• 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

Aston Cross

Sorry Jean, I only have a school photo of some of the kids from that area on it. Freddie Martin, Malcolm Brooks, Michael Taber, for instance. I can post that for you if you like? I'm off to bed now. It's 2.30a.m. here.
Astonian, you may also have known them?
 
ASTONIAN, I THINK YOU MY FIND THAT CLOCK (WHICH WAS THEY ERECTED ON THE ISLAND ) IS NOT HE ORIGINAL CLOCK THAT STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OLD ASTON CROSS.
WILL ANY ONE CORRECT ME IF I AN WRONG?
Thanks for the memories. Was your granfather Mr Jelf? from Park Lane?
THE BARON (ASTON )
 
Dave I was reffering to your bowling alley photo's with Tommy and Jackie Jenning on. They lived in Catherine street. Sorry the other names do not ring a bell but thanks all the same. Jean.
 
Astonian. You certainly stirred some memories there my friend. Its great to wander back through time like that isnt it? So many things you almost forgot, only to be brought back to life again for a short time. By the way mate, thats the first time I have seen your actual name. Now I know I have a friend called Alan. See you buddy. Barry.
 
HI Barron
Many Thanks For Your Reply To Be Quite Honest I Can Recall Them YearsAgo
Removing The Clock For A Long Period, And I Agree With You Now Yes Its Not The Same Clock As To When I Was A Kid That Is For Definately I Would Also Say There Is A Slight Dezine Around The Shape Mind You ItDoes Look Quite Fancy Whilst It Painted
I Can Remember When Every Sunday Evening Around 6 Oclock The Salvation Army From Victoria Rd Used To Meet Up Underneath It And All Or Most Of The Kids From Cromwell Terrace Would Scurry Down To The Clock Stand Watcth And Listen And Sing With Them ,-Then We Would All Fall In Behind Them And March Down To The Hall In Victoria Rd Just Before You Got To Pugh Rd And WE Would Go In And Listen To The Captain Telling Us About Jesus Christ Waving The Tamberines When Finish We Would All Run Back Up The Lichfield Rd To The Terrace And Tell Our Mom And Dads All ABOUT IT.Barron Getting Back To The Clock ,It Definately Ain,nt The Same Clock That Stood There In The Forties ,The More I Think About It I Can Recall Saying To My Best Mate
At The Time When We Was Kids Theyve Change The Clock But I Cannot Be Sure Of What Year It Was , Colin Gaskin ,Lived At No 1 At The Botton Of The Terrace Is Father Was An Ex Army In The Signals , And When He Came Out Of Service He Was
A Regimental Uniformed Commisionair Some Where With All Is Stripes
You Asked If Mr Jelf Was My Grand Father , Yes He Was If We Ever Had Him Visit To Our House UP The Terrace He Was Always Wearing A Big Posh Mohaired Over Coat And A Bowler Hat With A Big Posh Car And All The Neibours Always Addrees Him And Said Good Morning Mr Jelf , Or Good Afternoon Mr Jelf He Never Stayed More Than 10 Mins And He Was Always Off On His Rounds Checking And Collecting His Taking From All The Bussiness He Had Around You Name It He Had One There In Total There Was Thirty Three Shops My MomWas His Only Child , Her Mom Died In 1953 [ Bertha Hinton ] My Memories Of Her She Looked Like Gracie Fields , The Man Whom Created All The Bussiness Was His Father George William Jelf , Is Empire Started At 901
Ivydene Tyburn Rd Before The War And He Set All The Sons Up In Bussiness
He Was About 25 Years Old When He Inherit Is First ShopAnd Built Up A Total Of Thirty Three Shops Over The Period But It Was Bertha HintonHis Wife My Grand Mother Was The Brains And The Instigater Behind The Bussiness She Kept And Organised The Finances In Control And The Saddest Thing Was When All The Brothers Was Alive And One By One They Died , But They Never Spoke To Each Other
And One Or The Other Would By Or Inherit The Brothers Shop At Death
To Me , The Cleverist One Was Charles He Had A Book Making Bussiness AS Well
Coffee Shop And Two Booking Officies One Was On Alma St And The Other Tyburn Rd
At His Fathers Ajoining The Coffee Shop And Ware house ,
Out OF All The Family There Was Only One Girl That Was Ivy She Never Had A Bussiness She Was The Secretaary Up To 1946 When She Inherit Tyburn Rd From Her
Mother Mary Ann Jelf ,[Nee HUGHES] And Ernie, Mr Jelf From Park Lane Aston
Fell Out With Ivy Over That Shop And He Vowed Never To Step Over The Thresh hold Wich He Never Did But Strangely When My Mother Took Him In In His Later Years
He Told Her Do Not Worry Joyce You Are Well Provided For But What He Did
Told Her Lies , And Left His Will Ti His Sister Whom Never Spoke In Thirty Years
And At The End Of The Day Ivy Collected All The Brothers Wealth From There Shops
But The Only Brother She Did,nt Get Was Bill,s Because He Had One Shop In His Life For A Short While And Packed UP And Never Had Another One Till He Died ,
Well Barron Thanks For Your Response To The Thread Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;
 
Fantastic photo Mike. Jean.
Hi Jean,
Sorry about the Catherine St photos (lack of). Maybe this is the right thread to ask for some?
Just to clarify the "photo" posted by Mike. It's actually a drawing/painting from the lid of a jigsaw box. My cousin in Bristol sent it to my brother (who also lives in Port Elizabeth) and my wife Barbara did the jigsaw and we framed it for my brother. I still have the box. Excellent picture though.
 
Baron that photo dated 1008, I didn't know they had cameras then..nor bus stops come to think of it. Ain't history amazing! The things yer learn...
 
Hi Dave do you remember Chris Byrne at the Snooker Hall or Keith or Martin Cheese Dinky Parker Roger Keys Regards Geoff
 
Sorry Geoff, those names don't ring any bells with me. I remember a guy named Ray who ran the place with another guy, could have been his brother. Ray had a gammy arm, wore specs and was a bit thin on top.
 
Patty, I started buying 'Records' from Mrs Bliss in 1948, when I was 16, there was no 'Top of the Pops' then, and you could, once a month buy from her a leaflet that gave you all the words to the latest songs. also in 1950 I started my 'National Service' in the RAF and eventually was posted to an airfield near Hull, David (Dave) Whitfield used to sing in the local pub's at weekends, my mate and I got to know him and occasionally 'baby sat' for him so that his wife could join him for a night out, this was a long time before he became 'Famous', his day lob was 'humping' bags of cement on the docks.
 
hi dave
i can remember mal brooks [ old brookie we called him ]
we used to have a laugh with him and our dave
it certainly brings back memory,s
and roy edwards whom appeared on lunch box with nole gordon
and Barron, yes mr jelf was my grand father of park lane .
many years ago i remember ther was an old lady whom stood in a door way
just along from the aston cross libary she would call out to you asking
I, penny handy carrier bag even when it was raining she would be there
i went to st,mary school with micky overcroft,
and where most schools gave you the small bottle of milk in the mornings
there we had a cup of hot coco and our milk in the afternoons
where other schools they never gave you coco
have a nice day guys best wishes astonian ;;;;;
 
What do you all think of this oil painting by Eric Bottomly GRA of Aston Cross about 1951/2 ???
 
Last edited:
hi cookie
it,s terrific and priceless ,
any chance it might be for sale
i.ll pay a good price for that
i have got an orinional painting of the bullring and signed
i also buy any think to do with aston because of my connections
have a nice day cookie best wishes astonian;;;
 
Astonian, I bought a 16" x 20" print on line for £20 plus 6 cards 7" x 5" approx ( about £1.20 each), I will sort out e mail address for you, they do full sized signed prints but now your talking £200 plus. They are good quality prints I can vouch for that.They have quite a selection so you will have to scroll about a bit, contact you soon. Eric
 
Astonian you want www.kandles.co.uk, select first web site on page then click on Eric Bottomly GRA, all his prints will be revealed, Aston Cross is about the 3rd one down, select type of print, card, place mats etc.... you want
Any problems please let me know. Eric
PS You can simplly google Eric Bottomly GRA prints and it will direct you there, have a look at his other paintings, the magic!!!!
 
Last edited:
hi eric
many thanks for your reply look forewarded to hearing from you soon
and i will do a run on the site you have given me
speak soon best wishes astonian ;;
 
Astonian, just realised you may have thought I owned the original (I wish), you are probably talking £10,000 plus, I,m quite happy with my print (it is delivered in a strong carboard tube), brought a suitable frame from my local Wilkinsons to suit. It is also my desk top background on my PC, replacing one of my own paintings.
Eric
 
Back
Top