• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Lennox Street

In 1906 there was a tremendous fire at the Fountain Works and I don't think John Beardmore and Co. recovered from it. Alarm was raised by a lady whose bedroom was joined to the works!
 

Attachments

  • fire-lennox-st.jpg
    fire-lennox-st.jpg
    214.9 KB · Views: 6
The Fountain Inn was mentioned in the report of the fire at the Fountain Works. The Fountain Inn was No. 15 Lennox Street (old house numbering system). In the 1881 Census the publican was George Perkins, it is also mentioned in a newspaper report of 1872 with regard to theft of a cash-box.
Perhaps the Fountain Works got its name from the pub?
 

Attachments

  • lennox-st-hse-nos.jpg
    lennox-st-hse-nos.jpg
    904.4 KB · Views: 10
  • lennox-st-census1881.jpg
    lennox-st-census1881.jpg
    559.8 KB · Views: 10
  • fountain-inn-theft.jpg
    fountain-inn-theft.jpg
    298.8 KB · Views: 10
Last edited:
The Fountain Inn was mentioned in the report of the fire at the Fountain Works. The Fountain Inn was No. 15 Lennox Street (old house numbering system). In the 1881 Census the publican was Charles Perkins, it is also mentioned in a newspaper report of 1872 with regard to theft of a cash-box.
Perhaps the Fountain Works got its name from the pub?
I think that unlikely, as the Fountain was there in 1872, but there is no evidence of a factory till the early 1880s. more likely that the factory got its name from the pub
 
thanks for that john i didnt realise there was a fountain inn in lennox st the only one i knew of up until now was the one in farm st...cheers

lyn
 
A few facts about the Fountain Inn (Beerhouse).
1872 George Perkins refused a music license.
1885 License transferred to Harriet Perkins.
1889 4 bedrooms for rent at 6s. 6d. a week.
 

Attachments

  • fountain-inn-related.jpg
    fountain-inn-related.jpg
    726.1 KB · Views: 1
This is what I find so amazing when researching ancestors, a week ago I added images of Lennox Street to the interactive map, then yesterday by chance I discovered that in 1901 my gt. grandfather's brother was living at No. 99.
Can anybody decipher the profession listed next to Hilda Leroux (as she was only 2 years old I suspect it should be alongside Clara above), it looks like ????? linen buttons. Thank-you.
 

Attachments

  • john-t-leroux-1901.jpg
    john-t-leroux-1901.jpg
    443.2 KB · Views: 7
I would say it was exactly the same as the sister below - Press worker, Pincer (??) buttons
 
This is a photo of the Yob from C V Bull's, circa 1958. (Yob is backslang for boy - the name given to the youngest assistant in a butcher's shop)*. Here he is at home during his lunchtime. At the time the owner was Gordon Bull, son of Charlie. Those of you who remember Charlie will know that he had a distinctive scar on his chin. Gordon was now living in posh Sutton Coldfield. He worked in one of his other shops in the suburbs whose location I can't remember. He also had a shop at Hockley Brook. The manager of the Farm Street shop at the time was Bert Jones and the other assistant was Wally. Wally had no teeth but claimed he could eat any steak sold by Bulls if it was cooked properly.
That photo on page 2 of C V Bull, on the corner of Lennox Street and Farm Street was taken in the early to mid 60's, probably not long before the area was demolished.
*A Yob was always treated as an inferior. His own name was rareley used; if a name was used it would generally be the name of the previous Yob. This was universal. I had a friend who worked in his dad's shop and it was the same for him - his dad called him by the name of his predecesor.
After all these years, I have just come across this post. My Dad Was Wally and, yes, he could eat almost anything. What a lovely memory.
 
Amazing - Wally's son! He was a lovely bloke. Me and a school friend stayed at Wally's mothers house for a holiday in the 50s in Ladbrooke Grove in Nottinghill, London. I left Bulls when I was about 19 and only saw Bert and Wally about once after that as me and my mom moved to West Heath after my father died.
The photo referred to was probably of me in my backyard at Guildford Street in my butchers apron. The photo mentioned as on page 2 I am sure is elsewhere on the forum.
What happened to Wally after C V Bulls was demolished in the 60s?
 
Amazing - Wally's son! He was a lovely bloke. Me and a school friend stayed at Wally's mothers house for a holiday in the 50s in Ladbrooke Grove in Nottinghill, London. I left Bulls when I was about 19 and only saw Bert and Wally about once after that as me and my mom moved to West Heath after my father died.
The photo referred to was probably of me in my backyard at Guildford Street in my butchers apron. The photo mentioned as on page 2 I am sure is elsewhere on the forum.
What happened to Wally after C V Bulls was demolished in the 60s?
I'm his eldest daughter! Fancy you staying at my Nan's place in Latimer Rd. We used to spend a lot of our holidays there. I may be wrong but didn't the Bulls have a shop in Erdington too? Because after Farm St he went there. I always thought it strange that Gordon Bull had hairdressing shops as well as butchers. I worked in both of them one school holidays. My sister was on holiday with them, babysitting, when my youngest brother was born in 1965. After we moved to Northfield in 1969, Dad got a job there. Sorry, the name of the shop escapes me. He ended up retiring early as he had his cataracts done and ended up with tunnel vision. I remember coming to the shop when I was doing eyes in Biology and got a bag of sheep's eyes. Noone would sit next to me on the bus.
 
Sorry made a mistake with you gender and it was Latimer Road not Ladbrooke Grove (long time ago). I didn't.t know about the hairdressers or the Erdington Shop (I had a friend from school who had his own butchers business in Slade Road, Erdington. The other shop that Gordon Bull had when I knew him was in Sutton Coldfield. I had to remove sheep's eyes from sheep's heads on Mondays to prepare the heads for sale, 9 pence each; mmmh.
 
back of 49 to 51..dated 1965

Lennox_Street_Back_of_49-51_Newtownlyn_-_15-11-1965.jpg
Would this be behind the brook Tavern ?
If so , my grandfather was born there in 1875
3 friends lived there at about the time of this picture
Alan Wickham , Ray Davis and Leo Veitch
 
ozrum if one of our kind members can look up what number the brook tavern was at or provide a map it should answer your question

lyn
 
Brummy lad ,
Fantastic....thanks so much
Will drag out my g/f birth certificate. See what the house number is.

A coincidence is , the position of the photographer would have been in or close to the house of my friend Alan ( floss) Wickham.

Astoness...you are a gem !
 
Brummy lad ,
Fantastic....thanks so much
Will drag out my g/f birth certificate. See what the house number is.

A coincidence is , the position of the photographer would have been in or close to the house of my friend Alan ( floss) Wickham.

Astoness...you are a gem !
When I consider the location for these images I always like to imagine where the photographer was standing and how he avoided obstacles like outside toilets, wash-houses and trees (very rare features) etc. Britain from above images and 1950s maps are invaluable. Would love to identify this photographer, he/she did so much to record a Birmingham that has been lost forever.
 
Back
Top