| This is well known as Acocks Green's community centre
today. However it started its life as part of St Mary's church. The Church
wanted to see a place on the new estate, where St Mary's could reach out to
the new communities coming to live there. 0.72 acres was bought by the
Diocese from the Corporation on 26th July 1927 for just under £560 (the
conveyance was completed on 27th March 1928). The
Foundation Stone was laid on 2nd November 1935. The name of the new
building was announced in July 1936: Bishop Westcott Church Hall. Some were
not in agreement with this name, but he was a local man, having been
educated at King Edward VI School. He later became Bishop of Durham, from
1890 until his death. The Hall was dedicated on 26th
September 1936. A procession of white-robed choir members and church and
civic dignitaries walked from Dolphin Lane schools to Greenwood Avenue.
About 325 people attended the ceremony. Here are some extracts from St
Mary's Magazine:
This Church
Hall, (the Bishop) said, was the beginning of a scheme to serve what was
known as the Fox Hollies Estate, an area formerly farm land and now one of
fine roads and houses. These growing estates imposed an obligation on us as
Churchmen and to this end an appeal was launched and now reached the figure
of £78,000, but must reach the figure aimed for to be wholly successful. The
building was designed by Messrs. J.A. Chatwin and Son and built by Messrs.
Geo. Webb, and had a simple dignity which in its simplicity, the Bishop
considered, was attractive....He hoped the Hall would be a centre of "good
living, wholesome ideals and social enthusiasm", and he thought in time to
come the name given to the Hall would be fully appreciated...Councillor
Bailey Cox expressed his pleasure in being present, not only as deputy for
the Lord Mayor but also as senior councillor for the ward. He regarded the
ceremony as the inauguration of a new era in Acocks Green, the creation of a
centre of religious and social activity for all time. If, added the
Councillor, he said the building was long overdue he was stating the
obvious. The Local Authority provided homes, gardens and open spaces, and
left it to the Church to provide its own places of worship. This building
had only been made possible by the existence of the Bishop's Appeal, to
which the Bishop had given such enthusiasm. The Appeal Fund did not provide
all but left it to local churchpeople and those who were to use the Hall to
complete the work.
Apart from four services on Sunday, a choir was formed, a
Tuesday class started, and the Girls' brigade, Girl Guides, Lads' Brigade
and Boy Scouts began meeting at the Hall. A club for over-14s began on
Friday evenings. Later a Sanctuary Guild, a Men's Class, a Mothers' Meeting
and a Social Circle met there.
The Bible Club panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, c. 1947
(thanks to Dennis Simons for this photo)
St Mary's used the Hall until 1963. On 25th March of that
year the City
leased the site back from the Diocese, but it did not occupy it until July
or August, after which there was no St. Mary's caretaker. (Thanks to Mary Law for
help with the lease
information). We do not know what use the city made of it for the next few
years. Around 1970 the building became
Greenwood Youth Centre, but then it was decided to refurbish it, and it
closed for many months, while alterations were made. By September the
building belonged to Hartfield School, and had been renamed Fox Hollies
Forum. (A new lease dates from
26th November 1971, made within the 1968 to 1996 lease period). A brick wall was built
in front of the stage at the far end, which produced a workshop area at the
back of the building. A low ceiling was put in, and an office was created at
the front. Malcolm Currie was appointed Head of Community Activities at Hartfield
School, which involved being responsible for the development of the Forum.
Soon a whole range of community activities developed. Below is the list of
activities at the Forum in 1976, from that year's Carnival programme.
In September 1971 Fox Hollies Forum was planning to start a folk club. In 1972, music was extended, with
rock and acoustic concerts, film nights, and talks on Sunday evenings. One
of these concerts was given by the Fishnet Tight Swing Orchestra! At this
stage, Fox Hollies Forum was one of only a few leisure centres in
Birmingham. Their summer playscheme visited Twycross Zoo on July 22nd 1972.
Hartfield School's bus took most of the passengers, over 50 children and 19
adults. The rest went in Rev. Tabraham's van.
For the first 25 years or so the City was able to pay a
peppercorn rent, but since 2001 it has had to pay a fair rent.
More about Fox
Hollies Forum Fox
Hollies and the Walker family
The origins of Fox Hollies
The Walker era
Sale catalogue, Fox Hollies Hall
Housing between
the wars
Fox Hollies
since the war
Acocks Green Carnival
Hall Green Little Theatre
Fox Hollies Forum
Fox Hollies Special School
Ninestiles School
Childhood memories of Jean Mercer
The work of Dave
Swingle
The work of Elsie Carter
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