St Annes

No Sports Kit, No School Tie.

I started Duddeston Manor School the very first day it opened, in the September 1964, there I was in a snappy grey jumper,grey shirt, grey trousers and black shoes, on a misty day, you couldn't see me.

I immediately felt out of place as Moms budget didn't stretch to a School blazer and because I lacked that, I was also short a school badge.

Actually the list went on and on...

No sports kit, no School tie, no pumps, you name it, I lacked it.

Yet the stupid Teachers told me off every day about the things I had missing, how dim could they get? I was from Nechells, we all were, didn't they have eyes to see?

I was put straight into 2y at the start, I was clever see, (its only when I became an adult and made a few close friends among the Teaching profession did I find out how dim most of them were)

But anyway, I digress, School was easy, I loved it, I threw myself into History, Science, Maths and Geography with a wild abandon.

Sport I was still lousy at, I was too small to be honest, though I did make the Needlepoint relay squad and the Goldfish juggling team.

I was however, still the class clown.

I was also a coward.

Micky C was a typical School bully, something went down one day in the gym and he said he'd see me after school...oh wow! I thought, my first date!, actually, I wasn't scared at all, you see I had no intention of turning up...until Mr Lewis kept me in for detention, just imagine that, 30 minutes of detention then freed to get your brains beat out..

I walked out nearly wetting myself only to find he's gone off home as he'd got tired of waiting.

The next day I took my brother Robert to school with me, he asked Micky if he'd like to donate a pint of blood through his nose, which he would have to do if he laid a finger on me..

Its good having big brothers..

He still does it you know, even now I'm 51, he still looks out for me and worries about my life...me, who's been abroad over 50 times, who had his own business for 20 years, who has a detached house all paid for and who handles a Multi million pound works budget...

Yeah....its great to have big brothers...

Les Robinson

THE HISTORY OF ST ANNE'S SCHOOL,DEVON STREET

In 1702, Joseph Farmer an Iron worker at a shop on the corner of Bull street

and the Minories (old Square), moved to Steelhouse lane, this house was

later known as Farmer & Galton House, even later as Galtons Bank. At this

time Joseph was renting the Corn Mill and land at Duddeston.

In 1744, his son'James Farmer' an Ironmonger of Steelhouse lane in

Birmingham, took out a 70-year lease from Sir Lister Holte on the Corn Mill

and the Houses on the site.

In 1746, James's sister, 'Mary' married Samuel Galton, son of John Galton.

Samuel and James became partners known as Farmer & Galton, "merchant's & Gun

makers"

In 1777, Samuel Galton took out a 99-year lease from Sir Charles Holte thus

enlarging the estate and built a Mansion House. Years later his

Granddaughter Mary Anne Galton, described a day at Duddeston in a book. "We

rose on a bright sunny morning to visit the Lake, its borders clothed with

Willows and Poplars, with leaping fish, swallows skimming the water, and the

cries of wild fowl from the sedges and bulrushes".

By 1829 the Mill had reverted to the milling of Corn, gone were the days of

grinding Swords & Gunbarrells.

By 1838, the House was being used by a Mr Lewis as a Private Lunatic

Asylum,advertised as " a comfortable retreat, the well known beauty and

variety of the gardens and pleasure grounds of the entire adaption of the

House and premises to the purpose of an asylum, render an elaborate

description unnecessary".

During 1845-1865, the Evans family were Tenants, shortly after this the mill

pool was drained and the land between the mill and the river became a

Railway goods yard. The mill buildings were still in use until 1888 as a

Saw Mill, soon after this, the mill building fell into disuse.

In 1865 a proposal to change the use of Duddeston as a Cattle Market and

Dudson House (Duddeston Hall) as a Market Tavern & Office's, was turned down

due to the then Lord Mayor (Mr H.Wiggin) using his casting vote to stop a

proposal,that would have had a far reaching effect on the area.

In 1867, The Reverend C.A.Evans M.A. Headmaster of King Edwards School had,

with the permission of the donors, applied the King Edward VI Memorial

School funds to the purchase of Duddeston Hall (Dudson House) for School

Rooms. It was said that the Schoolrooms would accommodate 1000 children.

By the end of 1867 the Portico Entrance had been removed, alterations

were carried out and St Matthews Committee had started a day school for the

children of Duddeston, by January 1868, St Anne's Church was opened and the

School was officially named "St Anne's C of E School for Primary Children".

During the first year, 200 children were being educated at the School, those

whose parents could not pay the School Fee's, would be helped by the

Birmingham Society.

1868, the schoolrooms were given to the District Parish of St Anne's Church

that was officially consecrated on Friday 22nd October 1869.

During the following 104 years, the School became an Infants & Junior

School. In the early years infant boys attaining the age of 7 would be sent

to either St Matthews or Loxton Street Schools to finish off their

Schooling. Girls would be kept on until they attained the age of 14 years

old, when they would leave and look for work. This rule was later scrapped

and Boys were allowed to continue their Schooling at St Anne's until they

reached 11 years of age, at the same time, girls were sent to Bloomsbury

Street School at 11 years old where they would stay until they were 14.

Some interesting facts

Most of the 200 odd expupils interviewed stated that they were told by

Teachers and Headmasters over the years that the School building was the

first home of the Holte's of Aston Hall, some of them told the Children that

a tunnel existed that ran from Devon street Cellars to behind the Chair at

the bottom of the stairs in Aston Hall, some of the children stated that

there was a tunnel and that they had followed it to Aston Hall. In an

Evening Mail interview in 1968 a Headmaster informed the Reporter that the

School building had been there from the year 1313. This Identity problem

has always been there, the changing of the name from Dudson House to

Duddeston Hall by the Lewis's has confused many people and even today we

find it hard to explain to people that there were two Duddeston hall's

within half a mile of each other, one at Duddeston and one at Vauxhall (by

where the old Dairy is now). We have got Maps to prove this, with the

buildings clearly marked but it is still hard to convince these people.

If there was a Tunnel it didn't go to Aston hall, we believe it led to the

Mill, on the day St Anne's was demolished, Pike's and other weapons were

found in the Cellar.

In the Birmingham Post, 21/1/1938, A Maynes stated " Whatever the actual

date of the Building that houses St Anne's School in Devon Street, I do not

think there is much doubt that it is the oldest building in greater

Birmingham, used regularly for the purpose of education or indeed for any

public service other than places of worship and Museum".

In the summer of 1972, Children were given an early summer holiday; they

were not to know that within a week of leaving, the School was reduced to

rubble. Even the Scouts leader was only given two days notice to remove

equipment from the Cellars where they had been based for years. Thinking it

was a joke, he went on holiday, only to return to find most of his

equipment, not already removed by an assistant, had been buried.

The first Teacher/Mistress was a "Harriette Bishop.

Samuel Galton II was a member of the Lunar Society, together with Men like

Boulton, Watt and Priestley, his Daughter, Mary Anne (Schimmelpanninck)

wrote accounts of the Society.

At the age of 21, Samuel had £10,000 placed in his bank account by his

Father; this enabled him to follow his interest in the Sciences. He was the

Author of "The Natural History of Birds", a Children's book with 116

illustrations.

Erasmus Darwin was the Grandfather of Charles Darwin; he was also the

Grandfather of Sir Francis Galton.

Samuel Galton II married Lucy Barclay of the London Banking Family, they had

ten children.

Samuel founded his own Bank "Galton & James"

Lucy Galton married James Moilliet of moilliet and sons Bank, later merged

with Lloyds Bank.

The Gaumont Cinema was built on the site of Galton's steelhouse lane home

(lunar society meeting place) hence stars painted on the ceiling.

Sir Francis Galton was a pioneer of eugenics, a Meteorologist who invented

the term "anti-cyclone" for a fine weather system, and the man responsible

for the use of Fingerprints in crime detection. He had a bust of Erasmus

placed in Lichfield Cathedral. Francis was born in a house called "the

Larches" which was built on the remains of "Fair Hill", the former home of

Priestley that was destroyed in the Birmingham Riot's.

By 1754, Galton and Farmer were sending 600 Guns a week to shipping ports

like Bristol and Liverpool; he was disowned by the Society of Friends, for

manufacturing weapons.

"The Heartlands Local History Society"

contact above for all details on St Anne's history, better still, attend the

next reunion and see lots of Photographs of the School/Teachers/Pupils etc.

Anyone interested in the local history of the area surrounding St Anne's

School, Vauxhall/Ashted/Duddeston/Nechells/Saltley, contact Heartlands Local

History Society. Over 137 members all from this area and local schools.