Ongoing research; last updated 19 March 2011
6th March 1933 – Parks Committee
Wages of Manual Staff
The Secretary submitted a report:-
Wages of Manual Staff
I beg to report that, in accordance with the usual custom, the Chairman of the General Committee has gone into the question of increases in the wages of the manual staff of the Department, and the following recommendations are submitted for the approval of the Committee, the increases if approved, to come into operation as from the 1st proximo.
Name Position Length of Present Increase
Service Wages Recommended
Tarr, A.R. Park-keeper 22 yrs £3. 3. 9. 2/6
Selly Oak Pk. (Hse. fuel &
light.)
10272 Resolved:- That the recommendations for increases in wages of members of the manual staff of the Department, as set out in detail in the foregoing report, be approved, and put into operation as from the 1st April 1933
27th March 1933 – General Purposes Sub-Committee, reported on
3rd April 1933 – Parks Committee
3rd April 1933 – Parks Department (Operations Card 26 D1)
3rd April 1933 – Parks Department (Operations Card 26 D1)
The General Purposes Sub-Committee presented their report:-
Selly Oak Park
A communication has been received from the City Engineer and Surveyor[1] to the effect that in connection with the development of Weoley Castle Housing estate, portions of which abut on to the canal, it has been advisable to extend the fencing on the boundary between the land owned by the Corporation and that owned by the Birmingham Battery Company right down to the water’s edge.
As the Canal Company own a strip of land on the canal banks this extended fencing stands on canal property, and The Birmingham Canal Navigations have now raised the point with the City Surveyor, and referred to two similar cases in connection with Selly Oak Park. In one case the extended fencing is within the Park confines entirely, while the other case refers to a boundary fencing between the Parks Department land and the Battery Company’s land.
The Birmingham Canal Navigations have asked for a short agreement under which they will grant an easement for this fencing at a nominal acknowledgement of 1/- per annum.
Your Sub-Committee recommend that the City Surveyor be informed that this Committee are prepared to join in an appropriate Agreement.
10311 Resolved:- That the Secretary be instructed to inform the City Surveyor that this Committee are prepared to join in the proposed Agreement with the Birmingham Canal Navigations granting an easement in respect of fencing on the Company’s land adjoining Selly Oak Park, upon the terms mentioned in the foregoing report.
The Secretary submitted his report:-
Police Report - Serious Accidents:
W. Ling, 26, of 54, Vaughan Street, fractured clavicle, Selly Oak Park
24th April 1933 – General Purposes Sub-Committee, reported on
1st May 1933 – Parks Committee
The General Purposes Sub-Committee presented their report:-
Cricket in the Parks, 1933
The allocation of clubs to cricket pitches was dealt with at the beginning of this month in accordance with the procedure of former years. …………
At the present time 170 cricket clubs have been allocated pitches and there is still accommodation as follows:-
Selly Oak Park: No. of clubs for whom accommodation is still available - 1
10356 Resolved:- That the arrangements for the allocation of clubs to cricket pitches in the parks during the 1933 season, as detailed in the foregoing report, be confirmed.
29th May 1933 – Administration Sub-Committee, reported on
12th June 1933 – Parks Committee
The Administration Sub-Committee presented their report:-
Use of Parks, etc.
The use of the parks as mentioned below has been granted to the organisations on the dates and for the purposes stated:-
Date Park Organisation Purpose
July 15 Selly Oak Selly Oak and Bournbrook Annual Children’s
(closed fr. Children’s Christmas and Party
1 - 5 p.m.) Summer Party Fund
Aug 26 Selly Oak Weoley Castle Branch, Gala Children’s
(portion). Educational Dept. Ten Party
Acres and Stirchley Co-
Operative Society Ltd.
10410 Resolved:- That the granting of the use of parks and recreation grounds to the organisations upon the dates and for the purposes set out in the report of the Administration Committee be confirmed.
24th June 1933 – Birmingham News
Seen and Heard in the Suburbs
Ariel Scouts[2]
The members of the 1st Ariel Scout Group are showing their determination to have their own headquarters by building themselves a hut on a site which they have secured in Harborne Lane, Selly Oak.
Nearly every evening the Scouts are to be seen at work under the direction of Group Scoutmaster C. Homes, leveling the rugged ground, where they are to erect a fine hut measuring 40 feet by 15 feet. The Scouts are under expert supervision.
After raising funds by pantomimes, dances, and other entertainments, they have enough funds to start building themselves, thus hoping further to reduce their expenditure.
Mr. Homes smilingly comments on the isolated position of the hut, adding that the lively sounds which will, no doubt, issue forth in the future, will not cause discontent among the less enthusiastic residents there.
26th June 1933 – Administration Sub-Committee
The Secretary submitted his report:-
Police Report - Serious Accidents:
F. Parsons, 24, of 226 Willenhall Rd., cut eye, Selly Oak Park
E. Snape, 19, of 57, Holloway Head, cut nose, Selly Oak Park
22nd July 1933 – Birmingham News
Mile Procession
Children’s Festival at Selly Oak
Inter-school events
Although about 2,000 children took part in the Selly Oak and Bournbrook Children’s Festival, on Saturday, opinion has it in the district that the interest taken in the festival has, during the last few years, considerably declined.
There was a time, a Selly Oak resident told a “News” representative, when a great number of trades-people clubbed together and made the procession really worth while. Prizes for tableaux are not given now as they used to be, and altogether the festival was not half so successful as in former years.
Four Bands
The weather was none to promising for Saturday’s effort, when the procession, headed by Elliott’s Works Band, and followed by other bands at intervals, including the Woodgate Prize Band, the Scarlet Pimpernel Band, and the Northfield Serenaders Jazz Band, wound its way through gaily decorated streets, by way of Coronation Road, Dawlish Road, Bristol Road and Frederick Road to the Selly Oak Park in Gibbons (sic) Road.
Over a mile long, the procession was attended by children from the number of local schools, including Selly Park Council School (Girls), Raddlebarn Road Council School, Tiverton Road Council School, St. Edward’s School, St. Wulstan’s School, and St. Mary’s School.
A fancy dress parade by the children was followed by a maypole display in which 100 children took part. The tug-of-war competition took place afterwards for the Quinton Shield, of which Raddlebarn Road Boys became the possessors, after defeating St. Wulstan’s by two pulls to nil.
A storm, which had been threatening all afternoon, broke as the children were finishing their tea, and it was not possible to hold the final of the netball competition for the Charles Harbun Cup.
The competition was, however, decided on Wednesday evening, when Selly Park girls won the shield for the fourth successive time in defeating St. Mary’s girls by 13 goals to nil.
Both shields won during the festival were then presented by Mr. H.B. Reddings, of Messrs. Charles Harbuns, Bournbrook, the president of the festival fund. Awards of boxes of chocolates to the girl finalists and pocket knives to the boys were also given.
Fancy Dress Competition
The successful competitors in the fancy dress competition were:
Girls. – Doreen Clarke 1; Gladys Maiden 2, Jean Jorgensen 3; Barbara Lings 4; Iris Fellows 5; Joan Irene Welsh 6.
Boys. – William Drew 1; Edward Anson 2; George Hawkins 3; Peter Farrer 4; M. Lewis 5; Eric Dutton 6.
2nd September 1933 – Birmingham News
The Week’s News from the Districts
Selly Oak
Co-op. Children’s Party – No fewer than 800 children were entertained at Gibbons (sic) Park, on Saturday, by Weoley Castle Co-op. workers.
The arrangements for the party were made by the local Education Committee of Ten Acres and Stirchley Co-Operative Society and the Co-Operative Women’s Guild, a joint committee having been formed. The success of the party was also contributed to by friends from Allen’s Cross.
The proceedings included an interesting procession, three gaily decorated wagons (sic) being lent by the Society.
16th September 1933 – Birmingham News
Ariel Scouts
Boys Build their own Headquarters[3]
Opening Ceremony
At last the Scouts of the 1st Ariel group in Birmingham have a home of their own. It is situated adjoining the new canal bridge in Harborne Lane, Selly Oak.
The official opening on Saturday by Mr. H.R. Soutter, vice-chairman of the Birmingham and District Boy Scouts’ Association Council, was the crowning joy of work commenced in June. For many months the Scouts had been trying to obtain new headquarters, and finally came to the conclusion they would have to build one themselves. Accordingly they commenced clearing the ground. The work, however, proceeded but slowly until the last few days, during which time the troop worked with amazing energy to put everything in readiness for the opening ceremony.
The Scoutmaster, Mr. C. Holmes, confessed that for the last three days some of the troop had been working until midnight and one o’clock in the morning so that the hut should be finished before the cold weather commenced.
Crowd at Opening
The meeting on Saturday was a crowded one, the president being Councillor J. Hand. Among those who congratulated the Scouts on their enterprise were Mr. A Vaughan (District Commissioner), Alderman Frank Jones (Assistant District Commissioner for Rovers, Smethwick Association), Captain J.E. Stone (District Commissioner for Rovers, West Division), and Mr. C. Holmes, Scoutmaster.
Hearty thanks were accorded to Mr. W. Nadin, the carpenter, whose assistance was invaluable to the boys, and to Mr. D. Williams, who permitted them to use a shed in his garden as temporary troop headquarters.
7th October 1933 – Birmingham News
Seen and Heard in the Suburbs
Selly Oak in History
Probably most people who know Selly Oak only from a superficial sight of it from the train or by passing along its congested and horse-drawn-traffic-ridden main streets, would vote it one of the most prosaic, not to say dullest, of Birmingham’s inner suburbs.
But, thanks to the industrious research of Mr. Francis. W. Leonard, of Lodge Hill Road, we learn that its history goes back, at any rate, to the days of Domesday Book, where it is twice mentioned under the name of “Escelie”, pronounced “Ess-Selly”.
That name survived into the thirteenth century, when it occurs several times in Assize Rolls for Worcestershire and other legal documents.
This, and much else bearing on the important part Selly Oak took in distant days, from the time it was a mere hamlet set on two cross roads, to the era of its industrial development as a busy commercial centre on the fringe of Birmingham, may be gleaned from a little booklet, written by Mr. Leonard and sold by Messrs. W. Green and Sons, 814 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, at two shillings, a copy of which has just come into my hands.
As to the Oak, which gives the place its name, this, like many another historic monument, became a danger to the increasing modern traffic, and, after a storm of protest, in 1909, it was cut down and the butt removed from from its old position near the junction of Oak Tree Lane and Bristol Road, to Selly Oak Park, where it still remains.
So do our old landmarks disappear before the overwhelming claims of “modern improvements”.
I wish I had room to quote further from Mr. Leonard’s pages, which are chock full of interesting notes about old houses and old folks who helped to make Selly Oak what it was and is today.
But for this, I must send my readers direct to “The Story of Selly Oak”, which opens with a Foreword from the Vicar of St. Mary’s and appropriately closes with a list of the men of the paraish whose names are for ever enshrined on the local War Memorial and in the hearts of their friends.
24th October 1933 – Administration Sub-Committee
The Secretary submitted his report:-
Police Report - Serious Accidents:
L. Davis, 19, of 2/783 Bristol Road, fractured arm, Selly Oak Park
[2] The current Ariel Scouts’ hut, built in 1982, is located at the Gibbins Road / Harborne Lane corner of Selly Oak Park, and the car park there serves both the Scouts’ hut and the Park. However the oroiginal Scout hut referred to above was located on the opposite side of Harborne Lane.
[3] The Birmingham News, on 15 September 1934, reports a first anniversary gathering, with reference back to this opening event.
[3] The Birmingham News, on 15 September 1934, reports a first anniversary gathering, with reference back to this opening event.
