-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
Hockley Hill
- Thread starter Astoness
- Start date
Dave Abbotts
proper brummie kid
Hello Lyn thank you for taking the time to look. Think your right where you think the shop would be. It was next one up from the corner flooring shop, at least I think I remember it being a flooring shop. That must be Perrin's newsagent with the awning? Thanks again
well dave blooms was at the corner with guest st so here are 2 more first one is dated 1961 second one dated 1954 as you can see in 54 the corner shop at no 124 was a cycle shop..if you click on the photos they will enlarge then click on the plus sign at the top right and they enlarge even more
...lyn
...lyn
Last edited:
Dave Abbotts
proper brummie kid
Thanks again Lyn, I remember the corner cycle shop. I think we moved from Hockley to Aberdeen St Winson Green in 61 as I think most along there were getting notifications of the new flyover plan that would be changing the area landscape . Cheers Dave
happy to help dave and yes you would not recognise the area now..i used to walk up hockley hill from villa st in 1971 as i worked in vyse st but by then the new flyover was in place and all of the old hockley hill we see in the photos on this thread had gone..have you seen our aberdeen street thread i posted loads of old photos of the houses on it some years ago ? never know your house could be there..what number did you live at
lyn
lyn
Dave Abbotts
proper brummie kid
From the photos I’ve seen of the redevelopment, it is now, very, very different from how I remember the area.
We moved to 1Aberdeen St which was in a previous life an off licence/ pub? Mom set it up as a Herbal store for a a couple of years before moving back up to Stoke for the family business. I remember seeing 101 Dalmatian’s at Villa Cross! I moved back down to Brum for tertiary education in the 70’s flatting in Handsworth, Erdington ending up in Balshall Heath before graduating.I would be very interested in looking up the Aberdeen street thread, could you let me have the link? By the way, are you in UK ?if so you must be up very early regarding your first response, I’m now in NZ. Thanks for all your help. Dave
hi dave went to the villa cross many times..yes still in birmingham but not a good sleeper so you will often find me posting in the middle of the night 
..below is a link to a great map site...if you move the blue dot to the left the map fades out to show you what is there now..as you will see no 117 was almost at the corner with new john st west and where it was is now taken over by the duel carriageway..also below is the link to the aberdeen st thread..start reading from post 1 so that you do not miss anything..i will also check to see if we have a photo of no 1..lyn ps most of the aberdeen st photos i have posted were taken in the 1970s so maybe you would like to make a post on there
..below is a link to a great map site...if you move the blue dot to the left the map fades out to show you what is there now..as you will see no 117 was almost at the corner with new john st west and where it was is now taken over by the duel carriageway..also below is the link to the aberdeen st thread..start reading from post 1 so that you do not miss anything..i will also check to see if we have a photo of no 1..lyn ps most of the aberdeen st photos i have posted were taken in the 1970s so maybe you would like to make a post on there
Last edited:
Mark Tooze
master brummie
Terrific photos Lyn!!!!!
Dave Abbotts
proper brummie kid
Hi Lyn, many thanks for sending those links through, much appreciated.
Thinking back, family must have moved up to Stoke in late 62 early 63 as I remember the bad winter of 62 back in Winston Green. Cheers Dave
Thinking back, family must have moved up to Stoke in late 62 early 63 as I remember the bad winter of 62 back in Winston Green. Cheers Dave
i also remember that winter dave...we were in villa st ...great fun for us kids but for our parents it must have been a very difficult time as supplies of food and coal were short..we still went to school though wrapped up in our coats and scarfs..no easy days off back then
lyn
Dave Abbotts
proper brummie kid
Dead right there Lyn, that’s when the knitted balaclavas and duffle coats came in handy
mauricemargetts@yahoo.co.
knowlegable brummie
thank you lyn
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
thanks mike i guessed it was large house...john vinrace is the person i am researching..the odd thing is that he also lived at bromford house at 6 ways aston and when that house went (most likely due to a fire) a bank was built on its ground..the same thing happened to his house at hockley hill...a bank was built on its ground..i wonder if the same bank built on both spaces...think it was a lloyds bank on the corner of wells st it was mom and dads bank for years...do not know what bank was on the corner of lozells road and birchfield road..st view here of where no 175 once stood..
lyn
The Street view shows 175 Hockley Hill, built in 1892…
(The Builder)
A Sparks
master brummie
Seen this morning in the Birmingham BBC website, I wasn't quite sure where to post this!
www.bbc.co.uk
Birmingham's Hockley Flyover could be removed under master plan
The city's draft Local Plan suggests removing or remodelling the structure.
www.bbc.co.uk
drove under it earlier todaySeen this morning in the Birmingham BBC website, I wasn't quite sure where to post this!
Birmingham's Hockley Flyover could be removed under master plan
The city's draft Local Plan suggests removing or remodelling the structure.
lyn
Always thought these flyovers were an eyesore, blotting out the landscape. (Just my personal opinion, but it'd be to the good if it went provided the murals are resited). See the first photo in post #4.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/murals-in-birmingham.45801
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/murals-in-birmingham.45801
agreed mike just like it is at perry barr when they demolished the flyover...however i agree with viv the hockley flyover is a mess and certainly not safe to walk under it..
as far as i know that is correct it was only known as hockley brook due to the brook running nearby..if you look at this map soho hill started at no 2 which was the bank..move the blue dot to the left to see what is there now..you can also move the map around..hope this helps
lyn
Thanks, that's what I thought. It's a case of 'known as'. I grew up in West Bromwich and my parents always referred to it as Hockley Brook where the white coated policeman stood.
My mother worked at Brookes saddles in Hockley before I was born and my father worked at Lucas, Great Hampton Street in the sixties. Also, I worked in Bond Street Hockley in the seventies ,plus, I've just remembered, my wife worked in a lab in Hockley, Barr Street I think it was so we've a lot of connections to the area.
My mother worked at Brookes saddles in Hockley before I was born and my father worked at Lucas, Great Hampton Street in the sixties. Also, I worked in Bond Street Hockley in the seventies ,plus, I've just remembered, my wife worked in a lab in Hockley, Barr Street I think it was so we've a lot of connections to the area.
happy to help alan..as you say you do have a lot of connections to the area...if you need any help with anything just ask but dont forget to use the search engine we have threads and sections for most things in fact i think we have a thread for bond st..think there is an old burial ground there..ive not heard of brookes saddles and wonder where in hockley it was
lyn
lyn
Indeed there is. I worked at Electromagnets (Boxmag) right next to that burial ground (see my posts under factories,offices) and everyone said the place was haunted because of it. Its still there as far as I know as is the building I worked in but occupied by another company.
thanks alan...you may have seen it already but we have the below thread for bond st...burial ground still has boards around it..also below is a wiki link to brookes saddles..
Brooks England - Wikipedia
Brookes saddles was a world famous maker of bike saddles. I had a few bikes with their saddle.
The other thing I remember was there was a famous night club/gig venue just round the corner in Constitutional Hill. A lot of the famous Birmingham bands of the seventies like The Move and The Moody Blues played there. The name of the place escapes me for the moment but the buildings have all gone now I think.
The other thing I remember was there was a famous night club/gig venue just round the corner in Constitutional Hill. A lot of the famous Birmingham bands of the seventies like The Move and The Moody Blues played there. The name of the place escapes me for the moment but the buildings have all gone now I think.
could have been the cedar club...if so we should have a photo of it somewhere on the forum
lyn
Thanks for the link it's very interesting, local brands is one of my special interests. I was spelling Brooks wrong. When I worked in Bond Street, I believe there were still graves in that overgrown area, (unless It was a wind up!). It looked identical to how it does now without the boarding.
pretty sure its no wind up alan this is why the ground remains with boards around it so as not to disturb the remains..we did some pretty extensive research about it on the bond st thread...
lyn