Lozells Road Co-op

[Astoness]

col we have said that many times on the forum...and i would say that some had to come down as they were realy unfit to live in but there were so many that would have lasted a whole lot longer....and then to replace them with properties with a life span of no longer than 50 years....another reason why pics are so important to find....

lyn...

 

[Richie]

Oh yes !! You know I'd totally forgotten those flats on that side of the road !! The ugly rubbish ( flats, maisonettes and houses ) which they threw up to replace all the old back to backs just never registered with me, they were just . . . . there !!! LOL And how shabby and run down they became and how quickly !!! People can say what they will about the old back to backs but they were built to last and people took a pride in them years ago, as poor as they may have been !! Scrubbing front steps and swilling down the pavement in front of the house - daily !

I think the youngsters today could well do with a spot of step-washing tuition. If you didn't do it properly you didn't half go a cropper on the back of yer head if you slipped off them!

 

[Arkrite]

When the time came for the replacement of the back to backs the solution was handed to "The Experts" and "The Consultants". As any person who has had dealings with these groups knows they will cost you a lot of money,give you a result that causes other un foreseen problems , and leave it for someone else to clean up the mess.
Thankfully we are not so trusting now and make our voice heard. OK we sometimes get steam rollered but we see less tower blocks and those are built for people who want to live in them.Planners can do a good job just make sure you are looking over their shoulder.
Many photos were taken before the Clean Air Act and would probably look even more grimy in colour. Just imagine if we could see some of the facades, that have been destroyed, un marked by pollution. Have any of our "photoshoppers" a solution? I bet the results would be stunning.

 

[lencops]

Link to Photos of Co-op stores in the West Midlands & other areas also photos of other topics. Len. https://www.flickr.com/photos/co-ophistory/

 

[bennyinkwell]

Thanks for the kind words Colin. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the Lozells Road Co-op photographs. The copyright actually belongs to Midlands Co-operative Society who kindly gave me permission to send them to you.
Tony Chew

 

[Astoness]

hi tony...isnt it great when folk are willing to share their pics....i was chatting to our mom the other day about the co ops on the lozells road and she was telling that 60 years ago to earn a bit of extra cash she waited tables for a wedding do at one of them....they must have had rooms at the back or upstairs i would imagine..mom couldnt quite recall which.....

lyn

 

[sylviasayers]

Lyn, I went to a wedding reception in a room above the Co-op in Alum Rock Road, opposite the church where they married, a red brick church - very ordinary among a row of shops, may have been a Methodist church, can't remember now as it must have been almost 50 years ago.

 

[Astoness]

hi syliva..looks like the co op must have done that sort of thing in some of their shops years back then....ive got a pic of one in town somewhere..will sort it out and post it...


Lyn