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135 Dollman Street and onwards!

Frank Parker

Frank Parker

https://frankparker.website
I lived at 135 Dollman Street, Vauxhall, Nechells from my birth in 1966 until 1971 when I moved to 62 Hurst Lane in Shard End. I was there until I was 20. The following 27 years are as follows: Pithall Road, Shard End to Berrowside Road, Shard End to Glebe Farm Road, Stechford (then back to Hurst Lane a bit!) to Shard End Crecent, Shard End to Hillcross Walk, Bromford to where I am now in Kitts Green! :)

If anyone as any old photo's of those roads or the areas, information on the meaning of the road names, info on the areas etc. then please let me know! :)
 
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Hi bluebrummie

Lived around the corner in Inkerman St, but I have to be honest I didn't know a soul in your road.

Here a picture of Pithall Rd & Berrowside Rd.

Phil

ShardEndBerrowsideRd1951.jpg


ShardEndPithallRdPoliceStation.jpg
 
Thanks Phil, do you know when they were taken?

I was only a babby so I don't remember much of the old end but I do remember Dad mentioning the names Sparkes! I think they were from Inkerman Street?
 
bluebrummie

I have no dates for the photo's, but from the look of the buildings I would think shortly after they were built in the early fifties.

I have to be honest I knew little of Inkerman St apart from my house, The Railway Club, The Midland, The Brittania, and there was a factory I worked at for a short while about halfway between Erskine St and Alama Crescent but that would have only been for about 3 months. All my spare time was spent in Birmingham Town Centre.

Phil
 
I know of The Railway Club because Dad played Darts for them and Duddeston Manor because my Sisters went there. Personally I remember The Train Park, that's it really?
 
When I was a little nipper I lived in Alma Crescent 1932-38. Dollman st one side and Inkerman St the other. We lived at #27 which was the front house on the street and there was a large yard at the back of us with more houses. On the Dollman st corner was a bakery and on the inkerman st corner there was a little sweet shop owned by two elderly sisters, I think it was called Disternals sweet shop. I remember I had to walk all the way to Loxton st school and back everyday but we thought nothing of it in those days. Up the street above us was a large open yard with houses up the back, and every year on Nov 5th we had our big Bonfire there. In 1938 we moved from there to the new houses in Kingstanding and we were close to Sutton Park and Barr Beacon so me and me mates could walk there whenever we wanted to.
Oh!!! Happy Days.

Have a nice day, Wally.
 
Phil and Bluebrummie. I dont know whether I have mentioned this before, but I used to spend a lot of time at the Railway Club. Both as a member and as a worker. I spent quite a while working behind the bar there. The last Steward that I recall was Colin, and his wife Babs, but I cant remember their surname. But the one I cant recall at all is the Steward before them. But he was great too. Youre certainly bringing back the memories here. Barry.
 
BazzM

I used the Railway Club occasionally between 1965 to 1968, but it was from 66-67 that I used it most. They used to have a lot of dances on Saturday nights with some quite good groups. They were quite well attended and I always used to go to those. During the week if it was just lads then we used to be in the snooker room.

Phil
 
Alas Phil and Barry I was only 4 and a bit when we left so I wasn't allowed in the Railway Club! lol Lovely to hear your memories!
 
Bluebrummie

So you were too young to have got thrown out of Duddeston Sheds or off the sidings where they parked all the coaches waiting to be cleaned. I did a lot of courting in those coaches and was always being chased off.

Phil
 
pmc1947 said:
Bluebrummie

So you were too young to have got thrown out of Duddeston Sheds or off the sidings where they parked all the coaches waiting to be cleaned. I did a lot of courting in those coaches and was always being chased off.

Phil
Click to expand...

You rascal you! lol
 
Phil. I must have bumped in to you at the Railway Club, because if there wasnt a dance on, and I wasnt working, then myself and my mates also used to play snooker there.I also used to take some of my records to the club to play over the sound system. Also my old man was on the committee there for a time. Barry.
 
I lived in 122,Dolman Street from 1935 to 1940 I went to Loxley Street School,and its lovely to hear everyone remembering their childhood,indeed happy times!Does anyone remember the back Street where the house that the Railway man lived,he used to chase us and we called him "Faty Arbuckle".also does anyone remember the Burrows Bros or family Albert,Ronnie,and Leslie,I used to play with them.I rem my Dad used to buy me a cake from the corner bakery ,if I wasnt well or had to go to the dentist!What a treat!
 
Hi Frank the sparkies were next door to the little shop on dolman street just along from you then they moved to lea village
colin
 
BazzM

We probably crossed paths a few times, if I wasn't in the Railway Club and I was staying in the area for the evening, then I would be in the Hamlet or the Adelaide most nights.

Here's a photo of myself a couple of years after the times mentioned outside my sisters house in Grey St, off Garrison Lane with her two young sons (full grown men now). I don't think I had changed much in the preceding couple of years. Any hint of recognition?

Phil

0037.jpg
 
Hi Phil, Your face looks familar to me ,but maybe its because you look like Liam on Coronation Street! I had left Dollman St by 1947 and moved to Ralph Road, after my mother remarried. Ron
 
Hi Ronald

Nice to meet you, I was born in 1947 and didn't move to the Nechells area until 1953 so its doubtful we ever crossed paths. As I hardly ever watch television I'm afraid I have little idea who Liam is. Coronation St is a programme I haven't watched in over 20 years.

So Ronald what do you remember about Dollman Street and the surrounding area?

Phil
 
Phil. Sorry to say mate, but I cant definately say that I recognise you. But then again, it was a busy little club wasnt it ? Ive just remembered the name of one of the groups that played there. Do you recall The Bobcats. ? It comprised of 4 very young guys, but they where very good for their age. Barry.
 
Hi,

Would anyone on here happen to know when the back to backs were pulled down in Dollman Street?

My Great Grandfather was born at the back of 32 Dollman St, in 1878 when Dollman St was actually Aston - as I have it on Billy's (www.billygarraty.com) birth certificate which shall be added to my website soon. It obviously changed districts frm Aston to Nechels some time later?

Kind regards - Joe Burke
www.billygarraty.com
w
 
I wasn't still living in the area when it was demolished though my mother still was, but it was around the begining to middle of 1971 when the whole area was flattened.

Phil
 
pmc1947 said:
I wasn't still living in the area when it was demolished though my mother still was, but it was around the begining to middle of 1971 when the whole area was flattened.

Phil
Click to expand...

I think that is right as we left in 1971 and it wasn't long after they came down!
 
I love this forum. Whenever I drop in I discover something new!

My grandfather, his parents, his brothers and sisters lived at 126 Dollman Street between 1928 and the war years, but until I read this thread and saw the pictures recently posted in another thread, I knew nothing about the road at all.

But I would love to know more!

Does anyone know if number 126 is visible in any of the photographs posted by Bluebrummie?

What might the house have been like inside?

Regards

Paul
 
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Paul
Not exactly visible I'm afraid, but in post 3 of the BlueBrummites reference https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk...dollman+street , the first picture is of dollman St with a church procession, looking towards Alma Crescent from Erskin ST. On the 1902 map below I reckon the photograph was taken from about the position of the red arrow. The purple building is W.H.Tant & Co at no 105 , and you can see the W. H and part of the T on the side of the building in the photograph. there is also a full view of that building in hte series of photographs. No 126 is marked in blue (I'm pretty sure), so you can almost see it !
Mike


map_dollman_st_1902A.jpg
 
I can't add anything of first hand knowledge but after looking for 18th and 19th century Vauxhall gardens...the area here is exactly the spot. With Erskine Street, Vauxhall Road, Newdegate Street, Alma Crescent and the Rea being the perimeter. I wondered why Alma was a crescent and read that originally it was to have fine houses built on it but the area was overtaken by industry and railroads. I wonder if any fine houses were actually built. Inkerman, Dollman, Scot and Spooner were laid out across the old gardens and it would seem that everything that was there disappeared. Including the old manor house.
 
Thanks for the replies - and especially to Bluebrummie (for the pics) and to mikejee for the map details!

Hope you have a bostin New Year!

Paul
 
Rupert, I lived on Alma Crescent at #27 from when I was 5yrs old 1932 untill I was 11yrs old when we moved to a new house in Kingstanding. But at that time there was a block of very nice houses on the other side of the road and they looked like bought houses compared to the one we lived in which was on the street with houses at the back in a yard.
 
That's interesting Wally. I have been trying to put together a few things on the old 18th century Vauxhall Gardens with material obtained from here and other places. It's an interesting little spot and was a place of beauty before the rail roads and industry.
 
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