I have something remarkable coming up on the blog tomorrow, a film I’ve been tracking down for a while, and thanks to the immense generosity and kindness of local history stalwarts Brian ‘Clayhanger Kid’ Stringer and the Young David Evans, I can present it here on the net for the community to share and debate.
I’m going to give you just a taste while I prepare this material for the blog. 30 minutes of cinefilm footage of Brownhills around 1960. There are canals. Kids at school. The Library. The High Street. Trains. Loads of things, all caught in colour amateur footage converted from celluloid film.
We need readers help. There are unrecognised places and faces. We needed to know more about this remarkable bit of history. Exactly who made it, how it came to be lost and found again So stand by to be astounded.
I’d particularly like to thank David who spent ages ripping and uploading this video to dropbox, which isn’t really his natural environment. What a star he is.
For now, I’ll leave you with some video stills; they’re not representative of the image quality, which is much better as video.
The very last moments of Middleton House Club – and later, some stunning images of members inside it’s replacement.
Mind how you go. A copper leaves the old police station in Church Road, his bike waiting.
I’ve wanted to see images of this for ages. The old bandstand, in Holland Park. as ugly as I remember. We sheltered from the rain in there as kids.
We think these kids are at Shire Oak School. Anyone you know? Lots of footage of woodwork, basket weaving, cookery and typing classes.
This is much better on video. A steam train rumbles through Brownhills station. How fab is this?
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Looks amazing, thanks to David and Bob.
How times change, how long would the bike remain these days!
Can hardly wait, thanks guys………….
Peter
Its a fair chance that the copper is PC Bloor. He pretty well ran Browhills law enforcement from what I am aware
Been out and got me some popcorn and a tub of icecream, got me a seat at the front as well. Magic,
Brilliant, i’m really looking forward to seeing the end result. Well done everyone.
this is fantastic all sorts of my past recolections of when i was young keep comming back to me i remember the police station and the man who came to your house to put your dog down if it was poorly or to old i was very little 5/6,have spent many an hour on the old bandstand ,as i grew up in the avenues we also spent many hours in the old middleton club oh happy days thank you to all of you for the memories.
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Fantastic Bob.. Really happy with the footage of Brownhills Station. Is the first footage Ive seen from the area.
Looking forward to this….many many thanks to all concerned for sharing and for all your hard work!
Bob,I know what school that is as I was probably in the play ground at the time, unless I managed to convince me mom that I was dangerously ill, it worked sometimes! It was shelfield secondary school , in mob lane shelfield. The teacher blowing his whistle in the playground was Mr Price (woodwork teacher) I had the boardcompass across me backside a few times of him,cos I was,nt keen on woodwork!!! by the way I rekon it was in about 1962/63 regards malcolm skyte
Bob, Having just read a previous blog, I stand corrected .The woodwork teacher I said was mr price, was indeed mr ogle. I do recognise several of the kids , jimmy whitcut,jammer,kenny selvey ,faces that I know but the names have faded with time! regards malcolm skyte.
Hi just to say can’t wait till it comes out but one question when is it actually coming out??? Ok thanks!!!
This post! Click the link…
http://brownhillsbob.com/2014/01/19/caught-in-time/
Bob