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Sutton Park History

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
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Now there's a word I have heard locally in Brum many years ago but not used in my family. The word is "hurden". I can remember boys fishing with pieces of sacking material in
Witton Lakes Park, one holding two corners and another boy holding another two corners of a square. I often heard them call this a "hurden". It was a great way to catch a lot of fish
I remember.
 
Jennyann as working the markets in my youth we always called them Hourden Sack's
I have never bothered to get the correct spelling if there is one ............I say it as sounded "Herd An"
Sack made of rough string which could be repaired like a sock by darning
 
Thank for that info Cromwell. That's it for sure. I had often wondered where the name came from but as I never heard it outside of the boys using them for fishing with. We never bought anything in a sack that I can recall.
 
You are correct Nick in the spelling but Brummies would call them as I did "Herd an" dont know were the word came from
 
My Dad always called them Hurden as well.

There was a shop in Digbeth, by Rea street, that sold nothing but 'hurden sacks.
 
i was fishing with mates at blackroot pool through the ice and a bunch of oldies came and broke up the ice and went swimming we thought they were mad
 
Oh the memories, skating on Bracebridge........... I remember they used to test the ice in the late 60's and if it wasn't thick enough we had to stay behind the fence where the paddle boats were. I lived in Sutton and we had to carry a card to prove it, we would be stopped by the parky and asked if we were resident or visitor!
 
Moma P, we are still having FUN IN THE PARK in 2007. ;D
This is us Friday A.M. on the slopes by Bannersgate me & the Grankids.it was like old times, have not been able to do that for a few years now.
We had the Tudor Rose badge on the car back in the 60s, which we enabled us to dive free of charge in to the park.
You skated on Bracebridge, we used Wyndley & Blackroot mainly,I have posted pics on other topics of skating in Sutton Park,they were great days. O0
 
Brilliant pictures!! I remember sledging down Holly Knoll with my brothers. I can't wait to take my grandkids they are a bit young still both 2. I skated on Blackroot ,Big Bracebridge and Little Bracebridge that was a bit dodgy though!
My Dad was so proud of his badge. I seem to remember there was a new one each year that stuck on the winscreen. He had one on the Austin Cowley and later another on the Morris Oxford. We went through the park every Sunday to visit my Aunt and Uncle who lived off Monmouth Drive...........oh happy days!!!
 
Where was Holly Knoll? I remember Holly Hurst was the wood just south of and above Keeper's Pool, but can't place Holly Knoll.
Peter
 
It was the hill just inside Sutton gate entrance. Same area as the fair.....well thats when the carnival was on. Just across the road as I remember it.
 
Holly Knoll was were the maypole was  O0
Just by the old racecourse
If you want to look anything up I have a detailed 1900 map of the park
 
Today At The Butts

My granson had a teacher training day today so we rode into the park and went to his favorite spot THE BUTTS,this is were the army used to have target practice, with men standing in the trench with the targets and recording the hits. . I am sure Cromwell will comfirm more info?
Just one or two pic's of the day.
 
Aston you are so right ......I have a lot to post on this but have been sidetracked for a bit ........Sad to hear that drilling is taking place in the Park .......is it sinister ? or Lies? told that it is to find the water tables so if any industry nearby sets up a factory it can be monitored (pull the other one)
 
Industry? & Housing? with in the park it would be like the old day with all them MILLS. what next, a McDONALDS by the main gate?.
Cromwell, not a thing is sacred these days.
 
Aston, Birmingham tried to get its water supply from Sutton Park in 1869 but were foiled by the folk of Sutton and eventually got the powers to get Brums Water From the Elan Valley in 1875……..So their might be more into this than meets the eye
All through the ages Sutton Park as been used by the Military for training, detailed accounts by the City Battalions in the park are in Terry Carters book Birmingham Pals which some wonderful photographs inside but I will skip that and go back the 1800’s when it was used by the Volunteers (the Predecessor of the Territorial Army) they used to muster at Bingley Hall over 700 of them and march all the way to the park marching down Snow Hill, Summer Lane, Aston, through Perry Barr and enter the park at the Chester Rd entrance led by the band all the way their they set up camp and practised manoeuvres and training drills
When the Great War Broke out the park was placed in the hands of the Government as training ground for the military and were used by the 14th, 15th 16th Battalions Royal Warwickshire Regiments ………
The Great War Tank and guns which stood at the Town Gate was sold as scrap for £40 in 1935
Then WW2 was looming barrage balloon sites were sent up at Whitehouse Common the first going up July 1939 and the people of Sutton took a great deal of children evacuees in from Birmingham and Coventry ……… A civil defence camp was built near Powell’s Pool and at nearby Longmoor Pool a Prisoner of War camp was built
Large parts of the woods in the park were chopped down (Westwood Coppice, Holly Hurst, Upper and Lower Nuthurst and the New Plantations) and used as needed, the keepers cottage was dismantled and used to make a Dutch barn at Darnel Hurst
The few bombs that were dropped at Sutton only a few landed in the park by Echo Hill just by Bracebridge Pool ……about a 100 bombs were dropped on Sutton ..70-80 on Warmley one in the garden of the Vicarage at Manley another just missing the railway bridge in Station Rd.
The 6th Warwickshire Home Guard (Sutton) did demonstration exercises in the park showing what they were capable of doing.
When the United States entered the war Sutton became even more crowded when they were billeted with the locals till a camp was built for them on the Streetley side at Penns Lane and at Minworth they also built an American Army European Post Office beside the Railway Station...
 
Cromwell.
I am sure that somewhre in my pictures I have one of a Musketry Class Convalsescent Camp Sutton Coldfield about 1918, Would this camp have been in the park, or perhaps one of the large houses loaned to the army for the duration
Maggie
 
Well Maggie without seeing it I cannot be sure but in Terry's book he has a dozen or so........so if you can..... post it and I can tell you
 
As you requested, Cromwell, I have attached the scan of the photo of the musketry class

Maggie
 
What a cracking photo that is Maggie........it is in Sutton Park and shows the soldiers getting back in training after being injured .......if you dont mind I would like to show Terry Carter this photo as I can see some Birmingham Pals on it ....was the photo passed down from the family ?
 
By all means show the photo to Terry.I bought the picture in a market in a small town in Yorkshire, how it got there must be an interesting story.
Maggie
 
Maggie, I have to agree with Cromwell its a wonderfull photo, I shudder to think what would have become of it if you hadn't brought it! Thank you for sharing it with us.
 
An article in a 1906 Daily Mail made me smile
"PANIC AT CHILDRENS TREAT"
A panic occurred yesterday (which was the 14th Aug.)during the feeding of a large gathering of Birmingham's poor children at Sutton Park, a large common a few miles out of the city.
The Children who numbered 5,000 were provided with tea in the Crystal Palace, and ate in batches of 1000at a time. As one section was leaving the hall,the floor collapsed and thirty or forty children fell into the cellar, a good deal of alarm was caused,but the rush of the children was checked by attendants, and no-one was seriously injured
 
Like most of the other members I spent many hours in the Park.....as a young lad in the 60's up to the mid 80's with my own children....its been a few years since I last took a visit....I might take my grandchildren there in the next few weeks....so until then here are some postcards I came across of the park...
 
Oh my John how well I remember paddling in the stream at Sutton Park in the early 60's. My friends Mom used to take us in her car. I thought she was very glamourous. She looked a bit like Liz Taylor she drove this bright yellow ford with the top down and wore a scarf wrapped round her head. I remember one time she got stuck in the mud. I have never seen so many men pushing a car!:rolleyes: We just loved the water:D Thanks for the memorie.
 
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