The way up to “the Pimple” (Kingstanding Beacon), 2010
c. 2010 · Hever Avenue
The entrance to Kingstanding Beacon today.
Voices of Kingstanding’s page “The Pimple – Kingstanding Beacon”, off Hever Avenue. Tristan Murtagh, who lived on the Pimple for over twenty years, is quoted there: “The pimple was named because of the size of the hill, at one point is used to be called Kingstanding beacon … Supposedly it is the second highest point in Birmingham, next to the BarBeacon of course.”
Notes
Several commenters say the hill was always known locally as “the Pimple” and never as Kingstanding Beacon; one remembers the Beacon name from an A–Z map of the 1970s.
In Voices: “Skylarks over the Pimple” (Jeff Egan) · “Digging pits on the Pimple” (John Bolton)
Local memories
What people who knew this place have said about it, in their own words. These are memories, not checked facts.
“behind Danesbury cres/Hurlingham road corner was a hill called The Pimple it was also called The Ash Hill there were no ash trees on it, was it a dump at some time?”
“The Pimple is an area just of Finchley road and when we were kids it was just a large grassy area and some allotments then in the late 70’s houses were put up.”
“I’d never heard the term ‘Kingstanding Beacon’ till I read it here – It was always known locally as ‘The Pimple’. … There was a dirt cycle track on the flat area behind our house … Fond memories of messing about with motor cycles & a Vespa scooter there.”
“We moved from Cranbourne Road to Landswood close in 1971, into the first phase of houses on “The pimple”. … The swedish designed bungalow seemed massive and it had gas central heating which was blown air and pretty useless. … As kids we played up in the long grass, back in the 1960’s skylarks could be seen high up and twittering. … On the top was a fenced off area with locked gates. Only later in life did I learn that anti aircraft guns were positioned on concrete beds up there during WW2. … I also remember the bike track, and competing lads from the black country coming over on Sunday afternoons.”
“… lived directly opposite ‘the gulley’ in Sidcup Road which is what we called the pimple then. I remember there were trees planted at the top of the hill with iron railings around. It seemed a huge place to play at the time and you could get lost in the long grass.”
“… i can remember the pimple as a dirt hill before houses were build there …”
“The ‘pimple’ was a different location and was never known locally as “The Kingstanding Beacon”. The pimple was actually an open grassy hill as described by others above and was bounded by Hurlingham Road, Crayford Road and Sidcup road.”
“… it wasn’t known locally as the Beacon, everyone knew it as the Pimple. But i do recall looking in the A-Z probably in the 70s & it was marked in there as the Kingstanding Beacon.”
“i have always known it as the pimple, and i remember sliding down the hill when it was snowing …”
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