JackiePritchatt
master brummie
Hi Gina, Kenny Lutwyches is married to Sue, was friends of my late mother lives in Tamworth. Kenny is not in the best of health.
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Michael_Ingram
gone but not forgotten
With reference to Gina’s question about the toffee apples, go to
https://www.astonbrook-through-astonmanor.co.uk/geachst.html
An piece by Joyce Toon, the daughter of the toffee apple lady.
It was a treasure for our area
https://www.astonbrook-through-astonmanor.co.uk/geachst.html
An piece by Joyce Toon, the daughter of the toffee apple lady.
It was a treasure for our area
Banjo
master brummie
This photo is one of those "Oh Wow" photos for me. That's where me and my friends used to hang out in 1960-61. I haven't seen that place for 58 years. I believe the house on the corner of Gerrard St with the hedged wall was a Doctors Surgery.
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I have written a whole book on growing up in Guildford St, The Girl from Guildford St by Grace Holte. You should be able to get it from the library and it has many photos of Guildford St. http://www.brewinbooks.com/the_girl_from_guildford_street The doctor's may have been Dr Carolan's.
This is my dad with his car on Guildford St, 1962. My house, no 37. God Bless our Boys, no 41.
Attachments
Dr Carolan was Eddie. He used to go to the Greyhounds at Perry Barr every Saturday with my Uncle John - he enjoyed a flutter and smoking a fag!! You should be able to request my book from the library. It is for sale on Amazon, and all proceeds go to Cancer Research UK. My cousins the Burkes also lived on Guildford St and played football on Geach St.
Susanmarie
proper brummie kid
My Grandmother Mrs Toon. How lovely to hear you ask of her. She sold those Toffee apples for yrs. Some with coconut on top too, I was luck to get nine for free, my mom used to wrap the little sticks for her into bundles after my Grandad chopped them with my uncle Sam. Sadly she as passed away, she died in 1990, and she never left her Toffee recipe, she took it to her grave.
Susanmarie
proper brummie kid
Would be nice to hear from you if you knew my moms family, the Toons
Hi Susanmarie I lived on cowper street and used to get toffee apples from mrs toon as often as I could , I have posted on this before probably on the cowper street link maybe you know the causer family .
Susanmarie
proper brummie kid
I have no memory of the causer family. I was quite young then being born in 62, my Aunts probably will. Glad to hear you enjoyed your toffee apples of my Nanny Betty
Yes, I remember the Toons of Geach St and the lovely toffee apples. I wrote about it in the Bonfire Night chapter in my book x
Susanmarie
proper brummie kid
What is your book Title?. She would be proud of that.
The Girl from Guildford St published under the name Grace Caroline Holte, and she is mentioned in the chapter High Days and Holidays and Bonfire Nights. People who have read it have commented on remembering her, so she is famous. I am turning it into a novel, Those Were Our Days, in which she appears as Mrs Twigg x
My grandfather was involved in the British Cast Iron Research Association in the 1920s-1940s. I have a couple of letters from him to my future grandmother which he addressed as the BCIRA 56 Guildford Street, Lozells. From a couple of maps c.1950 published on this thread I can see the likely location of 56 Guildford Street as on the corner of Paddington Street but on this map 56 and the building is not there. The BCIRA was known to be based in St Paul's Square, later Alvechurch, so this location is a mystery.
I lived on Guildford St from 1958 and remember no businesses, only shops. There was, however, a large empty factory at the back of our shared yard, which my nan could remember as being a work place (she had lived there since 1930). So there may have been others. We lived at no 37, opposite Geach St. Might be worth you researching Kelly's Directory. Also, the street had a direct bit during the war, which destroyed some buildings.
Also, the street was odds and evens - 56 would have been opposite us.
On a 1889 map also on this thread a building is shown on this corner. The BCIRA in its early days would have needed offices and laboratories. As you say it was possibly bombed during the War. There is a picture of a shop at 52 probably the other corner. Will try Trade Directories but the BCIRA was a government organisation so probably not listed.
hi jonjb my mom lived at 4/12 paddington st and often spoke of the terrible bombing which happened on the corner of paddington st and guildford st which would explain why you cant see any building on that corner on the 1950 map..on the other corner of paddington st and guildford st was an outdoor and i have a photo of that taken in the 1960s..just out of interest what was the date of your grandfathers letters
lyn
this was the area we called the bomb peck.
1925 and 1926 for letters addressed as from 56 Guildford Str. The BCIRA was known as located in St Pauls Square in the 1920s so this was either a temporary location or a satellite office. From the 1950 map I can see there was an iron and steel works on Kensington Street just round the corner. There might have been a link to that. At St Pauls Square they had a test blast furnace. This received a direct hit in 1941(or 2) and they moved to Alvechurch.
adap2it
master brummie
I lived on Paddington St. and I can say for sure that the corner of Paddington St & Guildford St was a bombed peck. On the other corner was an off-licence.
Dave A
Cannot find any reference to no 56 being BCIRA. In the 1930s it was a fried fish shop run by various people. The BCIRA was at Pauls Sq in Kellys till 1940, but has gone by 1943. Possibly your grandfather was based at home in Guildford St during the war and so had his letters concerning the association addressed there
