C h a p te r T h eO r ig ina n dE v o lu t io n S e ttle m e n ts s of

This book t e l l s the story o f the Birmingham Settlement in Newtown and Kingstanding, of how the charitable endeavour of the women of a number of Well-to-do Birmingham families b e c a m e an important social institution. The Birmingham Settlement like t h e area around it had been subject t o great social Change and has lost much of its original character. Poverty itself has become less a matter of acute material distress than of relative deprivation and difficulty in meeting commonly A S S U M E D standards of behaviour. Yet, though much has altered, much remains. The Settlement is still based on a sound foundation of voluntary effort, some of it provided by the same families who established it in 1899. Many of the services and amenities provided by the Settlement for its neighbours today would not be unfamiliar to the founding ladies; indeed they would recognise some of their own ideas refurbished in the context of the late twentieth century. The Settlement of the past lives on kindly in the memory of those who used its services many years ago; they too would find much to recognise in the Settlement of the present. This book is therefore not only about the adaptation of a humane design to changing circumstances, the substitution of professional service for amateur beneficence, of public responsibilities for private compassio n, but also about continuity in purpose and the maintenance of a traditio n.

C h a p te r3 ' T h eF o u n d s ro f t h eW o m esn S e ttle m e n t e

The Settlement was founded by the National Union of Women Workers, which was not, as its name might suggest, a trade union of female wageearners but the successor to the Ladies Union of Workers among Women and Children. So little is remembered of the Settlement's origins and so interesting is this part of its story that it has seemed worth devoting a whole chapter to the matter. In almost every town in Britain in the last thirty years of the nineteenth century there were associations of ladies devoted to improving the health and

living conditio ns of women and children. Lectures were given to mothers on the care of children; homes and hostels were set up for prostitutes and destitute girls; enquiries were made into the working conditions of factory girls; holidays in the country were arranged for poor children. Miss Ellice Hopkins, a colleague of Mrs Josephine Butler in the campaign for the better treatment of women , and the founder of the White Cross League which sought to teach men treat women with more respect, 1 argued that these ladies' associations should be locally with more respect argued that these ladies' associations should be locally co-ordinated to prevent overlap. Sheffield was the first large town to do so; in the mid-1880s a federation of seven organisations, including the Young Women's Christian Association, the Girls' Friendly Society and the British Womens Temperance Association, was created. The new body was called the Sheffield Ladies' Union of Workers among Women and Girls. The club began with a membership of sixty and grew to well over one hundred in the 1930s but by then its character had changed. It had its own committee and for some years Canon Blofeld served as Presiden t. Professor Muirhead was often present. Regular club suppers were held. The Rotary Club provided food, usually pork and apple pie, which was cooked in the Settlement kitchen. Distinguished visitors, among them Sir Wyndham Deedes, then President of the Federation of Settlements, 7 attended the suppers. All the clubs held suppers during the mid-1920s as the Warden considered it good experience for members to invite and introduce guests. The Junior Boys' Club invited Sir Charles Grant Robertson, the Principal of the University; th e Senio r Boys invited players from Aston Villa. Members chose the menu, frequentl y: fish and chips or faggots and peas. At Christmas all clubs had parties in the specially decorate d Hall and the Warden and residents were present at every one. It must have been an exhausting time. From 1924 summer holidays were organised by the Settlement for the adult clubs as well as the youth clubs. Empty b o a r d i n g -schools were hired at Rhyl, South sea-, Malvern, Bognor and Weston-Super-Mare. In the 1930s these were to become family holidays as members married and wanted to continue the tradition of annual holidays. ' In 1927 part of the urban district of Perry Barr was included in the newly extended boundaries of Birmingham and new housing estates were built at Kingstanding and Perry Common to which over-crowded and badly housed residents from the City centre were decanted. Kingstanding had excellent houses,

wide roads and fresh air - perhaps too much space for the residents' taste because it was called "Little Russia". But there was no industry and only two bus routes A to the centre of Birmingham. In the early thirties those who were fortunate enough to be employed had either to buy bicycles or pay costly bus fares to travel to work. Kingstanding was described as 'the estate without a soul." With a population of over thirty thousand, including many young families, it lacked all communal facilities, having no park, library or swimming pool. People did not "neighbour"; the semi-detached houses were set well apart and there were no corner shops. The only recreational facilities on the whole estate were a cinema and six public houses. Club members among the new residents of Kingstanding missed the companionship of the Settlement so much that they wanted still to attend the clubs but found the length and the cost of the journey too much. The solution was to take the Settlement to its expatriate members. In 1931 the hall and one class-room at the Cranbourne Road School in Kingstanding were Miss Moffat, with the help of M iss (now Baroness) Faithfull and M iss D u n n (now Mrs Chinn), who had been both students and members of Staff at Summer lane, started two clubs for girls there. The success of the Kingstanding clubs was such that a Committee, chaired by Mrs William Tangye, was set up to explore the possibilities of obtaining permanent premises for them. Helpers were enlisted to start clubs for boys with the guidance of Mr Wilfred Chinn, then a resident at Summer Lane. Scout, Cub, Guide and Brownie groups were established as well. In 1932 Miss A.K. Lloyd, who had been a student at Summer Lane, was appointe d the first Organising Secretary of the branch of the Settlement in Kingstanding and in 1934 she moved into 610 Kingstanding Road, the house rente d by the Committee . In 1935, when Miss Lloyd became ill , Miss O.D. Clarke took her place. She was succeeded by Miss Nancy Fear who became Organising Secretary in 1938 and was to stay at Kingstanding for sixteen and a half year s. The early years at Kingstanding were hard for the Organising Secretaries. The residence was uncomfortable, food inadequate, the estate bleak and cold and there was too much work to do. By 1933 there were more than two hundred and fifty young people attending the clubs. Clearly it was necessary to build a Settlement in Kingstanding . In 1934 Mrs Tangyes Committee launched an a p p e a l . The Committee member s were Miss F.M. Barrow, Mr J. Christopher Cadbu ry , Mr W.H. Chinn, Mr R. Cotta m, Mrs J.A. Froggat, Mrs A.S. Giles, Miss H.C.M. Gibbs, Miss M.V. Moffat and Mr S.T. Walker. 750 was given by the John Feeney Charitable Bequest and 932 r a i s e d in donations from Settlement subscribers and their friends. The Mayoress of Sutto n Coldfiel d set up a Committee and roused the enthusiasm of her friends so much that there was developed a relationship between Sutton Coldfield and the Settlement which has survived to the present time. A mortgage was obtained for 610 Kingstanding Road which became the residence , and a club-room, library and two smaller rooms were built on the land beside it. The remaining land behind the house was turned into a playing-field; the work was carried out by students and unemployed men under the supervision of the head gardene r of the Princess Alice Orphanage. Sheep were

borrowed to keep down the grass. Plants were given for the garden. Friends responded to appeals for sports equipment and books. By the end of 1934 the new premises had become a centre for the whole neighbourhood . Parent s of the young club members attended meetings there. Clubs set up their own committee s and took responsibility for their affairs. When Mr Wilfred Chinn left Birmingham, a member of the Senior Boys' Club, Mr C.R. (Pip) Walker assumed its leadership. Club displays were organised in conjunction with the Perry Barr and Kingstanding Communit y Association. An annual Sports Day was established. Jumble Sales were organised and the young secretary of the Girls' Club noted in the minute-book that "the tables should be fixed next time" after an especially boisterous sale. New estates like Kingstanding were growing in 1 29, but only people who could afford rents up to 17s. a week were able to move. In that year a skilled metal worker could earn between 4 and 5 a week unskilled metal workers earned about 2. 5s. Rents of back-to-back houses ranked from 7s. to lOs. The cost of unfurnished accommodation varied. Many unemployed people in the neighbourhood of the Settlement moved into the empty public houses in the mid-1930s. There, for a month, they could live without paying rent. This type of accommodation was known locally as "the furnished whacks".

At the beginning of the War Kingstanding ran children's clubs in the day-time until the schools reopened. It also had a Citizens' Advice Bureau and was a centre for the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association. The popular youth-leader, Mr "Pip" Walker, joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, but in true Kingstanding spirit other club members assisted in running the youth clubs and continued to do so when Miss Dawson was appointed youth-leader in 1941. The club sent regular newsletters and parcels to all members serving in the Forces. In the summer of 1941 Kingstanding rented a cottage near Malvern for three months; nearly two hundred members, including mothers and families, spent holidays there. There was much out-door activity that summer, cycling, hiking and camping, and those who could not leave Birmingham made full use of the Settlement playing field In the following year six allotments were made on the playing field and maintained by neighbours. Club members then had to use the playing field of the Community Association. The residence at Kingstanding was big enough to accommodate only the Warden and staff. More people wished to "settle" there, especially students. In 1942 the adjoining house, 612, was acquired on mortgage and it became possible to accommodate eight residents. The additional people were especially welcome as work in the youth clubs was increasing; it could only be maintained by extra

help from residents as older club members were "called-up". In 1943 there were three hundred members in the Young People's Mixed Club alone. All the other clubs started before the War were flourishing and in 1943 the Men's Club was reopened. Some of the members formed a light orchestra, using their own instruments and the Settlement piano. Concerts were given on Sunday nights. The clubs combined in a Variety Show in "Wings for Victory" week and gave other performances in aid of the Kingstanding Nursing Association. It is characteristic of Kingstanding that profits made by performances were always given to worthy causes. There was a spirit of self-sufficiency in all the activities of the "daughter Settlement": Members had an effective Clubs Council and arranged a Clubs' Display in 1944 when "the large hall was filled to capacity with an enthusiastic audience". Plays were produced and one young actor, John Hopwood, was accepted as a pupil at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Drama School. The Youth Parliament organised a Youth Rally and ran side-shows during the "Holidays at Home Sports Galas in 1944. The Youth Committee of the British Association of Residential Settlements chose Kingstanding for its first provincial conference in 1944. Forty young people from other settlements were entertained by club-members and discussions ranged over a wide number of national and international issues. Two Kingstanding members expressed interest in training as youth-leaders and began attending Workers' Educational Association classes. Kingstanding Settlement was a very busy place in 195 0. There were clubs every afternoon and evening. The Music and Drama groups joined to produce an opera , "The Kings Minstrel", under the leadership of Mr Pullen and Mr Proctor. The Drama group was encouraged by Mr Amies "to tackle Shakespeare for the first time " and "Twelfth Night" was well reviewed. Programmes were printed and photographs show magnificent stage 1'roductions of operas and plays by the adults as well as the school-girls' performance of "Mrs Snagge, Detective".

The Speakers' Team won the Courier Cup in an open contest organised by the Warwickshire Rural Community Council. The badminton team reached the finals of the Industrial League. The boys in the Youth Club won first place in the Birmingham Federation Table Tennis League. The Mothers Club held a party

for its oldest member on her eightieth birthday. The Orchestra practised weekly and gave concerts in Birmingham as well as at the Settlement. All the junior clubs were very active as were the Cubs, Scouts and Brownies but no Captain could be found for the Guides. M iss Fear took a small party from the Senior Club for their first holiday abroad in the Austrian Tyrol. In 1950 she wrote: "The Senior Club's chief activity has been getting married". Many wedding receptions were held at the Settlement. The Festival of Britain took place in 1951 and Kingstanding held a fete in which all the clubs participated. In 1952 Kingstanding "came of age". The clubs combined to produce a great Club Display, and there was a twenty-first birthday party and a Thanksgiving Service in October. For the first time in its history the Annual General Meeting of the Settlement was held at Kingstanding. The "daughter Settlement" had grown up.