Church Road, Yardley.

[oldbrit]

They are quite common on the older churches, the ones that the Victorians didn’t modernise. The have been known as devils claw marks.

Some people call then arrow sharpening groves. Edward III’s passed a law in 1363, stating that all able-bodied men aged between 16 and 60 must practice their archery on Sundays and holy days.

One story I do like is they are marks made by lepers. It was thought that consuming flakes of brickwork from sacred chapels would cure you of illness. Apparently, in medieval England leprosy’s became very visible in all communities across England – rural and urban, rich and poor. Higher class to lower class. Even though it was widespread and a big player in our history, we tend not to know too much about it.

I am still of the opinion that people believed that consuming the powdered stone or brickwork from sacred chapels would cure you of illness. It did cross my mind that possibly old arrowheads were used to scrape out the powder.

The people who have been studying there marks are still quite divided as to who, what or why.

Who knows, everyone had their tale to tell. I love them all!! The Vicar told me his version when I was there many years ago. Very interesting building that has been added onto over the years.

 

[Morturn]

Who knows, everyone had their tale to tell. I love them all!! The Vicar told me his version when I was there many years ago. Very interesting building that has been added onto over the years.

Absolutely. I personally quiet like hearing there past narrative story’s, they often give us something to talk about and in reality, we may never really know.

 

[TeresaEade]

Good morning all, I was just wondering if anyone remembers my Nan and her husband who bought and ran the greengrocers in the early 70’s, I think they called it Sutherlands. Also does anyone remember the Meades family who lived in Wroxton Road probably from 1912 to the late 40’s?

 

[mikejee]

Here is the newsagent at 5 church Road, Yarfley, run by Mrs E Malins from around 1945 to 1964

 

[oldbrit]

I left Moat Lane in about March 1957 for America, to seek my fame and fortune (one out of two aint bad). I remember the Culdesac where my parents lived till the house on Moat Lane was built by Dares. I think. My hair was cut by Billy Haden at the shop on Church Rd. Also, there was a sweat shop on the corner a Newsagent was in there also. Used to get a piece of hot, warm bread from the bakery, Hardings, I think? This was all in the early 50s!! Now all gone!!!

 

[ItalianNonna]

I left Moat Lane in about March 1957 for America, to seek my fame and fortune (one out of two aint bad). I remember the Culdesac where my parents lived till the house on Moat Lane was built by Dares. I think. My hair was cut by Billy Haden at the shop on Church Rd. Also, there was a sweat shop on the corner a Newsagent was in there also. Used to get a piece of hot, warm bread from the bakery, Hardings, I think? This was all in the early 50s!! Now all gone!!!

Did you live in The Causeway?

 

[Davey N.]

Mother in Law's (Margaret Dawkins) father used to own the newsagent's at 212 Church Road. They also had the house on the corner of Church Road and Blakemere. I know the laundrette you mean, no they didn't own that but a member of the family worked there for years.

We bought 3 Wroxton Road in 1977 for £6000.00. It hadn't had anything done, although it had electricity, the original gas mantles where still there. Birmingham Council used to give a grant in the 70's for "repairs and renovations", so we were fortunate to be able to get new windows and a new roof. The dining room floor was quarry tiles but they all had to go and (a condition of the grant) a concrete floor laid. No central heating though, just an open fire in the "parlour"!

I knew Martin Dawkins back in the 1970s.

 

[oldbrit]

Did you live in The Causeway?

Not sure!! I was born 1933 I understand that we did waiting for Dawes to biuild the house on Moat Lane

 

[Susan D]

Three more photos of Church Road
Nos 3, and 5, with half of no 7

View attachment 203319

and two others

View attachment 203315View attachment 203317

Regarding the last picture of Church road, I had some difficulty working out just where it was. I have come to the conclusion it was taken looking north just up from the junction with Vicarage road. I think that many of these buildings have been replaced but one or two on the right remain. The curve in the road looks right and part of the garden wall remains.

Here it is on Streetview

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https://www.google.com/maps/@52.4763808,-1.8022133,3a,75y,22.86h,91t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOGwfG3nbhRr4fCjeBCduoQ!2e0!6shttps://streetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com/v1/thumbnail?cb_client=maps_sv.tactile&w=900&h=600&pitch=-1.0023183096156458&panoid=OGwfG3nbhRr4fCjeBCduoQ&yaw=22.863866257779808!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw==

 

[oldbrit]

The other end I think!!

 

[ItalianNonna]

the antique shop and barbers shop did they combine towards the end of there day? seem to remember going to the barbers on church road but it was at the back of the antique shop, could be wrong would i guess have been late 70's early 80's. we used to know the couple that ran the dog grooming business on wroxton road gosling was their name.

Yvonne and Sian. Yvonne has passed away

 

[ItalianNonna]

The travel agent was Bill Simmonds trading as W .T. Simmonds he also owned the newsagents next door. He ran it with his wife and they had a daughter but I cannot remember her name. Bill died young due to all the Senior Service he smoked and his wife continued with the business for a while. I left the area in 1959 after living in Hob Moor Road close to the Yew Tree for 20 years. My parents continued to live there until retiring down to Gloucestershire in 1967.

Elizabeth is there daughter and Bill Simmonds died from liver cancer.

 

[ItalianNonna]

According to mother in law it was a two pump petrol station at the end of Croft Road.

Geddes garage. Their daughter kept a horse there. It escaped

Just to add a bit more fact Edward Stenson was married to a lady called Barbara and Len Stenson was married to Florence always known as Floss they all lived at 53 Church Road and Barbara had twins and named them Leon and Lester, just thought it might jog someones memory. Before moving to Church Road Len and Floss used to live at 96 Cranes Park Road.

I was Lester's girlfriend at the time his Dad got killed. It was devastating.

 

[ItalianNonna]

Yes that's correct I can remember the floor of the butchers collapsing, from what I can remember customers were waiting to be served and the floor gave way and they fell into the cellar below, I had been sent on an errand to The Yew Tree shops and saw it first hand and remember the Birmingham Mail that night had the headlines "CUSTOMERS PLUNGE THROUGH FLOOR "

My Mom and me were in the queue outside waiting to go in the shop. Then all of a sudden everyone in the shop was screaming.

I think the gents hairdressers was called Vaughns on the same side as Prams n Things was another gent hairdressers Vic Kents who also had a shop at the Wheatsheaf . A shoe shop Malones or Marlones an opticians right outside the number 15/16 bus stop. There was a greengrocers iam trying to rack my brains to think of the name but i think it began with the letter G .

Pillingers?

 

[Davey N.]

Yvonne and Sian. Yvonne has passed away

Yvonne and Sian. Yvonne has passed away

Me & my mates used to get a trim at Vaugns I think his name was Glyn, he kept his antiques up stairs & had a loft ladder from the shop. He also kept a book that we could sign to prove we’d had a haircut!