I found this site very recently and reading it has brought back so many memories. There are so many names I recall from the time I lived in the area!

I grew up in Midland Road, where we lived from 1963 until 1971. I went to Cotteridge school and then to Kings Norton Grammar.

My Dad Archie set up a football team based in the park, that went on to become quite a successful set up, Cotteridge Park Rangers.

It started as a way of occupying youngsters and initially lads of my age ended up with a local football team. This included names like: David Harris, the Cotton twins, Ray Priest, Alan Waterhouse to name but a few.

It then grew and an adult team was formed, no longer based in the park but retaining the name.

They played in the Kings Norton League and won several titles during the late 60s early 70s.

We moved away in 1971 to live in the west country. I have visited the area on several occasions and had a trip down memory lane. I also have a number of photos stored that I intend to scan and get to the site, most of these relate to the football but I would be fascinated to hear if there are still people around who recall those days.

Update: Spent a long time thinking about these pics and huge apologies to those I have failed to recall but as best I can remember the names are shown below. I would be fascinated to see if anyone could fill in the gaps and would love to hear from anyone that either played or could remember those days.

Photo 1: (standing L to R) Rob Price, David Harris, Ian Fergus, Paul Toombs (holding ball), unknown, Roger Owen, Archie Fergus (Manager), unknown.
(kneeling L to R): Ian MacLelan (I think), Ray Priest, unknown, John Petrucciano, Neil Derrington, Vincent Hickey,
(seated L to R) unknown

Photo 2: (Back L to R): one of the Cotton twins, Roger Owen, unknown, unknown, David Garner.
(Front L to R): unknown, Ian Fergus, David Harris, unknown, unknown (Alan Waterwaterfield may be one of the two unknowns)

Photo 3 (Standing L to R): unknown, Rob Garner, unknown, unknown, unknown, Rob Price.
(Kneeling L to R): Ray Priest, unknown, unknown, Paul Toombs, unknown, Neil Derrington.

I am looking to trace a Lesie Whorwood Auster.

I have an address for the year 1861 as Park Hill, Kings Norton, Worcestshire . The address as now shown looks to have been built long after that date.

Also I have been led to understand that the property had land, and am wondering if this could have been around Cotteridge Park?

Thank you.

Trudie

My daughter has recently moved to live at 76 Ashmore Road.

I have tried to find out who was living in her house in 1911 but with no luck.

The last house on the 1911 Census seems to be 60 Ashmore Road and then Midland Road is the next address.

Can anyone help?

I seem to remember that in the early 60s they were dredging the canal at Lifford between Lifford Lane and the canal junction by Kings Norton Park, and they accidently lifted and removed a massive plug which they didn’t know was there because it wasn’t mentioned on any of the plans they had from when the canal was built.

This resulted in the water draining from the canal and flooding the valley and the river below. I seem to remember that Lifford Hall was at least partly flooded but it wasn’t deep enough to reach Sturges factory. Can anybody remember it and is there anything anywhere on the internet about it?

My first teacher at Cotteridge was Miss Rich in the reception class. Opposite the class room was the small stair case up to Miss Howard the headmistress’s office. The hall had murals of nursery rhymes on the walls and the parquet floor was highly polished. Mr Carling who was a dab hand with the side edge of a ruler, Miss Smith who was very strict, Miss Powell and Mr Hewlett who shouted and went red in the face. I remember the wall being knocked down between the boys and girls playground and Mr Hewlett picking up the boys toes. I had lived in the cul de sac on Dell Road, I remember Barbara Barnes and Pauline Dunn. The horse which used to pull the milk float ate the top off the gate post whilst the milkman had a cup of tea in one of the houses. I attended Dell Road Gospel Hall every Sunday with Mr Stormont in charge. Saturday was the baths in Stirchley in the morning and the Pavilion picture house in the afternoon.

I did not pass the eleven plus exam so went onto the Senior Girls School aged 11 years. Miss Walshe was the headmistress for the first year, she then left to take up the position of headmistress at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School which opened in 1959. She was very keen to teach us netball and we continued to play until we left in 1958. Having won all our matches whilst in the final year a few of us continued to play for Miss Walshe as Linden Netball Club which she ran for many years after her retirement. It was a very successful club, won many trophies and had many girls trialled for the England Netball Squad.

Miss Warren became the headmistress, Miss Watterson, Miss Woodall and of course our final year teacher Miss Garfield who used to say ‘Girls that is not Christian like’ whenever we misbehaved. I remember girls came to join us from Kings Norton and Stirchley schools, Kay Parker and Maureen Alcock who also played netball for the school team.

I was a member of Dr McMahon’s special choir which sang in the Town Hall. The memory of sitting in the choir stalls at 14 never left me even when as a member of the CBSO Chorus I stood in the same place for concerts years later in the 1970′s. I left at 15 years old in 1958 to join the GPO as a telephonist.

In addition to the shops mentioned on this website I do remember the horse meat shop just down from school on Pershore Road and the Treasure Trove bear was a white polar bear named Harold. Peter who ran the Treasure Trove after his father died told me that he was sold to a posh hotel in the centre of Manchester. I too spent many hours in there and still have a few items bought from the fascinating amount of items.

Looking back now I suppose we were all quite poor, but we did not know anything different. What more could you want, going to Cotteridge Park to play on the swings, the pictures on a Saturday and the swimming baths. Life was carefree. Happy Days.

Val Lovett nee Taylor

I have been working on Haye House, a private house directly across the road from the old Breedon Bar pub.

Please could you supply any info of this lovely house? The plaque on the exterior of the building reads Haye House 1862.

Many thanks!

We have a relation, Brian Lambert, over from Australia.

Could someone help please if anyone has any memories or photos of a company called R J Hunt, a foundry which was situated by the bridge close to the Breedon Cross pub.

Any help would be gratefully received, thank you.

Any information please leave a comment below or email us and we’ll pass it on.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/northfieldpast/