Summer Fete at the Top Rec (circa 1950s)

 

Another photograph showing the many activities which took place on the "Top Rec". This is the greasy poll stall at a summer fete in about the 1950s, and the club house for the bowling club can be seen in the distance.

Pictured are George (Jimmy) Riddell (left) and Peter Savory (right) on the greasy pole stall.

The entrance to the Top Rec is on Kingsley Road.

Social Life: Bournville Tenants Village Council

When the Bournville Tenants Estate first came into being in the early 1900s, it was run predominantly by residents. One group ran the management committee, and another group ran the recreation committee; the latter generally known as Bournville Tenants Village Council. The Village Council undertook the 'management and control of the games, the fixing of the fees, and the collecting thereof, and the maintenance of the Courts and Playing Greens of the Recreation Grounds [...] and generally to promote the Social, Educational, and Recreational life of the village'.

In 1909 they produced a card which listed the names of the first Council members, as well as laying out the Constitution.

Click to enlarge.

Chairman: James Jones (24 Woodlands Park Road), Vice-Chairman: T. Bryan (Oak Tree Lane (also chairman of management committee)), Hon. Secretary: Chas. B. Green (10 Woodlands Park Road), Hon. Treasurer: J. G. Nicklin (14 Woodlands Park Road), Committee: W. E. Barnett (28 Woodlands Park Road), J. E. Blackadder (34 Woodlands Park Road), T. Brown (16 Woodlands Park Road), W. L. Barber (The Nook, Northfield Road), A. Banister (Northfield Road), A. B. Clements (6 Woodlands Park Road), W. Cunnington (Clyde Cottage, Northfield Road), J. Charlton (12 Woodlands Park Road), P. D. Keogan (Cropthorne, Northfield Road), C. O. Murdoch (13 Kingsley Road), G. E. Mountford (Northfield Road), A. W. Neal (Oak Tree Cottage, Northfield Road), T. J. Ward (2 Kingsley Road).

Click on the Constitution to enlarge.

It is uncertain when the Tenants Village Council ceased to be active, but below are some of the events that it arranged on the estate. 

1927 (June 18): Coming of Age Celebration (21st Birthday - see here).
1937 (May 12): Coronation Festival (see here).
At least the 1920s: Bowling and Tennis activities (see here).
At least 1928 to 1939: Winter Sessions (see here).
1953 (June 2): Coronation Festival (see here).

This item is held at Birmingham Archive.

Woodlands Park Recreation Committee

April 1921, click to enlarge.

The Woodlands Park Recreation Committee ran the activities of the top recreation ground, which were originally quite broad, but by the 1920s included bowls and tennis.

Several leaflets about events survive in Birmingham Archive, which have been added to this post, along with transcriptions.

April 1921 (image above)

At this time the Woodlands Park Recreation Committee were:
P. W. ROBERTS, Chairman.
P. R. BRANNAN, Hon. Sec. Bowls Section, 218, Northfield Road.
W. CUNNINGHAM, Hon. Sec. Tennis Section, 14, Kingsley Road.
Bowls Committee:
Messrs. R. R. BRANNAN, V. BAGNALL, E. BRESMAN, F. J. LOCKWOOD, A. SMITH, E. W. WASHBOURNE.
Tennis Committee:
Miss. A. BENNETT, Mrs. J. R. GITTINS, Messrs. P. W. ROBERTS, A. W. EYLES, N. LOCKWOOD, W. CUNNINGTON.

April 1926

Edits for April 1927

The edits made, above, suggest that by 1927 the Woodlands Park Recreation Committee was beginning to split between the bowlers and tennis players, with the 'Tennis Section' planning to produce their own leaflet.

Birmingham Archive (reference: MS 1536/Box 28).

Social Life: The Winter Sessions

In the early years of the estate the Bournville Tenants Village Council would run a series of winter events at the Village Hall on Woodlands Park Road. It is uncertain when these started or ended, but programmes can be found between 1928 and 1939. It is possible that they ceased during the war and were not rejuvenated in the peace.

Four programmes are held in Birmingham Archives (reference: MS 1536/Box 28), and give a sense of the activities residents could attend over the winter months, which were mainly dances and whist drives, as well as the annual 'Children's Christmas Party'. By the late 1930s the popularity of the dances seems to have waned, as only whist and the children's party were part of the programme.

Click the images to enlarge.

Processions & Parties: Celebrating the 1953 Coronation

Click on the images to enlarge.

Five photographs showing the procession, events and parties which took place to celebrate the Coronation of Elizabeth II on 2nd June, 1953. As can be seen above, many of the houses were decorated with bunting as the procession started in Northfield Road. Children and adults dressed in their best, and many children were in fancy dress as they followed the car, which can be seen with a loud-speaker on its roof.

The two images, above, show the procession as it turned from Northfield Road to Woodlands Park Road (the road-sign in the background says Middleton Hall Road). The gentleman in the fez was possibly an entertainer.

Later in the day there were activities for the children, such as fancy-dress and races at, probably, the top rec (above). A tea-party for the children was also held at Woodlands Park Hall, seen laid out below.

The activities of the 1953 Coronation seem quite similar to the Coronation of George VI in 1937. A programme from 1937 can be seen here.

Processions & Parties: Celebrating the 1937 Coronation

Although no photos of the festivities surrounding the 1937 Coronation of George VI have been found (yet), there is a programme showing the itinerary of the day, which gives a sense of what the celebrations were like. They were quite similar to the 1953 Coronation celebration, where there are photographs of the day, seen here.

Click on the image to enlarge the programme, or see the transcription below.

Programme of Events

2-15 p.m. Procession assembles in the Drive, Northfield Road.
2-30 p.m. March round Village.
        Procession headed by Northfield Prize Band, followed by Villagers and Children in Fancy Dress, Decorated Cycles, Prams, etc.
        Judging to take place at the Pavilion.
3-30 p.m. Sports for Children and Adults on Recreation Ground behind the Garages.
2-30 p.m. Tea for Children in the Village Hall.

-----------------------------

The Band will give Selections at Intervals

-----------------------------

5-50 p.m. Re-assemple on Children's Playground.
6-00 p.m. Punch and Judy Show.
6-30-7.30 p.m. Burlesque Cricket Match.
         Ladies v. Gentlemen.
7-30 p.m. Treasure Hunt for Children.
7-45-8.30 p.m. Community Singing, led by Northfield Prize Band.
        Entertainer and Conjurer.
8.30 p.m. Adults' Treasure Hunt.
8.45 p.m. Dancing on the Green.
9.30 p.m. Bonfire and Fireworks Display.

-----------------------------

Light Refreshments will be available during the Evening

God Save the King

NOTES
If you are curious about what a 'Burlesque Cricket Match' was, there is an image here.

Archive Reference: Held at Birmingham Archive - MS 1536, box 28, 24/8j

History of Woodlands Park Hall

Click to enlarge.

This post is about the history of Woodlands Park Hall, to see current activites at the hall click here.

Woodlands Park Hall was part of the original plan for the Bournville Tenants estate in 1906, and has been used for a variety of activities over the century-and-a-bit since it was built. It was opened in November 1909 by George Cadbury.* In March 1966 Bournville Village Trust took over ownership of the Hall, although the Tenants Committee maintained management.

The School
In the early years of the estate the Hall was used as a school for younger children, and was run by two sisters, Miss. Pane and Mrs. Blanchard, who lived at 34 Kingsley Road and 18 Kingsley Road respectively. The school opened in about 1910, and on the 1911 census Miss. Pane was recorded as a 'School Mistress' suggesting that she was already running Woodlands Park School at this time. It continued until the 1960s, although after Miss. Pane and Mrs. Blanchard, Mrs. Rose was school mistress. Mrs. Rose was still running the school in 1966, when BVT took over ownership of the building, and planned to continue, but it is uncertain how much longer the school continued.

Children who attended, now grown, remember practising during World War II in case there was an air raid while they were at school. They would all traipse across the other side of Woodlands Park Road where there was a shelter large enough for them all.

A rather dubious claim to fame is that a former student was probably Jack Enoch Powell. There is no official evidence, but his attendance is considered to be the case by older local residents, especially as he grew up with his family at 52 Woodlands Park Road, a few doors down.


Children's Parties
Woodlands Park Hall has been the site of hundreds, if not thousands, of private children's parties. On 2nd June 1953, though, it was used for the children's tea-party celebrating the Coronation of Elizabeth II, below (more photos of the Coronation party here).

Click to enlarge.

Former Caretakers
1940s-1965: Tom Lowrie (lived at 214 Northfield Road)


Notes
* From the Bournville Works Magazine