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Sutton Park History

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
  • Start date Start date
Lady Penelope said:
I don't think they were there when I was young although I didn't visit that part of the park.
I seem to remember that they were 'imported' to help with the management of the park. Not sure when it was although there may be a newspaper report to confirm this.
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Lady P
Have you got a rough date for this?
Bob
 
That's interesting oM. Good job I didn't hazard a guess at the date the ponies were introduced as I thought it was earlier than 1999.
 
Pedro, although I've never heard the word I think it's salubrity as in salubrious. They did have a little bit of poetic licence in those days didn't they? Despasturising? I'm sure I've seen 'right to graze cattle and horses' in other publications which sounds far less pretentious. That's the problem with having to appeal to posh people.....
 
I found both of the above words in the Chambers Dictionary.
Depasturising - depasture : to put to pasture (graze).
Salubrity or salubriousness : health-giving, pleasant

They knew how to write "learned" english in those days. I'm amazed at the good grammar seen in the newspapers of then especially compared to the papers of today!
 
Not only good grammar, but those who could write usually wrote with a very clear and legible script. Those of a certain age here will know how important to our masters/teachers it was for us to have good handwriting.
We were always taught to guide the pen with our index finger. The modern trend seems to be to grip a pen in the fist. Probably that is a result of biro type and felt pens but it is quite hard to do caligraphy in that manner.
 
Radiorails said:
Not only good grammar, but those who could write usually wrote with a very clear and legible script.
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I think you hit the nail on the head. If you knew how to read & write it meant you had received instruction, and probably knew at least French as another language!
Even now, not everyone gets that far.
 
Radiorails said:
Not only good grammar, but those who could write usually wrote with a very clear and legible script. Those of a certain age here will know how important to our masters/teachers it was for us to have good handwriting.
We were always taught to guide the pen with our index finger. The modern trend seems to be to grip a pen in the fist. Probably that is a result of biro type and felt pens but it is quite hard to do caligraphy in that manner.
Click to expand...

You never blotted your copybook ?
 
Bob Davis said:
Pedro
What is the air of Sutton Coldfield proverbial for? How English has changed, some of this small piece you almost need a translator for........depasturing?
Bob
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Google translate had a go at it ....
The air of Sutton Coldfield is proverbial for its salubrity, and the occupiers of property in the parish are entitled to various local privileges, amongst which may be mentioned a Free Grammar school of the first class and right of depasturing cattle and horses in Sutton Park

Translation into German looks good to me although maybe Zuträglichkeit for Gesundheit
Die Luft von Sutton Coldfield ist sprichwörtlich für seine Gesundheit, und die Besatzer von Eigentum in der Gemeinde haben Anspruch auf verschiedene lokale Privilegien, darunter ein freies Gymnasium der ersten Klasse und das Recht, Rinder und Pferde im Sutton Park zu depastieren.

Maybe the French is good but I don't know
L'air de Sutton Coldfield est proverbial pour sa salubrité, et les occupants des biens de la paroisse ont droit à divers privilèges locaux, parmi lesquels on peut citer une école de grammaire gratuite de première classe et le droit de dépâturage du bétail et des chevaux à Sutton Park

And if you want to find all the photos up to post#1617 in this long thread click the thumbnail image below. A pdf picture index will appear dependent on which type of device you are using. Click any pic and it will open the forum post which contains the pic. If the pdf opens in your default browser, click the top left back-arrow to get back to the picture index.
 
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I'm not French but live in France, here's what I think about the Google version. It may not be perfect but it's not bad at all, and you get the gist of the meaning very well.
Free Grammar school however, should perhaps rather be translated as : un collège public.
 
oldMohawk said:
Google translate had a go at it ....
The air of Sutton Coldfield is proverbial for its salubrity, and the occupiers of property in the parish are entitled to various local privileges, amongst which may be mentioned a Free Grammar school of the first class and right of depasturing cattle and horses in Sutton Park

Translation into German looks good to me although maybe Zuträglichkeit for Gesundheit
Die Luft von Sutton Coldfield ist sprichwörtlich für seine Gesundheit, und die Besatzer von Eigentum in der Gemeinde haben Anspruch auf verschiedene lokale Privilegien, darunter ein freies Gymnasium der ersten Klasse und das Recht, Rinder und Pferde im Sutton Park zu depastieren.

Maybe the French is good but I don't know
L'air de Sutton Coldfield est proverbial pour sa salubrité, et les occupants des biens de la paroisse ont droit à divers privilèges locaux, parmi lesquels on peut citer une école de grammaire gratuite de première classe et le droit de dépâturage du bétail et des chevaux à Sutton Park
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Merci beacoup und viele danke and in case you speak Danish tak.

Bob
 
Crystal Palace and the Fair. Welcome to the Pleasure Dome. Roughly where the Leisure Centre stands today over a 150 years ago there was a magnificent entertainment called The Royal Promenade Gardens. It covered 10 acres and had a fernery, large rhododendron area, Rose beds, an Italian garden, lawns, ornamental plantations, a bowling green, cricket, archery and croquet areas. It also has an ornamental lake and a conservatory. The conservatory was modelled on the Crystal Palace built for the Great Exhibition of1851 and called after it. There was a hotel next to it with shelter for 1500 people and stabling for 50 horses, 30 acres of meadow. Facilities for boating fishing, cycling and children’s swings completed the offerings. It was also noted there were shady avenues and arbours for “spooning”. All of this was the creation of a market gardener called Job Cole who converted his land there to create it. He was an experienced horticulturist and business man having previously owned market gardens in the Birmingham Area. It is unclear how he would finance such a massive undertaking but it was one of the results of the expansion of the railways coupled with very cheap fares. Sutton was to be blessed with three stations, two lines and a third planned. Speculation in all fields followed the railway and various conspicuous figures in the Sutton area saw profits to be made so he would have had access to such monies. Sutton was already very well regarded for its air and pleasant climate. Excursions from Birmingham were popular and frequent. The coming of the railway was to raise this to a completely different level 110,000 visitors came each year with railway excursion ticket sales of 77500. Everybody seemed to be making money and Sutton saw a housing and development boom. Cole went public but initial euphoria died and the site did not turn out to be profitable in the long term. It must be speculation without access to the books but it seems likely that with an Rail Excursion costing only a Shilling including admittance to the Gardens was a bargain for the visitor and the Railway Company but not to Mr Cole. The entry price to visitors arriving in other ways was also one Shilling. Profit therefore relied on sales inside. Cole died in 1893 leaving £20.5s. A Mr Earle became the owner but as a businessman he was a good drunk, spending most of his timeCrystal Palace and the Fair. Welcome to the Pleasure Dome. Roughly where the Leisure Centre stands today over a 150 years ago there was a magnificent entertainment called The Royal Promenade Gardens. It covered 10 acres and had a fernery, large rhododendron area, Rose beds, an Italian garden, lawns, ornamental plantations, a bowling green, cricket, archery and croquet areas. It also has an ornamental lake and a conservatory. The conservatory was modelled on the Crystal Palace built for the Great Exhibition of1851 and called after it. There was a hotel next to it with shelter for 1500 people and stabling for 50 horses, 30 acres of meadow. Facilities for boating fishing, cycling and children’s swings completed the offerings. It was also noted there were shady avenues and arbours for “spooning”. All of this was the creation of a market gardener called Job Cole who converted his land there to create it. He was an experienced horticulturist and business man having previously owned market gardens in the Birmingham Area. It is unclear how he would finance such a massive undertaking but it was one of the results of the expansion of the railways coupled with very cheap fares. Sutton was to be blessed with three stations, two lines and a third planned. Speculation in all fields followed the railway and various conspicuous figures in the Sutton area saw profits to be made so he would have had access to such monies. Sutton was already very well regarded for its air and pleasant climate. Excursions from Birmingham were popular and frequent. The coming of the railway was to raise this to a completely different level 110,000 visitors came each year with railway excursion ticket sales of 77500. Everybody seemed to be making money and Sutton saw a housing and development boom. Cole went public but initial euphoria died and the site did not turn out to be profitable in the long term. It must be speculation without access to the books but it seems likely that with an Rail Excursion costing only a Shilling including admittance to the Gardens was a bargain for the visitor and the Railway Company but not to Mr Cole. The entry price to visitors arriving in other ways was also one Shilling. Profit therefore relied on sales inside. Cole died in 1893 leaving £20.5s. A Mr Earle became the owner but as a businessman he was a good drunk, spending most of his time in The .Museum.
 
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He was in court for non payment of rates but when he got so drunk he fired a shotgun towards the hotel guests and a police officer business seemed inextricably to decline. There was also the minor matter of a floor collapse which pitched dancers into the cellar. A cabal of “The Captain”, “The Colonel” and “the Major” financed then took it on and organised an Oriental Art and Industrial Exhibition. The crowds stayed away in their thousands and it was a financial disaster. People had loaned items for display some of which were eventually returned but others were sold at auction which judging from the prices realised was fixed from start to finish. As none of these owners in fact owned the land they were estopped from actually selling non movables which enabled the buildings to survive the various financial misfortunes and brave souls to again hazard their money Eventually more finance was found and the 15”gauge railway was laid down in 1907 linking the Palace site with Wyndley pool for boating etc. Along came Pat Collins a showman and owner of 3 other fairgrounds in 1910. He introduced new large rides, ballroom dancing in the Palace, better catering and his concept of noise lights and movement. As an aside Pat Collins gave the Peaky Blinders such a beating they never tried again to muscle in on the world of funfairs
 
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