NextBackI was born in Redditch in the early 60's, before there were any plans for a new town. Looking back, it seemed a very idyllic childhood. All the kids in the area (Beoley Road), were always outdoors playing on the Rec (recreation ground), over the fields, down Forgemill or the river.
We had a lot of allotments at the back of our house, where we used to go scrumping. There were apples, pears, strawberries, plumbs and some sweet little apples called Doddins. I can remember getting a clip round the ear from a passing Policeman for this pastime.
Beyond the allotments were some fields that you could cross to get to Easemore Road in one direction, and a path between allotments that led to Prospect Road. One of the fields we used to call Smiths field, although I don't know if that was its official name, that's what we called it. There were grassy banks on one side where we used to make camps out of bits of wood and old carpet, and where we would be if it was raining. On another side there was a small wood with a stream, I shall never forget the smell of the wild garlic which grew there.
Next to out house, there used to be some back to back houses, called the Moseley Buildings which were empty for sometime, because they planned to knock them down, so we used to play in them. One day there was a few of us kids messing about in them, when one of the older boys who was playing with a pellet gun, and pretending to shoot us, aimed at me, and suddenly I felt a pain in my head next to my ear. I went running home to my mum, who found a pellet in my head, which she dug out with a pair of scissors. The boy followed, because his mum was at our house, and said that the gun had jammed earlier, and must have unjammed. His mum went mad and give him a good clout, and took him home.
The Rec was a large field with some swings and roundabouts where the kids used to meet up. Once a year we used to have a circus and a fair set up there. We used to love going to see the animals, and maybe get the chance to feed some of them, although we used to get chased off more times than not.
Up by the swings we used to have a Witches Hat and a Threepenny Bit roundabout where the bigger kids used to push them round so fast that you had trouble staying on, if you were brave enough or stupid enough to try. I tried a few times, having no sense, but I did just about manage to stay on.
We also used to go down to Beoley Brook, at the bottom of Beoley Road quite regularly for a paddle, and over the fields to the river at the back of Abbeydale, where there was a rope swing over the river. One day someone got an old tin bath from somewhere, and a few of us got in and went down the river in it.