Phil Sidey – Page 4 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Pebble Mill Locomotive

The first photo is of the Pebble Mill locomotive sign (in final black and silver colours –after Virgin repainted it in 1998). It was an electric locomotive, Class 86, number 86256. The locomotive was originally a British Rail one, before becoming a Virgin one after the privatisation of the railways. It was taken out of service in 2002 and was finally scrapped in 2006.

The other photo is a screen grab of the actual naming ceremony in Nov 1981, Phil Sidey, Head of Pebble Mill, is pulling the string.

I understand that this sign with ‘BBC Pebble Mill’ was meant to be used on the train, but the powers that be didn’t want BBC on it, so it was never used. It is currently being listed for sale on ebay.

This link includes some photos of the Pebble Mill locomotive in service.

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/86256/Interesting

This YouTube video is Birmingham to London in 5 mins. At 1.21 in the train stops at Birmingham International and you can see it is “Pebble Mill”: it was made by Ewan Kiel from Midlands Region.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv640aRwFS8

Stuart Gandy left the following comment on the Facebook page: ‘I remember travelling on a train pulled by this locomotive. It was in 1987 when I was going to London by train for a course. I distinctly remember waiting on Wolverhampton station for the London train to arrive, and when it did it was this one named Pebble Mill. How uncanny was that!’

David Waine

David Waine was Head of Building at BBC Pebble Mill from 1983, when he took over from Phil Sidey. The photo was taken in David’s office, and in the back of shot is a still of the famous Harrier landing at Pebble Mill, from ‘Pebble Mill at One’.

1974 Pebble Mill Christmas Card – Roger Guest

1974 Christmas Card from Head of Building: Phil Sidey

I was a sound supervisor at Pebble Mill through the “Good Times” and I kept a Christmas card sent to all staff in the building by Phil Sidey in 1974.

What a good way to say thank you to your staff, it made us all feel like one big team!

Roger Guest

From Pioneers to Pebble Mill

This little booklet documents the first 50 years of BBC broadcasting in the Midlands – from 1922-72. The forward is written by Phil Sidey, the Head of Network Production Centre at Pebble Mill in the 1970s and early 80s. The booklet tells the story of broadcasting in the Midlands, from the first studio in Witton in 1922, to the premises in New Street, followed by Broad Street, Carpenter Road (Edgbaston), Gosta Green and then Pebble Mill.

Many of the photographs were taken by Willoughby Gullachsen.

Thanks to Pete Simpkin for making the booklet available.

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Opening the new Pebble Mill Club

Phil Sidey & Keith Jones New Club Opening

When Pebble Mill was first built the bar was on the second floor of the building, at the back, overlooking the back field and the courtyard. It was a hub of activity and socialising where almost everyone would congregate at lunchtime and after work. It was probably the only place where all levels of production and crew would get together, and therefore it became a really productive place for bouncing off ideas and solving any production issues.

As the number of staff expanded, there was more pressure for office space. In the early 1980s the new Club was built in the Pebble Mill grounds on the far side of the brook. It was a single storey building with a kitchen, large and small bar-rooms, and administration offices. There was a terrace to sit out on in the summer, as well as tennis courts and football fields.

Going to the bar at lunchtime was called ‘going over the bridge’, because of the little bridge across the brook to get to the Club.

The photo shows Phil Sidey, who was Head of the Building and President of the Club, and Keith Jones, Club Chairman, ringing a bell to officially open the new Club, circa 1982.

Thanks to Gail Herbert (subsequent Chair of the Club) for making the photo available. Copyright resides with the original photographer.