Edgmond break for Midlands youngsters
Meet the class of '51, a group of youngsters from the West Midlands having a great break at a grand hall near Newport.
This picture comes from Norman Powell, of Bucknell, and shows youngsters from St Michael's Secondary Modern School, Langley, Oldbury, in front of the hall.
"Edgmond Hall had been acquired by the Oldbury education authorities and provided two weeks' holiday each year for 14 and 15 year old boys and girls from schools in the Oldbury area," says Norman, who was born at the bottom of Oldbury High Street in 1937 and grew up in Langley.
He says that recently he has been contacted by a schoolmate he had not seen for 62 years, who had also been in touch with some others, leading to a reunion.
The Edgmond Hall Camp School was opened on August 19, 1937, by the Mayor of Oldbury, Alderman B.T. Robbins and was host to thousands of schoolchildren who had a stay in the Shropshire countryside - a role which continues to this day.
A 1961 newspaper article said: "For a modest fee of £1, the youngsters are transported to and from Edgmond and provided with full board for their 12-day stay."
The amount did not cover the full cost, the balance being made up by the local education authority.
The various duties, like sweeping, dusting, general kitchen work, and "spud-bashing" were done in strict rotation.
The hall, the article said, stood in 45 acres of grounds and was a former Georgian residence which was acquired by Oldbury Education Committee in 1936 at a cost of £4,000.
The head in 1961 was Eric Sorrill, who had formerly been the head of an approved school.
"The boys probably take three days to grow accustomed to the way of life, but in two days the girls have settled and have grown quite used to it," he told a reporter.
It was always the girls who shed the tears when it was time to leave.
One thing the visitors had to contend with was not one ghost, but two.
A locker in Dormitory One was reputed to contain the ghost of the "Lady in Grey," although nobody seemed to know who she was, while the other ghost was Madam Piggott, although she had not been seen near the hall. Edgmond residents reported seeing her searching the fields for her lost baby.
The West Midlands link with the hall continues, as Edgmond Hall is a centre for outdoor learning owned and run by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
