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Stechford

Where exactly are the borders of Stechford? I have never been quite able to work it out, surely the Yardley Arms doesn't come under Stechford, does it?

Terry
According to it's address yes..
https://www.flaminggrillpubs.com/pub/yardley-arms-stechford-birmingham/m7405/

I
think going north to south along the outer circle there used to be a boundary signs near Bordesley Green East near the Police station, one side of the road Yardley and the other Stechford. There's still a boundary sign saying "Stechford" near the river Cole Bridge just before where the Manor House pub was, further on from that it would be Ward End. Not so sure about west to East, but i think the Glebe is classed as Stechford but certainly not the old capitol cinema site as that's Ward End.
 
I have just took an image of Stechford off Google Earth and tried to draw a border, as you can see I am not to sure about the east side of Stechford, but I can see that the Yardley Arms could indeed come under Stechford. Have I got the border right so far?

Terry
 

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I have just took an image of Stechford off Google Earth and tried to draw a border, as you can see I am not to sure about the east side of Stechford, but I can see that the Yardley Arms could indeed come under Stechford. Have I got the border right so far?

Terry
Yes but the northern end, Audley road and Flaxley Road up to the Glebe would be Stechford.
 
I think up to Wyndhurst Road in the North would be Stechford and the Eastern edge would be around Church Road.
 
Ok I have altered the border now and it looks a bit more like it. I never classed Stud Lane as Stechford though, I always thought it was Glebe Farm / Lea Village.

Terry
 

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Hi Dave, i used to go into the cafe on station rd opp albert rd with my mates and play the pinball machines. I remember leviss . I'd forgotten they existed. Another shop I. Remember by iron lane was the shoe shop. I'm surprised I. Forgot that one because my mother bought me a pair of shoes there and they nearly crippled me. My mother didn't realise my feet had grown a size and a halve in six months. Regards rick
 
There used to be a motorcycle run round the outer cycle route and they used to stop outside the Levis factory, it wasn't untill years later that i found out it used to be a motorcycle maker I just used to think it was convient place to stop. Levis compressors is I think the only sort of reference to what used to be there I don't know if they are connected or have just taken the name
 
That makes interesting reading brumgum thanks. I always thought stechford's borders were church rd not including glebe farm. bordesley green, along the river cole down to the burney lane island. Regards rick
 
At the top of flaxley rd there was a dirt pathway that went between two sports fields all the way to audley rd and there on the left were arow of prefabs. Does anyone remember them?
 
Hi

I rented a garage from an old chap in Albert Road back in the early 60s. He had had
a Levis Motorbike in WW1, and he told me how hard it was to get petrol. He used to
start the bike on gas and when it was warmed up, switch to paraffin. You could still
see how the gas pipe was routed down his garden.
Levis apparently used the circle formed by Northcote Road and Albert Road as a test track.

I seem to remember that the border between Stechford and Yardley was between Bordesley
Green East and Vicarage Road.

Kind regards

Dave
 
Hi dave . I know there's a stechford sign just before bordesley green rd, that much I'm sure of. It's a difficult one that. Can you imagine running cars like that today. Regards rick
 
The one thing that is good to happen in the Stechford area is the clean up of the River Cole and the Kingfisher Project.
When I was a lad the River Cole had many colours,oil and strange things floating from pollution and the waste from Little Bromwich hospital...now fish are back and all sorts of wildlife including the local inhabitants.?
I can well remember my old mates Ronnie Taylor,George Fields and meself potting the rats off with our air rifles.all that ended when we got nabbed by the railway police who accused us of shooting at the trains up by the viaducts,all rubbish of coarse.?
 
Me and my brother used to wander down to the river cole every now and then derek or go over to the pond and fish for stickle backs and whatever else was there. When I was a teen, I had a mate who lived on mary st and we used to go into the woods by the river at the bottom of frederick rd. It was a great place when you were young wasn't it. And there's the park at the back of stechford bathes or sometimes we'd go up to yardley park. Good times. Rick
 
It was a great place Rick,the nearest thing to the countryside for us....at the bottom of Frederick Rd,the was a huge tree which we managed to tie a rope to one of the branches to swing across the river,we also used to paddle little knowing what lurked in the water,we had no fear in those days.
 
The bulls head/ manor house.
 

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I know the very tree your talking about derek. Where did you live, it sounds like we were moving. In the same circles. Rick
 
I know the very tree your talking about derek. Where did you live, it sounds like we were moving. In the same circles. Rick

I lived in Botha Rd,Bordesley Green,Rick....we used to go down to the River Cole straight from our school,Alston Rd most afternoons.
 
Hi,

Perhaps a quirky way to work out the boundaries would be to compare an early 1950's area map of Birmingham with
one from a decade later. Stechford was part of Birmingham 9 before becoming part of 33, so a comparison should
show the bit that changed. I think its fair to say that Stechford is roughly bounded by Bordesley Green East, Church Road,
Flaxley Road(and on to the River Cole), and the River Cole back to Bordesley Green East.

I too remember the big old tree at the bottom of Frederick Road from the early 50's

Kind regards

Dave
 
Hello all!

I know this thread hasn't been active for a while but I'm hoping a boost will maybe get some people's attention who could possibly answer my query. I'm conducting an oral history programme and one of the people I've spoken to has mentioned working in a factory in Stechford making chairs (possibly wheelchairs?). He has speech difficulties so I've managed to get some key words from him but I'm having trouble finding much out. This could be because I've misheard the words or because the history info is scarce.
He refers to the Factory he worked in as 'Newton Bullocks' on (possibly) 'gowgen' or 'gaughen' Lane. Now I can't find any of those places when I search but I've realised people may have had nicknames, or old names, for buildings no longer referenced by that name. Eg. I can trace loads of members of the Bullock family, and even the Bullocks Mill via this Forum, so he could have been referring to a factory that sat on an old 'Bullocks' site. There is still Stechford Pine Furniture Factory, if this perhaps sits on an historic site that has always made furniture?

If any of these names are ringing a bell all help would be much appreciated. He worked there for 12 years, from when he was 26, around the 1980s.

Cheers guys!

Lottie. x
 
Lottie, if this gentleman always had a speech difficulty he could have worked at a specalist factory, could he be saying 'Garretts green lane' where there is/was (not sure) a Remploy factory for people with difficulties.
I don't know about wheelchairs but they, amongst other things, made small pieces of furniture.
I have no idea what was there before Remploy.
The main Remploy office in Birmingham may be able to help you.
 
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