Author Topic: elmdon airport  (Read 30905 times)

Phil

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #55 on: January 11, 2013, 10:42:43 AM »
frank
 
Yes the Drawbridge Inn is still there today, but it has been completely rebuilt and bears little resemblence to the original pub which was ones of Dares Brewery houses. The brewery was located in Belgrave Rd, Balsall Heath. You will see the differences from these two photos.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

frederick

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #56 on: January 11, 2013, 11:21:50 AM »
I believe the ford at the Aqueduct goes under the road now, the last time I was around that area it was as the old photos show.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

Phil

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #57 on: January 11, 2013, 01:16:05 PM »
Here is how the ford looks today, little difference except for as Fred says the stream is culverted under the road now. It's still floods occasionally and floods the road though.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

frank

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #58 on: January 11, 2013, 01:24:45 PM »
Phil. What wonderful photos, would you mind if I printed them off for my own old brum photo album. I remember the old dares brewery as I was brought up in Sherbourne road, I passed it many a time and remember the wonderful smells that came from it when they were brewing their beer.


Blueblizzard . Thank you for your information, I would imagine that most of their trade in the summer came from holiday makers on barges. I can also imagine that the old lane is now a road with a housing estate on either side of it.




Frederick. Thank you also for your input. I have a feeling that after reading some of your comments on other threads that we went to Dennis road school at the same time as each other, and may well have been in the same class at some time. Frank.

Phil

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #59 on: January 11, 2013, 02:54:41 PM »
frank
 
By all means do that if it is for your own private enjoyment, but as the photos are not mine I can't give you permission to use them commercially.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

frederick

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #60 on: January 11, 2013, 03:21:25 PM »
Frank,
You mite recognise some of the lads on this school photo taken at the I.O.Man, I am bottom row first on the left.
 
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

planetmalc

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #61 on: January 14, 2013, 05:41:09 PM »
. I do not know where the saying came from but all us kids used to call them the akerdocks, to get there we used to catch the number 50 bus on the moseley road to the maypole pub which was the terminus. Then we walked down the road that was to the left of the pub, then there was a lane on the right hand side to go down, i can remember that on the right hand side of the lane there was a sandpit,
The sandpit was adjacent to Berry Mound, an iron-age(?) hillfort that the Council thought so little of that they allowed it to be turned into a rubbish tip.    Nothing remains of it now (completely buried) and the rotting waste underneath the grassy top is giving off loads of methane that has to be burned off, 24/7.    I think the bulk of the sandpit area is still there and accessible.   
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.

kipper 57

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #62 on: January 15, 2013, 02:23:42 PM »
Great to read memories of Elmdon - flew from there myself a couple of time with my parents early 70's but my overriding memory is of an 'Elmdon childhood day out' with either of my 2 sisters. We would get the bus to its the, its then terminus - back in Sheldon (think it was The Good Companions) then walk rest of way to the airport. Climb up the top of the observation tower to watch the planes! Then we used to walk down the old Damson lane - then more like a cart track - stop and pet the horses in the fields as we passed - then cut back across other fields to the Coventry Rd and the bus home! It was a regular favourite outing!
Jan

frank

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #63 on: January 15, 2013, 05:11:24 PM »
Planetmalc. Whatever were Birmingham council thinking of when they made a rubbish tip in this beautiful place. I hope they never had the nerve to put up houses by it, but knowing these councils they would not care one bit as long as the councillors themselves did not have to live by it. Frank.

Boz

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #64 on: January 17, 2013, 02:53:17 PM »
My first flight was at Elmdon in the late 1940s with my dad. It was in a De Havilland Rapide aircraft and I still recall the thrill of taking off and flying around the surrounding area looking down on the countryside and houses. A far cry from today's aircraft but a wonderful experience when I was 11 or 12.  :)

Spud

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Re: elmdon airport
« Reply #65 on: January 17, 2013, 04:08:44 PM »
Seeing Akatarawa's posts about the Lucas site at Marston Green brings back memories.
The Site still exists and the legends of skid marks on the roof from low flying Aircraft are still  retold .Of course over the years the name of Lucas Aerospace has all but disappeared.I worked for the company for 31 years at their Shaftmoor lane Site  and visited the Marston Green site many times.
Lucas Aero at Marston Green carries out mainly repairs to Aircraft Fuel Systems and had quite an extensive Tool Room and for a time the Raw Material Stores was located on site.
The factory had a connection with Nigel Mansell the F1 Champion he and his father worked there and the story goes that some of Nigel's early racing Cars unofficially owe a lot to the facillities of the Lucas Tool Room. Nigel never forgot his Lucas roots and often invited old Lucas collegues into the Pit Area of various F1 race venues.
I believe that the Factory originally started out as Richards Prams and today after many changes of ownership  I think that this old Lucas Factory now belongs to the US company Goodrich and still carries out repairs to Aircraft Fuel Systems.
There are some great old photographs of Lucas Marston Green on the Lucas Memories Web site.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap


 

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