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Bishop Street

H

Helen G

Almost a Brummie
I have decided I can't wait for the 1911 census! I'm not usually this impatient but I'd like to find out who my ancestors neighbours were and what was going on in Bishop Street where they lived and had a factory.

So, I thought I'd start this thread and see if anyone else can help me build up a picture of Bishop Street, Birmingham. We have the 1901 census to build on so has anyone else got relatives who lived in Bishop Street (or just round the corner for that matter) between 1901 and 1911?

If you have, or know someone who did, just add the details to the thread and eventually, hopefully, we'll beat the census!

Looking forward to hearing from you all
Helen

PS. My ancestors were Thomas and Susan Woodyatt and they lived and had a wooden packing case factory at 25 Bishop Street plus a nail warehouse next door at 27 Bishop Street.
 
Don't know if this is any help from 1904 Kellys together with a map
mike

map_c_1912A_bishop_st.jpg
 
Mike thats great, thanks so much.

Haven't had chance to compare your info with the 1901 census but I will later.

Visited Bishop Street a couple of weeks ago. Nothing left of original houses except 1 building which appears to have been converted into workshops and a cafe now. Originally it may have been a factory with living accommodation around a courtyard (but not the usual layout, I think, of the back-to-backs). Unfortunately, no one around to tell me what the street number was but it was on the "odds" side.

Wish I had had more time to spend there but, as ever this summer, it was raining, HARD, and dear husband wanted to find a dry cup of coffee!

Thanks for your help
Helen
 
 
No problem. Glad you like them. Lucky it was such a nice day when I took them!

I wonder what the buildings history was though?
 
That end of Bishop St was all factory's couldn't tell you what they made or anything but if you crossed Macdonald St to the other side of Bishop St it was mostly houses back to backs, little terraces lots of my friends lived there, until they ere demolished in the 60s
 
My grandfather died in Bishop st in 1943. he was living with his step Daughter Ann and her husband John (Jack) Nolan. opposite elbrowns photo there is a part demolished wall which contains a foundation stone that belonged to a Church.
 
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Hi,Helen G
Bit late getting to this forum and cannot help you with 1901-1911 stuff.However I can say that about opposite your relatives address was the Essor factory,where my mother worked for a time(early 1950s) and up above next to junction with Moseley Street and opposite,in Mosely street itself was Shipways woodyard. I have no idea how old these businesses were but I lived at 2/35 Bishop St.from when I was born in 1944 until we moved in 1959.
Joe
 
Hi Ell Brown. Bit late for my three pennorth but I recognised these buildings immediately as we used to run past them when I was a kid on the way back from the Triangle cinema in Gooch Street and as It was usually dark we would shout and laugh as we ran saying 'there's a bogeyman in there looking out at us' !! There were 3 or 4 small factories down this side of the street if I remember.
 
My Great Grandparents lived at 4 court 8 Bishops Street surname BOWYER, Norman (occupation Ashphetter) and Mary Ann lived there from around 1920 until/by 1939 when they were rehoused, like many of the back-to-back residents then, to an all new council house in Hall Green. From the couple of stories I've heard about my Grandad's childhood, it was a tough one. Quite often waiting hungry outside the pub on the corner (the Wellington perhaps?) where his parents were at. He never drunk a drop of alcohol in his life funny that. He used his big brothers birth certificate (he was just 14/15yo) to sign up to join the army in WW2, fancied his chances of survival more! The Greatgreat grandparents also lived in back to backs on Moseley St, another Norman he was a Tailor.
A little piece to the jigsaw puzzle of Bishop St back-to-back history :)
 
My grandmother was lodging at 154 Bishop street in the 1911 census,if this helps here are the details,1911 census 154 bishop st,st martins district 384.Susanah Bunn head age 64,Melita Bunn daut age 22,Eliz Ann Beard,lodger 40.Emily Harley ( my grandmother)lodger age 37 occupation pinafore presser,John Jones lodger,Jane Godwin,lodger,Jane Frederick Godwin,lodger,am? Eliz Lucy,lodger,William Godwin,lodger.so there were 9 people living in this house,and 5 different families,sounds a bit cramped,my grandmother Emily Harley,worked in the Theatre Royal in New street,in the costume dept,and by her census occupation as a pinafore presser,she may have had to iron the costumes and dresses, I hope some of the names will help you,I know it is a " long shot" best of luck with your research,Ray Evason.
 
ray evason said:
My grandmother was lodging at 154 Bishop street in the 1911 census,if this helps here are the details,1911 census 154 bishop st,st martins district 384.Susanah Bunn head age 64,Melita Bunn daut age 22,Eliz Ann Beard,lodger 40.Emily Harley ( my grandmother)lodger age 37 occupation pinafore presser,John Jones lodger,Jane Godwin,lodger,Jane Frederick Godwin,lodger,am? Eliz Lucy,lodger,William Godwin,lodger.so there were 9 people living in this house,and 5 different families,sounds a bit cramped,my grandmother Emily Harley,worked in the Theatre Royal in New street,in the costume dept,and by her census occupation as a pinafore presser,she may have had to iron the costumes and dresses, I hope some of the names will help you,I know it is a " long shot" best of luck with your research,Ray Evason.
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Hi, just been researching on Ancestry. Susannah Bunn was my great grandmother.
 
I assume that members interested in Bishop Street are aware that the street was the site of one of the biggest tragedies of the Birmingham Blitz. This included no. 154 where five people died - from the Ellgood and Farrell families - on 15th October 1940, together with fifteen of their neighbours and a member of the Home Guard who gave his life in his attempt to rescue them.

The 80th anniversary of this dreadful night was just eight days ago.

Chris
 
I was born in Birmingham in 1939 & lived in Bishop Street, quite a co-incidence given my surname. My father worked in a factory opposite our house, which I believe was called Weathershields. Early in the war we were in the underground shelter of the factory during an air raid and on coming out of the factory after the air raid our house had been hit and was un-habitable. we were re-housed in Showell Green Lane, Sparkhill where I grew up. The details are a bit sketchy as my parents would never talk about it in detail, but I have seen us listed as living there.
John.
 
Bit remote from the original thread but.........

My wife's great-grand aunt's father was William Shelton Terry who was a publican at 26 Bishop Street in 1881[PH on map?]. On the corner of Moseley Street was a Methodist Chapel - perhaps where the foundation stone mentioned by Robert in 8 above came from. This is from the 25" OS map of 1887. Map also shows a timber yard on the other side of the street by the corner of Moseley Street.
 

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I have just found out my second grandparents lived in bishop street number 45 and 48 one was a scale maker and the other a cabinet maker in 1906.
 
superdad3 said:
Bit remote from the original thread but.........

My wife's great-grand aunt's father was William Shelton Terry who was a publican at 26 Bishop Street in 1881[PH on map?]. On the corner of Moseley Street was a Methodist Chapel - perhaps where the foundation stone mentioned by Robert in 8 above came from. This is from the 25" OS map of 1887. Map also shows a timber yard on the other side of the street by the corner of Moseley Street.
Click to expand...
Does it look like there may have been back to back dwellings behind the commercial buildings?
 
I had relatives living at 4,court 5, and 5/48, Bishop Street around 1900 -1915.

Ellis and Morrall.





Steve.
 
I've just stumbled upon this thread as part of research into a "Walk Down Hurst Street". I was taken by Elliott Brown's photographs of the "Zair Works" building that were taken in 2011. Well, it is still standing, as it was on my 1889 map when it was shown as a Whip Factory. Doubtless this was quite a profitable trade at the end of the 19th century, but what amazed me was that it was still listed in the 1956 Kellys as George & John Zair - Whip Makers! Hence the name of the building in 2011 being "Zair Works Business Centre". By this year the Zair name had disappeared but the building is still in use as a take-out burger bar and a fitness centre (a certain mutual benefit there I think!).
111-117 Bishop Street - March 2021.jpg
 
OuterCircleBus said:
I've just stumbled upon this thread as part of research into a "Walk Down Hurst Street". I was taken by Elliott Brown's photographs of the "Zair Works" building that were taken in 2011. Well, it is still standing, as it was on my 1889 map when it was shown as a Whip Factory. Doubtless this was quite a profitable trade at the end of the 19th century, but what amazed me was that it was still listed in the 1956 Kellys as George & John Zair - Whip Makers! Hence the name of the building in 2011 being "Zair Works Business Centre". By this year the Zair name had disappeared but the building is still in use as a take-out burger bar and a fitness centre (a certain mutual benefit there I think!).
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1956? They were still there listed as whip makers in the 1966 Kellys !!
 
I've lost count of how many times I walked past these buildings when I was a kid(born at 2/35 Bishop St.in 1944) mostly from visiting my gran in Longmore St.or my aunties,one in Sherlock St.and one a bit further up on Pershore Road.Or even coming home from the Triangle picture houseThe odd time I go for a look at Bishop Street I'm amazed this building and one or two others are still standing.
 
mikejee said:
1956? They were still there listed as whip makers in the 1966 Kellys !!
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1966!! Hadn’t checked that far. I suppose there would be two distinct markets for them even now, especially with all these equestrian Olympians out there. Then there is always another one.
 
superdad3 said:
Bit remote from the original thread but.........

My wife's great-grand aunt's father was William Shelton Terry who was a publican at 26 Bishop Street in 1881[PH on map?]. On the corner of Moseley Street was a Methodist Chapel - perhaps where the foundation stone mentioned by Robert in 8 above came from. This is from the 25" OS map of 1887. Map also shows a timber yard on the other side of the street by the corner of Moseley Street.
Click to expand...
Hi,Superdad,just seen your post.The woodyard was still there from 1944-1958 when I was a child, living at 2/35 Bishop St.Itwas called Shipways at the time.And the Methodist chapel had become some sort of paper or printing company.I sat on the wall outside many a time back in the day.There we're always lots of offcuts of paper lying around outside the building.
 
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