Albert and Middleton Roads, Kings Heath

[Barmad]

Hi all
I found everyone here so helpful when I was researching Wheeler's farm a few months ago.. I wondered if anyone could help with another little project I'm working on. I'm researching Albert Rd, Alfred St and Middleton Rd in King's Heath. This area of King's Heath is so old, yet so many people probably don't even notice those two little roads they pass by...
Does anyone happen to have any (old or new) photographs of any of these roads? Or any information?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!!!
Barry

 

[maypolebaz]

Hi all
I found everyone here so helpful when I was researching Wheeler's farm a few months ago.. I wondered if anyone could help with another little project I'm working on. I'm researching Albert Rd, Alfred St and Middleton Rd in King's Heath. This area of King's Heath is so old, yet so many people probably don't even notice those two little roads they pass by...
Does anyone happen to have any (old or new) photographs of any of these roads? Or any information?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!!!
Barry

I understand Wheelers Lane sec mod school is no more. I bet it's quiet in Albert Rd these days !

 

[pjmburns]

I think it is Wheelers Lane Technology College same site not sure if it is new buildings.

 

[pjmburns]

1884 map shows both roads

 

[sospiri]

Barry,

We lived at 26 Albert Road from 1950 until 1961 when we moved to Dorset. My widowed mother remained there another couple of years before also moving south. My youngest maternal uncle also lived at 14 Albert Road for a few years until his death in the mid-1960s. I think I have one photograph of number 26, but it will have to wait until after the festive period as I'm down with the 'flu right now.

My younger brother attended Wheelers Lane Sec Mod during the time Mr North was the head.

Maurice

 

[maypolebaz]

Barry,

We lived at 26 Albert Road from 1950 until 1961 when we moved to Dorset. My widowed mother remained there another couple of years before also moving south. My youngest maternal uncle also lived at 14 Albert Road for a few years until his death in the mid-1960s. I think I have one photograph of number 26, but it will have to wait until after the festive period as I'm down with the 'flu right now.

My younger brother attended Wheelers Lane Sec Mod during the time Mr North was the head.

Maurice

Mr North was Head when I was at the school too.

 

[Barmad]

I understand Wheelers Lane sec mod school is no more. I bet it's quiet in Albert Rd these days !

Wheelers Lane School exists in new buildings as "Wheelers Lane Technology College" (where I work) with an entrance on Middleton but not Albert.

 

[Barmad]

The oldest reference I have for Middleton is 1856; Albert 1861....

Anyone out there with any photographs?

 

[Barmad]

Hi
I'm still researching this area if anyone can help at all..?
Thanks!

 

[sospiri]

Barmad,

I've never come across any early photographs of Albert Road or Alfred Street - there wasn't really much to take pictures of !

Since my time of living there in the 1950s, the main changes were:
1. the demolition of the houses fronting Alcester Road South that had long gardens extending up the south side of Albert Road,
2. the demolition of the terrace of houses extending from the north side of Albert Road,
3. the general re-surfacing of road and pavement surfaces which saw the disappearance of picket fences and other front garden boundaries, to be replaced by uniform Council-pattern brick walls, and
4. the closure of Miss Grieves' "corner shop", much used by the boys of Wheelers Lane School and local residents, and conversion back to a purely residential property. I presume that the off-licence on the south side of Albert Road has also gone. Likewise the plant nursery business, run by Mr Adams of 24 Albert Road at that address and on land acquired before WW2 from numbers 26 & 22 has also ceased.

I can't help you with Middleton Road as I don't think I ever had occasion to walk up the road. I also can't help with what has replaced demolished properties, but I hope that helps. Certainly number 26 was one of the oldest properties in the road and was built on the site of an orchard.

Maurice

 

[Roger 73 Albert Rd]

I lived at 73 Albert Rd from 1952 until 1958, next door to Winchester's coal merchant and attended Wheeler's Lane Junior School - Head was Mr Flavell who caned loads of kids Remember Mr Gent who ran gardening club - Played with all the kids in Albert Road and Alfred Street especially Philip Cresswell who had an older sister Jean

 

[Roger 73 Albert Rd]

Hi all
I found everyone here so helpful when I was researching Wheeler's farm a few months ago.. I wondered if anyone could help with another little project I'm working on. I'm researching Albert Rd, Alfred St and Middleton Rd in King's Heath. This area of King's Heath is so old, yet so many people probably don't even notice those two little roads they pass by...
Does anyone happen to have any (old or new) photographs of any of these roads? Or any information?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!!!
Barry

Barmad,

I've never come across any early photographs of Albert Road or Alfred Street - there wasn't really much to take pictures of !

Since my time of living there in the 1950s, the main changes were:
1. the demolition of the houses fronting Alcester Road South that had long gardens extending up the south side of Albert Road,
2. the demolition of the terrace of houses extending from the north side of Albert Road,
3. the general re-surfacing of road and pavement surfaces which saw the disappearance of picket fences and other front garden boundaries, to be replaced by uniform Council-pattern brick walls, and
4. the closure of Miss Grieves' "corner shop", much used by the boys of Wheelers Lane School and local residents, and conversion back to a purely residential property. I presume that the off-licence on the south side of Albert Road has also gone. Likewise the plant nursery business, run by Mr Adams of 24 Albert Road at that address and on land acquired before WW2 from numbers 26 & 22 has also ceased.

I can't help you with Middleton Road as I don't think I ever had occasion to walk up the road. I also can't help with what has replaced demolished properties, but I hope that helps. Certainly number 26 was one of the oldest properties in the road and was built on the site of an orchard.

Maurice

There were two shops next door to each other (one called West's), two off licences, one Ansell's and the other M&B, and a grocer's. There was only one car owned in the street (a taxi business) No 73 was the end of a terrace of four nearest the school with long entry and front gardens It was demolished I think around 1962 and replaced with a private housing development.

 

[sospiri]

This the only one I have in a digital format of 26 Albert Road taken in the late 1950s. In more recent years, the terrace of houses opposite were demolished and everyone's front fences/walls were replaced with a approved Council style wall, new paving, gutters, road surfacing, etc. I actually built the wooden picket fence in front of the hedge, which I originally painted white. The house on the right, number 24, belonged to George Adams, a nurseryman, whose land extended right down to Howard Road East. He'd also at some stage purchased the bottom half of our land on which stood a huge, but derelict, greenhouse.

Maurice

 

[maypolebaz]

I lived at 73 Albert Rd from 1952 until 1958, next door to Winchester's coal merchant and attended Wheeler's Lane Junior School - Head was Mr Flavell who caned loads of kids Remember Mr Gent who ran gardening club - Played with all the kids in Albert Road and Alfred Street especially Philip Cresswell who had an older sister Jean

Mr Flavell was my teacher in the third year at WL Sec Mod. He used to cane us mercilessly but nevertheless was a good teacher. I must be a couple of years older than you Roger, as I knew Jean Cresswell when she was at the Junior School. I think she lived in one of those houses with the long front gardens, near the "Tuck Shop".

 

[Roger 73 Albert Rd]

Mr Flavell was my teacher in the third year at WL Sec Mod. He used to cane us mercilessly but nevertheless was a good teacher. I must be a couple of years older than you Roger, as I knew Jean Cresswell when she was at the Junior School. I think she lived in one of those houses with the long front gardens, near the "Tuck Shop".

The Cresswells lived further up Albert Road more or less opposite the Ansells off licence - Next door to them on the other side of the passage lived another friend - Paul Vance, whose family were Glaswegians

 

[Barmad]

To the wonderful people contributing to this thread ... after Alfred Street was all but wiped out in the war, how long did it remain derelict? It looks as if the newer houses are 1970s builds.

 

[pjmburns]

This is the two roads on a map dated 1952


By 1978 some changes had occured.

 

[sospiri]

I lived in Albert Road from 1950 to 1961 - never knew it before then or after. It didn't seem that badly hit when I lived there. Unless the Howard Road East was flattened then I didn't see any evidence.

Janice, I think Barmad is referring spicifically to Alfred Street.

Maurice

 

[Barmad]

Alfred Street , the little cul-de-sac off Albert , was hit in 1941 ... extensive damage, 13 dead.

Thanks Janice, for the maps. I'm looking at how those roads developed too.

 

[pjmburns]

Thanks Maurice. Sorry - went from title of thread. If no one else posts I will check for maps for Alfred Street later.

 

[mikejee]

This is the best I can do for Alfred St. The online maps are a combination of various sheets and here only one sheet is c1951, the other being a bit later

 

[Barmad]

Thanks mikejee; now I can see where the missing houses were.

 

[Roger 73 Albert Rd]

We left in 1958 for a new council flat in Warstock

Just four houses, two on each side of the road about 2/3 of the way down were destroyed by bombs in the war. The bomb site on the LH side going down was redeveloped with new houses in the late 1940s The bomb site on the RH side of the road opposite was still a bomb site in 1958

 

[sospiri]

Barmad,

The BARRA site lists the house demolished as number 2 & 3 and damage to 11 other houses, four people dead. Here's the extract from the database:-

Barbara Batchelor was killed on the 27 September 1940 at 3 Alfred Street, Kings Heath. Barbara was 6 years of age when this happened.

George Batchelor was killed on the 27 September 1940 at 3 Alfred Street, Kings Heath. George was 47 years of age when this happened.

Beatrice Alice Parker was killed on the 27 September 1940 at 2 Alfred Street, Kings Heath. Beatrice was 50 years of age when this happened.

Philip Henry Parker was killed on the 27 September 1940 at 2, Alfred Street, Kings Heath. Philip was 53 years of age when this happened.

Additional Notes:

Lived; 2 Alfred Street, Kings Heath West Midlands Police Records Raid 15 27th September 1940 (Night) Air Raid Warning Red was given at 7.53 p.m. on Friday 27th September and the ‘All Clear’ was sounded at 9.42 p.m. 5 High Explosive bombs were dropped, all of which exploded. The first report of a bomb dropping was at 7.44 p.m. These bombs were dropped at Edgbaston Street, 4 Priory Road, 204 Bristol Road, Alfred Street and Wheelers Lane, Kings Heath. The following casualties occurred: Priory Road 5 non-fatal; Wheelers Lane 3 fatal; Alfred Street 9 fatal and 11 non-fatal. Total 12 fatal and 16 non-fatal. Damage was caused as follows: Priory Road 12 houses damaged; Bristol Road 24 houses damaged; Wheelers Lane 2 houses demolished and 15 damaged; Alfred Street 2 houses demolished and 11 damaged. Included in the fatal casualties was P.C. E329 Harold Barrow. He was not on duty.

See here:- https://database.birminghamairraids.co.uk/results/

The interesting point is that it only names four people in Alfred Street as being killed, but the above says nine. The figures don't add up in the above text.

Maurice