Just Outside Birmingham by Post Card.

[motorman-mike]

No sooner said than done. Clent Hills, Kinver cave house and the Crooked House for you.

 

[G G Jean]

Paul I too used to go horse riding on Clent Hills and my first experience on the back on a motorbike was there and it wasn't a good one. Never been so frightened in my whole life. I also got shot in the leg by an idiot with an air rifle the same day. When we moved to Kidderminster I used to ride to the Kinver caves Kinver edge as we only lived on the Bridgenorth road. Lovely times. Thanks for the photo's Mike must sort mine out of Clent. Jean. Mike just noticed the pub. I think we took the twins there when they were young and does the pub slant and things roll up and not downhill?. Jean.

 

[motorman-mike]

I recall the tables and chairs in the Crooked House having two long legs and two shorter legs to be level on the sloping floors but things rolling uphill? I'll have a pint of what she's on please Gaffer LOL.
Mike
Clamity Jean are you sure it wasn't them pesky red indians firing at you on the Clent Hills LOL again.

 

[Stitcher]

Mike, you and some of the others never cease to amaze me. I knew one of you would'nt be far away with these three locations.

 

[oldMohawk]

Hi Arkrite,
I was looking at many trolleybus pictures and show one outside the ABC Cinema, about to glide across the zebra crossing. The site below (which you may have seen) has many photos, and some show impressive wiring layouts. The film 'Where Eagles Dare' dates it Oct 1970.
www.normanfield.com/trolleybus.htm

 

[Arkrite]

Thank you oldMohawk for that fantastic link. Photo no. 9 actualy shows a Trolley doing the U- turn outside St Pauls church.The bus station had not changed, a sign for 11 Pelsall-Brownhills which I used is still therein the photo. Surprised they still used the flat fronted Guys, must have been getting on.
Thanks again.

 

[Lloyd]

I recall the tables and chairs in the Crooked House having two long legs and two shorter legs to be level on the sloping floors but things rolling uphill? I'll have a pint of what she's on please Gaffer LOL.
Mike
Clamity Jean are you sure it wasn't them pesky red indians firing at you on the Clent Hills LOL again.

You may have to "Ate yower waurds" there Mike - watch the ball roll uphill at the Crooked House now!
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qS5zLXz2IA"]YouTube - crooked house[/ame]

 

[motorman-mike]

Nice one Lloyd, there was nobody doing that at the times I ever went there. Must be similar to a place called the Electric Brae on the Ayrshire coast in Scotland. In my coach driving days up there I would drive down the Brae, stop the coach, turn off the engine and when safe let the handbrake off. The coach would gently roll backwards up the hill!. Passengers not in the know were always impressed by this. As we zay down Zummerzet, tis all an optaginull illushun innit.
Mike

 

[G G Jean]

Kime Poca Hontis, here told you it was an optical conclusion didn't I?. Naje. Thanks for the confirmation Lloyd. Jean.

 

[badger]

Brilliant photos everone, have enjoyed looking through them. Just going back to the book pages of Stratford on Avon......The International Stores and Printing works, the write up mentions Edward Fox.......Well I still work for Edward Fox Printers here in Stratford........and before you say it....no....I wasn't there at the start!!

 

[motorman-mike]

Kime Poca Hontis, here told you it was an optical conclusion didn't I?. Naje. Thanks for the confirmation Lloyd. Jean.

OK OK Poca don't rub it in - I've got me sackcloth and ashes on.
Michael (aways got called by my full name when I DID SOMETHING WRONG)

 

[motorman-mike]

Way back in posting #42 we looked in on 1960's Warwick. Here is the same location some 50 years earlier. To save you searching back the two cards can be compared here and not much had changed in 50 years and it still looks much the same today.

 

[chucka]

The Old entrance to Dudley Castle, was this before they had the zoo there ?

Chucka

 

[Lloyd]

The Old entrance to Dudley Castle, was this before they had the zoo there ?

Chucka

The zoo opened in 1938, so yes.

 

[motorman-mike]

Postmarked Solihull, Warwickshire 25/8/1966 here is a sunny view of Poplar Road when the Midland Red 176 bus heading for Brum would cross straight over the Warwick Road at the black and white striped traffic lights to reach Lode Lane.

 

[ragga]

nice postcard Motorman .... good to see the morris traveller and
the corsair aswell............ ragga ...

 

[the silver fox]

Mike's pictures of Warwick are interesting as time hasn't changed the general scene much - except on the face of time.
Ted

 

[motorman-mike]

nice postcard Motorman .... good to see the morris traveller and
the corsair aswell............ ragga ...

Unusual that it's a Morris Oxford Traveller instead of the usual Minor or 1000 version that are still seen around today.
Mike

 

[Phil]

It must have been a good flower show at Shrewsbury, it looks as if it was a sell out.

Phil

 

[Macca]

Thats fantastic! All in their Sunday best too!

Macca

 

[maggs]

Thats is an amazing photo pmc 1949, and they say Chelsea Flower show get's packed.

 

[Lloyd]

Unusual that it's a Morris Oxford Traveller instead of the usual Minor or 1000 version that are still seen around today.
Mike

The Oxford traveller was a rare beast indeed. Here's a better view of one - in France! (OK, a bit more than "just" outside Brum, but...)
Do I spy an early Midland Red Daimler Fleetline there as well (DD11 type)?
The shiny aluminium windscreen frame is the give away. After a few fell out and were run over by the bus, they changed the mounting to a thick black rubber one.

 

[Phil]

The last time I was here Bridgenorth I traveled up from Kidderminster by steam train on the Severn Valley Railway not long after it opened. So its been a few years ago now.

Phil

 

[robert]

Stitcher i have just read post 158 were you casualy mention having a meal with Casius Clay. Casius Clay proberly the most famous human on the planet. Stich i would love you to tell us about it.

 

[Stitcher]

Hello robert, yes but at the time it didn't seem such a big thing. He was here with his wife and a minder. I did not normally go for the normal taxi work. If a star was in town I would do my best to get them to use me for the duration of their stay in Brum. In those days the two best restaurantnts in my opinion were Pancho's Los Canarios in Albert Street and Lorenzo Ferrari's in Moor Street. I would take a star to one whichever one of these two they fancied. This resulted in me being able to take my wife to the best place in town and get whatever we wanted for free. One night I went in for a meal and he was in there, eating. Lorenzo introduced us to each other and told Casius that I was the man to use if he wanted to see the city and feel safe while he was here. He invited me to sit at his table and thats how it all happened. In those days a couple of the original Drifters used to come to my house whenever the group was in town. Little miss Dynamite, AKA Brenda Lee was also very nice. Dion Warwick invited me to coffee at The Holiday Inn Hotel. The Stylistics were also a great bunch. When it is all going on it seems normal because they say 'see you next time' and of course one day it ends. It is then that one wishes they had taken loads of photo's. I do have some pictures, I will look through them and see what I can post. In those days driving a taxi was a really nice occupation and a great way to earn a living.

 

[Jessi1711]

This was my home town about 10 miles to the city center on the 161 or 168 Midland Red.

The Parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul a view from Cole End and the High Street

Jessie

 

[robert]

Great stories stich. Ive used the Los Canarios back in the 70s It has only recently closed. As you say great place great atmosphere.

 

[motorman-mike]

Hello robert, yes but at the time it didn't seem such a big thing. He was here with his wife and a minder. I did not normally go for the normal taxi work. If a star was in town I would do my best to get them to use me for the duration of their stay in Brum. In those days the two best restaurantnts in my opinion were Pancho's Los Canarios in Albert Street and Lorenzo Ferrari's in Moor Street. I would take a star to one whichever one of these two they fancied. This resulted in me being able to take my wife to the best place in town and get whatever we wanted for free. One night I went in for a meal and he was in there, eating. Lorenzo introduced us to each other and told Casius that I was the man to use if he wanted to see the city and feel safe while he was here. He invited me to sit at his table and thats how it all happened. In those days a couple of the original Drifters used to come to my house whenever the group was in town. Little miss Dynamite, AKA Brenda Lee was also very nice. Dion Warwick invited me to coffee at The Holiday Inn Hotel. The Stylistics were also a great bunch. When it is all going on it seems normal because they say 'see you next time' and of course one day it ends. It is then that one wishes they had taken loads of photo's. I do have some pictures, I will look through them and see what I can post. In those days driving a taxi was a really nice occupation and a great way to earn a living.

Crikey Trevor you lucky bloke, that beats pushing an irate motorist in his car down Station Street with a Midland Red bus! LOL.
Mike

 

[Stitcher]

We are going off thread here a bit. I will sort out my photos and start a new thread.

 

[motorman-mike]

Looking forward to that Trevor.
To get us back on thread here is Leicester in tramway days. A tram of the type by the Clock Tower is still running today at the museum at Crich in Derbyshire.