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A B row Aston-Birmingham

Hi Peter

I don't say that the stone was placed in the building in 1838. It may be possible it was placed there from another building around that date, but there would have been no sense in it being there before then. We are told that prior to that date the boundary of Aston & Birmingham was in Digbeth.

Phil
 
Re: AB Row

Great picture ellbrown. I have never seen that stone will have to take a look next time we are down that way.
 
Re: AB Row

I couldn't find it on a search. Maybe as that one has dots in it. (AB Row came up with zero results).
 
Re: AB Row

Even with A.b.row if you search that it says "sorry no results". Strange.

Was unexpected finding that stone. Wonder when it was put there.
 
Re: AB Row

Ell - I found it via google which led me back to here.
 
Re: AB Row

I wonder if it was entitled A B Row. I remember a lovely old photo of a house with the sign A B Row above it. I hope it can be restored or if not maybe we can do a new one here.
 
Re: AB Row

A B Row is as it is in my second photo in Post 2.

There is a construction site behind the hoardings, waiting for something to happen (don't think it is the Birmingham City University Campus - that's further down Cardigan Street - which is now blocked off).

What ever was there was long since demolished (probably the last warehouse or factory on the site).
 
Re: AB Row

Is it me or is it in the wrong spot ? I hope to investigate tomorrow, I am certain(at this time) that the original boundary stone was further up the road I may be wrong of course
 
Re: AB Row

They put it in front of the new multi-storey car park. Near Howe Street. Near a path that leads to the back of Millennium Point on Jennens Road.
 
where did the intials of ab row come from these house was large victorian houses along with a couple of bigish
names of bussiness it was oringinal aston as you say it was a very large area of the city and a well known name and land mark this would have beenin the 1800s even into the eary 1900s and even to the mid fifties
there was a foundry called ab casting ; and along side was the orininale CO/OP ware houseing there first ware house in our city the they moved to freeth street lady wood beleive it or not when the boundries changed in brum
AB row came under the boarders of aston ; nechells and very close in the border of digbeth as you look at the old orinional maps you could walk along to lawley street and arounfd the corner into new cannal st digbeth
my ancesters had a big house property in AB row it was a lodging house before moving around the corner
into number 1 new cannal street where they openened up a big transport cafe for bed and breakast for wayward
travellers and lorry drivers coming into the city of birmingham deliverg food and provisions to our city even cattell deliveries to the market and the hide and skins which was right next door
by the way i do remember the horse trough and the devided section of the ab row wich was there for many years
AB Casting foundry was very dark and dirty smoking envoironments to work in and as it spring to my mind a george
page senior worked at the AB Casting before the son worked at the birmingham aluminuim die casting
in ickneild port road lady wood whom lived in heath street winson green i never worked at the AB row castings
but passed it many ; many times in my life as there doors and shutters was always widely open for all to see
and you would just about see the flames and red glows fromther furnancs amist the dirty foggie smoke
have a nice day every body best wishes astonian alan
 
A B Row was a short road that cut the corner between two other Rows. The triangular piece in the middle bordered on Coleshill St. as I recall and in this triangle was a building that was a market hall in times gone by. The row itself was only about 30 yards long as I recall and you can measure it on GE. The houses there were mean looking narrow terrace houses and only large by being three stories high again as I recall and only on the south side of the street. I am pretty sure that the A+B stone was built into the wall of a corner house/building and a photo does exist which may appear here. I think the little monument here is in about the right place and is a very nice touch. I rode the tram and later the bus past that place so many times but of course it meant nothing to me then. It must have been there but although I remember the bombed sauce building on the corner of Dartmouth Street very well...this little corner is only a vague memory.
 
Thank you Vivienne that is the photo I meant. The plaque is defiantly the same as the new one I wonder if it was saved and re furbished.
 
On the stone it says it was attached to many different buildings, the last one being Gabriel & Co.
 
HI EL
On my previous thread i think i put AB casting for the foundry
but in fact as you have brought the name to my attention was in deed gabriel casting , company
it was dirty place to be working in but he wages was good ; good in being it was good hard work ; blood sweat and tears you certainly earnt your crust , astonian
 
Tell us more Blane I know you lived in Belmont Row I cant remember a park of any type in that area.
 
dek carr said:
Tell us more Blane I know you lived in Belmont Row I cant remember a park of any type in that area.
Click to expand...

There was a VERT VERY small triangle of grass alongside AB Row, so maybe that is what he is calling the park?

This whole area is of course being totally transformed and if anyone has not been up there for a while it is well worth going up there.

The new Eastside City Park has been built up there, as well as a number of new buildings such as Birmingham City University Parkside Buildings, the Ormiston Academy, and a multi storey car park.

There is a also a SECOND Birmingham City University building currently being built that will include the old Moby Dicks pub.
 
Good news Guilbert53 About the Moby Dick (was Eagle&Ball) do you know whats happening to the Lock Keepers house just up the road?
 
Someone once mentioned the old junk shop in Coleshill Street just a way up from A.B row. I think it was called Venns ? and right next to the shop was a very small fenced off grass area. we were always told this was the smallest park in Birmingham. I think it was almost opposite a small street that could have been Princess Street or Market Street, and the next street doiwn was Howe Street.
 
I cant remember a park on AB row, the road itself was so small that if you sneezed you would miss it. Where was it, can you explain to us was it behind a factory? Anyway surely the smallest park would have had to be in Highgate Rd Sparkbrook next to the Brewers Arms public house and the number 8 service Bundy clock. It was just a triangle of concrete with a roundabout. There was another that was very similar in size at the bottom of Sandy Lane in Small Heath.
 
Blane


This photo shows almost the entire length of AB row, I can't see a park on there anywhere. It's not that I doubt you it's just that I walked along those roads so many times ad a youth and I just can't remember a park.
 

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It was just out of shot in this picture, on the left, and on the opposite side on the right , was a shoemenders on the corner of Coleshill Street and either princess Street /Row or Market street . will have to llok at an old map.
 
It's currently blocked off at both ends.

Here is half of it in August 2013



I've walked past it a few times last week. You can't even go onto it now. Have to stick to Jennens Road pavement (all due to Cardigan Street improvements and the BCU phase 2 scheme).
 
How old is that photograph Phil. It looks like no tramlines and overhead and yet the area looks old enough for them to have still been there. Good to have that one.
 
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