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Kingstanding

  • Thread starter Thread starter margaret
  • Start date Start date
Pedrocut said:
This picture is from the Birmingham Gazette of March 1939, is it Warren Farm Road ?

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Pedrocut
Sorry, I'm over a year late reading this one
The Photo does look like Warren Farm Road. The Crossroads look like Cranbourne road left, and Dulwich Road right. Further down on the left would be Danesbury Crescent.
At the bottom of the hill you can see the island, but I'm puzzled. Where is the brook? I would have thought the channel and iron railings would have been built with the estate. Maybe someone knows.
 
Eric Gibson said:
There seems to be some damage/smudge to the photo, in the middle of the H pathways and that's where the brook was.
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Yep, I remember it well during the 50's and 60's. But that pic was taken in 1939. I thought the brook was routed there during construction of the estate. Of course, now it's all culverted along there. Maybe the channel was opened up after the estate was built. ????
 
Morturn said:
BCHD were in my opinion quite a good employer in those days. They took on around 90 apprentices every year and kept the housing stock in fairly good condition. The apprenticeships meant that people, once qualified could always find work and a lot of other opportunity’s.

They had a number of decent tradesmen on the books, what years did you work for them?
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Does anyone remember "The rooftop singer" during the 1960s..He was often seen around Kingstanding repairing chimneys. A big, stout chap, wore brown overalls and a flat cap and glasses.
Us lads aged about 12 would see him on our way to King's Rise school. We would egg him on to sing..He had a wonderful loud voice, operatic in style. He usually obliged. I often wonder what happened to him. I hope he didn't fall off a roof.
 
daimlerman said:
Does anyone remember "The rooftop singer" during the 1960s..He was often seen around Kingstanding repairing chimneys. A big, stout chap, wore brown overalls and a flat cap and glasses.
Us lads aged about 12 would see him on our way to King's Rise school. We would egg him on to sing..He had a wonderful loud voice, operatic in style. He usually obliged. I often wonder what happened to him. I hope he didn't fall off a roof.
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His name was Keny Ross, a giant of a man who lived on Dovedale Road. He was a labourer for the Birmingham Housing Management Department and spent many years working with a bricklayer called Arthur Willis.

Arthur was quite a small man, ex-army I believe. Wore gaters, used to wax his moustache and would salute the man who gave him his pay-packet. He lived on Collage Road, opposite the cemetery in a bungalow that was filled to the brim with garden gnomes.

Ken was an incredibly kindly man, who loved and walked his dog over Witton Lakes and Brookvale Park. I knew both of them quite well and did like Ken.

Ken suffered with is mental heath and in would have some quite black days. This is when he would often sing. He was also extremely strong and would carry two 3x2 slabs, one under each arm.

PS
Arthur did fall of the roof on six occasions and just bounced and got back up the ladder. It was more luck thank anything did did not get injured.



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Morturn said:
His name was Keny Ross, a giant of a man who lived on Dovedale Road. He was a labourer for the Birmingham Housing Management Department and spent many years working with a bricklayer called Arthur Willis.

Arthur was quite a small man, ex-army I believe. Wore gaters, used to wax his moustache and would salute the man who gave him his pay-packet. He lived on Collage Road, opposite the cemetery in a bungalow that was filled to the brim with garden gnomes.

Ken was an incredibly kindly man, who loved and walked his dog over Witton Lakes and Brookvale Park. I knew both of them quite well and did like Ken.

Ken suffered with is mental heath and in would have some quite black days. This is when he would often sing. He was also extremely strong and would carry two 3x2 slabs, one under each arm.

PS
Arthur did fall of the roof on six occasions and just bounced and got back up the ladder. It was more luck thank anything did did not get injured.



.
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I remember them Garden Gnomes
 
Donbogen said:
I remember them Garden Gnomes
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My mom would point out the the gnomes when we were on the 5 or 5A bus. Thanks for letting me know about Kenny Ross.

Other characters I.remember was Sid, the road sweeper. He always wore a scarf or a gag around his mouth. He lived on King's Road. I used to talk to him. He gave me an old push bike which I managed to get going. Another road sweeper was a bloke us kids nicknamed "BELCHER". He wore a black berret and would throw his head back and belch every few yards.

During school holidays we would follow the big green road drain cleaner. Two old boys would lift the grids and suck up all sorts of stuff. Balls, toys, dolls, they would throw them to us for more games.

One more character I remember was a strange chap. We called him "Earnie Strider" due to his huge strides when he walked. The older kids would shout his name and he would come after us. I was terrified of him so kept quiet. I think he worked as a cellar man at The Hare and Hounds pub and would "stride" along Cranbourne and Firbeck roads.
 
daimlerman said:
My mom would point out the the gnomes when we were on the 5 or 5A bus. Thanks for letting me know about Kenny Ross.

Other characters I.remember was Sid, the road sweeper. He always wore a scarf or a gag around his mouth. He lived on King's Road. I used to talk to him. He gave me an old push bike which I managed to get going. Another road sweeper was a bloke us kids nicknamed "BELCHER". He wore a black berret and would throw his head back and belch every few yards.

During school holidays we would follow the big green road drain cleaner. Two old boys would lift the grids and suck up all sorts of stuff. Balls, toys, dolls, they would throw them to us for more games.

One more character I remember was a strange chap. We called him "Earnie Strider" due to his huge strides when he walked. The older kids would shout his name and he would come after us. I was terrified of him so kept quiet. I think he worked as a cellar man at The Hare and Hounds pub and would "stride" along Cranbourne and Firbeck roads.
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Thanks for reminding me of Sid met him alot on the 28 Bus
he was in Montys 8th Army he had a bad time of it
he had his medals and badges in a tin
Sid was well known in Kingstanding
 
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