Address plaques and nameplates for Terraces, Villas, Places etc

[Vivienne14]

Sometimes maps and directories don't always show the names of "Places", "Terraces", a row of "Villas" etc. This can make it difficult for those researching addresses, especially early ones. So as I come across address/terrace name plaques attached to buildings, I shall post details on this thread. A pdf file is attached to post #119 showing the roads so far explored.

If anyone wants to add to this thread, please type the name and address of the terrace in their post so that it's picked up by searches. Thanks.

These are ones I've seen on Pershore Road: (Please note the house numbers given are to provide the nearest location of the plaque) :
Denmark Villas 1545 Pershore Road
Heywood Place 1529 Pershore Road
Perseverance Villas 1480 Pershore Road
Rose Villas 1487 Pershore Road
Bevington Place 1397 Pershore Road
Breeden Place 1394 Pershore Road
Sutton Place 1392 Pershore Road

 

[Vivienne14]

A bit of history about 'terrace' plaques. I read this on another site, but these points illustrate why plaques are worth looking at, preserving and recording :


They represent a large part of our hidden local heritage
They're not just blocks of stone with names on
They were often the original street address.
Some builders used common names like Jubilee Terrace, Victoria Terrace etc, the majority were simply the builders choice reflecting features of the local area or prominent people. Some were a little “over the top” such as Perseverance Terrace

The system of terrace names usually became redundant as soon as a road obtained its official name.

 

[pjmburns]

Windermere Road Moseley has 3 pairs of houses which are named plus a row of 4. The villas have their original names but the row of 4 has a replacement sign.

The Beeches 24 and 26

and The Firs 20 and 22

Just about visible on streetview Wake Green Cottages. Will try to get a photo when I next pass.

 

[pjmburns]

Yardley wood Road next to the Covered Wagon Pub.

 

[Vivienne14]

Been round Handsworth this afternoon (well in the virtual sense). Plenty of these terrace plaques on walls there.I wonder if that was because of the rapid development of the area in the late 1800s before the roads were given names. I notice that sometimes parts of Victorian streets have these plaques whilst the rest doesn't. Maybe that was because a name had been decided well into the process of building the houses.

These are from Uplands Road, Handsworth. Please note the house numbers given are to provide the nearest location of the plaque.

First up we have a builder with an interest in trees, or maybe the names intended to create the impression of living on the edge of an arboretum! Obviously popular name choices as Janice has found similar in Moseley.

The Poplars 6 Uplands Road
The Laurels 13 Uplands Road
The Hollies 17 Uplands Road
The Myrtles 24 Uplands Road
The Cedars 37 Uplands Road
The Elms, 48 Uplands Road

The next lot, we have some "Places" - maybe this was to make these houses appear grander.

Holt Place, 36 Uplands Road
Hilton Place, 51 Uplands Road
Ashton Place, ? Uplands Road

Then we have locations - but named as a 'view'. Maybe there was, at the time of building, a view over to Sutton, Oscott College etc ?
Sutton View, 135 Uplands Road
Uplands View, ? Uplands Road
College View, 152 Uplands Road
Beacon View, 163 Uplands Road
Oscott View, 166 Uplands Road

Only one villa; Uplands Villa, 81 Uplands Road

 

[Stokkie]

Interesting thread Viv, lots of these terrace names in Bearwood too.
Derek

 

[A Sparks]

Yes, the old terrace name plaques are great!
I've seen them on similar age houses in London too though sometimes they have been painted over in subsequent years which is a shame.

 

[Vivienne14]

Yes - makes some quite difficult to decipher.

I've seen several around Handsworth of the style below, but some are difficult to read, probability also due to overpainting. The first one, Cynthia Villas, 138 Oxhill Road seems to have had the name painted in.

There are similar styled ones on Windermere Road.

Marconi Villas, 53 Windermere Road
Edenberg (?) Villas, 60 Windermere Road

Two others I can't read.

 

[Vivienne14]

Now for some Irish influenced plaques in Selly Oak. These are beautifully decorated plaques. They remind me of William Morris's acanthus leaves, a pattern from 1875.

Leinster Villas, 94 Raddlebarn Road
Larne Villas, 146 Raddlebarn Road
Lorgan Villas, 340 Tiverton Road
Kerry Villas, 271 Hubert Road
Cork Villas, 298 Hubert Road

 

[Vivienne14]

These next plaques are different in that they are carved into the alleyway lintel and appear to be signposting houses through the gateway. So the houses must have been behind Oxhill Road.

They're quite ornate and there's no commonality in terms of the naming of them - well at least none that I can work out.

Alton Villas, 151 Oxhill Road
Jersey Villas, 173 Oxhill Road
Cygnet Villas, 187 Oxhill Road
Margo Villas, 212 Oxhill Road

 

[Vivienne14]

Came across.an article (summary of a couple of points below) which goes some way to explaining the use of names for villas, terraces etc:. With the rapid expansion of towns in the mid-1800s, it could initially be difficult to number homes on streets because of several factors such as :

- sometimes, only when the building of the whole street was completed, was the final numbering of houses possible
- completion of streets often got delayed because of land ownership issues as well as builders’ timetables.

This would also explain why some streets only have terrace plaques in part of the street, becoming unnecessary once the building work was nearing completion.

 

[Dinger]

Some examples in Northfield Road, Harborne. That is the road that runs from the bottom of War Lane to California Way.

Yew Tree Villas 12-14 Northfield Road
Oak Place 25-27 Northfield Road
Arundel Cottages (Built 1877) 22-36 Northfield Road
Eton Place 39-41 Northfield Road
Harrow Place 49-51 Northfield Road
Dove Place 57-55 Northfield Road

 

[Vivienne14]

Interesting that two of the oldest schools' names were used as names in Northfield Road - well presumably it's a reference to the schools.and/or maybe early cricket matches ?

 

[Vivienne14]

The plaques on the terraces and individual houses along Tiverton Road, Selly Oak indicate different phases of house building. Very helpful that dates are included on some plaques. (Please note the house numbers given are to provide the nearest location of the plaque) :

Pevensey Villas, 1904, 275 Tiverton Road
Thorning Villas, 305 Tiverton Road
Springfield Villas 1899, 309 Tiverton Road
Amethyst Villa 1901, 349 Tiverton Road
Somerset Villa 1901, 349 Tiverton Road
Lovington Villa 1901, 347 Tiverton Road
Pevensey Villas, 1904, 275 Tiverton Road

 

[pjmburns]

Wonder why some say "villa" and some "villaS"?

 

[Vivienne14]

I think 'Villa' is the name of a single house, whilst 'Villas' is the name for a row of several houses.A bit odd as Amethyst and Somerset Villa, for example, are still part of a row of terraces. But they do have gables unlike the rest of the terrace, so a cut above !

 

[Vivienne14]

We'll probably never know who Herbert or Edith were, but Janice (pjmburns) tracked down the reference to Kerby's Pool on another thread. See post #5 onwards here

Dawlish Road Selly Oak

Dawlish Road 1922

birminghamhistory.co.uk

I'd imagine there were a few Queens Jubilee references around the country, although this is the first I've come across. These are in Selly Oak.


Edith Villas, 1890, 115 Dawlish Road
Herbert Villas, 121 Dawlish Road
Queens Jubilee Villas 1887, 66 Dawlish Road
Kerby's Pool Villas 1888, 95 Dawlish Road

 

[brummy-lad]

Brilliant idea for a thread Viv and so useful when used alongside censuses from the late 1800s to identify specific houses. It's a pity we don't have this facility for all those streets already demolished.

 

[Vivienne14]

Hopefully it will be of help to others. I expect most of the names will have fallen out of use by now. Yes John it's a pity we don't have similar for demolished streets.

One aspect I'd be interested in is very early plaques. So if anyone knows of any, be good to hear of them. Many could be a group of cottages (as in a terrace of cottages). I expect they'll be hard to find these days, although they must still exist.

 

[Vivienne14]

Some names appear directly above an entranceway to the backs of houses - like those listed in post #10. But is this the named villas/houses situated behind the houses and with access being through the alleyway ? Or are they simply the names of the houses in that road ? Most of these alleyways now have gates built into them. These are all in the Handsworth area.

Stanley Villas, 56 Albert Road
Dandelion Villas, 190 Antrobus Road
Highfield Villas, 209 Antrobus Road
Laburnum Villas, 27 Murdock Road
Avon Villas, 42 Murdock Road
St Heliers Villas, 136 Murdock Road

 

[Dinger]

Maas Road in Northfield

14-20 Primrose Villas
19-21 Stoneleigh Villas
23-25 Oakleigh Villas
24-26 - Unknown Villas (plaque indistinct)
27 Tudor Villa - Note "Villa" rather than "Villas"
29-33 Rosery Villas
102-104 Mozart Villas
110-112 Maas Cottages - with an indistinct date.

 

[brummy-lad]

I think the unknown one is 'Fair View' Viv

 

[Dinger]

Clarence Road, Harborne.
A block of 7 houses at one end of the road Nos-1 to 13 Have the plaque "Tenby Place" - although the "b" is a bit indistinct - could be "Tency" or "Teney".

 

[Dinger]

More Harborne plaques...

North Road Harborne
81-84 Queenscote Place 1884
97-95 Kingscote Place 1883

Park Hill Road
158 Fern Villa
160 Brewood Villa 1888
170-172 Brook Villas 1888
178-180 Park Hill Place 1886

Park Hill Road meets North Road next to Park Hill Place - The dates give a clear indication of the way the buildings spread.

 

[John L]

"Slade Villas" was on a plaque above our shop on Slade Road, Erdington (331 Slade Road). I'm unable to find a photograph that shows it, but it is still there on street view.

I did however, find that Slade Road was described as "one of the most notorious roads in the city" last year by Birmingham Live and as as being "dangerous drug-ridden" by the Express. That is not how I remember it!

 

[pjmburns]

"Slade Villas" was on a plaque above our shop on Slade Road, Erdington (331 Slade Road). I'm unable to find a photograph that shows it, but it is still there on street view.

I did however, find that Slade Road was described as "one of the most notorious roads in the city" last year by Birmingham Live and as as being "dangerous drug-ridden" by the Express. That is not how I remember it!

Went back to 2012 to find the clearest plaque.

 

[Enel]

This one is above the entry between 41 and 39 St Silas’ Square. Rather indistinct in this screenshot, but from memory, reads ‘Maldwyn Place’. I lived nearby, and as far as I can remember, this was the only entry lintel with an incised name.

 

[Dinger]

Not exactly a plaque or a door lintel - This is a name above a bow window in elaborate stonework with a separate date plaque
264 Alcester Road South

"Bathurst" - 1902

 

[Dinger]

Rowheath Road, Cotteridge.

28-30 Chad Villas
52-54 Apsty Villas - ??? Adsty, Arsty? second letter indistinct.
61 Roseleigh (lintel)
67 Ashleigh (lintel)
68-70 Oatby Villas
81-83 Grove Villas

 

[Vivienne14]

Some great examples being posted with lots of different styles. Some more ornate than others. I wondered who made these plaques. Builders?

These are names on cottages in Albert Road, Handsworth. They seem to be individual houses but part of a terrace. Neighbouring houses are often named villas. I imagine these cottages were built at a different time to the rest of the terrace, they're usually a different style, and might possibly be from a different builder.

Beaufort Cottage, 67 Albert Road
Albert Cottage, 116 Albert Road
Hope Cottage, 117 Albert Road
Oak Cottage, 137 Albert Road
Victoria Cottage, 289 Albert Road