Category: What’s On

What’s happening in Stirchley Baths

Taking a bath at Stirchley Baths in the 60s and 70s

Stirchley resident Ron Coley has some great memories of using the public bathing facilities at Stirchley Baths in the 1960s and early 70s.

As a child Ron – now 59 – used to visit the baths every Saturday with his dad. He remembers the attendants filling a bath with about 12 inches of hot water – you’d then top this up with cold water. However, as a nine-year-old Ron found a way of getting some extra hot water, using a tool he adapted specially!

Here’s a lovely interview with Ron, where he talks about his memories of public bathing at the Baths, including how a bit of the roll-top cast-iron baths made a great pea shooter! Thanks very much for sharing your wonderful stories Ron.

Ron came to the Splash Back In Time event at Stirchley library on Monday 11th March to share his memories of Stirchley Baths. There’s another event on Tuesday 19th March at Stirchley Community Centre between 12.30pm and 4pm. More details by clicking HERE

Did you use the public baths at Stirchley Baths? We’d love to hear your stories. Please email stirchleybaths@gmail.com – pop it on our Facebook page here or tell us on Twitter using @stirchleybaths or #stirchleybaths

Date for your diary. Put your hand up! Stirchley Community Art Challenge

Do you want to see Stirchley Baths brought back into community use?

Are you able to pop along to Stirchley Library on Sat 6 April for 20 minutes or so?

Would you like to show your support for the Heritage Lottery Fund bid that is being submitted in June by Selly Oak District (Birmingham City Council)? 

Come on your own or with your whole family, but please pop along and get involved in our community art challenge to show the Heritage Lottery Fund just how much community support there is for the project!

Let’s give the Heritage Lottery Fund a SHOW OF HANDS! 

Are you ready to put YOUR hand up???

Paper, pens, glitter, glue, crayons, tissue paper, pegs, laminator and washing line provided! We just need your hands – and some dry weather would be nice too!

 

Neighbourhood Forum 11 March 7.30pm: find out more about the Stirchley Baths Heritage Lottery Fund bid

Suzanne Carter – who is compiling the Activity Plan for the Heritage Lottery Fund bid for the Stirchley Baths Project – has been invited to speak at the Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum on Monday 11 March, 7.30pm.

Even if you are not a regular attender of the Forum, you are welcome to come along and give your ideas and suggestions about the history and heritage-related activities we can ask the HLF to pay for as part of the heritage restoration project.  Details below:

03Agenda Monday 11th March 2013 (1)

 

The Stirchley Youth Tuesday Club

Committee member Brenda Thomas set up a youth club in Stirchley in the 1970s with other mums and grandmothers called the ‘Stirchley Youth Tuesday Club’.

It was originally held at Stirchley Primary School – and 200 children turned up on the first night over the two sessions that were held: 6-8pm for primary children; 8-10pm for secondary school.

Brenda says: “I was surprised how many people turned up because it was thick, pea soup fog. You couldn’t see across the playground. And yet all these children were waiting for this youth club, which was amazing.”

Listen to Brenda’s account of the first night here, and the kinds of activities that were held (including south Birmingham youth club swimming galas at Stirchley Baths)…

As well as providing activities for generations of children, the Stirchley Youth Tuesday Club had another legacy for the town too.

A need to find a new premises in the early 1980s (due to extra caretakers being required for out-of-school activities) led to the creation of the Stirchley Community Group and, eventually, Stirchley’s existing community centre in Pershore Road.

Were you there on the first night of Stirchley Youth Tuesday Club? Did you go to the youth club and get involved in the sports competitions and swimming galas at Stirchley Baths? Share your memories and stories with us – please email stirchleybaths@gmail.com – pop it on our Facebook page here or tell us on Twitter using @stirchleybaths or #stirchleybaths

Dancing at the Baths – thanks to Wendy Pearson

During the winter months in the 1940s, the swimming pool at Stirchley Baths was boarded over to create a dance floor and bands used to play.

Huge thanks to Wendy Pearson for these photographs that show this in action! Here’s Den Jones and his orchestra who were performing that night…

Do you have any stories or memories about dancing or watching a band at Stirchley Baths – or about anything in the Baths’ history? Leave a comment here or come along to our upcoming Splash Back In Time events:

  • Monday 11th March, 11am to 12.30pm, Stirchley library
  • Tuesday 19th March, 12.30pm to 4pm, Stirchley Community Centre

You can see a potted history of Stirchley Baths by clicking HERE – can you help to fill in the gaps?