7 Severn

Victoria Park High Street Smethwick. West Midlands B66 3NT UK.

This weeks virtual walk is around the pool. I chose this picture for the feature, capturing the elements nicely, as we begin our walks.

Victoria Park was my second home and very often my first, as the majority of my childhood was spent here.
I lived on nearby Crockett’s Lane at the time and accessed the park through what was then “the alley” by the pool. This ran through the Technical College. Now it is a residential area.

Above: “The Alley” as it is nowadays.

The contrast between life then and now – albeit inevitable – is an absolute culture shock for sure. Blog posts weren’t available for a start.

As a family unit, we all worked individually and alongside one another to enable life to run as smoothly as possible – running errands and helping maintain the house. Another way to say it is: We did our bit should it be for the greater good of all. Once that was done, we were out.

The majority of our leisure time was spent outdoors. This often meant being at one park or other, and as long as there was daylight – we very often were.

Tree Climbing was a feature and I managed at least 14 in this park in the 70’s.
The common games of the day: Hide and Seek; Kick The Can; Tracking. Whereas Football was left for Sunday afternoons. I remember in the summertime, we’d play for hours until we could barely see the ball.

The park itself offered at the time: –

* Children’s Play Area.
* Crazy Golf.
* Bowls.
* Tennis.
* Football Pitches.
* Fishing Contests. I remember one of my brother’s entering each year.

Above: A Boating Shed was once located in front of the fence on the right (flat area). It was gone by the time I came along.

There always seemed to be something going on in those days. In particular, I recall:

Garden Fêtes: Always a friendly occasion.

Funfair: My favourite was the Dodgems.

Circus: I visited once or twice and always seemed to be there to watch as things were set up. I particularly remember the animals being offloaded on arrival.

Summer Carnival:
Float Parades; Carnival Queen; Side Shows and Stalls. A real party atmosphere.

Bonfire Night.
Fireworks display around a roaring fire. This was quite popular in those days.

Finally. I was hoping to have had the photographs of the walk edited and ready to present to you sooner. It’s taking a lot longer than I would have hoped. Lesson learnt and they will be ready for the next posting (Sunday).

Thank you for reading.

Next Week. We continue our discussion with Local Parks 3/27. Where I’ll present as additions not one, but two walks.