A Christmas Long-Gone

I would have liked to have done a Christmas post from the ‘Good old days’, but I never took any photos at Christmas and neither did the family. All photographs at that time, needed good light and none were ever taken indoors without ‘flash’. The early box-cameras that we all owned had no settings, like ‘shutter speed ’ or ’aperture’. Although I do remember once seeing a box camera with a slider that could be pulled out to provide two different sized holes (apertures) behind the lens.

None of these early cameras would work in poor light, which is why we all had to traipse outside into the garden to get our pictures taken. It wasn’t until Dad bought his Zeiss that he had the capability of plugging in a flash. Of course in those days we could only use (expensive) flash bulbs and not the electronic flash of today. I first started using flash with bulbs, around 1964 for all the indoor party photos at the Youth club.

The only Christmassy bit we have is a cinefilm my Mother took on her 8mm movie camera. My brother has had it converted to a VHS tape and I am planning to convert it yet again, this time to a DVD.

Over Christmas much of the blogs and online news feeds seemed to close down for two days, so I found myself watching old films on YouTube. There is a very good channel - BFI Films, which always come up with some real gems. I found this one of Christmas 1941 filmed during the War and it was of course a very special one for me. It was over the Christmas holiday that I was conceived, as Dad was home on leave and I was to be born the following September. 

Some of the filming must have been done down here in Buckinghamshire, as I recognise several of the churches shown.

I spotted the church at Turville because of the windmill on the hill, and the church at Fingest is one of only two churches with the unusual ‘twin’ gabled roof on the tower.

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The church at Fingest, Buckinghamshire. 

The Church of St Bartholomew, Fingest.

This famous church sits at the centre of a historic village.

The massive western Norman tower was built early in the 12th century 

and has unusual twin gables - 

it is believed that only one other similar construction exists in the country.

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The church at Turville, Buckinghamshire.

The Church of St Mary, Turville.

The first known church building dates from the 12th century, 

the oldest part being the nave. Rebuilding of the church in 1340 included the present tower and an enlargement of the chancel.  The tower is squat in comparison to its massive proportions and is topped with brick. 

(Note the famous windmill on the skyline.)

All Dressed Up.

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Do you remember when ‘Fancy dress’ parties were all the rage? 

They don’t seem to be quite as popular these days - but perhaps I’m not now ‘moving in the right circles’? 

We were always having them at our Youth club way back in Bournville around 1964 and they were extremely popular in my early days at Taplow (1968-74).  

I have quite a few pictures of the former, as I was taking all the photographs, but at Taplow, the pictures for the club magazine were always taken by the BTR photographer, Bob Wilson. Unfortunately, I haven’t kept copies of the old magazines, but during a recent web search, found out that they are all archived away up in Aylesbury reference Library. I guess one day I might make a pilgrimage up there, but I can’t say I like Aylesbury as a place to spend an afternoon.

However, this dressing up lark would appear to run in the family, as I discovered from digging deep into the boxes of Dad’s old negatives.  The oldest were from the summer of 1937, and were taken on the back lawn at Linden Road by, I guess, Nan. (as she never appeared in any of the pictures.)

The first one off, is of Dad and Stan (with a fox stole) 

looking a right pair of pansies! 

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Stan and Dad as
'Gert & Daisy'

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I can remember that old fox fur thingie of Nan’s, because as children, we used to play games with it! And I can remember it always had that smell of lavender and menthol about it, I expect from old moth-balls in her wardrobe.

I notice that both of them were sporting well stuffed brassieres!  I do hope they weren’t wearing ladies knickers as well - were they?

Here’s the answer.

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Ladies don’t sit like that Dad!

And now Mom has joined in wearing a pair of Dad’s trousers and Uncle Stans hat and blazer.

Here’s a better picture of my ‘mum & dad’ to be!

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Mr & Mrs Johns (to be)

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I like that Walking-cane that Mom is holding. I wonder what happened to that?

Enough of all this I think. Lets move on twelve years or so.

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This, believe it or not, is me! 

It was taken over at Manor Farm park during a boy-scout ‘do’ to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951.

We were divided up into four groups to represent England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Dressed up in silly costumes and required to do a country dance representing the respective country. 

Not really what I had in mind when I joined the scouts. I’d have been happier building a rope bridge across the Woodbrook stream.

Next from the box came picture of my younger brother Colin, dressed to ‘kill’.

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"Oh, they're tough, mighty tough in the West,

And your trigger must be quicker than the rest

When there's rootin' and a-tootin'

I'm the guy that does the shootin'

'Coz they're tough, mighty tough in the West"

This was taken in the back garden at Thackeray Road, around 1953 at a guess.

Playing at Cowboys was all the rage in those days and if I remember rightly the only problem we had, was that we could never find anyone who wanted to be an Red Indian!

It was around that time that we had our first telly. It was bought just in time for ‘grown-ups’ to watch the Coronation. We did, but it was cowboy films we enjoyed most. I remember on Saturdays, at around 5 o’clock there was a variety show called "Whirligig", and after we had cleaned our shoes and tidied our bedrooms,
we were allowed to enjoy this one hour of fun.

I can recall a few of the characters like Mr. Turnip, (see right-hand side), but the ones we remembered best were Hank the Cowboy,
Minnie Ha-Ha and zee bad bandit, Mexican Pete.

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"I'm Mexican Pete, zee bad bandit

Zee bad bandit I always 'ave bin

I tie Senor Hank to zee railroad

An' zat is zee end of 'im !" 

The creator of Hank was Francis Coudrill and believe it or not there is a connection here with Linden Road.

A few houses up on the same side as Nan’s, 

was the home of Mr. & Mrs. Coudrill, Francis’s parents.

Whether or not Francis ever lived there, I don’t know. He was certainly a science master at a school in Birmingham for a time, but he lived here in Bucks (Beaconsfield) when making his television programs.

Another popular cowboy at the time was Tex Ritter, and I have here in my collection, an LP of ‘Songs of the Golden West’.

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As I mentioned earlier, our youth club in Bournville was very keen on fancy dress parties and I have managed to keep all the pictures that I took back then. I’ll just put up one here to show that even in 1964, brother Colin went dressed as a cowboy.  

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Bournville Friends Youth Club - 1964

Given time, I can put a name to nearly all those.

Colin is hiding away at the back again!

Here’s a try at a close up.

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As far as I know Colin never managed to get his ‘leg-over’,

 - a horse that is!

Neither did he master the art of using a lasso or firing a ‘six-shooter’.

He did however manage to get ‘into the saddle’ of his vintage Triumph 

and he was never more at home, than when kitted out ‘in his leathers’.

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All dressed up and ready to go!

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Taplow Court - Part 1. 1968

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To make a change from the ‘Family archive’ pictures, I thought I may, 

on this post step back just a mere 44 years to 1968.

The 30th of March 1968, to be precise.

The old Morris 1000 was parked outside my bed-sit loaded up with a suitcase, 

a tape recorder and a brother. 

If I remember correctly, the Morris was a shared purchase, as this was the only way us three eldest brothers could afford to buy anything roadworthy with four wheels!

However, I was off to start a new job, a hundred miles to the south of Bournville and brother Colin was going to drive the car home after dropping me off in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

For the previous two or three years I had been living here, in a bed-sit in Laburnum Rd. 

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My bed-sit was in the house just in the picture on the left.

It was an upstairs front room and had two windows 

both looking out over this lovely memorial garden.

The inside was not quite so lovely!

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My 1966 student's bed-sit.

I won't show you the bed end of the room, 

as it was rarely tidy!

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But the cooker was tucked away in a closet.

(No ventilation - no Elf 'n safety)

And just look at my 12" telly.

It will come as no suprise to learn that I

still have, many bits & pieces from those days.

Mainly books and vinyl records.

I had graduated from University the previous year and was now working for GEC (General Electric Co.) in Birmingham. Being the proud owner of a ‘shiny’ new degree I very much wanted to get into doing research rather than just engineering.

And talking of engineering - 

I came across a photo of me working in the foundry at 

GEC as part of my ’hands-on’ practical training. 

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We had to do this sort of thing during the University summer shutdowns.

Anyway, I applied for a transfer within GEC but they were not happy to move me as it would have meant a relocation to Coventry. The only option therefore was to change company, and I recall buying the Daily Telegraph, (if I remember correctly) every Thursday, as that was the best day for job advertisements.

In those days, after completing an application form, one could nearly always expect to be called for an interview, and I was invited to four. One was in Somerset with Plessey Marine Systems, another in Surrey with Mullard. These first two interviews unfortunately did not produce positive results, but two other interviews with The Post Office (now BT), and British Telecommunications Research (nothing to do with BT!) did both result in ‘offers’. The former offering £960pa at Dollis Hill in north London and the latter offering £1250pa at Taplow, near Maidenhead. 

    

So, from that Monday in April, Taplow Court was to be my new ‘home‘.

I remember feeling very lonely that Saturday evening as Colin drove off home to family and friends, but it wasn’t to last for long as I was to discover a new ‘family’ and dozens of friends at BTR Taplow.

I can still remember that first Monday morning walk to work. I was in lodgings alongside the Thames near Boulters Lock. I had to walk to work alongside the River Thames!

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My river-side walk to work.

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Taplow Court estate was situated high up on the chalk escarpment, 

just a few miles south from Cliveden (NT) and right opposite Boulter’s lock. 

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The walk past Boulters Lock.

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So every morning I had to walk a mile downstream 

to cross the river at Maidenhead Bridge …..

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…..and then a mile back up the other side 

to Taplow - and uphill.

1 - marks the lodging on t'other side.

2 - shows the path up from the bridge.

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Who could wish for a nicer way to

start the day?

Luckily, I joined BTR in the April and

by the time the winter arrived,

I had moved to a flat in Taplow itself.

Here’s a view from the grounds at Taplow 

looking down on the river and weir at Boulters.

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I loved it. Paradise. 

What a difference from the previous week in March, when I fought my way into Birmingham’s Navigation Street terminus, on a crowded Number 62 bus! 

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It turned out that I was to work at Taplow for almost twenty years - just three months short in fact - for the whole site was to be closed at the end of 1988 and we were all made redundant. 

Goodbye Taplow.

“For the good times are all gone,

And I’m bound for moving on.

I’ll look for you, if I’m ever back this way.”

Well, a couple of weeks ago, on English Heritage Day, I paid Taplow Court a visit on one of it’s open days and I was whisked back to that morning in 1968. 

I took plenty of pictures as it is now, 

but over the next few blogs 

I am going to dig out some old and very old pictures, some history and quite a few memories.

When I arrived in 1968, the old place looked very similar to this picture taken two or three years earlier.

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I have left this as a ‘large’ image so that if you click on it you can zoom in for a better view of all the interesting buildings and features. I hope to enlarge each section as I get round to describing each area.

Very few changes had been made, or were indeed allowed to be made to the buildings. Planning rules were much stricter in those days. I’m not sure whether they had ‘listed buildings’ back then, but  I now know for sure that the Main House, the Estate Office and the Dairy are all Grade II listed buildings.

In my days there were walled gardens with fruit trees and vegetables, an indoor tennis court (one of the first in the country), one of the very first squash courts to be built and a bowling green. There was a croquet lawn, many hard tennis courts and a boat house (with boats for loan) down on the river opposite Boulters lock. 

If I’d had my own boat I could have rowed across the river to the office every day!

They even provided us with deck-chairs, so that in the summer months we could sit outside in the sun and watch others play bowls.

In later days when BTR was taken over by Plessey, 

Taplow became known as the ‘Plessey Holiday Camp’.

And there was I thinking this was my 'place of work‘.

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The 1920's and 30's in Linden Road.

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I do realise that Family photos are mainly of interest to family members, so I am hoping to add a few other snippets to go with them. This post is about my Mother’s side of the family. I don’t have as much detail on this ‘branch of the tree’ as I do on my Father’s side. Dad outlived our Mom by twelve years, and it was during this time, when he stayed here with me, that I managed to get a lot of the family details. On the other hand, my Mom died quite unexpectedly and we hadn’t really dug into the history behind all the old photos.

This first large picture shows at least three generations.  

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The Simkins Family

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Luckily, someone has written all the names on the back. Although, when I say names, not full names, just things like Uncle Bert and Aunty Ada. Finding out who is married to who, and to whom the children belong, will be a task for the future.

I have not done any research into ancestry yet. I did look online but found it all too complicated. I expect it is not that bad once you get going. (?)

The two centrally seated family members are of course my Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother. (striped cardigan)

Now standing behind Great-gran, is my Grandma, or Nan as she was always called. To her left is Grandpa, better known to us boys as Pop. Their two children are seated on the floor. My mother, is second in on the right and my Uncle Stan is second in on the left.

At the time of writing (2012), only one in that photo is still with us today.

Apart from Nan and Pop and of course Mom and Stan, I cannot ever remember meeting any of the others.

This next picture is slice off the one above to show the three generations.

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Top - Nan & Pop S.
Centre - Great Granny S.
Seated - Dorothy S.

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My mother sitting at the feet of Great-grandma with Nan and Pop standing behind.

If we could only arrange a ‘reunion’, what tales there would be.

At least I am writing a few thing down now for the next three generations to read up on.

My mother would have been just a teenager there I guess. I can’t accurately date that photo. (perhaps around 1927).

I have a few photos of Mom as a baby but I have left those remaining in the family album. However here is a very early one of Pop holding her up with her brother Stanley. Looks like the back garden in Linden Road. (1920?)

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Pop holding Stan & Doss (Dorothy)

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And a much better one that was obviously taken in a studio.

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Dorothy & Stanley Simkins

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There are dozens of ‘snaps’ taken in Linden Road, nearly always by Nan on the family ‘Box Brownie’ camera. I get the impression that she didn’t like being in photos; she doesn’t appear in many and I certainly never managed to take her photograph. Having said that however, there is somewhere in the family a bit of cine-film of her! (now on video I believe). It will be fun to track this down and finally digitise it as I have done with all these other negatives and prints.

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Stan & Mom

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These were taken right down at the

bottom of the garden, because I remember

that fence as the one backing onto the allotments.

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Proud Pop with Stan & Doss

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It is a shame that they only had a

'Box camera' in those days.

Had the quality been better I would have

loved to enlarge this next one of Mom in the deck-chair.

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Mom, Pop and Uncle Stan.

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And one of Nan at last.

Messing around on stilts with Stan.

She looks as if hers has sunken into

the soft earth.

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Stan and Nan (pictured at last)

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Simple pleasures in those days.

Just knocked up from bits of wood.

Years later Dad made us some,

and we would walk around for hours

 looking over peoples fences and walls.

I remember one day walking all the way down

the road and into the local park just to

try them out in the stream!

Ah! At last one of Nan,

caught off guard!

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Nan as she will always be remembered.

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All taken in the 1920's and 30's.

All would change in 1939.

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Making a Start

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Why a new blog?

And what am I going to write about here?

Well, since I have been sorting through the hundreds of old prints and negatives ‘inherited’ from my parents and grandparents, I have found that there are many  that don’t fall into the category - ‘my early days of childhood’, but are still interesting, or maybe interesting to future generations. 

You see, I have no idea what my great grandparents thought, what they did and enjoyed. All I have are old faded, and some not so faded, photographs of my very smartly dressed Uncles. I also have sepia, and black & white pictures of my Aunts, ‘suffering in their stays’, as Dylan Thomas wrote in Under Milkwood. 

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"Suffered in her stays."

I wonder what hobbies they had, what did they do in their leisure time, what books did they read and what music did they enjoy, or even play? 

I wonder if in fifty or sixty years time, the children of my nieces and nephews will be at all curious of their ancestors, as I am of mine?

I am trying to do a write-up of my childhood days, on my blog called ‘Early Days in Bournville‘, but where do I document all these other bits and pieces which do not really fit into my ‘childhood’.

Here, is the answer. 

A miscellany of family events and photos, from all the 'other' days.

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Aunty Gladys - 1905

Of course photographs can be looked at easily, but not so for negatives. 

From over a  hundred years ago until quite recently, 

all photography involved taking 

‘negative’ images, and then printing ‘positive’ pictures. Many of the ‘positive’ photos were lovingly given away to family, friends and relations, and all that was kept, were the little strips of negatives in their faded paper envelopes.

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It is these long neglected negatives that I have been slowly sorting, viewing and printing. Years ago one would need a ’darkroom’ and maybe an enlarger to get prints from these, but luckily, technology has come to the rescue and a scanner/computer gives us the positive image without the need for chemicals.

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2 ¼” square format negatives

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My Grandfather was a chemist by profession. 

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Grandpa David

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He left home in Swansea and came up to study chemistry at a college in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. 

It was actually there that he met my Grandmother, the caretakers daughter. 

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Grandma Alice.

They were married and moved to live in Bournville where my Granddad open a Chemists shop ‘down the road’ in Stirchley. 

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The Stirchley shop - Grandpa (left) and his assistant.

In those day, chemists not only dispensed medicines but they also developed camera films and printed off the positive photographs. 

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A replica Chemists - Milton Keynes Museum

They were mainly ‘contact prints’ where the negative, is placed in contact with the photographic paper. This produced a print the same size as the negative used in the camera. In those days nearly all holiday snaps were 3” x 2” or thereabouts. 

Usually taken on a ‘box camera’ with a 120 film.

Enlargements cost more money and were reserved for special occasions like weddings.   

Grandad, used to use a plate camera in those Edwardian times, and I still have one of his. It’s looking very ‘tired’ and needs a bit of repair to the bellows. I know how to make bellows, but where can I get the correct material?

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Grandpa's 'half-plate' camera.

The next cameras I remember seeing used a slightly larger film than the old 'box' cameras. It took ‘postcard’ size photos. My Aunt, (grandads daughter) had one like this, and we also still have it ‘in the family’ so to speak. My Dad saved most of these, 

and I think my sister now has a huge cardboard box full of old cameras somewhere. (?)

But without these, I would now have no photographs, or perhaps, a very few, taken by other people.

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Grandpa, as I remember him at Maryvale Rd.

Thanks to Granddad, taking up chemistry, and then my father following on with an interest in photography, I have these boxes and boxes of negatives and photos. 

Around  1956 my Father joined the Camera club at Cadburys and of course he couldn’t turn up with a Kodak ‘Brownie’, so he must have saved up hard and splashed out on a nice new German Zeiss camera. 

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The Zeiss Ikon camera. 

It was a 2 ¼” square format and took excellent pictures. When I was sixteen (1958) he bought an even better one, a Minolta twin lens reflex and I was given the old Zeiss. I used that for years and so I too, have boxes and albums full of  hundreds of prints not to mention all the slides and negatives. 

I last used this camera in Austria in 1983.

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Ziller valley - taken from the last carriage.
Going backwards!

This blog is of course, more of a ‘family-history-photographic-album’,

putting names, places and if I have them, dates to these old prints.

It is of course an ‘open album’, for anyone to view, and you are all most welcome.

I just hope the younger family members take an interest too.

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