MOSELEY MEMORIES
Life and Other Tadpoles
Big city life was not always the way it is usually portrayed on television. We may not have mixed with pigs, sheep and cattle, but we knew a little about biological life from direct experience. Cannon Hill Park seemed so far away, with the long walk down Salisbury Road and the longer one back uphill. One major attraction was seeing real anglers fishing for carp and other big fish in the two large pools. The anglers resisted our interest in their catches and showed contempt for our little dipper nets, used to get tiddlers for our jam jars. Another disincentive was the park keepers’ protection of The Golden Lion, the old Tudor inn that had been rebuilt there when the City Centre expanded. Uffculme Park was altogether different. Established by a family originally from 12
Uffculme in Devon, a few miles from Tiverton, Uffculme House and grounds were gifted to the City in the nineteenth century for public use. A later City Council repaid the benefaction by renaming the park Highbury, as part of its promotion of Joseph Chamberlain’s house as a business and wedding attraction. At the Queensbridge Road end, an open-air school was built for the many Birmingham children suffering from respiratory diseases, particularly tuberculosis. We would see them, laid out on simple beds under blankets to enjoy the presumed healing power of fresh air as we went on our exploration. One was my sister’s best friend Diane. Uffculme House became a tea room and display centre. The attached walled garden, with its pool, originally built to www.moseleyb13.com
