"Hearts of Oak"

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"Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns grow"

Not far from here is a Pub called the Spade Oak. A “Spade Oak” tree was I guess, named after the outline shape being similar to the shape of the ‘Ace’ on playing cards.

However, I was not in the Spade Oak yesterday, but in Selly Oak, a little north of Bournville, where I was born.

To some in this country, Selly Oak may be recognised from the news, as the hospital used as the main treatment centre for military casualties from Afghanistan and Iraq.

It is also sadly the place for many of those who do not ‘pull through’.

It is also the hospital where, holding her hand, I said my last goodbye to my Mother.

But yesterday was a happy occasion, for I was at the wedding of my nephew Graham, to Julia at St. Mary’s church, Selly Oak.

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Selly Oak used to be in the Parish of Northfield, but with the large increase in population of Victorian times it was decided that the new Parish of St Mary, Selly Oak should be established and that they should have their own church.

The construction of St Mary's took just over a year, and the church was consecrated on 12 September 1861.

About 30 years ago, brother Adrian and Jan were also married in this church, and my Mother, always keen to dip into her paint-box, produced several water-colours of the church.

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'St. Mary's in the snow' by Dorothy Johns.

The tower above the North West corner, carries a 45 metre spire, which can be seen from many parts of South Birmingham.

Bournville was, and still is, completely 'dry', as the Cadbury family were all Quakers.

No pubs were allowed in Bournville and in fact no sales of alcohol in shops at all.

In Bournville today, is the only Tesco in the country that does not sell the 'evil liquor'.

The thirsty people of Bournville had several options. Firstly there was the 'Beer at Home' vans ("Beer at home. means Davenports" the adverts said) and then there was the option of a trudge up Oak Tree Lane to Selly Oak to one of the many pubs (alas most now gone).

So in 1959, just being old enough to drink, I with two friends made the journey up to the "Old Oak" for our first ever pints!

I tried everywhere to find a picture of this old pub, but the nearest I got was this picture below.

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That is the side of the pub on the left. I know not great -

but interesting all the same.

Look at the old petrol pumps on the pavement.

I used to fill up my first motorbike there.

There are many theories on how Selly Oak received its name.

Some later sources claim that the name refers to Sarah's oak (later Sally's oak) after a local witch who was either hanged from it or was buried under it with an oak stake through her heart, which later it was claimed grew into an oak tree.

The centre of the district is the junction of Oak Tree Lane and the Bristol Road where the 'original' Selly Oak stood. This was a tree planted by John Rodway in what were then the grounds of his Selly Oak House in 1830 to celebrate the coronation of William IV. However, in 1909 the dying tree had to be felled, its roots damaged by the building of the nearby houses, now converted into shops.

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The tree stump was ceremonially placed in Selly Oak Park where Kings Norton and Northfield District Councils placed a plaque which read.....

'Butt of Old Oak Tree,

from which the name of Selly Oak was derived.

Removed from Oak Tree Lane, Selly Oak 1909'.

The remains of both stump and plaque may still be found.

There were stories about a witch called Sally, but it is thought it may have been a variant and local pronunciation of the name as 'Sally' Oak. Indeed the name is actually recorded as Sally Oak on a canal map produced by John Snape in 1789.

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The 'cut' at Selly Oak.

The construction of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal had a major impact on Selly Oak. Work began at Gas Street Basin in 1792, the cut reaching Selly Oak soon afterwards, but it was to be another twenty-three years before the line was completed to Worcester. The canal took coal and industrial products south and brought grain, farm produce and building materials to Birmingham. Salt was transported from Droitwich from the 1830s and from the early 20th century Cadburys brought the raw ingredients for chocolate-making to their Bournville wharf.