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This week on telly I saw a ten minute clip on Bournville. They just skipped around the most popular parts but I did get a glimpse of my old junior school with it's magnificent carillon.
I was at school here until I was eleven.
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Bournville green as I remember it circa 1950.
To the right of the door (in the picture below) was the Head-masters study. You only went in there to 'get the cane' if I remember rightly. On the floor above was the library, and all I can remember about this room is it was where you went to have a medical check-up or to be give a vaccine. We were given something for TB on a cube of sugar if I remember correctly.
And then we come to the top floor under the bells. This was where the 'top class' was taught.
I am not joking. Class 1 was in the tower under a Mr Morley. I can remember sitting next to Alan Morley, his son and in front of me was David Mortiboys. Now David's mother and my mother were friends. I think they both worked in the same office at Cadbury's. The strange thing is they both became pregnant at the same time, ended up in the same nursing home and David was born on the 2nd of September and I followed on the 3rd. Mom used to tell me stories about us getting mixed up as babies! So I might be David and he might be me!
No, they got us sorted out right in the end. We even went off to Grammar School together and I have a photo of us both somewhere. I must look it out.
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The bells struck the quarters as well as the hours. Lessons had to pause during the strike.
Behind a wooden partition at the back of the class was the room where the 'carillonneur ' could play tunes manually. There were recitals on Sundays, weddings on Saturdays and of course Carols at Christmas singing on the Green to see in New Year.
A Carillon is not a type of bell, but a set of fixed bells. The hammers are attached to a keyboard which is played by one man (a carillonneur) who wears leather gloves because of the great pressure required to push the keys.
They are found in many countries. Belgium (the home of the carillon), Holland and Northern France are well known for theirs.
The most famous is probably that at Bruges in Belgium. Britain has few, although many churches have apparatus for chiming simple tunes. St Nicholas Church in Aberdeen has the heaviest British carillon, the largest of its 48 bells weighing 89 cwt. Eaton Hall has 28 Belgian bells, with the heaviest at 48 cwt.
However one of the best known in the UK is at Bournville School, Bournville Village, Birmingham. This plays 48 notes, the largest being 64 cwt. It is heard by 100,000 people a year when they visit Cadbury Brothers Ltd.
I forgot to add that there were many children in the class with Birthdays in September. Fathers had been away from home during the War and of course had been home on Christmas leave nine months earlier.
ReplyDeleteSo not a coincidence really!
As usual, an excellent post. I sure enjoy visiting here. Every time I come through it's something good.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Kim. It's is all a mixed bag. I was eight in 1950 so most of the 50's were my teenage years. I pop over every day to see what you have put up for us. Of course I do not recognise a lot of the US adverts and stuff. Interesting though.
ReplyDeleteCheers......Bernard
Very interesting indeed. What a fun place to go to school, and to live, of course. All that green space to run around and play on. It's all very unnique.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have all those photos, our family didn't take many when we were growing up. My old school was an impressive Art Deco building, alas, knocked down and replaced by a modern monster.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post of memories. I love the old photos too, I am sure you knew I would ;-)
ReplyDeleteHappy memories Bernard? What an extraordinary thing for the school to have a carillon was it not? I've heard the one in Bruges I believe, a long time ago so my memory may not be serving me correctly.
ReplyDeleteFoody:
ReplyDeleteI feel I could write and write about times past, but I am no budding author. I failed O-level English several times! I will do a few more on various topics but will try to keep each one fairly short.
My Grandfather took loads of photos on an old plate camera. I did a post almost a year ago about it. Dad was also a keen photographer and was a member of Cadbury's Photographic Club. Bournville school has to be one of the most attractive, although I bet I could find many other lovely old schools.
Have you seen the old school at Dropmore?
Thanks Cherie. They always mean more if you know the place or have connections though. The web is full of fantastic pictures, but if you have been to the place there is always that little extra bit of appeal.
Hi Liz. I expect it was financed by Cadbury's as you would never get Council to spend any more on a school than the very bare minimum.
Thanks all, the sun is shining here so I'm going to make the most of it....Have a nice weekend.
Cheers....Bernard
I have just seen Michael Portillo's railway programme, which I always record to watch later. I saw all the things you spoke of and posted photos about! Were you a taller than average kipper, then? That's waht they say of Bournville kippers, because they lived off home grown veg from the Bournville gardens! It certainly looks a lovely place to live.
ReplyDeleteHi Foody: Yes I also watched it on iPlayer. Every house in Bournville had a good sized garden and was provided with three apple trees. Different varieties.....and different again from the neighbours.(do swaps).
ReplyDeleteThere were also loads of allotments for those who wanted them. Dad had one and even at the age of five would go along with him and help(?).
I am not tall (5'9") but we tended to be larger round the waist because of the cheap & sometimes free chocolate. A lot of children suffered from tooth decay as you might expect.