HOME PAGE Oldswinford C. E. Primary School
Field lane,
Oldswinford was formerly a track extending from Hagley Road to the
Farlands Estate. This track is shown on a map of 1770 and on an
OS map of 1782 at the west end of which was another track [now
known as Love Lane] creating a T-junction. At the southeast corner with
Hagley Road is the Tall House, originally a private residence of the
Barrar family, a family associated with the early glass industry of
Amblecote. |
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The
1885 OS Map names the
street as Field Lane. The 1885 OS map indicates Swinford
House Estate as occupying land south of the field. The field behind the Tall House and running along the south side of the track was exchanged under an enclosure agreement from Francis Witton and Co. and became known as Glebe Land. [An interesting name connection as the original site for the Church Schools in 1857 was designated Glebe Land. The original School Buildings were completed in 1859 by Mr. W. Bloomer {builder} for £2,007 4s 6d. at the School Road site, later renamed Craufurd Street] Following World War 2 the Tall House was converted into flats and Oldswinford Church School used the land on Field Lane as a playing field. During the 1960's Farlands Estate, at the west end of Field Lane, was sold and a housing estate built on the site. The original track beside Farlands Estate was diverted through the new housing development and now forms the east section of Field Lane. Swinford House Estate was also sold and its land used for housing. These houses now run alongside the south side of the field and upper playground. |
| In 1965
Field Lane became the site of the new Oldswinford C.E. Junior School
[built by A.H. Guest Ltd. at a cost of £70,729 16s 2d.]. The School
Building was built on the raised west section of the field owned by the
Church. [After the Junior Dept. moved from Craufurd Street the Infant Dept. remained in Craufurd Street and renamed Oldswinford County Infants School.] During the late 1960's the gardens of the Tall House, at the junction of Hagley Road [south east side of Field Lane] now owned by a timber merchants, was sold and the site used to build 6 semi-detached houses. |
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Children at work on the playground 1969 |
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6 mobile buildings are brought onto site to house the Infant Dept. August 1977 |
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| In 1977 the Infants vacated the Craufurd Street site to join the Juniors in Field Lane forming the Oldswinford C.E. Primary School. The Infants were housed in temporary 'mobile' buildings brought onto the site [formerly used by a bank] and erected on the section of the field owned by the Church [below the raised east end of the field]. The Council at the time predicted that within five years all the children would be housed in the Junior building. However, the Infants occupied the temporary mobile buildings for the following twenty-three years. | |
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In
1980 a section of the
'Field Terrace' houses, on the north side of Field Lane, including the
10 back-to-back houses, were demolished. The site of the back-to-back
housing was replaced with 2 semi-detached houses. The land occupied by
the terraced houses lay vacant for seventeen years until new terraced
housing was built on the site in 1997 In 1987 the Council sold the raised east section of the field, part of the School's playing field adjoining Hagley Road, for £600,000. This section of the field lay unused for seven years until 1994 when new terraced housing and a petrol station were built on the site. The school did not benefit form the sale of the land. |
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Aerial Photograph of Field Lane and School 1980
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School Summer Fayre 1988 |
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In 1989 the School undertook a programme of tree planting and hedging along the border of Field Lane and other perimeters of the playing field. |
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Field Lane 1989 |
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Field Lane views 1992 |
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The new Infant Building 2000 - replacing the Infant mobiles which stood on the site for 23 years. |
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