963/4 ?sad day that .I did try silver blades but CRAP.Only times i went there was to the ten pin bowling alley uderneath it, and the bar.Used to love the mad dash for men only and did have a trial for mohawks but missed out by a few second,shouldnt have started smoking.
 
That gose Me too Old mohawk as you know. mroldbrimmie1 can we have your name it my help to confirm if we everdid you can PM us if you donot wish to post?
Keith Jenney THE BARON
 
thats not correct oldmohawk, i started skating in 1956 and progressed on to wed and sat nights about 2 years later 1958/9 I wonder if you remember the girl that used to skate on Saturday nights ,she always wore white hockey boots,white super short skirt and wore a red mohawks jacket. She had blonde hair in a typical 60s style and sat with a group of lads in the far corner left hand side of rink. Every fancied her but nobody went near bacause the lads looked a bit hard, especially when you were only 15 and they looked about 20.
 
Is by any chance a way we can put these SPRINGHILL ICE RINKS under one Topic, we seem to have at least 2 on the go along with one when it was a ROLLER RINK, Oldmohawk tells us it should be SUMMER HILL (THE SAND PITS)& NOT springhill any way.
Hope you guys can help,this then should stop some of our members missing out on this TOPIC .
THANKS THE BARON
 
I can combine the three threads BUT the robot will interlace the posts in date order, this will probably make the new thread unreadable. If I do it anf it becomes unreadable it will be a right b******* to sort it out. Do you want me to do it?
 
Hi Mike,
I've just come back on and I would prefer it to remain as it is, because of database problems.
Even I now call the ice rink 'Spring Hill', seems to 'roll off the tongue' easier !
I think we have to put it down to the little quirks that often happen on forums.
oldmohawk:)
 
mroldbrummie1 said:
I wonder if you remember the girl that used to skate on Saturday nights ,she always wore white hockey boots,white super short skirt and wore a red mohawks jacket. She had blonde hair in a typical 60s style and sat with a group of lads in the far corner left hand side of rink. Every fancied her
Click to expand...
Hi mroldbrummie,
Sorry I've only just noticed your post. I liked a lot of girls in white hockey boots.:D
If you want to read about me and a little accident with a girl in a short skirt at the ice rink...have a look at post #101 in the thread link below...:rolleyes:
Her big tough older boyfriend used to be quite happy to let me skate with her when he wasn't there.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3143&p=93430#post93430
oldmohawk
 
Last edited:
mike-g said:
I can combine the three threads BUT the robot will interlace the posts in date order, this will probably make the new thread unreadable. If I do it anf it becomes unreadable it will be a right b******* to sort it out. Do you want me to do it?
Click to expand...

Language Mike-g who moderates a moderator double standards springs to mind

Maurice Knowles
 
Any one remember the VIDEO JUKEBOX in the cafe of the old rink, I think I played "stranger on the shore" to death every time I had a coffee or Saturday lunch?
 
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