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Painting of Aston Cross in l948

jennyann

jennyann

Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
On my office wall I have a painting (print) of Aston Cross depicting a l948 street scene. It is in colour and has the perspective facing Aston Cross from approximately where the Library was and is looking up Park Road. Ansells Brewery is being rebuilt with it's brick fascia which has scaffolding on it. The red electric sign saying - Ansells --the Better Beer, is in place. The clock tower is prominent. Just coasting up to the tower is a No. 2 tram sporting a Littlewoods advertising banner along it's side and an ad for Roadley's of Corporation St, who sold prams. This would have come directly from the terminus at Chester Road, Erdington,
along Sutton New Road down Gravelly Hill, across Salford Bridge and along Lichfield Road on its way to Steelhouse Lane. A few yards in front of the No. 2 tram, is a No. 78 tram, which is sporting a C-W-S banner on it's side and an ad for Dutch Tinned Meats on the front. This tram would have started it's journey at the Streetly Road Tram Terminus travelled along Streetly Road past the Plaza Cinema to Stockland Green, down Slade Road to Salford Bridge and along
Lichfield Road to Aston Cross and then into town at Steelhouse Lane. In the gap between the two trams is a view up Park Road and there is a tram coming down the the hill. I am not sure what the number is on this tram but I remember catching it at Witton Circle going along Witton Lane and up Park Road and down to Aston Cross. With this perspective the background to the picture is the Co-operative Store and next door part of George Mason's grocery store. There is so much going on in this picture since there are at least ten shoppers on the pavement in front of the stores, the tram driver and some passengers in the two trams in the forefront plus to motor vehicles of the day. I have had this picture for years and there is no name on it. Has anyone else got the same picture? I bought this in Brum several years ago and I believe this artist has painted other pictures of Brum street subjects.
 
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Aston Cross Picture

I have found a website that has the Aston Cross picture on it. It is not a great copy but at least it's reasonable. I am trying to find out from
several sources where these can still be purchased.
 
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Aston Cross Picture 1948

Hi Raymond: Mine also says that and I have tried to find out about
R.D. Pratt and also whether these prints are still available in
Birmingham. I contacted the Royal Birmingham Society of Arts late last year with regard to this artist and they did not know anything about him but promised to let me know if they came across his name. I bought the print in a shop on Gravelly Hill near Fentham Road many years ago. It was a great art shop but is long gone.
 
RD Pratt

You may wish to also try searching under the name of DAVRON for this artist.
 
Aston Cross Painting 1948

There is an art gallery that specialises in Birmingham art - it is a veritable treasure trove of old Birmingham pictures, prints, beer mats etc., and if they haven't got the prints you want may point you in the right direction the name is:- FOUR SEASONS ART GALLERY, 2 Orphanage Road, Erdington, Birmingham.24 Telephone No.0121 373 1596 it is situated just
up the road from Erdington Market - they are a lovely friendly couple and
do calendars with Birmingham scenes on each year. I have bought quite a few gifts from there. I don't know if they have an email address.
 
Four Seasons Art Gallery

Hi Sylvia:

Thanks very much for the info on the above Gallery. This business was called The Brum Shop for years and has a web site which is slightly out of date but nevertheless there are approx 25 print pictures available and they
are excellent. They also have some church prints and as you mentioned all manner of items. All this is of Birmingham
nostalgia and in the case of the Tram prints they are going back 60 years at least.

Quite honestly Sylvia, I had forgotten about this shop and I was having a
mooch around Wilton Market in Erdington last summer and also visited the High Street on two occasions!!!!!!! Doh!!!!! I wonder if they are the same shop that was on Gravelly Hill all those years ago? The Brum Shop website is
https://www.tamzin.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/home.htm They have some great things I agree if their web site is anything to go by..

I'll be coming for a visit to Brum next year for several weeks as I will be
visiting my brother, friends and neighbours and attending Fentham School for Girls Centenary which will be held in April in Sutton Coldfield, so I
will be able to go and pay the Gallery a visit. There is also another small business in Station Road, Erdington that frames and sells local
prints. This is just around the corner from a friend of mine. She is an artist so I will ask her to check it out. Meanwhile, the prints on the
BrumShop site are sure to bring back memories. My favourites
are The Aston Villa victory day in l948, the Salford Bridge Tram
picture, the Newtown Row picture in the snow l947, the Aston Station
Bridge, Crown and Cushion, Perry Barr....... now that I think of it there are too many to list. Have a look at them. The Aston Cross picture is there also.
Thanks again Sylvia for reminding me about this gallery.
 
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