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Pitsford Street

hi viv often looked at that door as i have passed it and as the railway goods station was behind that wall it could be something to do with loading and unloading certainly look original to me...just a guess mind..

lyn
 
Thanks Lyn. Just hope no-one steps through it from the other side - get a nasty shock! Viv.
 
Following your tip-off Lyn I've just had a look on the WarwickshireRailways site and the wall seems to have been seriously damaged during WW2 Don't know if it's the same section of wall but it certainly has the same grills and vents. The extract says the ground was built up on the other side so that would explain the level of the door. Viv.
 

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Yes Lyn
That was a loading and unloadingfor the old BRS railway when they used to make public delivery
To business,s and homes in there very old trucks they used to use in those early 40.S years
That was part of there ware house sing and behind there was a series of tunnels around
In and out and up to the top of Pickford street and directory over the road from there main entrance
To the rail way trucks where they was all lined up and secured
There depot yard was massive and directly facing that yard the office of pickfords. Heavy plant machinery
Was stored at week ends giant monsters of cranes and of iron fairys lifting tackle that means Lynn
Regarding the door it was not the original one it was a larger and wider and it was very old
That was the original and of a delapted brown in colour
On the subject of the Birmingham stopper company they originally there address was ickneild street
As they only had the frontage I was around in those days when they knocked down the frontage
And the backs of the houses in and around the block Prescott street and Ellen street which would have
Been there rear exits to the back part of loading and unloading areas as well as works entrance
The postwas the sign for Birmingham stopper b,s that was effected in the latter part of there extention
I was brought up there after leaving Aston and done my schooling and drinking and courting
Of a certain young lady we done our snogging just across from that for way
She is of course a rookie girl but I had not public name her even thou in my long past threads have mentioniond her family name and for another reason there is a member of what I think is a family connection to this forum
Still not to worry and yes I have to agree with viv it was a corner shop, played empty for years
When the back house was up before demo, in the early years of the 1900. There used to be a well known bank robber he got life in Broadmoor co,s he was violent in robbery
I am glad you have come to my neck of the woods as I have a lot of first hand information
Regarding this area. And I do not wish to appear rude by saying I had to smile about one or two comments made on certain areas as I know and knew the people and business first hand and not from records
I actually played and ventured the whole area from the brook up to Ladywood and Winson green area
I hope rookie girl maggs is still around as she was brought right up within that vicinity as well
She will have a lot of comments and knowledge answered for us all
No think better than asking a native of the area for knowledge
Best wishes to you and mike and thank you for all your hard work and time you are both doing for us members on this site best wishes Alan,,,Astonian,,,,
 
image.jpeg This is how I think the old WarksRailways photo lines up with Streetview. The three storey's have been reduced to one and the large gate has been bricked up and replaced with a small door (green dot). And lo and behold there's a ghost sign just above the red dot - you can see the writing in the old photo and can just about make some remains of paint on the present day wall top. Viv.
 
Thanks Alan. That confirms the door then, that it was in the same place (well a little highter up) as the old, larger entrance in the wall. Viv.
 
Viv

I don't think the supposed high level door was ever a door except just after the war when the building was rebuilt. As you can see from this photo taken when the building was rebuilt alongside the new sliding door were two narrow windows. I think later when the goods station closed and it was split up into little units to rent off. I think they bricked up the doorway and reused one of the windows and the tunnel entrance became a little unit or part of a larger one that was accessed from the other side.
 

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Thanks Phil. Very helpful photo. I now think there was another set of sliding doors further along the wall on Pitsford Street. Phil's photo was taken from the corner of Ellen Street (note position of telegraph pole and street lamp) and the doors in Phil's photo would have been approximately behind the 'School' road sign (although it's slightly difficult to get the angle exact on Streetview).

I notice further along the wall (going in the direction of Crabtree Road) evidence of similar sliding door fittings. This position must be that shown in Phil's photo and not that of the 'modern' high up door view. The more modern high up door which started off this discussion must be behind the photographer in Phil's photo. Viv.

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If memory serves correct, at one time 60s/70s maybe 80s this warehouse was used by a piano sales company, I think it was named "Sparky's"
 
View attachment 105322 This is how I think the old WarksRailways photo lines up with Streetview. The three storey's have been reduced to one and the large gate has been bricked up and replaced with a small door (green dot). And lo and behold there's a ghost sign just above the red dot - you can see the writing in the old photo and can just about make some remains of paint on the present day wall top. Viv.
 
Hi all, Regarding the damage to Pitsford Street Railway wall, this may well be due to a LandMine obliterating Brookfields School in Ellen Street during the war, I was in the Railway shelter just up the road when we had a a really heavy nights bombing, my father worked on Hockley Goods depot and came and told us the news and that many had been killed. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks dib44. Do you mean the piano warehouse was behind the wall?
And thank you Brookieboy, an interesting addition. You and your family were lucky to have survived it then. It looks like it did a lot of damage. And it looks like the Luftwaffe were pretty precise on this occasion. Viv.
 
Hi Viv. Yes it was pretty horrendous, it seemed wherever my sister and I went the bombs were sure to follow, first was in George Street West (St. Peters Church, well, in the road outside), a massive Hole filled with water when we came out next morning, then Clissold Street. Best of all was when neighbours called us out and took us up to a shelter in Western Road when a policeman came into the shelter next morning and asked what we were doing there, we replied "waiting for the all clear" but the Air Raid Warning did not go off last night" the Constable said: no wonder we were the only ones in the shelter, our neighbours were a little bit embarrassed, shows how attuned we were the Air Raid Sirens then
 
Hi Viv. Yes it was pretty horrendous, it seemed wherever my sister and I went the bombs were sure to follow, first was in George Street West (St. Peters Church, well, in the road outside), a massive Hole filled with water when we came out next morning, then Clissold Street. Best of all was when neighbours called us out and took us up to a shelter in Western Road when a policeman came into the shelter next morning and asked what we were doing there, we replied "waiting for the all clear" but the Air Raid Warning did not go off last night" the Constable said: no wonder we were the only ones in the shelter, our neighbours were a little bit embarrassed, shows how attuned we were the Air Raid Sirens then


thanks for your memories brookieboy...it is good to get first hand accounts but in reality there was nothing nice about war....i can only take my hat off to those who lived through it and came out the other end...

lyn
 
Yes viv it was good old sparky he had moved around Birmingham quite a lot
And he was always posted adverts in most news papers expe Italy the Birmingham mail
I went to his house one day to do some work there he had a huge selection of. Pianos
In his huge garage at home of great classicle pianos collections fit for the queen
And any opera theaters in the world they had to be worth thousands
At this provide moment I am trying to recall where his shop was before moving to Pickford street
He lived in an expensive house close to the erdington not to far from the Eddington fire station
They was indeed grand pianos for the rich people,
 
Thanks dib44. Do you mean the piano warehouse was behind the wall?
And thank you Brookieboy, an interesting addition. You and your family were lucky to have survived it then. It looks like it did a lot of damage. And it looks like the Luftwaffe were pretty precise on this occasion. Viv.

Yes, Sparky's used the old GWR bonded warehouse buildings, not quite sure, but I think it was the large sliding doors opposite the Birmingham Stopper Company, door was always open and you could see all the pianos in the warehouse.
 
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