Janet Collins – What Was Pebble Mill?

Elisabeth Seaborne

Elisabeth Seaborne, who worked in the Newsroom and in the Asian Unit, sadly died in January 2018.

Below are memories from those who worked with Elisabeth:

Diane Kemp: ‘I remember her from my days at Midlands Today. I always thought she was probably better read and more clued up than many of us (well certainly me). I also remember her telling me about working for Philip Donellan and Charles Parker. A direct link to two phenomenal documentary makers.
I’m sorry to hear she’s passed away.’

Carol Wilson: ‘When I knew her she was the camera diary supremo at Midlands Today. She seemed to know just about everyone. Sadly she became ill with MS and was incapacitated for most of her later years.’

Janet Collins: ‘Elisabeth also worked as Comms Clerk in the Planning Office’

Fred Hammond – Gosta Green Commissioner

Photo by Jim Gregory, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is of Fred Hammond, the Commissioner at the BBC Birmingham studios in Gosta Green, which pre-dated the Pebble Mill building. It was taken at the front of Gosta Green looking across to what was then Gosta Tech Students Union (now part of Aston University), circa mid 1960s.

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

Paul Hunt: ‘He so reminds me of the commissioners that used to man the doors of BH in London when I joined in 1985. They all knew you on first name terms and on special days they would proudly wear their white gloves under their epaulettes.’

Gordon Astley: ‘I remember him. I was there in 1969.’

Gail Everett: ‘I remember Fred very well, first person I met at BBC. He had a daughter who also worked at Pebble Mill but can’t remember her name.’

Janet Collins: ‘His daughter Olivia also worked at Pebble Mill.’

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.’

Pebble Mill 2004

Pebble Mill 2004 from pebblemill on Vimeo.

This video was recorded on December 11th, 2004 by John Sarson. By this time production had moved to the new BBC Birmingham headquarters at the Mailbox, and the excess equipment had been auctioned off, prior to the building being demolished in 2005. The site is now being redeveloped as a dental hospital.

Thanks to John Sarson, and the VT Oldboys for sharing this video. There is plenty more interesting material on the VT Oldboys website, so do take a look: http://vtoldboys.com/.

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

Terry Powell: ‘I walked through those doors for many a happy year’

Andy Marriott: ‘Where was the tape storage area?’

Pete Simpkin: ‘The nagging question is what happened to all the tapes in that library?’

Janet Collins: ‘Tape storage area was down stairs in the basement.’

Matt Toomer: ‘Did all those tapes get rescued or were they binned?’

Dancing at the BBC Club

Photos by Karen Bond, no reproduction without permission.

These photos of dancing in the BBC Pebble Mill Club date from the early 1990s. They mostly feature Pebble Mill series editor, Steve Weddle, taking to the dance floor, amongst others!

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

Marie Phillips: ‘Funny you posted this today. We were lunching with friends today at The Boot in Lapworth and in walked Steph Silk who I have bumped into twice in a week after 25 years. She was meeting former Pebble Millers, including Jenny Brewer and ….. Steve Weddle also 25 years on. Great to see everyone and share a few laughs. Steve was excited about his recently published book – available on Amazon! It must be part of the aging process but nobody looks any different as the years roll by.’

Judith Markall: ‘Remember dances in Studio 9 at Carpenter Road!’

Bridget Vaughan: ‘Tall girl could be Bev Dartnall, bless her.’

Janet Collins: ‘Sure it’s Bev and is the other person Julie Knee?’

Steve Weddle: ‘What is he like? Don’t answer that! And yes, that could be Bev – she was always full of fun and frolics, god bless her.’