Category: Memories

Roy Hill

I’ve heard from Terry Powell, that Roy Hill from costume sadly passed away a month ago (autumn 2017). Roy worked at Pebble Mill for over 10 years. Terry said that he was part of the ‘old gang’ and that old friends would like to know.

Thanks to Peter Church for adding the photo below, and to Terry Powell for identifying those in the photo. Included are I think: Roy Hill, Marc Ridley, Colin Bailey, Annie Arnold, Sally Pearson.

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Roger Casstles reminisces about BBC Pebble Mill

Specially shot video of Roger Casstles talking about why BBC Pebble Mill was a special place. The video is recorded on Pebble Mill Road, overlooking the site where Pebble Mill stood, and is now a dental hospital. Roger mentions some of the productions that came from Pebble Mill, like Pebble Mill at One, Midlands Today, The Archers, as well as the Midland Radio Orchestra, and being a centre for drama, but tells us that the really important thing was how people worked together, for instance post production working across all productions and the way that Graphics and Set Design departments collaborated with production. Roger Casstles was the creator and producer of The Clothes Show, the fashion magazine series which ran from the 1986-2000.

(The video was shot by BCU Media graduate, Ash Connaughton, with me, (Vanessa Jackson) asking the questions).

Roger Casstles at the site of Pebble Mill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Frizzell: ‘Had some great shoots with Roger in many countries around the world. As always talking a lot of sense. We were all saddened by the closing of ‘The Mill’.‘

Claire Chambers: ‘As Roger would say “ why answer a question with one word when thousands will do” ! Very well said’

Linda Hearn-Clapham: ‘Very happy memories of recording Hartbeat and The Movie Game at Pebble Mill in the 90’s!’

Joan Walsh

 

Pebble Mill canteen, photo by Philip Morgan, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan Walsh, who worked in the BBC canteen in Birmingham from 1952, sadly died last week (Oct 2017), aged 93. Louise Willcox has pieced together some of information about Joan’s career, with the help of former colleagues.

Joan worked at Carpenter Road, before Pebble Mill opened in 1971, rising through the ranks to become the second in command of the canteen. Eileen Bywater was brought in as Canteen Manager and she and Joan looked after the Pebble Mill canteen office. Jenny Brewer says that she was incredibly capable, delightfully calm and a joy to deal with.

Please add a comment, if you can add any more information about Joan.

The following comment were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Judy Markall: ‘Lovely lady. Her birthday was 28th May. I have many fond memories from when she was friends with my mom and then myself.’

Anne Smith: ‘Lovely lady, have lots of good memories of working with Joan and Eileen.’

Tracy Crump: ‘Sad, worked under Eileen and knew Joan.’

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Pebble Mill before the BBC

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission. This photograph shows the Pebble Mill site before the broadcast was built.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this short history of the BBC Pebble Mill site on a Facebook Page, ‘Birmingham Back in The Day’. Here is the link to it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1177026819016145/permalink/1645644118821077/?pnref=story.

“Pebble Mill was a fulling mill in the 16th century. Standing on the Bournbrook, it was also known as Kings Mill or Kynges Mill after John Kynge. On his death in 1557 this mill together with Over Mill at Edgbaston passed to his son, Roger Kynge. The mill was used for blade grinding in the mid-17th century and was a corn mill by the mid-19th century.

The millpool, which was drained in 1883 allegedly after a high incidence of suicides, became the site of the BBC Pebble Mill studios from c1960. The building was demolished in 2005 when services transferred to the Mailbox in the City Centre.”

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Comms reunion Sept 2017

copyright Jane Wolf Elledge, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the Pebble Mill Comms team met up for a reunion 28th Sept 2017.

Included in the photo are: Stewart Kelly, Chris Elliot, Graham Hewitt, Arif Mohammed, and Cliff Harvey.

Thanks to Jane Wolf Elledge for sharing the photo.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Marriott: …and none of them look a day older than when I first set foot in the Comms Centre back in August 2000. Happy days and fond memories.

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