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City Centre Photographs

Re: City Centre Photo Album

central place 1932
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A smashing photo topsy. I can't help notice how much room there is around St martins church.
there is a lot less room now, it's like they have squeezed every inch they can. Thanks for
sharing it, it's a great vew.

Stars
 
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The Lord Mayors Parade in New Street 1972, from the archive section in todays newspaper.
 
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I suppose Summer Row is close enough to the City Centre to go onto this thread.
I know I have seen reference to The Saturday Bridge on the forum but I cannot find it.
This picture is Saturday Bridge, Summer Row 1901, it was by all accounts known Saturday Bridge because workmen used to wait there for their wages from the previous weeks work.
 
What a awesome photo Topsy where ever did you find it? Tram's early car's horse 'n' cart, and even a steam wagon, with snow, really atmospheric of the times.
paul
 
two guesses ; one a wine bar or two ; a block of yuppie appartments for the pro; fessionional yuppies
as they seem hell bent on building these appartments up arpound broad street or may be a more up market planning department block
lets hope they do not knock down the old tsb bank along there facing the century square as that as history
plus it fantasic below ground net work of vaults ; but there again just like the council sell it off or knock it down attitude
so as the old saying ges ; [ whatch thi space ] suerely they do not need another hotel up theredo they or do they not ;
still you never know they just might build a mosque ; they did next to the twin towers ; and look carefully ;we are following and becoming americanised
and a lot of people out there can not fore see what is happening to our country;
shortie it will be intresting to see ; the out come astonian;;
 
There was also Friday Bridge, Stitcher, which I believe was at/near Spring Hill. I remember reading an obituary mentioning Friday Bridge, so if Saturday was waiting for wages, what was Friday? If you are talking way way back, I understand people were paid daily rather than weekly, but whatever the case, Friday and Saturday are well worth investigating. I feel a phone call coming on, as I know someone who probably will know.
 
Shorrtie, I have never heard of a Friday Bridge but then again I had never heard of the Saturday Bridge until I saw reference to it on the forum some time ago. I did spend some time trying to find the post but I couldn't locate it.
 
Friday Bridge was the home of a wealthy merchant who is buried at Key Hill - not the name of his house I believe as the obituary said 'of Friday Bridge'. I am friendly with someone who may know, but I can't contact him this morning, however, I shall try and see what I can find out. Saturday Bridge is a totally new one on me, but we might know more later.
 
there was a bridge club in ladywood but it was not near spring hill
it would have been the top end of ladywod bordering ladywood and edgebaston in the big posh houses of beafort rd
which ran around the back rear of the plough and harrow and you are going back years and i mean years like some one as already said
i know spring hill like the back of my hand and grew up therein my younger days and i thank the person whom put on the forum the orinional turf pub as i grew up and my friend lived there after moveing from the pub behind the bingley hall all those years ago and eventualy left to victoria rd and it was an old victorian pub hote ; in its hay day
long before they took it over ; astonian ;;
 
I have just been told that if I google Saturday Bridge, it will reveal a building complex near a bridge in Summer row. I will look a little later because we were expecting visitors and they have just arrived.
 
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This confirms that there was/is a bridge known as Saturday Bridge in Summer Row, I did not read far enough to confirm that the name came from workmen waiting for their wages.
 
well ; stich ; that would have been the cannal bridge under neath the rd crossing summer hill as it was then when walking up towards the city
and a big company namely hoods general ware house which was about six floors high and just passing that rd the name i just cannot think off
hoods ware houseing was all down that rd ; but sticking to it the main rd before you got to lional stret and the shakespear pub
at the beginning of the parade of shops it would have been then ;almost oppersite the brum beat ; [ brum caven ] firstly named then became the brum beat
for all the up and coming bands of the midlands ; astonian ;;;;;
 
hi stich ;
i think i have to be standed and corrected as i have mentioned hoods ware housing it was infact right next door to hoods
it was the building before as you walked over the brow which was a bridge and the cannal below you ; it was two dirty black doors
and that building was never used in donkeys years the front doors was covered in grime and dirt ; but i still cannot think of the rd which hod had to themselves
best wishes astonian;
 
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The Gallery of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, New Street in 1890.
 
I so wish I'd been able to see inside this building. It was built at a time when an interest in just about everything was taking off. It alao seems to have been a point in time when Birmingham got itself firmly onto the map, not just in terms of manufacturing, but culture too. Viv.
 
I was in there a few times in the sixties when I was at the Art College. There was no portico then. There were regular exhibitions there and the College had a show there sometimes. I had work in there at least once while I was a student.
I can't remember the inside too well I am afraid. Just the large gallery
 
The building was completely demolished in 1929 and a new building replaced it. Shame really, I much preferred the older style.
 
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If we were moving we would be just passing The Gaiety in Coleshill Street Dale End. 1946.
 
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I know this is not a photo but the company was in The Centre of the city.
 
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This is cut from todays newspaper. The junction of Old Square and Corporation Street before the Priory Ringway was built.
 
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From todays newspaper again, demolition taking place in The Old Square in the early 1960s.
 
The only good thing that came out of that destruction was the Ceylon Tea Shop. I used to meet an old school friend there - it was the height of sophistication, being able to choose one's tea. Up until then I had only ever had Co-op 99 Tips and possibly Typhoo. My grandmother used to be a caretaker in 'the offices' as the family called them. Just down from old square, a butchers shop was on the ground floor and Farmer Giles Milk Bar opposite My grandfather was ill for many years with TB and then cancer, so she was the breadwinner. I remember going with her (I must have been all of seven) - she had her little cubby hole in the basement, where there were also offices. Those offices were scary to me - the window in the door was black as coal. The cubby hole also was slightly scary - it contained a boiler for the heating of her water and the washing of the dusters. She did that for quite a few years until he died in 1957. Old square never had the same atmosphere once the bulldozers moved in.
 
Stitcher said:
View attachment 75844
This is cut from todays newspaper. The junction of Old Square and Corporation Street before the Priory Ringway was built.
Click to expand...

I think that was at the time of road works in the Corporation St end of Bull Street - the buses en route round the "City Loop" went via Old Square & The Minories for a short while.
 
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