A new bench has made an appearance in Brandwood End Cemetery. The Friends have no idea who provided it, but it sits near the Cross of Sacrifice on the main Drive and its design suggests a link to the Great war. 
Category: Community
Choking Ivy removed from historic graves.
Our thanks to the committee members and volunteers who turned out to help remove the Ivy from some 0f the historic graves near the Chapels last weekend. We are only able to do this at certain prescribed times each year as the Ivy provides nesting areas for some of our beautiful birds from the spring onwards. A special thank you to the volunteers from Alvechurch who gave up their time to help committee members.
Transformed……from the overgrown view on the left to the cleared area on the right!!
The sad news is that this needs to be done often and it only seems like yesterday that it was cleared before! Our thanks again for everyone’s efforts.
Last litter pick of 2014!
This will be the last weekend in 2014 that the Friends will be holding a Litter Pick and clean up in the Cemetery. The details are as follows:-
Meet by the Lodge on the main drive. 10am (Usually finished by 11.30am)
Sunday 7th December. Litter pickers and sacks provided but suitable shoes and gloves advisable.
If Litter Picking is not up your street, we always have plenty of weeding to do under the hedges in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance. You will have to bring your own tools for this task.
Access to our ‘photostream’ on Flickr
If you would like to see more photographs taken in Brandwood End Cemetery, why not try using this link.
Christmas shopping on Amazon? Please think of us….
Dear Friends….If you will be Christmas shopping on Amazon this year please consider using the Icon for their site at the top of this web page. It costs you no more and takes just a second longer but for every purchase you make, FBEC receive a small donation.
It’s possibly a bit early- but Seasons Greetings to all our members and followers on the web from the Committee of FBEC.
New Road Markings in Brandwood End Cemetery
Those of you that visit the cemetery often will have noticed the sudden appearance of ‘give way’ white road markings at the end of avenues and especially surrounding the Chapel Island.
Speeding inside the cemetery has long been an issue but on a number of occasions recently cars have pulled out of avenues at speed or onto the island area without considering traffic already on that island or main drive. This has resulted in a number of near accidents with cars and pedestrians, so the roads have now been marked to remind people to ‘give way’
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Please remember that there is a 5 mph speed limit within the cemetery and that there are often pedestrians who may be tending graves close to the edge of roads or walking through the cemetery.
Please reduce your speed and remain vigilant as we would hate to have someone injured whilst visiting their loved one’s grave.
Poppy Cross Cemetery in place.
Every year Barrie Simpson goes beyond the call of duty and as well as organising the placing of a poppy cross on every war grave within Brandwood End he also creates a ‘poppy cross cemetery’. Every War Grave is represented by a cross in a grid pattern laid out on the grass of the Public Grave area adjacent to the Cross of Sacrifice.
Every year we encourage pupils from the two schools that lie on either side of the cemetery to come and read the information that is posted nearby and it hopefully becomes a discussion point- especially in this significant year.
Our thanks go to the staff of Wates Construction for helping with the placing of crosses on graves and S. Gascoigne and Sons for their kind donation to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal on our behalf.
Damaged Hedge repaired.
Nicola Clarke, Horticultural Development Manager for Quadron Services, helped replant an area of hedge in the Commonwealth War Graves area after it was accidentally damaged. Luckily there had been some of the hawthorn hedging remaining after the recent planting and it had been ‘growing on’ in nearby Broad Lane Allotments.
The Friends are always in need of Volunteers to help with weeding in this area and our Civilian Garden of Remembrance. If you think you can spare some time, please contact us at friendsofbec@gmail.com.
Jasmin Fields Work Day
Sunday the 19th of October will see lots of activity at our local Nature Reserve of Jasmin Fields. Following the fire and destruction of the bridge walkway to the canal, the Friends and local Ranger will be relaying a pathway across this area. There will be litter picking, ‘Balsam Bashing’ , bulb planting and general tidying so they need as much help as possible.
Please meet at the Farm gate entrance in Jasmin Croft at 10am. There will be people on site from 10am-4pm so if you can drop in any time, they will welcome your help.
Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Children under 16 must be supervised by an adult.
Edward Davison and his burial in Brandwood End.
Not many people will have heard of Edward Davison, however, he played a large part in King’s Heath life and his obituary was reported in the Birmingham Daily news in July 1908. He had died on 27th June 1908 at his residence Tenbury House at the age of 73. 
He was a native of Wakefield, Yorkshire where he was born in 1835. Mr. Davison came to Birmingham in 1851 to learn the trade of his uncle, whose business Joseph Nichols and Son, Cheapside became one of the largest wireworks in the kingdom. He was elected President of the Birmingham branch of the Federated Wireworkers and Weavers. In 1883 he became a sleeping partner in the Midland Wire Cordage Company, Vincent Street, Balsall Heath, formerly carried on at Sheffield, and some years later became sole proprietor. His son W H Davison soon took over the running of the business which allowed Edward more time to devote himself to public work. He was a staunch Liberal of the old school, and had not been in the city long before he became a member of the Birmingham Liberal Association. He had the honour of being a seconder of the nomination of the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain at the Town Hall meeting which selected that statesman as one of the Liberal candidates for Birmingham.
Edward became early associated with the work of All Saints Church, Kings Heath, in the vicariate of Rev. H J Coachafer, was elected a sidesman, and for some years served as parish warden, with Mr. Tom Pickernell as his co-warden. This post he resigned in 1897. His interest in local affairs led to his being elected a member of Kings Norton Parish Council, on its formation in 1894.
During the obituary it mentions that Midland Wire Cordage manufactured lightning conductors. Tenbury House (3 Tenbury Road) has its own lightning conductor. The clips that hold it to the wall have the words “Davison Safety” and the initials “MWCO” stamped onto them. Davison clearly had this lightning conductor installed there. There is another building on the corner of Tenbury Road and Alcester Road South, now a Doctor’s surgery. This too has a lightning conductor made by “MWCO”. Davison was quick to promote his lightning conductors to his neighbours. All Saints Church in Kings Heath also has a lightning conductor made by “MWCO” which is not surprising as Edward was church warden there. So next time you pass by these buildings or see any others with a lightning conductor attached to them. Go and have a look more closely as it may just be a “Davison Safety”. The chapels at Brandwood End also have a lightning conductor, but are inaccessible to the public. It would be interesting to find out if it too was made by the Midland Wire Cordage Company.
Edward was buried at Brandwood End Cemetery. His grave is situated by the large roundabout where the chapels are sited. As you walk from the lodge his is on the right as you go half way round the roundabout. His memorial is photographed above.
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Information provided by Andy Bishop – Chair of Kings Heath Local History Society.