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Rudders and Payne fire

P

pauline green

knowlegable brummie
Can any one remember a fire at rudders and paynes wood yard in aston about 1949 the roads involved were chester street/hubert street.i think it may have been winter .it was a huge fire .
Pauline green:)
 
As far as I can remember the fire was at Rudders wood yard at the top of Sutherland st, Aston, several horses were reportedly killed we were told, whether this is the fire you are talking about I dont know, but this one was around 1949, I lived quite close at the time but was only 5 so I might be confused.
 
thank you for taking the time to reply the date seems right to me and it was rudders and paynes.But the fire was in chester street/hubert street if it is the same fire. I lived right by the woodyard and was taken from my bed by the fireman when the wind changed direction.Im sure it must be the same incident.I also was about 5.
 
Rudders and Paynes, if the same company and I think it is, still exists as a timber and damp presevation company and are based in Olton Birmingham, I remember thay had a yard alongside Stechford Railway station but is now a Jewsons so i'm guessing they sold out that side of the business. The preservation company may have some information regarding their history.
Rudders & Paynes Property Preservation, Richmond Road Olton Wharf, Solihull, B92 7RN, (0121) 707 4166
 
thanks dwilly tried contacting rudders paynes before but they seem to have no records of a fire,my last ditch at solving this was to write to Carl Chinn and he sent a card saying there had been a mention on his show about it,so i will have another go at solving it as i would like a date to go by, but i will try the no you mentioned as it all depends on the person you are lucky to speak to.
thanks again.
Pauline Green
 
Next time I go to the central library, i'll look in the newspapers for 1949, there's bound to be an account in one of the papers. Whether the Rudders wood yard in Sutherland st. was anything to do with the big concern in Chester st, I have no idea, hopefully, someone on the forum will know.
 
thanks for having a look for me i dont know where to start in the library.If i go quiet on this site please send me a message because i may have lost my way as it is all a bit new to me and i dont want to loose you all.
 
hi pauline
i think you will find it around the 1953 4 years and you will find it in the sunday mercury paper for sure
astonion
 
Anyone remember the fire at Halfords, the fire engines didn't have far to go for that one from the central station. I can remember standing with my old man looking at what was left of the place the day after.
 
Hi All,

Astonian is peerfectly right. The fire at Rudder and Payne, Chester Street was in 1953. I was on duty at Aston Police Station at the time and I did not join until 1952.

Old Boy
 
hello old boy thanks for that, how things get mixed up i thought i was a lot younger than that i will now get searching more.It was very large fire and took days to finaly go out.Astonian is my hero as i was begining to think there was never a fire[ just kidding ].
 
hello pete i know phillips street well i used to walk down there every day to school [Burlington Street ] i lived in hubert street, somewhere on this site they mentioned about it being quiet on Sundays no traffic no horses i could cross Aston road without looking.Pauline
 
Hope i thanked you, still gettin to grips with this site.Cant wait to look in the papers now i have a date to go on.
Pauline.
 
Pauline, the Rudders & Paynes timber yard fire was on their site that occupied the corner of Hubert Street and Chester Street, it was obviously a very fierce fire being a timber yard and took some getting under control, their main premises wre on the opposite side of Chester Street, backing on to the canal this is the Aston lock flight. Rudders & Paynes had another timber yard in Chester street, opposite the junction with Whitehouse Street. Thanks to 'Fire Watchers', the bombing of Birmingham during WW2, no real fire damage was done to the timber yard although many incendiary bombs dropped in the vicinity. I think the year of the fire was 1953, I lived in Aston Brook Street with a full view of the fire. Don Clive
 
Zambodini said:
Anyone remember the fire at Halfords, the fire engines didn't have far to go for that one from the central station. I can remember standing with my old man looking at what was left of the place the day after.
Click to expand...

Yeah right over the road.......and it still burnt down. Max
 
don clive
yes i now know the year of the fire i didnt know i would find out the date so quick when i joined the site.I lived in Hubert St/born in Chester St, i also had a good view of the fire [to good] we were made to leave our house because Palmer and Harveys had petrol tanks on the premises to fuel their own vans and it got a bit close.Pauline Green.Thanks
 
Hello all who read this short brief, I lived at 2/28 Chester Street from when I was born in 1946 until 1965.I do remember the fire at Rudders and Paynes very well I do believe it was in 1953, but remember my father telling me I of another fire in the late 40's. We to were evacuated because of the fire. The Beacon Motor Company's workshops were next to our house's in Chester Street and my father helped to push the cars out of the workshop for safety reasons. Can still remember the fire and the smell of wood burning. Would love converse with someone who lived in the vicinity of that area in the 50'and 60's.
 
Hello Domino lovely to hear from someone who lived so close to us, Hubert street did you go to St Marys school did you know Roger Hammond.
 
Domino
I recall the rudders and Payne fire in the 1953/4 we lived on the Lichfield road up the terrace ,and I was young
There was twenty family's up our terrace it was a Sunday night around 6/ or 7 o'clock in the summer months and school holidays
We could see the flames from over the buildings of the factory's and the black smoke
All the kids and the parents all charged along the road plus people from Portland street and we was all staring down Catherine street
Which was where you could see it all but I do not recall the car firm fire best wishes Alan,, Astonian,,,,,
 
Astonian said:
Domino
I recall the rudders and Payne fire in the 1953/4 we lived on the Lichfield road up the terrace ,and I was young
There was twenty family's up our terrace it was a Sunday night around 6/ or 7 o'clock in the summer months and school holidays
We could see the flames from over the buildings of the factory's and the black smoke
All the kids and the parents all charged along the road plus people from Portland street and we was all staring down Catherine street
Which was where you could see it all but I do not recall the car firm fire best wishes Alan,, Astonian,,,,,
Click to expand...


Hello Alan: The car company Beacon Motors was next door to Rudders and Paynes wood yard, what happened was that the flames from the wood yard either got to close to the roof of the workshop or actually set fire to the roof, it was one or the other.
 
Hello Alan: The car company Beacon Motors was next door to Rudders and Paynes wood yard, what happened was that the flames from the wood yard either got to close to the roof of the workshop or actually set fire to the roof, it was one or the other.
 
Yes I did go to St Marys School but only for One year, for some reason my parents moved me to Upper Thomas Street school.
I did know Roger Hammond for my sins, did you also know Ken Hale his father owned the fishing tackle shop in Dartmouth Street until the early 60s. In Hubert Street I was friendly with Roy and Barry Elwood and I believe Colin Robins may be mistaken with that name though. I also did my paper round at Gregory's Paper shop on Aston Road.
There was a shop on Hubert Street or a house that had converted it's front room in to a small grocery shop was it called Herbert again may be wrong.
Lastly did you live in the last or last but one house in Huberts Street next to the wood yard.
 
Hi domino
Many thanks for coming back on this thread and filling us in so it was the car place that really accelerated the fire
For people to she the flames so high across Aston
And of course nechells ,as said everybody dashed along the Lichfield rd to see where the fire was
But as we know it was beyond the factory at the bottom of Catherine street those flames was very fierce
On the subject of being being at st Marys school every time my mother got pregnant we all had to go to that school
Whilst mother was in hospital having another kid, then we would have to go back to our normal school
Which was upper Thomas street where I began my education,
Have a nice day Domino , best wishes Astonian,,,,,,,,,
 
Hi I also went to Upper Thomas street later as my mom thought we were spending to much time in church and not learning anything,Roy Elwood lived opposite our house,yes i did live in the last house but one from the woodyard,and the shop was known as Swifts their surname.Gregorys thats a blast from the past I was not allowed to have a paper round my self as mom thought it was not safe,so i shared it with a friend as long as we didn't split up.Beacon motors was well visible on aston road.
Given our parents had little in those days we do love to recall our times there,the Robins family I can remember a Barry and there was an older son can't remember at this point his name.
 
Hello Pauline,
Been very busy this last week, yes of course it was Swifts shop, remember it well. Is Green you married name if so believe I may have known you when we were younger. Yes I did my paper round for about 3yrs with Gregory's, I really liked him and Mrs Gregory. Do you also remember Betty Nevilles the other paper shop on Aston Road, and Floyd's the fish and chip shop next door. I don't get to Birmingham very often these days as we live about 70 miles south. When I was last up there I drove through Aston and I Believe the houses where you lived are still standing.As I said I went to Upper Thomas Street until I was eleven then Charles Arthur Street Neachells, which in my opinion was a great school.Made some good freinds who unfortunately have lost touch with. Do you remember the old Astoria Picture House on Aston Rd witch became the Television Studios, and used to be mobbed when the Beatles appeared there. Hope hear from you again. Domino
 
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