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Then & Now

I believe that is the pleasing thing about Bournville, in that I could visit there and little would have changed in the last 60+ years. However, many parts of the city would be totally unrecognisable.
If only many of the area's around out beautiful city were not preserved like this, with such love & thought. All we are left with with much of the city are memories & photographs.
 
Ah, the Day Continuation School. It seemed a policy of the Council in 1954 to send us for one day a week to this school. Perhaps it was because they hadn't got enough to keep us occupied at work and that was certainly the case in 1957 - talk about overstaffed. That one day enabled me to retake and pass an 'O' Level that I had failed at grammar school, but what to do with us for the rest of the day, and many of us lads were in a similar position. At first they put us into the Art Class with the girls, but that was simply too disruptive and we certainly didn't have much interest in art! Then they put us into an empty classroom on our own and told us to "read or do something". But someone found a ball and a few started kicking it around until one of the teachers returned and told us off again. I think in the end they told us to go home early, and that became the routine until we took whatever exam they had us down for. It was certainly not a very well thought out program.

Maurice :cool:
 
Things were different there for the Post Office (Telephones) people. You had to knuckle down and learn - even if it became a struggle at times. You could not go home early that easily as the PO provided its own double deck bus to take you back to town or Bordesley Green. I got off at Digbeth and caught any bus heading towards the Shirley area. The bus, recorded elsewhere on BHF, was an ex-BCT 1935 Daimler COG5, AOP 753 (753) which was one of six that the GPO purchased in 1949. My recollections, in 1953 was the the food was good. ;)
Other company names I recall were Boxfoldia, which seemed a strange name and ever stranger was Kalamazoo. Both of these companies have threads about them. Boxfoldia is small and wold benefit from more posts about the company and its Northfield works, Kalamazoo has quite a few interesting posts.
 
Litton Mill.
Not Birmingham, but in these troubled times, may be of interest for Then and Later.

We first passed Litton Mill in 1989 and I took the first picture. When we passed again two years later in 1991 there were several posters protesting against the site being developed into luxury apartments. The second picture is our third visit in 2006 when the site had been converted. They were very expensive.

“The mill is located by the side of the River Wye about 2 miles from Litton village. Litton Mill complex has a notorious history involving cruelty, torture and a high rate in apprentice and child labour mortality. In fact, it is reputed that burials were made at several locations in an attempt to cover up the number of deaths.

Ellis Needham was a millowner or factory master with the worst reputation. He established the mill back in 1782 and together with his partner Thomas Firth attempted to sell the premises in 1786. Their advertisement stated well supplied by hands from the neighbouring villages at low wages ! When the mill failed to sell, Needham took to apprenticing parish orphans and paupers, some of whom were brought from London or other large cities. They worked long hours with poor food, in bad conditions, and were beaten and abused. In 1815 Needham was declared bankrupt so ironically his cost-cutting measures did not pay off. The mill was taken over by a succession of owners, one of whom was the much kinder Henry Newton, and by 1857 there were 400 employees. As with many of the mills, fire struck at Litton and new buildings were constructed. In 1934 it was bought by Anglo-French Silk Mills Limited and produced artificial silk and man-made fibres. In 1963 Litton Mill changed hands and manufactured textured yarns until its closure in the 1970 s. For many years the mill lay empty and derelict before planning permission was approved for its conversion into living accommodation.”



E7E40AF2-8223-4C3A-B4F9-F68FC393C7AB.jpeg
 
This thread has comments about The Moat House and maps showing location.
 
Phil,

A little way past the ford that I spent many an hour paddling in as a kid in the 1940s. And Green Lane is now Green Road - just not the same as it was. A concrete bridge instead of a wooden one, all the lovely green water weed that felt so soft under your feet has gone, no doubt killed off by all the traffic. All the bushes on the opposite side to the bridge have gone, and no longer does that side of the river look mysterious. Sometimes it's just best to forget that you ever saw the "now" picture.

Maurice :cool:
 
Phil,

A little way past the ford that I spent many an hour paddling in as a kid in the 1940s. And Green Lane is now Green Road - just not the same as it was. A concrete bridge instead of a wooden one, all the lovely green water weed that felt so soft under your feet has gone, no doubt killed off by all the traffic. All the bushes on the opposite side to the bridge have gone, and no longer does that side of the river look mysterious. Sometimes it's just best to forget that you ever saw the "now" picture.

Maurice :cool:

how wonderful that the cottage is still there phil....great news....must be some age to it

lyn
 
Is not the now picture taken from a different aspect of the building?
The old photo could have been taken from the East. The west view seems unlikely. I like the old photo ...;)
East.jpg
West.jpg

Bill Dargue gives some information about it. Apparently it is Grade II listed.
 
I took this photo of that cottage on Green Road on my daily walk last week.



Oh it's Grade II listed under the Springfield ward.


Listing Text
SP 08 SE
12/23
Moseley B13
Springfield
GREEN ROAD
No 143 (The Chalet)

GV
II
Early C19 cottage ornee in appearance but perhaps older in origin.
Pebbledashed; tile roof. One storey plus attic; three bays, that on the left set back a little and at a slight angle to the rest of the facade. Simple panelled door beneath a bargeboarded and tiled porch. Windows of two or three lights, all with leaded glazing and some beneath tiled canopies and with bargeboards. Bargeboards, too, at eaves level. In the roof, three tiled and gabled dormer windows, all also with leaded glazing and bargeboards.
Inside; the Minton tiles in the hall and late C19 stained glass windows.

Listing NGR: SP0981282138


This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
 
Maypole versus Chelmsley Wood with a Mini trying an unusual overtake. The Maypole driver appears to be driving one-handed waving at the camera as they drive out of town in Deritend.
Deritend_colour.jpg
My laptop and Gimp added colour to an existing B&W forum pic.

And these days nothing exciting apart from they are changing the road layout.
Deritendnow.jpg
 
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Maypole versus Chelmsley Wood with a Mini trying an unusual overtake. The Maypole driver appears to be driving one-handed waving at the camera as they drive out of town in Deritend.
View attachment 144375
My laptop and Gimp added colour to an existing B&W forum pic.

And these days nothing exciting apart from they are changing the road layout.
View attachment 144376
ROC5900R was an oddity in that it was a Foden. Was it a one off or were there more, I know like me this is beyond Alan's interests so can anyone fill in the details and how, what route, did the Chemsley Wood bus take?

Bob
 
As for the Foden bus, see post 1515 of this thread:
Regarding the route, well I have no idea. I had never heard of Chelmsley Wood when I lived in the Solihull area. It was only when it often made news on tv that I became aware of it. Even so I always thought it south of Solihull, whereas it is NE of it I gather.
 
ROC5900R was an oddity in that it was a Foden. Was it a one off or were there more, I know like me this is beyond Alan's interests so can anyone fill in the details and how, what route, did the Chemsley Wood bus take?

Bob
97 used to load in Carrs Lane, then round Masshouse Circus, Moor Street, Digbeth, Meriden Street, Fazeley Street, Great Barr Street, Garrison Lane, past St Andrews, Bordesley Green past East Birmingham Hospital (now Heartlands Hospital) then Bordesley Green East, The Meadway, East Meadway, Tile Cross Road and Bosworth Drive and into Chelmsley Wood.
 
97 used to load in Carrs Lane, then round Masshouse Circus, Moor Street, Digbeth, Meriden Street, Fazeley Street, Great Barr Street, Garrison Lane, past St Andrews, Bordesley Green past East Birmingham Hospital (now Heartlands Hospital) then Bordesley Green East, The Meadway, East Meadway, Tile Cross Road and Bosworth Drive and into Chelmsley Wood.
Thank you
Bob
 
A previous 97 route was peak periods and limited stop. The PTE introduced this in mid 1972 and was operated to Castle Vale using Ford 192 saloon buses. Couple of demonstrators were also to be seen on the route. The 97 - 101 route numbers were used by the newly formed PTE for limited stop services at the time.
 
I don’t recall the 97 was ever a limited stop service. That was the old Midland Red 195 Cooks Lane service. This became 99 when PTE took over. The 98 went down Chelmsley Road and on to Marston Green and the 97 went down Bosworth Drive. 97, 98 and 99 replaced Midland Red 163, 169 and 195.
 
Well it was, there are photos to support it. I suggest the 97, in the post showing the Foden bus, was a later PTE route which would have presumably taken over from the limited stop single deck route.
 
97 used to load in Carrs Lane, then round Masshouse Circus, Moor Street, Digbeth, Meriden Street, Fazeley Street, Great Barr Street, Garrison Lane, past St Andrews, Bordesley Green past East Birmingham Hospital (now Heartlands Hospital) then Bordesley Green East, The Meadway, East Meadway, Tile Cross Road and Bosworth Drive and into Chelmsley Wood.
That's the route i remember from when i lived in Chelmsley. Thanks Lumpammer.
 
Sorry but you are wrong. The 97 to Chelmsley Wood was never a limited stop bus.
If you read my posts 1584 and 1586 you will see I suggest that the earlier 97 I refer to was probably before the 97 you speak about. There re photos of the 97 limited stop Ford buses in Malcolm Keeley's book, Birmingham Buses - route by routs 1925 to 1975. Photographic evidence - before photoshopping is certainly evidence. That 97 route, as I pointed out, went to Castle Vale.
 
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