April 13, 1901

100 years ago

April 13, 1901

THE deputy clerk of Bromsgrove Urban District Council had received letters from the four boys who had broken one of its lamps. Each had expressed his sorrow and agreed to pay a share of the damage.

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ONE of the finest organs in the district had just been placed in Bromsgrove Congregational Chu-rch. To mark its arrival, a special service was held consisting of recitals by Birmingham Town Hall organist Mr C W Perkins. The instrument was built by the Midland Organ Works, in Birmingham.

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SCHOLARS attending Sunday schools at Stoke Works and Wychbold, in connection with St Mary de Wyche Church, enjoyed an annual treat. The Rev R Male put on an excellent tea of bread and butter and cake, which quickly disappeared. Afterwards, prizes were given out for regular attendance.

50 years ago

April 14, 1951

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Yvonne Genton, of King George Avenue, Droitwich Spa, was picked from 17 other entrants to reign as Droitwich Spa's Flower Queen between May and September. She and her four attendants were chosen at a dance held at the town's Winter Gardens.

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DAMAGE to one of the Railway Tombstones, in Bromsgrove Churchyard, was discussed by the Bromsgrove Urban District Council's parks and cemeteries committee. Members decided proceedings should be taken against the alleged offenders. The council agreed to have the stone re-erected at a cost not exceeding £10 and each of the memorials repainted at a further cost of £5.

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ELEVEN protest letters were received by Bromsgrove Urban District Council from residents in Rigby Lane, Aston Fields, who were against the authority's decision to charge them for the cost of replacing back-to-back grates. They said, as the council had made the mistake of putting in these "failures", the obligation rested with the landlord. The council refused to alter its decision because, it said, with the right sort of fuel and enough of it, back-to-back grates function well. Cllr Webley said someone put in half a pound of margarine and it would not melt in one and a half hours."

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WILFRED Aldridge was presented with a nest of walnut tables as he stood down as choirmaster and organist at Rubery Congregational Church after 21 years. Mr Aldridge hoped his successor, Norman Higgins, would enjoy the great happiness he had.

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TROOPER Kenneth Crawford, son of Mrs G Crawford, of Groveley Lane, Rednal, helped his regiment 15-19 King's Royal Hussars, to win the unit cup in the Hamburg District Military cross-country championships. He was a former Waseley Hills School pupil.

25 years ago

April 9, 1976

THE owner of Bromsgrove's Plaza Cinema, Essoldo Cinemas Ltd, won an appeal against Bromsgrove District Council to transform the Church Street premises into a bingo hall. The Secretary of State for Environment agreed with the appeal inspector's report that the council's objections were unjustified. The council claimed the £70,000 changes would reduce the choice of entertainment in the area, particularly for young people.

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AROUND 100 people sat spellbound at Shenstone College, in Bromsgrove, when two mediums claimed to have brought messages of all kinds from relatives and friends who had died. The event, organised by Bromsgrove Spiritualist Church, saw husband and wife team Ernest and Jean Lewis, from Coventry, advise one man to keep his cheque stubs in readiness for impending trouble.

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ROBERT Lammas, of Gibb Lane, Catshill, was appealing to the Secretary of State for Environment against a decision by Bromsgrove District Council to serve him with an enforcement notice. This was to stop the managing director of R A Lammas Ltd operating his fleet of four lorries from a site at Hilltop Farm, in Dordale Road, Fairfield. The company boss said the vehicles were only parked there at night and only minor repairs were carried out. The council's planning assistant, Martin Hazlett, said it was "a blot on the landscape".