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Widdows Arms

A

Astonian

gone but not forgotten
Hi Postie Or Any -body
I Am Wondering Whether As Anybody Got A Picture Of The Widdows Arms
That Was On The Lichfield Rd As That As True Memorys For Me When I Was
A Little Whipper Snapper If It Is Possible Some-one May Have Could They Down Load It For Me I Would Really Appreciate It
The Land lord At The Time Was Our Neibour Mr Len Gammage
The Brother In law To Albert Gough Whom Also Was Our Neibour In Cromwell
Terrace His Wife Was Called Philliss And There Daughter Jenifier
Was My Child Hood Sweet Heart ,Please Forgive Me For Reminsing ,
But I Do Have Alot Of Memory,s Of The Widdows
Once Again I Thank You All For Your Attentention In Reading This Thread
Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;;;;;;;
 
Astonian, was that the proper name of the pub? I can't ever recall seeing a photo of it and I presume it was there into the 60s?

Bob
 
HI BOB ,
Many Thanks For Your Reply , The Pub , Was There From The1940,S
And During The 1950,s It May Have Been There Up To The Sixties I Do Not Know WhenEver They Demolished The Lich field RD bY Ansells Brewery
And Thompsons The Butchers Along The Lichfield I Do Not Know
It Was AnAnsells Pub With Old Dark Red Tiles Out side
But It Certainly There Up To The 1957 ,It Was Almost Facing Claribelles Garage Shara bangs
Many Thanks Again Bob, Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;
 
Astonian

What was the exact location of the pub, I can find no trace of a Widow's Arms on Lichfield Rd, perhaps if the pub was on a junction with another road the postal address was that of the adjoining road?

Was the Victoria Hotel a public house, because Queen Victoria was sometimes known as "The Widow". So perhaps this might have been the name it was known as.

Phil
 
Astonian, I think the Widdows was a nickname, I can see the pub in my mind but can't remember the name, but I am pretty sure there is a photo of it on the site, have a look under Lichfield Road in the search box.
 
MOST Definately The Widdows
I LIVED At 5/92 Lichfield Rd Up Cromwell TerraceAnd At The Bottom Of Our Terrace Was
Was MRS bARNES The Grocery SHOP And Then The PUB,Which Was The Widdows
Then There Was ACouple Of Little Shops Then TheRE wAS pARKERS Another Grocer
Whom Used To Cut And Patter The Butter Innto Pond Weights
Then We Had The Butcher , And Then We Had Old Matty ,s The Tv Shop
I Cannot Tell You The Number Of The Puib But It Did Excist Believe Me
 
Hi Astonian,
In the list of pubs in Lichfield Road taken from the book Aston Remembered, The Victoria Hotel is listed at 88 Lichfield Road. So by deduction you lived at back of 92 - it was only 2 doors away. It would seem that the experts may be are right about the Widow Victoria.
 
Astonium, Have look at the thread: 2 to identify please. it has 2 photos of unknown pubs, the thread is on Page 1
 
Astonian,
You could probably take your own photo.,it was still there about 6 years ago.
It's correct name was The Aston Manor,on the corner of Wainright St. And Portland St.,but always known as the widows.
 
hi ray
the widdows arms is on the lichfield rd more ar less facing greens new agents
and it was about four shops and i court terrace away from mattys radio and tv shop
we had this before a long time ago there was afew people tryed to telll me it didnt excist but one of our member from a far land produced the eveddiece by putting on the actual pic of the widdows arm which was the excact one and i lived next door to the excact building named the widows arms for donkey years and no one can tell
me different ray ,i will dig it out ithink it was mike of aussie land put the excact pic up for me after the disagrement some was putting an old picure on
best wishes ray ,,
------------
 
The pub in Moor Lane Witton which is now The Safe Harbour was originally named the Witton Hotel but better known to the regulars as The Grave Diggers or The Widdows because of the fact it was opposite the cemetry gates. Wish i had a penny for each drink i had in there.
 
Astonian

There is an easy way to settle this, here is a Kelly's listing showing the location of The Victoria Hotel.

Also a photo of the same pub. I will agree not a very good photo, but is this the pub you knew as the Widows.

Phil

here are Tower <& Park roads
Ansells Bottling Stores
Ansells Assembly Rooms
... here is St. Georges so ...
54 & 56 Norton W. A. Ltd.
ironmngrs
..here is Tipper Portland St..
80 Matty's Radio & Television,
radio dlrs
82 Frost Arth, draper
84 Evans Edwin Mark,
butcher
86 Graham Lqwther (Alfd.
Kee, propr.), grocer
88 Victoria Hotel, Saml.
Bert Hill
90 Lilja Mrs. Phyllis, shopkeeper
here is Cromwell sq ...
92 Astons' Stores (Aldridge)
Ltd. bakers
94 & 96 T h o m p s o n A.
(Aston) Ltd. pork
butchers
98 Keyte Wm..A. butcher
100 & 102 Goldbergs, fancy
drapers​


104 French Wm. E.greengro
 

Attachments

  • Aston Victora Hotel The Widows .jpg
    Aston Victora Hotel The Widows .jpg
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G'day Astonian,
Do you remember when the brewery lorries used to park all down Portland St. and Ken Yardley the yard foreman,used to call them into the yard one by one,well,at lunchtime the draymen used to go to the "widows"The Aston Manor Tavern,and spend their,beer tickets,(2 free pints a day),now the joke was, the "widows"took more beer tickets,than cash.
I was also born in Lichfield No.95,but that sodding Hitler bombed it.
regards Ray.
 
Is this what we are looking for?

Dave Bath said:
A special note here for the attention of ASTONIAN!!!
Isn't the picture showing The Victoria Hotel (The Widows Arms) and isn't that then your entry that you lived up Back of 92 between the pub and Mattys?
Click to expand...
 
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hi astonian
i think the widows was named the gunmakers arms
thanks redsunset
 
It's been great reading all the bits about the Widdows, my gt grandad lived just by Astonian and he remembers my grandparents, the Pugh family - lovely stuff. I can vaguely remember the court yard but not much about Lichfield Road
Thank you all keep it coming
Denise
 
Hello all,
Have just had it confirmed by an ex Ansells drayman,This is the pub always known to them as the "widows"it's still there at the junction of Wainright St.and Portland St.
 
I've just been talking to an old boy who was brought up in Aston and he reckons the Gunmakers arms was known as the Widdows, because thats what guns make, widdows.
Never ending innit.
 
Hello postie,
My brother was at Ansells brewery for 25 years,as was a cousin, and where they spent their beer tickets,was the "widows" as above,
 
hi red sunset
the gun makers arms was the oppersite way from the widdows
i have got the picture of the widdows with the big sign above stating the widdows
I will get my son to go through all my old papers to find this pic and reprint it and put on site as soon as i get the time to do so one of our members sent me the pic about 12 months ago after every body tryed to tell me i was wrong i was born next to it i played in the back yard of it and sat on the bar steps on crutches when i was knocked down out side the astoria in the early fifties also on the subject the last time not so long back when this subject was mentioned some body put a picture on with a different name above the pub and i remember the name being changed from the widdows and that was an ansells house and when the old gather died the grand father to the goughs and carol gammage a emediate neibour in our terrace took it on
these re the days when we popped into the out door with a pop bottle or the jug to fil up with ale and the blue bag of smiths crisped the gun makers arms was a akinson house down by dents and robinsons fruit and veg in fact i would say it was almost facing mrs coxs and harold loyed the cobblers these shops was on the oppersite side of the rd the gun makers on the same side of the rd but the oppersite way
the mannor house was a different pub along and across the rd by gallaghers the barbers and the top of wain wright st and portland st next to buttons and it was never known as the widdows i will make a point of getting my son on the case to show you that the widdows was there in building form and with its name above
as most of you are aware i have had a personal problem which as slowed me down in getting things inrespected i have promised denise the pic of the court of her grand parents and there is some one else i have promised some think but bear with me on this one and i will come back with the goods shortly and bring it up
best wishes to every one astonian ;;;;
 
hi pmc
i would like to know what year Of The Kellys Bible You Was looking AT
For The Widdows because i can remember When They Changed That Name To The Victoria Hotel From The Widdows And Putting Up The New Name Me AND My Best Mate
Colin Gaskin Whom Lived Yards Fom It Said Mm. they are Trying To Make It Sound
Posh by Putting Up That Sign On The Front Of The Pub And Incidently The Cross Guns Was Down The Other way I Think You Will Find It About 106 Or 8 GIve Or Take A
Number Or Two And I Remember When They Demolished It And They Put Great
Big Bill Posters For Years In Its Place And It Coincided With The Family Of The
Sargents Family And It Was Before Frenchies And Dents And Robinsons
So Could You Confirm To Me What Year That Particular Pic on Thread With The Kellys
Year Showing Following That Picture My Uncle Frank Was Also A Drayman Whom Worked For Ansells And Delivered There He Lived At No 10 Park St Next To The Vine
The Mannor Taven Was Either Called By One Or The Other By The Locals [ the mannor -or The Tavern ]
 
Hi Astonian Have just been reading through about the Widdows, a hornets nest has certainly been disturbed, so many different ideas of which pub is which. I enjoy reading them all. Don't worry about the picture, I can wait, I am putting a couple of gt grandad and grandad fishing and also both of them on a boat trip to see if you recognise them.
Look forward to reading more Denise
 
hi denise
no doubt about it i reconised them with no messing
i sincerly opologise for the delay in down loading the picture of the court i am awaiting
for my son to come over and down load the picture i want you to see and down load it for your self regarding the word of hornet yes i have i do not want to upset the moderaters by saying some think which will be taken the wrong way but i do have a couple of pics which clearly shows its the widdows prior to the name change
i think i did showyoua pic of the pub where grand ma dragged grand pa back to the house after fetching him from the widdows if not just call back the latest one
where my mate dave bath a member of the forum sent me andif you can enlarge the pic you will see the opening of the court better and there was a grocer at the bottom of the court but the pic i will send you will be a close up to the type of house it was with the old mangle out side the door i actualy recall that mangle being peramently out side the door cause me and my mate collin gaskin used to chase the girls up there because theyuse to play us up any way i will give you the pic as soonas i can get my son over as he lives in b,ham denise have a nice day best wishes
astonian ;;
 
Astonian - The Link to the picture from Dave Bath is included in my Post up there /\ on the previous page - please tell us if that is the location of the opening to the Court.
 
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Hi Astorian, thanks for getting back to me, please don't worry about the picture. Glad you recognised the grandads I have had a look at the other photo. I wish I could remember more, I only visited when very young and don't recall any of it or the shops on Lichfield Road so I am enjoying reading all about it. My greatest memories of gt grandad was when he used to visit nan and grandad at Holte Road. He would sit at the table have a cup of tea which he would pour into the saucer and slurp it. I can remember finding that really funny. Take care Denise
 
Will someone put me out of my misery please - where is the picture that is said, on another thread (The Gunmakers Arms) to show the 'Widows Arms' as I feel I am slowly going doo lally?

Thank you I had ot get that off my chest.
 
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