• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Perry Village

Lyn, if you can manage to fit in a trip be nice to see anything along that tunnel and in the Park alongside the Tavern. Otherwise we could call in Time Team! In fact I think it's got the potential for a Time Team program; it's got former ironworks, its not far from the Ickniekd Way and Perry (Zig Zag) Bridge. So if you see any Samian ware Lyn, bring it back with you! Viv.

lol viv i wish we could ask time team but the no longer do them...such a pity...tried to get them to consider aston furnace some years back but to no avail...ok will get down there with wellies and a torch asap
 
Seeing some discussion about the path of the brook past the Church Tavern, I recall playing in and around the area in the late 1940s and seem to remember that the brook flowed as an open stream to the west of the pub.

This first image dated 1950s clearly shows a line of trees and bushes to the left of the pub.
The Church Lane bridge can be seen and the stream continues to the River Tame which shows in the bottom of the view.
ChurchTavern1950.JPG

The modern view below shows the present car park and the stream probably runs in a pipe under part of the car park to continue on its original path to the River Tame also seen in the bottom of this view.
ChurchTavern2014.jpg
 
That's interesting Phil. I also suspect the layout around this part of Church Road has changed over time, possibly due to the river/brook changes. I think perhaps the road was once a wider lane abutting Perry Park. The perimeter fence is set back at the Church Road/ Aldridge Road junction, and although there is grass surrounded by a low fence at the top of Church Road, I suspect this was once part of the old lane.

Could be be wrong, but think the old view of cottages in the Old Perry and Church photo below is of the cottages next to the Church Tavern. (This is the photo I referred to earlier with the odd thingy bob/chimney thing on top of the cottages. Think it might be a distortion of the photo). And I've taken some Google views. Pink spot is the cottages, yellow spot is St. John's Church. But having said all that, I can't now place the cottages in front of the church in the 'Old Perry and Church' view. Viv.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    188.3 KB · Views: 34
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    159.6 KB · Views: 32
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    93 KB · Views: 28
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    252.2 KB · Views: 27
Last edited:
image.jpg

Just studied this map that Mike posted in post #26. I now don't think the cottages in the 'Old Perry and Church' (post #63) photo are the ones immediately next to the Church Tavern. I think the old photo is of cottages nearer Aldridge Road - they're either the buildings to the left or right of the '530' on the map. And l think the buildings in front of the Church on the Old Perry and Church image are probably the school buildings. Viv.
 
View attachment 99338


These two postcard photos show the cottages near St. John's Church. I think they also show the school building, the building with the weather vein and little tower behind the cottages. Interestingly the one photo calls this 'Little Perry' and the other labels it as Church Lane. I seem to remember seeing it called Church Lane on another image. Maybe the title 'Lane' was changed to 'Road' so as not to confuse it with Church a Lane, Handsworth. Viv.
 
hi all
i met roger my husband in the church taven in 1977, it didnt have that white extention on the front then, just the door to the bar and the pool room oh and the mens toilets. i remember if i wanted to go i had to walk all round the side(opposite to the cottages) to the ladies which was by the lounge. at the time the lounge had booths like railway carriges. the gaffer at the time was called john i remember the first time i went he asked me for id i was a bit miffed as i was 19 and the girl i went with was only 16 he never said a word to her.looking back it was a complement really. we had friends who lived in the houses across the road
happy days.........zena
 
Thanks Zena. So from what you're saying then, that front extension was added in the late seventies/eighties perhaps. That's helpful. The old layout seems to suggest the frontage on Church Road/Lane was the narrower part of the building and it probably stretched quite far back. And there seems to have been a lane (where you accessed the ladies toilet I think!) between the Tavern and the cottages to the right which I presume went into Perry Park. Viv.
 
sorry viv i must have mislead you the cottages are on the side nearest the main road and the shop. i dont think that there was access to the park i think it was only access to the cottages. the other side nearest the lounge was a great big carpark were rog taught me to drive
the extention was put on after we got married in 1980 probally after 1985 because we still went in occasionally as i would meet roger after villa matches until our son marc was born in late 85 it could have been when the place was turned into a wacky warehouse
zena
 
This painting is by French artist Marie-Louise Beck showing the herding of cattle through Perry Village. A lovely rural scene. But would you believe Marie-Louise Beck was the wife of Cesare Ritz, he of hotelier fame! Well I never. Does make you wonder what on earth was she doing in Perry Village? Visiting the Goughs at Perry Hall maybe? Viv.
image.jpeg
 
Hi viv,
Very nice picture to look at it,s very sereene and tranquil for the Mind
It reminds me of my child hood days when we went to the family cottage down in the old village
Of cow Honeyebourne ever sham it was a very old thatch cottage with no Electricity
And a well for the water and our orchards around the cottage
And life was a very slow pace and uncle Hughes bringing down the cows from the field
For milking on a very nice sunny day the village was very slow pace of life
Lazy hazy days of summer for six weeks School Holidays brilliant
Sadly Honeyebournes as changed and getting busy and busy and is being cut up right savagely
As I go down there quite often to see the older folks whom recall my mother as a child there
When she was little we lived opersite the big Manner house farm house
By the big Oak tree slap bang in the middle of the village
Best wishes Alan,,Astonian,,,,
 
lovely painting viv and yes what was marie doing there..as you say possibly visiting the goughs..if we could find out that she also painted perry hall that may seal it..

lyn
 
That's really interesting Viv - lovely painting.
I assume that's Church Lane with St Johns in the distance?
 
Yes A Sparks, Church Lane (now Church Road) with St John the Evangelist Church tower in the distance. Viv.
 
220px-C%C3%A9sar_und_Marie-Louise_Ritz_1888.jpg


This is Marie-Louise Ritz born 1867 in Alsace

Marie_Louise_Ritz.jpg



and a later photo of her.

I can find very little about her painting career, except that she exhibited in Paris in 1938 and 1939 - shame, she was a good artist.
 
Last edited:
A great photo Phil. Wonder what the two little girls are up to behind the lorry ? Not sure, but wonder if its about 1940s/50s. Was Perry Village village referred to simply as Perry Barr after the 1950s ? Maybe the lorry can help date this one. Viv.
 
Looks like St John's Church peeping in the centre of the picture.

Perry Village is well mentioned up 1950, and then seems to disappear.
 
If it is Church Road then the building on the right is absent from the Map of 1913 but may appear on the 1938.
 
It was once Church Lane, although not sure of the date when the name changed. (Also, not to be confused with the Handsworth one). Viv.
 
It was once Church Lane, although not sure of the date when the name changed. (Also, not to be confused with the Handsworth one). Viv.

viv i did not realise that church road perry barr used to be called church lane....wonder when it changed...ive got it as church road on the 1888 map

lyn
 
image.jpeg

Don't know the date Lyn, Bill Dargue in the extract above calls Perry Village and Little Perry "the old hamlet". So they must be one and the same thing. The image below of the children outside the Church Tavern is labelled Little Perry - now on Church Road

image.jpeg


Then this image is labelled Church Lane Little Perry.
image.jpeg

The only thing I can think of is maybe when Perry Village was no longer part of Handsworth parish (in 1833 according to Bill Dargue) it was decided to distinguish this from the Handsworth Church Lane. All speculation, but it must have at one time been called Church Lane. It's also known from an earlier post (#66) on this thread that it was referred to as Church Lane by locals even in relatively modern times. Viv.
 
thanks for that info viv...like i said ive got it back to 1888 on map as church road...when i have time i will see if i can find a map showing it as church lane...

lyn
 
We lived near the Perry Barr Church Lane / Road in the 50s/60s and I'm fairly sure we referred to it as 'Lane' at that time.
 
I always thought of it as a 'lane' because compared to most roads around the area it still looked like a lane. Maybe that's why locals still referred to it as Church Lane long after it became Church Road. Viv.
 
i agree viv it looks more like a lane than a road but i would still like to see it officially called church lane on a map..if we cant find it it could be as you suggest that it was just called church lane by the locals

lyn
 
That's a possibility Lyn, although it does appear on several postcards as Church Lane. Having said that, they could be errors !

Thinking a little more about this, churches in such small rural hamlets as Perry Village/Little Perry would most probably have named the thoroughfare approaching the church as Church Lane. But then again ......

Doubtless before Church Road/Lane it had another name ie pre-1831. Viv.
 
Back
Top