Forum for former BBC staff - Wood Norton Pictures

Dickie Mint Senior Member Offline Posts: 259 Solihull, West Midlands Gender:	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #15 - Mar 9^th, 2011, 10:31am Yes I always remember thinking we can't have had a New Year's Day Public holiday back then! Ah! From : http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/bankholidays.html 1974! And there's so much junk on my PC drives I can't find the WN email yet! Richard
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Howard G Junior Member Offline Posts: 73	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #16 - Mar 9^th, 2011, 12:01pm I joined the BBC on 29th December 1969 and I was (with 13 others) sent to Wood Norton. I joined BBC Film Unit (TFS) as a trainee recordist which meant we did a 4 weeks condensed TO course. I remember that New Years Eve. So did my wife 80 miles away!!. Only the Beeb could do that to you....but it was all worth it
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Howard G Junior Member Offline Posts: 73	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #17 - Mar 9^th, 2011, 12:33pm The first New Years Bank Holiday was in 1973
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Dickie Mint

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #18 - Mar 9^th, 2011, 4:52pm

This site : http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/bankholidays.pdf also says 1974 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As does http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/metinfo/NFL/UKBankHolHistory.htm. No official references given though, apart from the Act mentioned.

An earlier paragraph in the TUC document seems to suggest that Scotland had it earlier due to the 1871 Bank Holidays Act.

Richard

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Regards,
Richard

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Howard G Junior Member Offline Posts: 73	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #19 - Mar 10^th, 2011, 5:25am Thank you Dickie you are correct QUOTE: 1973 2 January became an additional bank holiday in Scotland 1974 New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Boxing Day became an additional bank holiday in Scotland.
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KevinH

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #20 - Mar 18^th, 2011, 1:12am

So sad to see how run down the place looks.
I spent most of my BBC career at Wood Norton, 10 of the 11 years.
I started out with TA21 at the place. Returned less than a year later as a Lab Tech and built many of the training aids, wired studios and rebuilt the Lawlette 16mm processor.
Went on to do equipment maintenance and repair; that was followed by becoming an attached Lecturer for the final 4 or 5 years in the BBC.
35 years later I still have great memories of the place.
Living in Silly con Valley for the last 30 years; Ampex, Sat TV and semiconductors have paid the mortgages.
Great photos' guys.
All the best, Kevin

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alanh

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #21 - Mar 18^th, 2011, 9:38pm

What state is our former college at? I've seen the many sad pictures, know that the once main building became a hotel but is now closed. (Relations stayed there less than 2 years ago and thought it was very good.) If I look at http://www.bbctraining.com/facilitiesWN.asp it seems courses are still run there. Would I be correct in saying, yes to the training part (top of the drive) but no to any onsite accomodation (bottom of the drive) The bunker seems to be better guarded since I was there 1969 first (TA32), last about 1994 (some 3mc editing course). You could walk past it, in fact the bus went almost past it when they made the drive one way. It was always easy to know when it was going home time on a Friday if you were in Bredon Wing - they tested the generators (that didn't exist

) and the building vibrated. The picts make the place look a bit like a location for Dr. Who (again) - signs of life having been there but the people have all disappeared.

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ibeattieedwards YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 1	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #22 - Apr 8^th, 2012, 6:44pm I think I was on TA31 or 32. I did visit the bunker, and took pics.... but wife no 1 threw them away. Then to Bristol. Stayed about 4 years then got out, and went into aviation, and been there ever since. In Dubai, for last 5 years.... Ian Beattie-Edwards.
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RogerS

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #23 - Apr 26^th, 2012, 12:55pm

Definitely not 1968. I was on TA28 and that started in Jan 1968.

The bunker was a great disappointment when it was finally released for us to use it for training purposes when I was a lecturer back in the '70s. Brought up on stories of 24/7 lorries carting the spoil away for months on end. Of them using the tallest tower crane in the UK and the jib would only just clear the ground, it was so deep.....

...the reality two stories and not very big either. Two other crazy things about the place. First, there was no means of locking the main door from the inside. So come Armageddon and the hordes roaming the countryside, there would be no way of keeping them out! Second, they seemed to have connected up the airco the wrong way round as the inside was under negative pressure....so each time the front door was opened, any radioactive dust would have been sucked in!

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« Last Edit: Apr 27^th, 2012, 9:03am by RogerS »

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AndrewU

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #24 - Dec 20^th, 2012, 2:57pm

Just found the site. Now asking where the years have gone! Great photos, but so, so sad. I joined in 1976, and was on the TO course A36. The accommodation was in "A" wing, not as plush as the nice rooms that were built in the 80s. I remember the menu, and the restaurant opposite the Breedon wing. I remember the old bus that took us to the BBC club in town, before The Phoenix was built. But mostly I remember lining up valve ppms, tape machines, amplifiers. I also remember constant announcements for Mr I V Munn to pick up a call on extension... Can anyone tell me about I V Munn? so many memories. Happy Holidays, everyone. Andrew

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Roundabout

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #25 - Dec 21^st, 2012, 9:28am

Fine memories indeed Andrew, my first course was TA 15 in 1963 and lectures were often held in some prefabricated buildings out at the back. names of staff like Henman, Bowsfield and others. We lived in prefeb dorms which were like army barracks. We had a chance to produce a TV programme in the 'Gym' studio at the end of or final course TA16.
the old club was quite a place and we would congregate there to watch
Peter Coke and Dudley More on the club TV quaffing the famous BBC Club bacon sandwiches and yards of ale!

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Mikej

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Re: Wood Norton Pictures
Reply #26 - Dec 21^st, 2012, 1:10pm

I go back to TA22 and still the wooden huts and "D Block"
Was down there for a morning a few months ago. Very sad. At that time all the bit around the Main Building was fenced off and a sewage tank in the drive by the canteen as the sewage farm had been managed by the defunct hotel.
Only one Tx hut left full of junkj but loverly new News studio just opened behind the Phoenix.
Loads of empty classrooms and loads of kit but NO ONE there.
Canteen still open and brought back memories.
Breedon Wing (over that bit we didn't talk about) has some offices in use but fairly empty.
All very sad.
Mike

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Roundabout Full Member Offline Posts: 214	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #27 - Dec 22^nd, 2012, 9:24am I have now traced some Low Def. pictures of TA 16 at Wood Norton in the ea4rly 1960s...remember anyone? Link to http://s1126.beta.photobucket.com/user/petesimpkin/library/The%2060s%20at%20Wood...
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Micro YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 13	Re: Wood Norton Pictures Reply #28 - Dec 22^nd, 2012, 11:29am Oh, I have been looking for a TA16 group photo for years. Being mean, I never bought a copy! Thanks so much Pete. Should you not offer the group picture to one of the websites that host WN pictures? Such as bbceng.info or vtoldboys.com - both of these have an incomplete set of course photos. Micro
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