Worcestershire | Archive | 2006 | May
BLOOMIN' luvverly springs to the lips to describe this sparkling production by SOS in the society's centenary year - a task as ambitious as that of turning cockney Eliza Doolittle into a lady - and accomplished with great success. more...
VEGETARIANS across the UK will no doubt have been in the awkward situation when you go to a restaurant and they either don't cater for you or the most exciting item on the menu is reheated vegetable lasagne. more...
BASED on Anthony Swofford's memoirs as a Marine on active service during the Gulf War, Jarhead is a harrowing account of a conflict hidden from the world. more...
BACK in 1995, Chris Baxter (Ryan Reynolds) was vastly overweight, painfully shy and never stood a hope of being part of the in-crowd. more...
TOM Cruise reprises his role as daredevil Secret Agent Ethan Hunt completing the Mission Impossible trilogy - and undoubtedly tripling his net worth. more...
GET nostalgic in Redditch tonight with sensational new show All Our Yesterdays at the Palace Theatre. more...
WYTHALL Theatre Company returns to the stage with another classic production starting on Tuesday. more...
BAFTA award-winning performer Richard Digance is set to take to the stage at Redditch's Palace Theatre on Friday. more...
MURDER mystery fans are in for a treat with the next production by Redditch Amateur Theatre Society (RATS). more...
THE Ullenhall Players will return to Redditch's Palace Theatre next Wednesday, following on from last year's debut performance at the venue. more...
Wednesday, May 17 more...
DESPERATE to boost its maintenance fund, All Saints' Church in Bromsgrove held a Rose Fete in the grounds. Lady Vernon, from Hanbury Hall, crowned Rose Queen Christine Cox, aged 14, on a flower-decked platform in front of the west door. The event raised £100 for the repairs fund. more...
AT Droitwich Town Council, a surveyor reported a new way to keep down dust and binding certain sections of the road affected by the recent dry spell. Parts of Bromsgrove Road, Worcester Road and Ombersley Street had been dressed with ground salt obtained from the Salt Union. The chairman suggested that if it proved successful it might be advantageous to issue a leaflet on it. It was also suggested that brine should be used as it was less expensive. more...
A gigantic party was held for employees and their wives to celebrate the Austin Work's golden jubilee. Pavilions and stands were erected outside the car assembly block, but surmounting everything was a 30ft high plaque of Lord Austin. The proceedings began with the firing of a maroon, a fanfare of trumpeters by the Austin and other units of Air Training Corps, the raising of flags of all nations and the unveiling of the plaque by Lord Austin's brother, Harry. The 35,000 guests included British Motor Corporation dealers and distributors from Commonwealth countries. more...
Following two deaths and a series of incidents in the past eight years, Bromsgrove's Barnsley Hall Hospital driveway was closed to the public. Hospital secretary William Tedstone said people with no interest in the hospital used the drive as a short cut between Stourbridge and Birmingham roads. Over the past eight years both a member of staff and a patient had been killed in accidents caused by drivers taking short cuts. The hospital had locked gates to be put across the driveway. more...
THOMAS Crowther and John Priddey, two boys from The Vines in Droitwich, appeared before Spa magistrates charged with being naked while bathing in the canal in Ricketts Lane, contrary to a bye-law. Magistrate Mr Hobson appeared to side with the lads and was heard to remark the provision of a proper pool in the town was many years away. The case was dismissed. more...
DESPITE heavy overnight rain the track at Bromsgrove County High School was in good condition when 18 records were smashed during the annual spots day. The Victor Ludorum was Harvey Troth and the Victrix Tehmina Goodman. Hibbins won the house championship. more...
THE house price rise in Bromsgrove had finally begun to slow down, but last year's increase had still been 24 per cent. The average price of a house in the district was now £22,298. more...
THE `treats' season was well under way - this week it was the turn of senior Sunday school scholars from St John's Church, Bromsgove. After a brief service they marched behind a band to Mr Newbold's field at Stoke Prior where they enjoyed the usual games. However, thanks to Messrs Brazier, Drury and Goodman, who took along their motor cars, many youngsters enjoyed an unforgettable experience - their first ride in a motor-powered vehicle. more...
THE blistering heat of the last month was the best haymaking weather that many local farmers could remember. The Messenger said it hoped the sunshine would last over the forthcoming bank holiday. But warned holidaymakers to be careful not to start fires as the countryside was tinder dry. The sun was also expected to bring out the largest number of motorist ever on Britain's roads, around four million. more...
A PROPOSED new sports hall, earmarked to be built near the Dolphin Suite in School Drive would upset plans for a new £250,000 community centre for the Methodists, it was claimed. The site was on the corner of Stratford Road and School Drive, Bromsgrove. more...
WILLIAM Bennett, of Dodford, a market gardener, was charged with driving a horse and cart in High Street without a light. Sergeant Parry said that when he held up his hand for the defendant to stop he took no notice and would have knocked him down if he had not jumped out of the way. The defendant said he did not see the sergeant and his son was holding a candle lamp in the cart. He was fined 2s 6d (12.5p) and 7s 6d (37.5p) costs. more...
A MARCH through Bromsgrove intended to drum up support for the Territorial Army affords us an interesting glimpse of the town as it was at the start of the Great War in 1914. The picture was taken looking up High Street from a window in the old Town Hall at the junction of St John and Worcester Street. The marchers are about to pass what was affectionately known as the Hallelujah Lamp beneath which the Salvation Army used to gather. more...
HAROLD Laugher, aged 15, from Staple Hill, appeared at Bromsgrove police court charged with hitting Lilly Perks, a girl of the same age, on the head causing her nose to bleed. However, a witness told magistrates her nose bled whenever the schoolmaster caned her. Fining the youth 2/6 (12.5p) the chairman of the bench remarked such trivial cases involving childrens' squabbles were a waste of their time. more...
THE Midland `Red's' modern new 44-seater single deck busses would soon be seen on roads in Bromsgrove and Droitwich. The lighweight vehicles with plastic body panels, all rubber suspension and automatic transmission were being added to the company's fleet at the rate of two per week. more...
VISITORS were flocking to the Jinney Ring Craft Centre at Hanbury which had recently opened in a renovated 200-year old barn. Most of the work had been carried out by former Herefordshire farmers, Richard and Jenny Greatwood. more...
FINSTALL near Bromsgrove held its first ever flower show in the village hall and it was pleasing to see so many entries of produce. There were honorary exhibits from Mr Brookes, of Finstall Park, who submitted plants and fruit, while Mr Suffield entered displays of honey, both comb and in jars. more...
A FUND had been launched in Rubery for relatives of the five local Territorials who died when two runaway tanks ploughed into their tents while they slept when they were taking part in exercises on Salisbury Plain. An inquest had been inconclusive. The Messenger noted it had been the second consecutive August bank holiday that tragedy had affected local people. Last year two people had died and ten were injured when a coach party from Catshill was involved in a road accident in Switzerland. more...
A-LEVEL results at North Bromsgrove High School were the best ever. But the good news was tempered by the fact that, due to proposed cuts in the county's education budget, the sixth forms at both high schools in the town may in future be switched to North Worcestershire College of Education. more...
AT Droitwich Borough Police Court, John Rollins, of Winnetts Lane, Droitwich, was charged with being drunk. He pleaded guilty to the offence. Witness Elizabeth Harris said the defendant was using strong language to some women and when he spotted her he ran through her house and out of the front door. He was fined 1s (5p) and 5s 6d (27.5p) costs. more...
THE annual summer show of Hanbury Horticultural Society was held at the recreation ground. Categories in the contest included flowers, vegetables and a children's section. In the miscellaneous section classes ranged from a miniature garden on a tray to bottled fruit and boiled potatoes. more...
PUBS in Bromsgrove were left high and dry this week. The Navigation Inn, in Stoke Prior, was just one of the pubs to be beerless. Davenport pubs, affected by the three-week strike by brewery workers, had completely run out of all draught and bottled beers. Cider, spirits or soft drinks was all that was left to quench thirst. Worried licensee Clifford Jackson, of The Crown, Catshill, said he was loosing £2,500 a week and the Swan Inn, Wychbold, said it was a desperate time. The Park Gate, in Kidderminster Road, had restricted its staff of 12 to just one evening shift a week. more...
A SERIOUS trap accident occurred when boy Thomas Barley was driving a pony and a fishmonger's cart down New Road when the animals shied at a steamroller that was at work on the road. The pony bolted down the hill towards High Street. In its course it collided with a handcart and was thrown down and the boy pitched out. Recovering itself the pony galloped into town and crossed High Street and ran into Mr Johnston's draper's shop where it collided with a doorframe. The pony was without any injuries, but the boy sustained a compound fracture to his leg. more...
THE appearance of toadstools and mushrooms was often unexpected and a photo in The Messenger illustrated this point. A fine specimen had emerged from the wooden anvil block in John Martin's smithy in Churchfields, Bromsgrove. The fungus was typical in its orange and sulphur colouring and it had appeared in just a few days. more...
BROMSGROVE was given a top priority rating for a five figure Sports Council grant towards the new community sports centre under consideration. District councillors were expected to be told that a 50 per cent grant would be available for the building, expected to cost more than £100,000. Neville Lewis, senior regional officer for the Sports Council, told the amenities committee that Bromsgrove was in need of sport facilities. The idea of the sports hall was that the public could use it without having to join a club or become a member of an organisation. A typical sports hall could include a tennis court, five badminton courts and various other facilities with eight staff to man it. Mr Lewis said the wages of the eight staff would come to at least £25,000 a year. more...
THE motor car was here to stay, The Messenger prophesied in an editorial touching on the problems associated with the new form of travel. The paper said it was the rules which wanted tightening and drivers should shoulder some of the costs of maintaining roads, especially to combat the dust problem to residents. Claiming the present 20mph limit was adequate, the paper went on to say there had been those people a generation before who would have liked to see cycles banned from the roads. more...
FUTURE chairmen of Bromsgrove Urban District Council would have good cause to thank the town's Rotary Club for their gift of a new chain of office. The 42 inch long chain, comprising 26 links, was a gift to mark the authority's 60th anniversary and the Rotary's golden jubilee. more...
AVONCROFT Museum at Stoke Heath in Bromsgrove had acquired the latest addition to its unique collection of buildings right on its doorstep. Work was progressing to dismantle an 18th century cart shed at Hanbury Hall in readiness for it to be re-erected during the winter. The National Trust, which was poised to take over the hall, had said it had no use for the shed. more...
BROMSGROVE and towns adjacent to their country seat at Hewell Grange, were busily drawing up plans to celebrate the coming of age of the Hon Other Robert Windsor-Clive, son of Lord Windsor, whose birthday was next month. When his father was 21, Bromsgrove had publicly collected the huge sum of £100 with which to buy gifts. Then, in addition to many other celebrations, two oxen had been roasted and distributed to 1,000 people in the town. more...
Friday, May 19 more...
EDWARD Griffin, aged 25, whose parents lived in Mayfield House, Catshill, died in hospital shortly after being injured in a scrum while playing rugby for Kings Heath at the weekend. Mr Griffin had been a last minute replacement for a teammate who had dropped out. An inquest decided his death had been accidental. more...
REDDITCH Older People's Forum holds its AGM tomorrow. more...
GANGSTER girls and boys at a Wythall school put on a show for parents and fellow pupils. more...
A NEW lunchtime system came into operation at Catshill Middle School. There would be no more Monday morning dinner money collections as pupils in future would pay for the meals they chose on the day. The menu consisted of six main dishes and four puddings. But, to encourage healthy eating, chips would not be served on their own. And at the village's first school, children had started to pay for their mid-morning milk which had stopped being supplied free at Easter. It cost 6p a bottle. more...
CREATIVE youngsters are being invited to draw or paint a picture of someone they admire and be in the chance of winning a digital camera. more...
AS usual at this time of year the number of pupils in classrooms in schools in Bromsgrove were greatly reduced due to the annual hop-picking season. Figures showed that 36 were absent from Stourbridge Road schools, 23 from Catshill, seven from Dodford and 60 from the National school in Crown Close. School managers had come up with the idea of staggering the long summer break to coincide with seasonal harvests. However, it was thought teachers might object to their holiday being fragmented. more...
REDDITCH charity Youth Afloat has had to cancel its dragon boat race as the date coincides with the day football fever sweeps the nation. more...
WORRIED residents in the Bromsgrove village of Finstall cabled hurricane struck Barbados for news of their former vicar, the Rev Fry, who had taken up residence there a year ago. Their fears were allayed however, when the present vicar, the Rev Dicker, received a telegram to say he was safe and well. more...
REVELLERS are invited to join in the fun at the 19th Astwood Bank Carnival on Saturday. more...
LEADING orthopaedic consultant at Hill Top Hospital in Bromsgrove, Mr Olaf da Costa, spoke of his anguish when having to tell patients crippled with pain they would have to wait four years for treatment on the cash-strapped NHS. The hospital's £160,000 operating theatre, one of the top three in the country, was only being used at half its capacity because of savage cut backs in funding. more...
A MAN died following a road accident at Oversley Green on Tuesday, May 16. more...
A REDDITCH charity has stepped into the technological age with the launch of its own website. more...
A GIANT Bramley Seedling cooking apple had been grown by Mr Elks from Aston Fields in Bromsgrove. It measured 15 inches in circumference and weighed 1lb 3oz. He had picked a total of 36 apples from the tree with a combined weigh of 36lbs. more...
A NIGHT of music and entertainment will be held to raise money for charity. more...
REDDITCH firefighters will take part in a national 999 fundraising event at the town's Debenhams store next Wednesday. more...
THERE had been a generous response from residents in the Rubery area to the appeal on behalf of the five local Territorial soldiers who had been killed when two tanks ran into their tents while they slept while in camp on Salisbury Plain. So far more than £400 had been raised for the families. more...
ALCESTER's new mayor has been officially sworn into office. more...
A REDDITCH councillor is calling for residents to join her in objecting to another mobile phone mast near the Warwick Highway. more...
STIFF competition from the new Fine Fare in Bromsgrove and Tesco in Redditch proved too much for Pricerite Supermarket in Bromsgrove, which was to close after trading for less than a year. It had been rebranded from an International store of which Pricerite was part. Freezer store Bejam was to take over the premise. more...
THE new Community Links vehicle which will provide vital transport for the elderly and disabled stopped off in Alcester this week. more...
ONE of the few pleasures left in lives of pauper inmates at Bromsgrove workhouse was a smoke, but that too was soon to be denied them. The ruling Guardians at their monthly meeting voted 11 to seven to ban smoking at the Birmingham Road premises. An amendment to allow them to light up after tea at 6pm was rejected. more...
A KIND-HEARTED Oversley Green resident who has worked hard to improve a public pathway has called a local businessman her knight in shining armour. more...
ONE of Britain's top pathologists, Professor James Webster from Beacon Hill, Rubery, had been forced to retire on medical grounds. He had also been involved with the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory since it had been established in Birmingham and had assisted in countless criminal investigations. Among these had been the Lickey End murder in October 1944 and the wartime discovery of a skeleton in Hagley wood. more...
A CIVIC-minded Alcester resident has been commended for his work in the community. more...
COMMUNITY groups in Bromsgrove, led by the recently reformed Bromsgrove Society, decided to bring back the town's carnival. They favoured it being part of the Court Leet's Midsummer Fair activities, but the district council favoured it becoming a major part of the failing Sport for all Day in Sanders Park. The council said the town could not sustain two such events and it was not prepared to abandon its big day. more...
THE lorry driver accused of killing Bidford postman Niki Savage denied causing death by dangerous driving at Warwick Crown Court on Friday. more...
POLICE investigating the death of a newborn baby girl are appealing to friends and family of the baby's mother to come forward. more...
DROITWICH Spa's town crier Samuel Crowther, who also happened to be England's oldest bellman, had died. He was born in 1815 before Waterloo and had lived through the reign of five sovereigns. Samuel had rung his bell in the Spa for the last time in June. He and his wife Sarah, who celebrated their diamond wedding in 1879, had 11 children, 20 grandchildren and 53 great grandchildren. As a boy he was employed by farmers as a bird scarer and later worked for a tailor manufacturing the black cloths used to cover corpses on the `dead carts' during the dreadful cholera epidemic of 1832. more...
BROMSGROVE library celebrated its 25th anniversary. Originally it had opened in the old Institute building in New Road and had two reading rooms, one for general use the other for women only. In the first five months 23,674 books had been issued - 106,622 are issued today. more...
JOAN Breakwell's 30 year dream came true when radio star `cheeky' Charlie Chester, through his column in the Daily Star newspaper, reunited her with her brother who she had last seen way back in 1951. The siblings had lost track of each other after being evacuated from their home in London during the war. It transpired that Joan, from Flavell Road, Charford, lived only 30 miles from her brother, who had made his home in Ledbury, Herefordshire. more...
A FOUNDER member of the national WI organisation in 1917, Edith Wilson, from Banks Green Cottage, Bentley, died in Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital aged 98. The Countess of Plymouth, from Hewell Grange, was its chairman for some years. more...
BROMSGROVE Court Leet's annual dinner, hosted by Bailiff Howard Wood, was held at the Golden Cross Hotel. more...
THE swallows were unusually late departing for warmer climes, correspondent E Humphreys, from Rock House, Bromsgrove, observed. He wrote to the Messenger to say he had seen several near his house only last week. It raised the question, he said, of whether the birds actually hibernated in England during the winter during the cold months. more...
THE ninth annual sale following the Worcestershire show of shire horses, promoted by Messrs Cotton and Chappell, auctioneers of Bromsgrove, took place on the meadow near the Greet Western Hotel, Droitwich. The auction started at 11.30am with working horses in number one ring and foals at 12.30pm in number two ring. There was a large entry that required the two auctioneers selling at the same time to get through it in daylight. The last horse was sold at 5pm. The number of buyers was very large, there being representatives from most towns in England. more...
TRIBUTES to stalwarts who in the closing years of the last century founded the Bromsgrove And District Farmers Club and those who had strengthened it featured in speeches at the annual dinner of the club at the Raven Hotel, Droitwich. The value of the organisation, both in its contribution to greater efficiency of the local agriculture and as a means of bringing farmers together socially, was generally stressed. more...
RESIDENTS can find out about one of the largest orthopaedic hospitals in Europe, which treats patients from Redditch, during an exhibition in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre on Friday. more...
A COMPROMISE solution was hammered out for the building of Bromsgrove Methodists' £250,000 community centre project. The town's policy-making committee was told the working party had come up with an alternative site to the School Drive site acceptable to the church's steering committee. It was said the group could produce a viable scheme, which would not encroach on the existing car park in School Drive. The proposed alternative was situated in Stratford Road and would mean the demolition of the former old almhouses. more...
BUDDING entrepreneurs from a Redditch high school have made it through to the next stage of a national competition. more...
AT North Bromsgrove Urban District Council the sanitary committee heard there had been 15 births and ten deaths registered in the district in October, compared with 11 births and 13 deaths the year before. Mortality had been very high, but this had been due to general causes alone, and had almost been entirely among the aged suffering from chronic disease. Six of the deaths were in people over 65 and one death was due to suicidal poisoning. more...
IT will be a walk in the park for loco lovers who sign up for railway visits. more...
FANS of Redditch rock bank Felton have got until 9.30pm tonight to vote for them in the BBC's School of Rock competition. more...
IN Bromsgrove and the surrounding district, in spite of heavy rain which fell much of the day, Remembrance Day services were well attended. In Catshill the service was held in Christ Church. It had been intended that the congregation should proceed to the war memorial at Meadow Road corner for the ceremony of laying of wreaths and reading of the names of the fallen from the Book of Remembrance. But it was pouring with rain so hard that the reading of the names, Last Post and Reveille were carried out in the church. The service concluded with the National Anthem. Representatives, including the Royal British Legion, then walked with the vicar to the war memorial and placed the wreaths. more...
A START could be made early next year on the new £50,000 headquarters for the Bromsgrove branch of the Royal British Legion. The branch had been homeless since the site of its previous HQ had been taken over by Bromsgrove Squash, Rackets and Social Club eight years ago. It had been offered a half an acre site in Factory Lane at a cost of £10,000 - a figure fixed by the district valuer. more...
WORK on the long awaited Alcester Hospital could start this year if the plans are formally accepted. more...
SAMUEL James, a labourer from Catshill, was charged with deserting his wife. Bromsgrove Petty Session heard he had joined the militia and absconded and had often neglected his wife and children. The prisoner stated he left the district because he had no work. He was committed to Worcester Goal for a months' hard labour. more...
THE winter show of Bromsgrove Chrysanthemum Society was held at the Parish Church Hall. There were 372 blooms to show from 19 growers. The display included 114 vases of blooms, whereas at a previous event there had only been 78. more...
BROMSGROVE'S Poppy Appeal broke all records this year - Saturday's collection totalled £585. Almost a fifth of the total was collected by 76-year-old pensioner Beryl Pottier, of Milton Road, Catshill. She started at 9.15am in the High Street and carried on until 4.30pm and only stopped for a cup of tea and biscuit. more...
THE tenth annual festival of Bromsgrove Wesley Guild was held over two days. On one day a public tea preceded a gathering where about 80 members and friends attended. Tables were decorated with plants and flowers and they were presided over by ladies from the guild. more...
NEWLY elected leaders of Bromsgrove Court Leet carried out their first duties when they attended a service at Alcester Baptist Church. Bromsgrove's bailiff, John Horton, was the fourth member of his family to hold the office. The family record stretched back over 145 years. Other well known Court Leet families were the Braziers, four bailiffs since 1924,and the Weavers, three since 1921. more...
A POULTRY slaughterhouse in Rubery shut its doors to business after being given the chop by the district council. When the council discovered the Beacon Hill chicken farm was operating a slaughter factory without permission an enforcement notice was served. Deputy district council secretary Mr R Lewis said the farm was owned by the Halal Meat Company and was originally used for rearing chickens. But it had started buying chickens from other premises and killing them for retail. more...
AT the request of Captain Lambert, of the privately-funded Hewell estate fire brigade, a party of firefighters from Bromsgrove visited them to watch them perform a series of drills. The Hewell brigade had been formed just over two years ago to protect the Grange and other properties on the huge country estate which made up the Earl of Plymouth's country seat. more...
SIXTY members of Bromsgrove Conservative Women's' Luncheon Club enjoyed a trip to the Houses of Parliament as guests of town MP James Dance. After touring both chambers they went on a sight seeing trip around the capital and were thrilled to spot the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in Whitehall. Later the party returned to Westminster for tea and a stroll on the riverside terrace before boarding the coaches for home. more...
PRINCESS Grace of Monaco, the former film star Grace Kelly, paid a visit to Hagley Hall - home of Viscount Cobham to take part in a charity poetry recital. The money would benefit Newland Hurst, a charity for mentally handicapped youngsters in Droitwich Spa. more...
GEORGE Rutter, a workman employed by Mrs Bridgman of the Talbot Hotel, Belbroughton, suffered serious injuries when a rope snapped as he attempted to secure a loaded wagon. He was pitched from it onto the ground breaking several bones and causing severe internal injuries. more...
BROMSGROVE'S Christmas Fatstock Sale and show attracted a good entry of 91 cattle, 100 sheep and 450 pigs. District council chairman, Councillor Henry Webley, presented the cup, given by the authority, to farmer Jack Gibbs of Little Intall Fields, Stoke Prior, for the best beast. more...
BROMSGROVE'S planners had been dubbed spoilsports by a Birmingham model car club. Members had applied to use the new car park at Churchfields on Sundays to try out their vehicles, but had been refused. Councillors said the noise, which was likened to a chainsaw, would upset nearby residents and suggested the club inflict the nuisance on folk in their own locality. more...
DROITWICH town councillors would soon be conspicuous by their regalia when undertaking duties outside of the council chamber. Despite the misgivings of some members, the council decided to buy robes for their personal use when appearing in public. Councillor Gabb however, declared he had become a councillor to run the town, not to deck himself out in robes. The garments ranged from £4/18/6 (£4.92.5) for an alderman's robe to 55/- (£2.75) the cheapest for an ordinary member. more...
SIX hundred youngsters enjoyed a party hosted by Garringtons. The canteen at the firm's plant at Aston Fields was lavishly decorated for the occasion, which included a visit from Santa and a magic show. more...
RESIDENTS in Harwood Park, Bromsgrove, were upset at the prospect of a huge estate being built near their homes. An action group had been set up to fight a plan to build 650 houses in the green belt on top grade agricultural land bordered by their estate, the Lickey incline and Stratford Road. Residents reasoned that with Garringtons having to shed staff and the jobs market generally in the doldrums no-one would want to buy the new homes. more...
THE Guardians at Bromsgrove workhouse narrowly voted not to give paupers seeking outdoor relief an extra 6d (2.5p) at Christmas, even though it would have cost less than £10. At present the union had 700 poor on its books, 232 of whom regularly received an average of 2/4 (11.5p) per week from the Bromsgrove institution. Many were forced to seek help from the parish through no fault of their own, but the guardians were ever mindful of having to keep the rates down. Sixpence would buy half a hundredweight of coal. more...
GENEROUS Sid Rickerby, licensee of the Vernon Arms at Hanbury, invited the 80 or so villagers aged 65 and over to call in and pick up a free Christmas parcel. They contained a selection of groceries, a four pound joint of meat and a 10/- (50p) note. He had raised the £100 to pay for the treat by collecting cash from customers and from sporting friends in Birmingham. more...
INTERNATIONAL stars could soon been seen on stage at Bromsgrove's newly re-branded night spot, The Whitehouse, formerly Stars. It was owned by five Whitehouse brothers from Birmingham who planned to open the High Street club every night and bring the top stars to the town. The annual membership fee was £8. more...
AN alarming accident involving a pony and trap which veered off the road at the Whetty on a dark foggy night throwing the occupants to the ground, left the driver Charles Gibbins with a fractured skull and several broken bones. His wife, ten-year-old boy and a baby were found to be unscathed when the trap was lifted off them. An unconscious Mr Gibbins was taken to the nearby Plough Inn where he was attended to by Dr May from Barnt Green. The family remained at the pub overnight before setting off for home the next morning. more...
CHRISTMAS at Bromsgrove's various hospitals was made more bearable by staff who, as usual, did a sterling job to bring cheer to the wards. The General with its 200 in-patients saw its busiest Christmas yet. The wards were decorated using different themes and scenes from popular pantos. The Post Office in Bromsgrove, which had taken on 75 high school students as part-time posties, had a record Yule handling 430,000 items of mail. This was 15,000 up on last year. On Christmas morning it had delivered 21 telegrams, 13 of which contained greetings messages. more...
DESPITE the general economic gloom shopkeepers in Bromsgrove had reported having a good Christmas. Woolworths enjoyed record toy sales, while Tesco and Fine Fare had also done brisk business. more...
WORCESTERSHIRE Hounds met in front of Hewell Hall, by special request from the Earl and Countess of Plymouth. A large field was entertained with refreshments before taking cover. In the evening a servants ball was held, concluding a week of festivities at the Hewell estate to mark the coming of age of Viscount Windsor. more...
FORMER Bromsgrove police sergeant, Detective Superintendent TN Williams, was awarded the MBE in the New Years Honours List for his service as head of Worcestershire Constabulary's Criminal Investigation Department. He received 30 commendations from the Courts and the Chief Constable, including seven special ones for work in connection with the arrest of criminals. more...
THE national steel strike over a 17 per cent wage demand was labelled a `national disaster' by the managing director of Bromsgrove's biggest employer. Dr Don Reilly, from Garringtons, feared the strike would damage the company's trade and reputation, as it would be difficult to get hold of the type of steel they used. more...
A MEETING was organised by the Eastern Division of Bromsgrove Polling District in support of Unionist parliamentary candidate the right honourable Austen Chamberlain. Sir Thomas Chavasse chaired the meeting, which took place at the Drill Hall in Bromsgrove. more...
THE Catshill Church Companions, an organisation which comprised the youth of the church, undertook the task of entertaining the old age pensioners of Catshill. They carried it through with just one solitary hitch. Invitations had been sent out through Catshill Post Office, and although 27 women took up the opportunity of an afternoon out, only one man turned up. The group gave a performance of The Bathroom Door, and pass the parcel. more...
PARTS of Bromsgrove was plunged into darkness when an electrical fault cut the power supply to 250 homes. Power was restored after half an hour, and the fault was traced to a damaged transformer. more...
THE down and outs and poor of the district of Bromsgrove enjoyed a very welcome bonus as a result of Lord Windsor's belated coming of age celebrations. An impressive 138 adults, who were in receipt of outdoor relief from the town's workhouse, were each given a half crown, (12.5p) and 22 children were presented with a shilling (5p) to mark the occasion. The cash was a gift from a committee formed to organise the celebrations. An idea to stage a dinner had not been proceeded with and a planned fireworks display in the Mount Field in College Road was abandoned due to bad weather. more...
THE May meeting was resolutions evening and the discussion group had offered to lead the debate over this year's resolutions. more...
DODFORD'S 112 pensioners each received a Christmas box courtesy of a village scheme set up to help its older residents. The cost amounted to £21/4/0 (£21.20) which left a balance of £7/8/6 (£7.42.5p) in the bank towards buying gifts and comforts next Yuletide. more...
THE April meeting of the Women's Section proved to be most successful. more...
THOUSANDS of local families faced holiday headaches caused by a clash of classroom and shop floor summer break dates. A big employer of local labour at Longbridge, British Leyland's summer holidays broke into the last two weeks of the schools' summer term. George Foster, head of Catshill Middle School, calculated a quarter of his pupils would be absent. more...
MEMBERS have enjoyed another three excellent presentations, slides and prints by Terry Bickley called Nature As I See It and Roger Hague with prints Photography My Way, which were mostly landscapes and very well presented. more...
PAUPER inmates at Droitwich Workhouse enjoyed their traditional if belated festivities around the Christmas tree followed by a concert. In addition they sat down in the gaily decorated dining room to a capital tea of sandwiches, tarts, jellies and other tasty treats organised by the Master and Matron, Mr and Mrs Close. After an enjoyable concert Lady Georgina Vernon, from Hanbury Hall, distributed gifts donated by generous, wealthy donors. more...
ON April 28, local historian Anne Bradford gave a talk entitled A Chapter of Accidents. more...
STOKE Prior Parish Council discussed a mixed bag of issues when it met for its monthly meeting in the village school. Topics included housing, letter-boxes, the weather, the state of local industry and the H-bomb. However, it was Bromsgrove Rural District Council's decision to increase council house rents by 5/- (25p) per week which prompted most discussion. more...
AT our May meeting we welcomed Stuart Dixon, who gave a talk on The Garden of Hebb's Farmhouse. more...
WORLD flyweight karate champion Howard Brown was to visit Catshill Middle School every Wednesday to coach youngsters in the martial art. He had won his crown in 1979. more...
AT the April meeting the date and schedule for the annual flower show was discussed and fixed for Saturday, September 9. more...
MEMBERS of the Bromsgrove Male Choir entertained the lads of Stoke Farm Reformatory to a musical treat. Under the leadership of Mr Chantry, they performed a selection of glees, humorous songs and dialogues, which were greeted with hearty applause and demands for an encore. more...
THE women's section of Lickey British Legion held its annual dinner. A total of 50 attended and for the first time, husbands and friends, including many representatives of the men's branch, were invited to join the party. Messrs John and Wallace Russell sang a selection of duets accompanied by Mrs Colley on the piano. Monty Banks also entertained with his conjuring. more...
ON May 3, present and former members celebrated our 200th meeting with an excellent salad lunch followed by a slice of delicious celebratory cake. more...
A CENTURY of Bromsgrove history fell to the bulldozers as the 19th century almshouses in Stratford Road were demolished. The homes fell to the contractor's hammer after nearly a year's controversy. The almshouses were built in 1883 by the trustees of Bromsgrove Consolidated Charities and funded by the sale of The Poors Farm in Blackwell. more...
REDDITCH Round Tablers and their respective partners recently enjoyed a "progressive supper" across Redditch. more...
AT the police court, Henry Newman, of Aston Fields, was bought before Mr T White, Major Baldwin and Mr Howard Lloyd on a charge of stealing five sacks of Indian corn belonging to the Midland Railway. The case was not gone into, and the prisoner was released on bail. more...
THE choir has just held its sixth AGM and looked back on another happy and rewarding year. more...
BROMSGROVE Olympique cycling group's touring section rode out to Bidford-on-Avon through Broadway. After dinner they took a route home through Evesham and Pershore. more...
ON May 9 there was a talk by Major John Woodfield about military men from the Alcester parish. more...
A CRAFTY Family was the title of the talk by member Linda Robbins on April 6 when she presented a most interesting display of crafts created by five generations of her family. more...
MEMBERS were thanked by president Netta Pearson for their help and contributions to the recent successful coffee morning and reminded of the bingo afternoon to be held at 2.30pm today. more...
GLYNIS welcomed members and two visitors to our April meeting. Mark from Alcester Flowers was the demonstrator and the title for his demonstration was Easter Time. more...
MEMBERS participated in some interesting and varied walks during April, including Clee Hill, Shropshire, Welcombe Hills Country Park, a cider festival in Putley, Herefordshire, and the seventh stage of the Three Choirs Way, from Stanford Bishop to Doddenham. more...
AT the May meeting members mourned the sudden death of our treasurer, Brian Palmer, who died in April. more...
THE River Severn - From the Source to Bridgnorth was an entertaining talk by popular speaker Brian Draper MBE. more...
A BROMSGROVE bride was smuggled out of the Middle East to Spain, and then flown 700 miles to England just in time to wed her Canadian sweetheart. In a daring operation, Lynn Bos, of Sidemoor, was whisked 4,000 miles from Abu Dhabi, where she was a nursing sister. All leave for military personnel had been cancelled when hostilities broke out in the Persian Gulf and she found herself trapped only days before the wedding. With the help of friends, she was smuggled back with just enough time to make last minute arrangements, before marrying Captain David Lockhart, of Ontario, at Bromsgrove Parish Church. more...
THOMAS Clements, of South Road, Aston Fields, was charged with using indecent language at the rear of his own house. Police Constable Mansell stated the facts, adding that when he told the defendant he should report him the latter said: "I hope you will, it is your duty to do so." The defendant admitted the offence, expressed his sorrow and said he was annoyed. He was fined £2 2s 6d, as well as 6d costs. more...
THE annual meeting of Belbroughton Women's Conservative Association was held in the church hall. Mrs BH Bate presided over a large audience, while the guest speaker was Mrs JCG Dance, wife of MP James Dance. She said that the attitude of some Conservatives towards the present measures introduced by the Government to check inflation was to be deplored. more...
TO the traditional skirl of the bagpipes, the haggis was piped in to open the Bromsgrove Burns' Night celebration dinner. Over 200 people flocked to the Dolphin Suite for Bromsgrove's celebration of the Scottish poet's birthday. Money raised from the tickets and a raffle went to Bromsgrove General Hospital. more...
LOCAL people turned out in force last weekend to highlight their concerns about proposed cuts to hospital services. more...
IN one respect, it's such a pity that Charles Clarke, given his marching orders by Tony Blair in the wake of the local elections massacre, is not still in the driving seat. For if that were still the case, he would undoubtedly be getting the backlash over the proposed police mergers now starting to filter through from the shires of middle England. more...
NAIL making was once Bromsgrove's principal trade involving not only men, but also many women and children. more...
"Everyone who has seen or will see the place in its new appearance will be delighted with the improvement wrought and it is safe to say the rooms have never looked better since the first opening about 36 years ago. more...
THE April meeting was held at the home of June Escott, when members enjoyed a very interesting and inspiring talk by Ann Smith on God's Golden Acre, helping children who have been orphaned or abandoned as a result of AIDS and violence. more...
ROBERT Smart, a farmer, of Barnsley Hall, sued Herbert Byng of The Vine, Catshill, for £1, over the non-delivery of a pig. It was alleged that he bought a hog pig from the defendant for 9s per score. more...
MEMBERS of Rubery WI were given a demonstration on rug making from Mrs Hooper. more...
FOR the first time in it's history, Bromsgrove held the pomp and ceremony of a 550-strong Girls Brigade annual march. more...
A REDDITCH man has hit out at the lawless thugs who assaulted his dad as he cycled home from work twice in one week. more...
TESCO supermarket is moving to a higher level after building work to create a second floor started on Monday. more...
THE town's workhouse had received a request from Bromsgrove Urban District Council to enter into an exclusive agreement to supply the authority with broken roadstone to repair local roads. The stone, which was considered to be very high quality, was broken by paupers using hammers in return for a night's bed and breakfast. At present stocks of rocks at the Birmingham Road institution were low with only about 100 yards waiting to be processed. more...
REDDITCH'S Flair festival gets into full swing tonight with a jazz evening at St Stephen's Church on Church Green from 7.30pm. more...
STOKE Prior parish councillors were to pay a visit to Field View boys' home in Brickhouse Lane. It was in response to a letter the council had sent regarding the bad behaviour of some of the boys who it was said were not delinquents, but who had suffered a deprived upbringing. It was hoped the visit would ease the problem. more...
SIR - It's great news that the speed camera partnership is going to keep its schedule secret from now on and hopefully catch and fine more people. This should make them think twice about their speed. more...
FORMER employees of a defunct Swedish company based in Redditch have branched out on their own following its closure. more...
THE parents of eight-year-old John Birley, from Martin Close, Millfields in Bromsgrove, said they had complete confidence in staff at the town's General Hospital where John was to undergo an operation on his ear. Earlier surgeons had wrongly operated on the boy's stomach. more...
SIR - I would like to thank all those Worcester people who voted Green on May 4 in the city council elections. You have given Worcester Green Party our best election results to date, 11.5 per cent of the vote - a huge increase on our 7.1 per cent last year. more...
A FECKENHAM man has been rewarded for his lifetime commitment to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) by being made its president. more...
BROMSGROVE folk, keen to know the result of Saturday's Boat Race in London, would head for the Messenger office in High Street. The paper had made arrangements for the result to be telegraphed and it would be posted in the window for all to see. more...
SIR - Regarding your article reporting how villagers hit out at the plans to site a community bungalow in Lower Broadheath, these youngsters have learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. more...
A COUPLE of old school friends are shaping up for a charity challenge of mountainous proportions. more...
THE dry weather was responsible for Bromsgrove firefighters being called out to 14 grass fires over the Easter holidays. A further four calls were to chimney fires. Wednesday's rain was welcomed not only by gardeners, but the fire brigade as well. more...
I WOULD like to thank Carlotte Holland for regarding Shopmobility as a "great scheme" (Letters, April 26). more...
REDDITCH'S B&Q store welcomed an Olympic medallist for the launch of a sponsored canoe paddle. more...
VANDALS had caused £250 worth of damage by knocking down and smashing a number of gravestones. Two years ago the world famous railway gravestones, dating from 1842 in St John's churchyard, had been wrecked by vandals. more...
I DO hope Jacqui Smith will still have the time to tirelessly promote how much she is helping the cause of local maternity care and other healthcare now she has been promoted to the lofty heights of the Cabinet. more...
THERE is still plenty of time to sign up for Redditch's biggest and best community fundraiser, which takes place this Saturday. more...
A STRANGE case was reported from Stoke Works following the death of Charles Powles at the ripe old age of 87. A semi recluse, he lived in a cottage owned by the village barber. A Catshill woman kept house for him. Rarely seen outdoors, when he was invariably clad in a hurden apron and shawl. He had been buried in Northfield in a huge oak coffin with a hearse and mourning coach pulled by four black horses with all the trappings. Now, it was said, his estate had been frozen and his body was to be exhumed. more...
OVER the past 50 years or so, Albert Wharrad and I have been known to disagree on a number of issues. more...
THE layout for Sanders Park in Bromsgrove had been drawn up by the district council's engineer Freddy Goodman and approved by the authority. The scheme would cost around £30,000 and would include a boating lake, mini-golf course, memorial rose garden and play apparatus. Battlefield Brook would be diverted to follow its original route over a waterfall in Watt Close. The Messenger noted that no timescale had been set and it might take several years to come to fruition. more...
A MITZ'S letter (Advertiser, May 3) is the most unedifying contribution I have read for a long time. more...
JOHN Davies from Alvechurch has not looked back since swapping his overalls for glad rags and becoming a full time entertainer. more...
BROMSGROVE council was being swamped with applications from its tenants to buy their own homes under the right to buy scheme before the April 5 deadline. Officers were receiving up to six applications a day and, with 300 waiting to be processed and a further 50 in the pipeline from a previous scheme, it seemed many would have to wait three or four years before becoming proud owners. more...
AS a resident of this town for the last 15 years, I never thought I would see the day a member of the BNP would be elected onto our council. more...
A FUNDRAISER which was rained off will be rescheduled at a meeting tonight. more...
I HAVE received an unsolicited letter in a House of Commons envelope from the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith assuring me, as always, she would be ``campaigning to safeguard frontline services and compulsory job cuts'' at the Alexandra Hospital, proposed by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust. more...
A NINE year old Batchley girl is lucky to be alive after being struck by a van when she ventured out to buy an ice-cream. more...
MAY I please use your columns to express my grateful thanks to all of those people in Winyates who voted for me in the local election, giving me an even larger vote than I received last time. more...
A DISABLED Lodge Park boy will be the first to benefit from money raised by Advertiser readers through the Craig Evans Appeal. more...
TOTS can go potty with plant pots at Arrow Valley Countryside Centre later this month. more...
FAMILIES are being urged to turn out in force and show their support for the campaign to save the Alexandra Hospital. more...
A FULL public consultation into the future of key health services across Worcestershire will only take place if major changes are likely. more...
EXPECTANT mums are flocking to have their baby bumps painted by a Webheath artist. more...
THE refusal of the Abbey Stadium plans has brought into question the viability of a Bordesley bypass. more...
REDDITCH Council is reeling from the disappointment of having its ambitious Abbey Stadium project rejected - and is asking residents to be patient while it considers it options for the future. more...
Walking into the Tindall's home, it is impossible not to feel awe-struck by the black and white pictures of Mike's footballing days which line the hallway. more...
WHEN Neville Dewson decides to get on his bike and take a hike, he goes all the way. more...
GETTING over a broken heart can seem like an impossible task when you are stuck in the grief of a divorce, writes Kate Hughes. more...
Mountainous waves, extreme climates and the taste of death might sound like key elements of an action film but for one town resident it was the harsh reality on board the destroyer HMS Beagle during the Second World War. more...
CALL me a wimp if you like but heights have always held a terror for me, that's why I'm more than happy living in a bungalow, writes Pete Lammas. more...
Q: What do you feel the role is for the PCT in Bromsgrove? more...
John Tidmarsh was born in the Vale of Evesham in 1925, the age of gentlemen, and during my visit to his home it became clear he retains the charm and dignity of that era. more...
FUN-LOVING divas were kept out of trouble with a host of exciting activities at the town's Ryland Centre. more...
The Taylor family has been fostering children for nine years. more...
Warm smiles and waving hands greet Droitwich Spa D-Day veteran Ricky Recardo when he strolls around town. more...
IF you've ever lain awake at night frustrated by the thumping bass line of your neighbour's music, you may have taken the traditional approach of banging a broomstick on the wall. more...
NO electricity or running water will become a way of life for a Rednal headteacher who is bound for Uganda this summer. more...
AN ASTONISHING one in nine women in the United Kingdom will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, writes Emily Bridgewater. more...
It's the dead of night and you're asleep upstairs. more...
CHAMPION sheep keeping teachers Steve and Chris Higgins have learned enough lessons to come top of the class in their hobby. more...
AN EXHILARATING new hobby is taking the West Midlands by storm. It's the adrenaline, the buzz, the sheer satisfaction that makes The Black Knights Rocket Club take to the air strip to launch their home made rockets. Reporter, Lisa Heritage spoke to founder of the club, Spa resident Mark Perman to find out more about this breathtaking new craze... more...
The Droitwich Theatre and Arts Club Ltd was set up in 1962 to combine various dramatic societies and to run an amateur theatre in the town. more...
WHEN I think back to my summer holidays I can vividly remember the awful feeling of utter boredom, writes Kate Hughes. It's raining, your mates are on holiday, and you keep getting under your mum's feet. All in all I couldn't wait to get back to school. more...
THE Victoria Ground has staged many memorable battles since Bromsgrove Rovers trotted out for their first game in 1910 after moving there from Well Lane. more...
ASTON Fields youngster Deklan Vines looks like any normal, happy nine-year-old boy, but what many people do not know is he suffers from a debilitating and incurable disease. more...
BRITAIN has one of the worst rates of heart disease in the European Union. more...
FALARAKI, Ayia Napa and Majorca may be today's "hip hop" holiday destinations but in years gone by a fortnight in rural Bosbury was as far as many Bromsgrovians got. more...
WHETHER you are an advocate of the Atkin's Diet, the F-Plan, or simply believe a little of what you fancy does you good, one thing remains true - breakfast is the most important meal of the day. more...
HANBURY Hall is set in 400 acres of parkland and garden. more...
WELL known Bromsgrove solicitor Matthew Horton has retired after 25 years as clerk to the town's Thomas White Cottage Homes. more...
THE day-to-day happenings in a rural village, in the days when it was possible for it to hide itself away from the big wide world outside its parish boundaries, are captured in words and pictures in a new book. more...
A SPECIAL service to mark ten years since the tragic minibus crash which claimed the lives of 12 Hagley school children and their teacher, will take place tomorrow (Thursday). more...
HAVE you ever wondered how those distant relatives Down Under, who you only ever hear from at Christmas, got to settle in Australia? writes Pete Lammas. more...
PIPING hot coffee and good conversation were the perfect way to end a brisk winter's walk around Bromsgrove's Sanders Park on Monday. more...
REVEALING your innermost secrets or making an utter fool of yourself by imitating a chicken is what we are often led to believe happens when you go under hypnosis, writes Emily Bridgewater. more...
HOW many people have said they wished they could have done something when faced with a crisis? more...
TWO explosions and the deaths of three railways workers in Bromsgrove sparked off a train of thought which led a young engineer to form the worldwide Institution of Mechanical Engineers. more...
WILLIAM Butterworth's Nan doesn't mind that her grandson uses the stairs in her house to practice his pull-ups. more...
STEVEN Pugh loves nothing more than kicking a football around on the Lickey Hills with his two young children, Cassandra and Curtis, writes Emily Bridgewater. more...
IT is very important to eat a good breakfast, to literally break the overnight fast and to help you concentrate at work, writes Kate Hughes. more...
ON Crabtree Lane, in Sidemoor, the Pleck Stores was a general store and newsagent and a hub of the community until it closed more than a year ago. more...
AFTER many years of hard graft, press operator Dave Waldron was looking forward to the luxury of early retirement. more...
A FAMOUS face linked to Bromsgrove is being lined up to open the new £2.6 million town art centre when it is unveiled this autumn, writes Emily Bridgewater. more...
Father-of-four Tony, of Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove, had worked in advertising and as an art director for a greeting card company for many years. more...
CAPTAIN Cook, Sir Francis Drake, Ellen MacArthur, Admiral Nelson. more...
LITTLE did young Winston Matthews know that when he and his two brothers were begging on the dusty streets of India that his path would eventually lead him to the cobbled streets of Droitwich Spa, writes Chris Flavell. more...
YOUNG entrepreneur Claire Hale has a growing future in childcare since the Prince's Trust helped her take those crucial first steps. more...
GLAUCOMA is the leading cause of preventable blindness, yet if detected and treated early there is very little risk to sight. more...
There was a time in Bromsgrove when a Midland Red bus would leave every few minutes packed with passengers heading off to work in the big smoke of Birmingham. more...
The out-going mayor and mayoress of Droitwich Spa held one of their final official functions when they hosted afternoon tea in the council chamber. more...
IF you are happy being single, I wouldn't bother to read the rest of this article. If not, read on because this might just be for you. more...
IT is all too easy to take our modern world for granted. more...
AN ASTON Fields woman has been left devastated by the theft of around 20 birds from an aviary that she kept in memory her late husband. more...
TWO Bromsgrove mums are at the heart of a healthy eating campaign aimed at school lunch boxes across the county, writes Paul Francis. more...
ADVANCED motoring examiner Bob Chambers was introduced to me as `the smoothest driver ever', writes Kate Hughes. more...
THE man who was brought up in working class Liverpool, in the shadow of Anfield football ground, has an unlikely pedigree for headmaster of Bromsgrove School, writes Adrian Kibbler. more...
A SMOKE alarm can save your life and every home in Bromsgrove should have one. more...
AN after tea jog around the quiet leafy lanes of Fockbury and Dodford ended in a shock for a Bromsgrove mum and her daughter. more...
DARING youngsters took a walk on the wild side when staff from a mobile zoo dropped in for a visit. more...
A DROITWICH Spa firm is extending its hand to the community through a series of exciting initiatives. more...
FOR those without a David Brent type in their office, the endless routine of the nine to five can sometimes be just too much to take. more...
TRADITIONAL family board games are set to battle it out against the latest hi-tech toys to top the Christmas wish lists of children in Droitwich Spa. more...
DESPITE an unconvincing start to the town's recycling scheme, Bromsgrove District Council says it is growing in success and will only get stronger in the coming years, writes Chris Flavell. more...
AN expanding Spa firm has committed its long-term future to Droitwich safeguarding 125 jobs. more...
MANY claim this general election campaign has been a boring low-key affair and has failed to spark much enthusiasm. more...
IT was of little surprise when the Tottenham Hotspur footballer, Michael Carrick, was selected in England's World Cup squad for the finals in Germany, but his Bromsgrove namesake was shocked to receive a call-up of his own. more...
Despite the glitches which bedevilled Bromsgrove's new waste collection and salvage schemes in the early days, the district is rightly celebrating having come top of the county league for its recycling of household more...
AS the month slipped by the anticipation of what was the town's most exciting day of the year could be felt. more...
A TALENTED stained glass artist-craftsman, who despatched work from his Bromsgrove workshop to grace religious buildings both here and abroad, is featured in a new book. more...
VISITORS are being enticed to Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa by the area's host of attractions. more...
PLANNING chiefs have thrown out a scheme to build four new office buildings in Belbroughton due to concerns over traffic and the safety of residents. Applicant Thomas Vale Development wanted to knock down an existing industrial unit and office building to make way for the new offices and sufficient car parking. But Bromsgrove District Council's planning committee voted to refuse the application. more...
Need an escape from this week's Eurovision soccer and song fests? Then why not head for the the Spa's Norbury Theatre, where the town's thesps have come up with the perfect antidote to those nauseating hours of TV football punditry, and the tedium of listening to yet more `nil-pointers' from the far-flung corners of greater Europe. more...
GOING on holiday with friends should be a time of relaxation but, for Alison Elwell-Thomas, a dream holiday to Tunisia turned into a nightmare when she was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pains. more...
A death in the family is never easy to cope with, but one town business has spent the last 90 years helping to ease away the pain. more...
A CHANCE remark on television recently that the BBC's `hard man' Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Paxman, had once lived in Bromsgrove flagged up an idea in the mind of well known local historian and author, Dr Alan Richards. more...
DROITWICH residents are pinning their hopes on England in more ways than one this summer. more...
AN age restriction could be put on Stoke's recreation areas to stop adults playing football on them. At Stoke Parish Council's annual meeting, chairman Thelma Roll said residents had complained about teams playing on Stoke Works playing field, which is owned by the group. She said: "There is no age limit on the playing area and if people are going on it and stopping children going on there that is not on." Cllr Karl Strawbridge added: "At the moment these people have just as much right as anyone else to go on there and it's not just for kids." He suggested taking up the goalposts for the summer. more...
MONTY Python star Terry Jones is among a host of leading authors appearing in Bromsgrove next month. more...
A NEW town mayor has been appointed amid claims that Droitwich's honorary role has been turned into a political position. more...
YELLOW is the colour at the Primrose Hospice next month and the town charity is urging people to get involved in its latest appeal. more...
HARDWORKING parish councillors are attempting to secure a venue for a new village youth group. more...
LABOUR councillors will be out in force on the streets of Bromsgrove on Friday to gather support in a bid to get one off annual parking fees for elderly drivers and the disabled scrapped. more...
A WOMAN worker was threatened with a handgun during an armed robbery at a Bromsgrove shop. more...
IT was a sad day for Charford woman June Williams, as she said goodbye to a pet that was more than just a bit fishy. more...
THE old saying `February fill dyke' had not lived up to its name in 1904. The wettest month had been May when 4.01 inches had fallen. The month had also seen the wettest day of the year when 2.20inches had fallen on the 27th. October had been the driest month and November the coldest when for 17 days the temperature had fallen below freezing. more...
THE notion held by many that last year had been the wettest in living memory was incorrect. There had been a total of 30.8 inches of rain, three less than average. This had been nowhere near the record of 41.54 inches in 1924 and the `deluge' year of 1912 when 44.40 inches were recorded in the district. more...
HARD up Bromsgrove Rovers were appealing to townsfolk to become agents to sell weekly lottery tickets. Clubs and pubs in the district were to be targeted. more...
THE population of Bromsgrove's urban district was becoming healthier, according to a report by the town's medical officer. Last month, most of the 13 deaths had been from old age and bronchitis, plus one from accidental suffocation. Importantly, none had resulted from an infectious disease. more...
PREPARATIONS for the opening of the new infants' department at Charford School was being hampered by the refusal of parents to reply to letters asking them if they wished to send their children there. The authorities said it was impossible to plan ahead and engage staff and order desks and seats without having the information to hand. more...
PEOPLE in Bromsgrove seeking to further their education by attending evening courses or collages were to pay more. County councillors were being urged to raise the cost from 28p to 50p or even 75p per hour. It was said the true commercial cost of courses was more likely £1 per hour. But the authority was wary of hiking charges for fear of driving people away. more...
ON Monday, with her usual kindness, Lady Windsor played hostess to 191 pupils and staff from both Tardebigge day and Sunday schools, when she invited them to tea at Hewell Grange for their annual, eagerly looked forward to treat. The party marched through the park to the mansion where boots were exchanged for slippers in consideration of the polished floors. After a sumptuous tea, games were played, followed by the singing of the national anthem, and each child left clutching bags of sweets, buns and fruits. more...
MR James Yates Holt, Bromsgrove's senior practising solicitor and one of the town's oldest inhabitants, celebrated his 93rd birthday at his home, Alloa House, in Birmingham Road. Among many visitors who called to wish him well were members of the Court Leet, his business partner John Sellars and the chairman of the urban district council, Councillor Henry Webley. Mr Holt had been Bailiff in 1913 and had lived all his life in the same house, which had been built by his father James and named after the town where his mother's family originally came from. more...
PARENTS of youngsters in Bromsgrove who had school meals were bracing themselves for a rise in prices of up to 40p a day from April. However, schools providing a `cafeteria' style service would be cheaper at 35p. The new charges would bring in an extra £1.4m a year and go some way to helping the county council cut £4m from its education budget. more...
FIVE months after Bromsgrove Urban District council had sanctioned the installation of warning bells in the homes of town firemen, the work had still not been carried out. The telephone company was experiencing wayleave problems from people who objected to cables being dragged over their premises and having insulators fixed to chimneys. more...
THERE were reports of packs of hungry foxes roaming the Bromsgrove area. It was claimed that the deliberately introduced disease myxomatosis, which was devastating the rabbit population, was upsetting the balance of nature and was depriving foxes of their staple diet. more...
JULIE Emms, aged 14, had turned her bedroom at her parents home in Mount Lane, Fairfield, into a shrine to the popular TV series Star Trek. The walls were covered in pictures of Captain Kirk and crew of the Enterprise and she belonged to four clubs and regularly travelled long distances to attend conventions. Stories about her passion for the programme had been published and she hoped eventually to run her own club and magazine. more...
GUARDIANS at Bromsgrove workhouse had been forced to re-advertise in the Messenger for a cook after having no applicants for the job when an advert had previously appeared. However, they were more hopeful after increasing the salary by £4 to £24 per year. But this did not include the successful candidate's washing, lodging, uniform or any entitlement to free beer. more...
A LANDMARK that had stood in Bromsgrove for 97 years looked set to be bulldozed. It was the old, unmodernised cemetery lodge that had been built along with the lych gate near Crabtree Lane by an Evesham firm for £989. At the time, the design of the cemetery, which cost £378 to plan and construct, came in for heavy criticism from an influential body of civil engineers who said it was too formal. more...
THE first major spending cut backs of the new decade were made when Bromsgrove District Council was forced to virtually half its £719,500 `shopping' budget. Among the casualties were changing rooms for football pitches at Charford, improved facilities at Sanders Park and a £2,000 grant towards Sport for All activities. more...
SCORES of revellers enjoyed Droitwich's annual town ball at Salters' Hall. The ballroom was tastefully decorated with flags, bunting, banners and drapes for the event which began at 9pm through to 4.30am. The catering was ably carried out by Mr Emery, landlord of the Spa's Barley Mow pub. more...
A PROPOSAL to buy German-made typewriters for use in Bromsgrove Council House caused a rumpus. Conservative councillor, Edgar Longney, was one who objected, claiming an example should be set to buy British-made goods and also the fact they were £11 cheaper. more...
ABOUT 120 people were at Perry Hall Hotel for the inaugural meeting of the Bromsgrove branch of Lions International, the largest community service organisation in the world. New members were given badges and certificates in a ceremony watched by representatives from neighbouring branches. more...
DROITWICH grocer, John Bolton, had his case against the Spa's two canal companies for alleged negligance heard at the Assizes in Worcester. Last May, after considerable rainfall, water from the canals had overflowed into his premises, causing £151 worth of damage. After a two-day trial the jury found in favour of the plaintiff. more...
IN his will, published this week, Douglas Ruxton Berwick, the founder of the Evergreen Scouts, in Bromsgrove, left £39,488 gross. He left the scout hut at Whitford Hall School to the owner, Mary Booker, for as long as she was in charge, otherwise to Bromsgrove Scout Association. Mr Berwick lived at the Hollies, in Kidderminster Road. more...
A SUGGESTION to change Bromsgrove's long-standing early closing day from Thursday to Wednesday was criticised by the town's trades council as pandering to the new supermarkets. Many stayed open late on Thursday nights. The council said a change would confuse shoppers. For a century and more Thursdays had been the day when shops closed at lunchtime because it was reckoned by this time housewives had run out of housekeeping money. more...
SERIOUS overcrowding at St Chad's School in Rubery resulted in a plan to erect huts in an adjacent field to accommodate some of the pupils. Class sizes ranged from 40 to 50 and in one case two classes comprising a total of 84 pupils were sharing one classroom. more...
FEARS that the unique character of Barnt Green would disappear if a housing development went ahead was expressed at a planning inquiry held at the Council House in Bromsgrove. The district council was opposed to the building of six houses, one to the acre, and costing between £5,000 and £6,000, on a plot between Shepley Road and Billy Lane. The authority claimed it infringed the green belt. more...
THE derelict former National School in Bromsgrove's Crown Close could be brought back to life as a culture and social centre for the town, it was revealed. The district council was considering putting in a bid to buy the vandalised building, which closed nine years ago when pupils moved to Watt Close. more...
BROMSGROVE Cottage Hospital made a loss of £247 last year, the first for many years. This was due mainly to a rise in the nurses' wage bill of £619, repairs of £161 and £163 for foodstuffs. But despite the shortfall patient fees were still to be kept at pre-war prices. more...
LOCAL industrialist Sir High Chance gave a talk and film show at the Roebuck Hotel on the history and traditions of Bromsgrove's ancient Court Leet. His audience comprised police, magistrates and members of the court. Apart from the annual dinner, it was the first time in living memory the court had gathered for an out-of-court function. Sir Hugh told his audience in 1935 the Bailiff's chain of office had grown so long it was divided with the shorter portion being given to the Reeve. more...
THE date for work to start on the pedestrianisation of Bromsgrove High Street had been set for March 9. Through traffic would be banned from the town centre between New Road and Stratford Road, except for deliveries. As yet there were no plans to plant trees or lay paving. more...
THE Post Office was about to start a motor mail service between Birmingham and Worcester. This meant that Bromsgrove residents could in future post a letter as late as 10.15pm to reach its destination in specified towns by breakfast time the next day. more...
ON the eve of Lickey Church's centenary year it was announced repairs to the stonework, costing £1,000, were necessary. It was hoped the money would be raised before the end of the year. The land on which the church had been built had been donated by the Plymouth family from Hewell. more...
SCHOOL children in Bromsgrove were to take part in a two-day course on road safety, the first scheme of its kind in Britain. Pupils at North Bromsgrove High School would be the first to take part in the scheme, which had been devised by local headmaster William Broomfield and county road safety officers and which it was hoped would become part of the national curriculum. more...
DOG license dodgers kept Bromsgrove magistrates busy at the town's police court this week. Several of the eight who had been summonsed were labourers or smallholders who pleaded poverty, saying times were hard and what little cash they had could be put to better use. Magistrates told one offender, Arthur Sands, that if he was too poor to buy a license, he was too poor to own a dog. more...
FIREMEN from Bromsgrove and eight other local towns were called to fight a major fire in the five storey Halfords Cycle Store, in Birmingham. It was full of flammable materials and the blaze was said to be the city's worst in peacetime. Damage to the premises and stock was put at over £1m. more...
A COUNTY council plan to convert the disused swimming pool at North Bromsgrove High School into an open air facility was branded `ludicrous' by the governors. The pool had not been used since an asbestos scare three years ago. The governors said the 1,100 pupils would get little benefit from a refurbished outdoor pool. more...
William Taylor, of Droitwich, was charged with cruelty to a horse by working it in an unfit state. Inspector Baker said the horse had been to Kidderminster market in a lame and poor condition and unfit to work. A vet examined it and said it had ringbone in both forelegs. It was so lame on both legs that the one balanced the other out. Mr Parker, of Talbot Hotel, owner of the horse said it was constantly used and perfectly well. The bench fined the defendant 5s (25p) and £2 12s costs £12.63). more...
Bromsgrove Urban District Council fixed the rate for the coming year at 23/6 (£1.18) in the pound, an increase of 10d. The finance committee recommended it should go up by 1 /4 (7p) to 24/- (£1.20). But Mr W R Harris, one of Rubery's independents, made what he called his annual plea to relieve the fixed income people and this was successful to the extent of 6d (3p). But the district still had a new record rate and one of the few in Worcestershire to put up charges by so much. more...
There was worry a popular new arts and crafts market may have to close its doors to future craftspeople unless an alternative site could be found. The Bromsgrove Market was at the Dolphin Suite, at the swimming baths, but it was now planned to revert the suite to its original function of a children's swimming pool in the near future. Stallholders displayed items such as pottery, jewellery, soft toys and woodwork. Organisers hoped Bromsgrove Council could find an alternative site. more...
A female officer was required at the Workhouse, in Bromsgrove, to act as a cook and assistant in house under the direction of the Matron. The salary was £24 a year with board, washing, lodging and uniform, but no beer. more...
The amalgamation of Bromsgrove and Redditch police divisions took a step further and there was a surprise in the events. Bromsgrove was regarded the likely location of the headquarters because of the geography of the two towns. But Redditch had protested, saying it would be another slight to their civic pride, prestige and borough aspirations for them to be brought once more under Bromsgrove. A compromise was reached so the HQ would be at Redditch, but it would still be known as Bromsgrove and Redditch. more...
High level talks to sort out Bromsgrove fairs' problems ended in a complete deadlock. Feelings had been running high in town since Jones' fair camped out without consent on Bromsgrove's recreation ground car park. Since then, 1,800 signatures had been collected to petition the council to allow spring and summer fairs on the site. The Showman's Guild of Great Britain had hoped that a compromise would be sorted out to allow Mr Jones to run his fair for the remaining three days of his stay. The Guild was to present a list of alternative sites to the July meeting of the council for consideration. more...
SURGEON/DENTIST Arthur Ward, from Birmingham, took out an advert in the Messenger to inform patients he now held surgeries every Tuesday night until 9pm at a house called Branksome, in Bromsgrove's Marlborough Avenue. All types of operations were carried out including extractions using gas, ether or cocaine for a fee of 2/6 (12.5p). Scaling and fillings cost the same. more...
IN spite of recent unseasonable weather several species of birds, who spend the summer in Britain, had already arrived. These included garganey ducks, lesser black backed gulls at Westwood Park, in Droitwich, and meadow pipits at Frankley. more...
A FIRE destroyed the Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall, in York Road, Sidemoor, during the early hours of Sunday causing £40,000 worth of damage. Some nearby residents were evacuated as firemen from Bromsgrove and Redditch fought to control the blaze. Police were seeking witnesses. more...
THE news that Droitwich Canal Company and Sharpness New Docks had settled 13 compensation claims by Spa residents would give heart to many in the UK who lived alongside waterways. The claims were for damage to property when the canals overflowed last spring. The settlements ranged from £1 to £36. more...
THE recent floods in Green Lane, Catshill, were blamed on poor drainage and debris clogging the brook. In a bid to prevent it occurring again Mr Raybould, who lived in the lane, was to be paid 35/- (£1.75) a week by Bromsgrove Rural District Council to `keep an eye' on the situation in wet weather. more...
SOME residents from Bromsgrove were among the 184 who received Maundy money when the Queen visited Worcester Cathedral. Among them was 81 year-old Joe Flack, from Aston Fields, a stalwart member of New Road Methodist Church since 1931. His son Tony, a BBC sound recordist, was on duty inside the building and was able to witness the proceedings close to. Fred Phillips, the sexton at Upton Warren church, and Annie Buckley, from Aston Fields, a Sunday school teacher at St Godwald's for 50 years, were also honoured. more...
THE weather of late was more akin to Christmas than the abnormally late Easter holiday, the Messenger observed. But, on the bright side, it said the snow and hail of late would stop the dust billowing off the roads caused by the hoards of motorists expected to take to the roads over the holidays. more...
VISITORS from as far afield as Cannock and King's Heath made up a record 31 tables at a whist drive, held at Dodford Memorial Hall. The chief attraction was the first prize, a 14-week-old pig, which was won by the village postmistress Ada Baker. Dodford vicar, the Rev Frank Marks, made the presentation. more...
BLACKWELL convalescent home was to close to save money to be invested in acute services. Health chiefs said there would be no redundancies as staff would be offered alternative jobs. more...
THE vicar of St John's Church in Bromsgrove, since 1890, the Rev E Vine Hall, dropped a bombshell over Easter when he announced he was planning to retire due to ill health. In his time at Bromsgrove he had brought about two major changes which had endeared him to many parishioners. One was the abolition of specified pews, the other the rotation of the role of churchwarden. more...
BROMSGROVE Court Leet Bailiff, Mr D Howard Wood, at the weekend welcomed parties of friends and representatives from many organisations in the area to his home, Cotswold in Barnt Green, to view and welcome the daffodils which grew in abundance there. Among the 30 varieties which were now at their best were some rare all white blooms. more...
ANGRY radiographers from a wide area converged on Bromsgrove during a visit to the town's general hospital by health minister Dr Gerard Vaughan to protest about their latest pay rise which ranged from 2 to 15 per cent. more...
A MEMORIAL to the 12 Bromsgrove soldiers who died in the South Africa war from autumn 1899 to summer 1902 was unveiled in the parish church this week. A large number of onlookers lined the streets and took up positions in the cemetery to see the arrival of the Earl of Coventry, the Lord Lieutenant of the county, who performed the ceremony. more...
PREPARATIONS were going ahead for the forthcoming General Election on May 28. The Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, would give a speech in Bromsgrove's Crown Close next week. So far two candidates had been adopted in Bromsgrove, James Dance the Tory and Lester George, Labour. The Messenger said fewer public meetings were planned than in previous elections, Mr Dance was to address 40, his opponent 60. For the first time the count at Bromsgrove's Parish Church Hall would take place immediately after the close of poll, not the following day as had happened in the past. more...
REDDITCH and Bromsgrove Olympic Gymnastic Club which had the shadow of closure hanging over it had been given a new lease of life. It had been given financial backing to take over the former Church of England School in Crown Close. But the first task was to refurbished the building which had been badly vandalised since standing empty. more...
A RECENT spate of motor car accidents prompted members of Bromsgrove Urban District Council to call on the town's police to look at ways of preventing drivers from speeding. It was said cars were often driven at `reckless' speeds through the town and it was only a matter of time before a fatality occurred. more...
BROMSGROVE was to get a new swimming bath. The town's last bath at Watt Close had been forced to close 14 years ago on health grounds when a particular type of duckweed had been discovered in the water. The urban district council was to look at schemes and visit towns with baths built before the war to get ideas. more...
TRADERS in Rubery were worried the village was becoming an island and had suggested that a mini bus be run to ferry customers in from the outskirts. more...
BROTHERS Alfred Harbach, from Imperial Row, and Herbert, a salt packer from British Row, Stoke, near Bromsgrove, appeared before town magistrates charged with stealing and killing two ducks. The birds, worth 7/-, (35p) belonged to Percy Townsend, of Stoke Prior Mill. Pc Meade, who was congratulated on his detective work by the bench, had found the birds in a bucket wrapped in boiling washing in a copper in the wash house at one of their homes. The pair, who claimed they had fallen on hard times, were sentenced to a month's hard labour at Worcester Jail. more...
NEXT week's General Election would be a straight Tory-Labour contest in Bromsgrove, which so far, the Messenger noted, had failed to arouse much enthusiasm. Labour's Lester George was pinning his hopes on free prescriptions, eye and teeth checks and free hospital beds and banning A-bomb tests. His opponent James Dance, if elected, promised new roads, improved railways, world peace and a greater reliance on atomic power. more...
BROMSGROVE'S 40-year wait for an eastern relief road looked at last like coming to fruition. The county council this week accepted a tender for £2,781,737 from Wrekin Construction to build the road from Fringe Green to Townsend Mill. more...
THE problem of gypsies who persistently camped on Gannow Green occupied the minds of members of Bromsgrove Court Leet when they gathered for their half yearly meeting and dinner at the Golden Cross Hotel in the town. No sooner had one lot been moved on than others arrived to take their place it was heard. The Bailiff, Mr Godsall, decided to instruct the Tythingman for Chadwich yield to go and persuade them to move on, but he refused. However, he later agreed to try accompanied by the Foreman of the Jury, Samuel Saywell. more...
JOHN Vaux from Stoke Heath, a first class sportsman who played senior cricket and rugby for the town, died at the early age of 46. He joined the cricket club in 1927 and went on to captain the side six years later. During his first year the town gained a record 17 victories. more...
POOR publicity was to blame for the Bromsgrove Town Lottery having to fold it was claimed. The decision had come at a time when the government was cutting back on spending and the district council could have put the revenue it generated to good use. In just over two years since its launch the lottery had raised £50,000 for local good causes. more...
THE ladies' home column in the Messenger gave advice on summer gowns, lining and sleeves. It advised women that smart petticoats in brighter colours were in this year but black, the most useful colour, was still popular. Headgear for elderly women was also discussed and it seemed milliners were taking a malicious pleasure in designing unbecoming bonnets for elderly ladies. White hair, when not prematurely white, was rarely thick, especially about the face, and most bonnets seemed to be designed only for women gifted with abnormal hair growth. more...
A proposal by Bromsgrove Urban District Counci