‘Perry Common and Me’ Project Launched - Witton Lodge Community Association
Posted on 17 February 2015
An exciting heritage project has been launched, which will record and preserve the history of a north Birmingham suburb.
The ‘Perry Common and Me’ project has been made possible with £32,000 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to record the tremendous change in the area, especially over the past 25 years, with large scale demolition and rebuilding that has taken place. The project will allow a wealth of archive material, with everything from personal memories, photos, audio-visual material and anything else of interest, to be gathered together and preserved for future generations.
Built in the mid 1920s, work started on the Perry Common estate in 1924 on land that was formally Witton Lodge Farm, with the farmhouse standing roughly where ‘The Ring’ is today. The majority of homes in Perry Common were built from a new concept by property developer Henry Boot, built using concrete panels supported by a steel frame. The only brick built houses were built on the edge of the estate, spine roads and corner plots.
Though cheaper to build, these ‘Boot Houses’ did not stand the test of time and by the early 1980s, severe structural problems affected them, ranging from subsidence, cracks in concrete, dampness and rusting of the steel frames. In 1989 the decision was made by Birmingham City Council to demolish all 908 Boot Houses on the estate – leaving only the brick built houses standing.
Not wanting to move to the ‘four corners of the city’, local residents got together to form a resident’s association which eventually led to the creation of Witton Lodge Community Association in March 1994.
With the help of the community association and very passionate and enthusiastic residents, the estate was rebuilt in different phases – with the final phase of rebuilding taking place now.
The Perry Common and Me project was launched with great enthusiasm at Perry Common Library on Saturday 31st January – and will enable Witton Lodge Community Association, who are co-ordinating the project, to work with local residents, schools, organisations, businesses and former residents who have moved away from the area. The project will also see the employment of a Project Coordinator, create a new ‘Perry Common and Me’ website and other interesting heritage material.
Stephen Hughes, Head Teacher at Wilson Stuart School, who grew up in the area and shared his memories at the launch event said: “It was a great experience growing up in Perry Common and great to still be working in the area today. Perry Common really has seen tremendous change and it will be wonderful to be able to collect the memories and material, including my own memories, for future generations”.
These thoughts were also echoed by local resident and Chair of Witton Lodge Community Association, Linda Hines MBE, who has seen first-hand the vast changes in the area and has been keeping an impressive archive of these. Linda said: “When I moved to Perry Common with my young family in 1977, I would never have believed the amount of changes I have seen. From the letter I received in 1989 to say that my house was to be demolished, I have been taking photos and keeping letters, maps and everything else related to Perry Common. I’m so glad that I did and I know other people have interesting material out there”.
The ‘Perry Common and Me’ project will allow this important historical information to be preserved and will hopefully allow lots of new material and memories to come to light. It will also create a record of Perry Common today, for future generations.
Reyahn King, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “This project is a classic example of local people deciding the heritage that is important to them and banding together to collect stories and artefacts to keep a community’s memories and identity together in the face of great changes. We are delighted to be able to support their efforts.”
If you have any memories, photos or other interesting material, please contact James Carless at Witton Lodge Community Association on 0121 382 1930 or email [email protected].
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