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Broad Street

Stitcher said:
View attachment 79859Mid. 1950s
Five Ways again with Kunzles in the centre.
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Unless I'm very much mistaken (which I usually am), the building on the left, the one with the pointed turret, was the old King Edwards Five Ways school. This was taken over in the late 1950's by my old school, George Dixon Grammar School. I was there from about 1958 (2nd form) to 1961 (5th form) when I went back to George Dixon at City Road.

It was a peculiar place, a real maze of corridors and odd little rooms dotted about here and there. When school finished, I used to walk down Broad Street and have an espresso at one of the Greek cafes near the Hall Of Memory. Strange how Stitcher's photo has brought these memories back to me.

G
 
Sorry G you are mistaken. As an Old Dixonian myself (I was a year ahead of you 1955-1960) I can tell you that the front door to GD (ex KEGS Five Ways) was someway along Hagley Road. You were probably more used to entering the school from Ladywood Road. The building with the turret was Midland Bank and then there were 3 or 4 shops and possibly another building before the school. I was always based at City Road. I can't remember why but I used to find some excuse to go into the school office and ask for my bus fare and go off down to Five Ways. I can remember making tea for parents days at both City Road and Five Ways and can remember sorting out school papers in the library at Five Ways.
 
David,

thanks for putting me right. Your memory's obviously a lot better than mine. You're correct - I did use the Ladywood Road entrance, and can't remember ever using the Hagley Road main entrance. I was at GD from 1957 - 63, the last 2 years being at City Road. City Road was plainly the lesser of two evils, if I can put it that way. Five Ways seemed a bit dingy and gloomy in comparison. I can remember Geoff Fletcher (music master at GD and choir-master at St Martins-in-the-Bull Ring) complaining that the acoustics in the hall at Five Ways were terrible - as if we cared. Anyway, it was a long time ago.

G
 
a1.jpg
Standing where the Prince of Wales Theatre used to be, looking at where the Rum Runner was.
 
Being an old Dixonian as well (1960-5) I used both Five Ways and City Road schools and can confirm that the Hagley Rad entrance was for sixth form and staff use only, us lower mortals had to use the Ladywood Road one. Despite its age it wasn't the grim Dickensian place one would expect (unless Tom Rumsby, the Head, or 'Wally' Walker, his deputy, caught you up to no good!) and I for one was sad to see it go in the erroneous name of Progress.
Here's the frontage of the school, it seems only a few months ago...

king edwards five ways later george dixons.jpg
 
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Five ways from the air, 1921. Reading it as a clock face, Hagley Road if off at nine, Ladywood Road at ten, and Broad Street at two.

Five Ways.jpg
 
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Lloyd said:
Five ways from the air, 1921. Reading it as a clock face, Hagley Road if off at nine, Ladywood Road at ten, and Broad Street at two.

View attachment 80203
Click to expand...

So my memory was right, from the Ladywood Road there was the bank, four shops (it looks like 4 shop blinds), a house and then the school. I wasn't a sixth former but I still went in through the front door becaue nobody told me what I could or could not do, not even Wally Walker.
 
Lloyd, I have had a quick look to see if I have a decent picture of the school and Kunzles but it seems I do not have one. A little earlier in this thread I did post a pic of 5 Ways and Kunzles is on it but it's not a very good image.
 
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7425-0.jpgMid 1950s.
I do not know if Broad Street was usually this quiet in those days.
 
Yes I understand that Paul but this scene shows it as being deserted.
 
880 crew HMS BirminghamNov.6. 1981.jpg1981.
880 HMS Birmingham crew members attend a service outside the Hall of Memory.
 
This 1936 photo is pre-Civic Centre, but does anyone know what was the building(s) where the cars are parked? Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1372366948.814349.jpg
 
Great cars too. Just behind the derelict wall, on the white building, I think you can just make out CRES .... TH, so that must be the Crescent Theatre. And the church-like structure left of the chimney has been pencilled in, as has another rooftop to the left. These things only show up in magnification.Viv
 
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