Sutton Coldfield's 'Crystal Palace' & Fair
1950's - 1960's
Images and information supplied by David Wilcox and are owned by him. David ran a cafe outside the main gate, now an Indian Restaurant.
It is people with the vision to take these images in the past, that are saving them for the future.

The railway vastly increased the number of visitors to the clean airs of Sutton Park and Job Cole ( born in Somerset in 1819 ) saw an opportunity to improve their visit and his earnings simultaneously. In 1868 he converted his market garden site at Wyndley into a pleasure ground and built a Crystal Palace; an imitation of the famous Great Exhibition of London building.( The site is now occupied by the Clifton Road Youth Centre). The attractions of his site included a hotel, stabling for 30 horses, accommodation for parties of up to 2000 people, 30 acres of grassland, steam and rowing boats on the pools, amusements, dancing, military bands, a fun fair and later zoological gardens. The gardens included a fernery, an Italian garden, croquet lawns, a bowling green, cricket, archery, an ornamental lake and shady avenues for ‘spooning’ (?? - mk).

By 1890 ownership was in the hands of Charles Earle. He introduced a miniature railway in 1907. In about 1910 Pat Collins a famous showman, acquired the business. He enlarged the funfair with modern and exciting equipment. In 1950 he sold the Big Dipper from Sutton to the organisers of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Over the years public interest waned and the site and attractions deteriorated. The funfair was closed and the Crystal Palace demolished in 1962. From information supplied by David Wilcox.

Judging by the size of Sutton Coldfield back then in he 40s, I would guess that most of these visitors came from Birmingham The image is from the 1940s and shows the park in its hey day.
The  'Crystal Palace' shown in the background remained as a glass dome through to the 60s. however the adjacent atrium was blacked out and converted to a dance hall,
(THE ORANGE GROVE) Many famous bands played there names like Ted Heath and Jack Parnell

A ride known as a 'Speedway', wooden bikes instead of waltzer type cars. Wallis' Fair (based in Towyn, near Rhyl) had one of these which H&S would have shut down in an instant if it were today. They would go quite fast and I actually fell off on one occasion (my own fault I might add). I had to 'rescue' a girl in Towyn in the summer of 1966 because it was going so fast that the centrifugal force was making her lean the wrong way and she was having problems holding on. She came from Walsall strangely enough! If you look at the image you can see the metal 'safety rails' upon which I would actually ride, legs locked behind the central bar, leaning over by as much as 50 degrees to counter the centrifugal force.

The scenic dragons were in the park in the 50s and 60s the organ was the centrepiece of this huge ride and played merrily to attract patrons to the park, the ride was scrapped
but the organ was saved, restored and travels to shows all over the country.

The Jets. These appeared around the same time as the de Haviland Comet, the worlds first jet passenger airliner, the same year I was born, 1949. Note: The word Comet on the nose

This map of the park was also provided by David Wilcox and is 1940's or 1950s. It is a big file so may take time to open (my notes in blue).

Miniature Railway was another Park attraction and images and details can be found on this site

http://www.suttonminiaturerailway.co.uk/

The Sutton Miniature Railway (SMR) was a 15 inch gauge railway which ran in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Over the years the line had several different locomotives. Eventually the railway closed down and everything went into long term storage, rather than being auctioned off. However in 2000/01, the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway (CCLR) stepped in with the aid of a Heritage Lottery Grant, to purchase and restore the majority of the stock. The 'Sutton Collection', as it has become known, moved straight to Cleethorpes where restoration began in earnest, to ensure as many people as possible could enjoy and experience the collection which had been stored away for 40 years! As well as 'Sutton Belle', 'Sutton Flyer' and S.M.R. No.4, the CCLR also secured the 6 enclosed coaches, 4 open coaches and a small signal box, as well as steelwork from the S.M.R. sheds and station, which has allowed the CCLR to create a large and impressive 'train-shed' canopy over their central station. Unfortunately, S.M.R. No.3 'Mighty Atom' was not sold as part of the collection, and still remained in the hands of a private owner, in storage awaiting restoration. With the proper No.3 stored, the opportunity was taken in 2007, to repaint a fellow Bassett-Lowke Class 10 Atlantic, namely 'Red Dragon' from the Windmill Farm Railway, into S.M.R. livery and have it masquerade as No.3. for a special Sutton gala being held at Cleethorpes. So, for the weekend, 'Red Dragon' became S.M.R. No.3 in it's 'Prince of Wales' guise. In 2008 SMR No.3 - 'Mighty Atom' was secured by the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway to complete the Sutton Collection, it is to be restored and will be run on the line at Cleethorpes. Locomotives and rolling stock from the 'Sutton Collection' run regularly at the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway.CCLR Runs daily throughout the season (Easter-November) and at weekends out of season. It ran from the entrance of the park in a loop which passed behind the cafe at Wyndley Pool, and returned to the station.

Station & Train

'Crystal Palace' & Bertram Mills Circus. Images: David Wilcox

A gent called Andy sent me this postcard showing the 'palace' on the right hand side it is pre war but actual era unknown. This area in the image is now an established 'forest' of trees
and the view is actually quite hidden now, it could even pre date WW1, who knows.