The pimple (again)

[daimlerman]

Hi y'all
Yet again I raise a question about The pimple aka Kingstanding beacon, or Brunston Hill.
Lots of people have posted memories of this high ground before it was built on during the late 60's and 1970’s. I lived there until 1976.
One thing always intrigued me when I played up there during the late 50's and early 60's.
On the top was an area which was an oval, fenced off with tall iron railings and locked gates. I seem to recall a large concrete slab inside the railings.
So, what was inside the railings and why did it have locked gates??

As kids we asked parents and older people what was up there. The answers varied from WW2 SEARCH LIGHTS, STORAGE OF PLANT AND MATERIALS DURING THE BUILDING OF KINGSTANDING.
ANTI AIRCRAFT GUN, CONSECRATED GROUND BELONGING TO OSCOTT COLLEGE WHICH IS IN DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT. WE WERE EVEN TOLD IT WAS RADIO ACTIVE GROUND DUE TO MARTIANS LANDING THERE!!!!

I think we can dismiss the latter theory, however nobody seemed to really know and i would love to know exactly what was inside the "Forbidden railings"

 

[Astoness]

yes so would i....i can see the pimple from my bedroom window...i am moving this thread from carl chinns brum mags thread to place related enquires..more suited there

lyn

 

[daimlerman]

yes so would i....i can see the pimple from my bedroom window...i am moving this thread from carl chinns brum mags thread to place related enquires..more suited there

lyn

Sorry Lynn I didn't realise it had Bern posted there.

Jeff

 

[Donbogen]

When i lived in Norbiton Rd
i could see the Pimple from
my bedroom

 

[Astoness]

Sorry Lynn I didn't realise it had Bern posted there.

Jeff

no problem jeff

lyn

 

[daimlerman]

My sister just told me she asked the question to Professor Carl Chinn. She heard it was a ww2 ammo dump but Carl didn't find any evidence.

 

[daimlerman]

Sorry Lynn I didn't realise it had Bern posted there.

Jeff

Hi Lyn,
I've just heard back from a pal who now lives in France.
He, and his family lived in Hurlingham Road. His mother lived there during WW2.
When he was a young lad his mother told him there were search lights on the pimple. The sound of the generator running comforted her, particularly after a bomb hit a house further along the road, killing the occupant.

That sounds a plausible explanation but needs confirmation.

Jeff

 

[Astoness]

jeff do you mean a bomb dropped on hurlingham road..if so i have checked the BARRA data base and cant see any deaths for that road..

lyn

 

[daimlerman]

jeff do you mean a bomb dropped on hurlingham road..if so i have checked the BARRA data base and cant see any deaths for that road..

lyn

How strange. I've read somewhere an elderly lady was killed with the Hurlingham road bomb during the same raid that killed people in Kingstanding Road, The house in Hurlingham Road was destroyed. (Aparrently).

 

[Astoness]

4 deaths at no 757 kingstanding road including a 3 year old child and his mother aged 29..very good chance dad was away fighting for his country...how very sad

lyn

 

[daimlerman]

4 deaths at no 757 kingstanding road including a 3 year old child and his mother aged 29..very good chance dad was away fighting for his country...how very sad

lyn

Yes Lyn,
That's what I understood. Luckily kingstanding was on the periphery of the bombing targets around there, Witton etc. My mom told me how the German planes would shoot the roof tiles off the houses for fun after a bombing raid.

 

[pjmburns]

jeff do you mean a bomb dropped on hurlingham road..if so i have checked the BARRA data base and cant see any deaths for that road..

lyn

A lady was injured at 158 Hurlingham Road in a raid on 25 Aug 1940
By 1945 eroll 158 had disappeared from the list along with 160 and 162.

 

[daimlerman]

How strange. I've read somewhere an elderly lady was killed with the Hurlingham road bomb during the same raid that killed people in Kingstanding Road, The house in Hurlingham Road was destroyed. (Aparrently).

Lyn,
Ahhhh. Found it on voices of kingstanding site.
The houses in Hurlingham Road were destroyed and quickly rebuilt in the same style.
The great granddaughter wrote that her great grandmother, Mrs Robinson perished in the bombing.

Jeff

 

[Astoness]

Lyn,
Ahhhh. Found it on voices of kingstanding site.
The houses in Hurlingham Road were destroyed and quickly rebuilt in the same style.
The great granddaughter wrote that her great grandmother, Mrs Robinson perished in the bombing.

Jeff

right jeff ive found it now on the BARRA site and yes mrs robinson was sadly killed aged 61..her name should be on the tree of life war memorial in the city centre which honours all civilians of birmingham that died during the blitz..2 of my ancestors are on it

Robinson

Hilda Daisy

25/08/1940

160 Hurllingham Road, Kingstanding

61

Civilian

 

[daimlerman]

right jeff ive found it now on the BARRA site and yes mrs robinson was sadly killed

Robinson

Hilda Daisy

25/08/1940

160 Hurllingham Road, Kingstanding

61

Civilian

Phew! Thanks for acknowledging that one. I was beginning to think I'd dreamed it. Mind you, at 71, dreams and reality sometimes merge.

Jeff

 

[daimlerman]

My dear mom, aged 20 lived in College road with nanny and Grandad. My dear dad aged 23 was in the Irish Guards 2nd battalion. While he was away mom worked at GEC Witton.
After a long night of Bombing, later in the war, they crawled out from under the stairs, made a cup of tea and walked to work. They MUST get to work.
Amongst the rubble and smell of explosives mom and her pal lilly, reached what Should have been their workplace.
Lilly's press was down a hole and she cried. The poor lass was heartbroken because she couldn't do her job for the war effort.
I always found that a really sad story.
My dear dad ended up at the battle of Arnheim , Holland. They took a real battering there.
I find it almost unimaginable what the people of Birmingham took on the chin and carried on regardless. I would like to think if such atrocities happened again Birmingham would rise again to the occasion.

Jeff

 

[aston lad]

Sorry for the poor condition of the photo's, taken by my then polaroid camera around 1970/72ish maybe a little later, the views are from my bedroom window when I lived on Warren Farm Road ( 168 ) .