Andy Bentley – What Was Pebble Mill?

Barry Smith

Barry Smith, former Head of Personnel, has died suddenly in hospital. He moved his home from Warwickshire to Northern Ireland some years ago, having retired from Pebble Mill in 1991.

The following comment is from Louise Willcox, who remembers working with Barry Smith fondly:

“I am sorry to hear about Barry Smith. I spent many an interesting day negotiating with him, with my ‘lay’ BECTU hat on. He did his best to be honorable, within the constraints placed upon him by the BBC.

After him came the world of Human Resources – a role-change explained to me by a BBC Personnel Officer, who took demotion, rather than swap. The difference, she told me, was that a Personnel Officer’s role gave them the satisfaction of looking after the welfare of staff (from hardship loans to arranging time off for staff in emergencies), not just advising ‘the management’ on emloyment law and implementing change for them. Human Resources is the management of humans as units of work, only. I nicknamed Barry’s replacement the Head of Human Robots!

Barry was definitely Head of Personnel and felt his ‘duty of care’ keenly. My condolences to his family.”

(Thank you to Jim Dumighan, Annie Gumbley Williams and Louise Willcox for this information).

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

Marie Phillips: ‘I am very sorry to hear that former Head of Personnel and Administration, Barry Smith, died a week ago. Barry had lived in Belfast for some years since retiring and his Funeral was held there yesterday [15th Jan]. I was Secretary to his Deputies – Andy Tylee and Bridget Allen before moving to CIN and shared an Office with his Secretary, Jeanette Read. Barry always worked very hard in the very best interests of staff and I am sure there will be many memories of the help he gave.’

Andy Bentley: ‘I remember Barry manning the North Road gate during a strike, he said afterwards he could not believe the amount of abuse he got because the car park was full. He was very sympathetic to us after that.’

Jane Upston: ‘Dear Barry, a fantastic boss. I worked in Personnel for 10 years, first as Maggie Molloy’s and Barry’s P A and then as Personnel Officer Network Television. I remember you well Louise. I was then Jane Morgan.’

Ed Billington: ‘Sad to hear this news always a nice guy I remember sitting in my 3 wheeler outside pebble mill one night on picket duty for the union and he came to see if I was ok and told me if gets to cold go home to bed.’

Guide to Your Payslip

This Guide to Your Payslip was published in 1987, but was still being issued to new staff many years later. The booklet seems more complex than the actual payslip itself, and I bet most staff never read it!

Thanks to Dharmesh Rajput for sharing this booklet, and for keeping his copy safe all these years.

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

Andy Bentley: ‘1987 was the year I started at Pebble Mill, I remember this but you are right I never read it.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I once tried to read it! Gave up. But my gut instinct always told me if the figures were wrong!’

Sheila Brown RIP

Sheila Brown sadly died on 14th April 2015, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Sheila started work as a secretary in Personnel, and then later in the Press Office and PR department, organising visitor tours of Pebble Mill.

Sheila is shown in the right of this photograph, which was taken at the Friday Night at the Mill party in 2004. The party which marked the closing of the Pebble Mill building, prior to its demolition in 2005.

Clara Hewitt, Janet Collins, Margaret Barton, Sheila Brown. Photo by Ruth Barretto, no reproduction without permission

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

Andy Bentley: ‘Remember Shiela well, she received an MBE if I remember right. Lovely Lady.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘We used to take parties around the Mill, including parties of staff newly arrived at Bush House. Sheila used to organise the catering and for some inexplicable reason, there was always one or two bottles of red wine left over. A very sweet lady and an accomplished ballroom dancer in her younger days.’

Jane Ward: ‘Wasn’t she a keen ballroom dancer?’

Conal O’Donnell: ‘I remember Sheila very well- quite mischievous on her way & always good fun .I am sorry to learn of her passing.’

Julian Hitchcock: ‘What a lovely, funny soul she was: her very memory brings a warm smile to all who knew her. I do hope she enjoyed her later years.’

Tim Manning: ‘I’m so sorry to hear the news about Sheila; she was – as others have said – a lovely lady, and someone who cared deeply about Pebble Mill. And yes, Jane Ward, she was a very keen and skilled ballroom dancer; when I was directing a film for The Golden Oldie Picture Show, she loaned me all her trophies and lots of memorabilia.’

Marie Phillips: ‘Sheila was very kind to me when CIN was regarded as something of a misfit in the Press Office. Very very efficient. A well deserved MBE.’

Andy Caddick: ‘We used to have long chats on the No1 bus on the way to Pebble Mill. So sad, lovely lady.’

Mary Kendall RIP

From Pebble Mill News 1984. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Mary Kendall, better known as Rosie from Radio WM’s long running 80’s series, The Barmaid’s Arms, and my Mum, died yesterday, 21st January 2015, after a short illness.

Mum had been living quietly in Worcestershire over the last few years, before moving to Shropshire last year. She passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.

Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez (Son)

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘So sad to hear this news. Always enjoyed working with her and remember her reporting for my afternoon show which followed the Barmaids. She was a very individual and lively lady from a talented family. I remember her Dad recording a couple of programmes for me featuring his wartime memories. Outside of work my wife Pat and l would often meet up with her on holiday in Mid Wales where she had an ancient caravan which was her beloved escape from work. In fact we inherited her lovely van when she moved in to a newer one. Always remembered. RIP Mary.’

Sue Welch: ‘Such a friendly lady.’

Andrew Thorman: ‘I’m glad we are able to share such sad moments while remembering the good times.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes I worked with Mary and Malcolm Stent on Barmaids Arms and I am so sad to hear this. She was such a lovely lady and a delight to work with. Oh yes Ann I remember you and Ivor getting together! I loved working on the series and the Producer was John Clarke.’

Viv Ellis: ‘Sad indeed, “The Barmaid’s” was on immediately after my show they were both such fun to work with.’

Steve Woodhall: ‘Very sad news. I fondly remember the show, the banter, the pub fx (obviously live!) & the sig tune (Malt & Barley Blues), etc. RIP Mary.’

Maggy Whitehouse: ‘Aw … well I’m sure there are quite enough lovely watering places in heaven which need someone like Mary. I remember her well from my time at WM. Never heard a bad word spoken about her. Ah yes, Steve, the live fx! Would that we actually could have popped in for half an hour on our lunch breaks…’

Ann Gumbley-Williams: ‘Such sad news. Ivor and I first got together on the Barmaids Arms when it was being recorded in Studio A. The rest is history. Such a lovely lively lady.’

Gill Thompson: ‘I worked with Mary when I first joined the BBC, she was a lovely lady, such sad news.’

Andy Bentley: ‘Remember Mary well always up for a laugh.’

Ed Billington: ‘Sad news she was always happy’

Carole Lowe: ‘Sad news remember the show well it was great condolences to her family’

Lorraine Randell: ‘So very sad…I worked with Malc and “Rosie” in the 1980s…she was great to work with..I have many fond memories of those days.’

Belinda Essex: ‘Ah that’s really sad. She used to look after the audience for Daytime Live when Malcolm was the warm up guy.’

Stephen Lloyd-Gonzalez: ‘I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all most sincerely for your kind comments about my mother, Mary ‘Rosie’ Kendall. I know that she would have been genuinely surprised to see that she was still remembered so fondly and by so many. Your comments have fuelled my already immense pride in my Mum, so my deep thanks to you all for that.
I recognise many of your names and faces, from my time as a grubby teenager hanging around the lengthy corridors of Pebble Mill. Happy days indeed!
My very best wishes to you all and thanks again.’

Pebble Mill Props Cages

Photo by Karen Bond, no reproduction without permission.

This photo shows some of the props cages at Pebble Mill, together with a man in a very bright florescent vest! Props cages tended to be stored either in the basement of the building, or near the scene dock on the ground floor. They had wheels on the base, and so could be wheeled around easily. They were mostly used for dramas, although the studio and make-over shows also used them. I remember sometimes the cages weren’t where you’d left them, because they had been wheeled away by someone, which was rather disconcerting!

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

Steve Johnson: ‘I remember these. I used to work in the News Library next to the newsroom so was often in the basement looking for tapes or film reels.’

Andy Walters: ‘There are still a couple of props cages in the Horsefair car park. They still have the names of the last home makeover shows they were used for scribbled on the side in chalk.’

Marie Phillips: ‘Lovely House Services comandeered several each October for storing my Children In Need merchandise in the cabin loaned for free every year. Also – one Appeal Night me and Gyn Freeman got stuck in a lift behind one and had to keep going up and down until there was someone to rescue us. If you know Gyn and I you will know how funny that was !!’

Carol Churchill: ‘I remember the Props parties, well when l say remember that may be stretching the truth!’

Scott Holdsworth: ‘There were loads of these throughout the basement. I remember when Can’t Cook Won’t Cook finished and all the brand new pans were stored there for years. When there was a clear out I ended up with a kitchen full of lovely new utensils.’

Andy Bentley: ‘Props was great for fun when on nights, when we were in the old Security office at the back of the building we got a head from props. We put the head on a long pole and put it up to the edit suite window above the office. I reckon they could hear Trudy [Offer] and Ingrid [Wagner]’s screams in town. It looks more like Mervin in the photo.

Ruth Kiosses: ‘Best memories of the Props/costume store best known as Smelly (Oak). The Props Lads as they were affectionately known were real characters, especially Jacko who gave himself a wonderful long title which meant props lad. They had a tea room furnished in old Howards’ Way set so the drawers were dummies but it looked swish. I remember a lot of practical jokes after shooting a sex shop scene for a ‘murder mystery’? Series (title eludes me) although I remember costumes really well, lead lady in full Burberry check trousers etc, fabulous purple suede suit! Anyway the props as you can imagine were inflated and used for all sorts of interesting decorations!!!’

Teresa Fuller: ‘Was only privileged to visit Pebble Mill once, on an induction day. But when I worked at The Mailbox, we had storage cages over at the multi storey car park (the one with local rats and the fear of having a friendly local resident chucking something from the adjacent tower block as you walked back from your hire car drop-off)! Anyway, we used the cages to store props for To Buy or Not to Buy and one day a colleague and I had the pleasure of cleaning a cage out that was covered in mouse droppings. Nice.’

Andy Bentley: ‘There was also the skeleton propped up against a door in the basement so when Ted went on patrol and opened the door it fell out on him. Again I reckon the screams could be heard in town.’