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Aston - Miscellaneous Pictures

Acording to Kelly's that is the Victoria Hotel, licencee, Saml Bert Hill, 92 is next door off picture - 92 Astons Stores (Aldridge) Ltd, Bakers
 
Hi Mike,
Seems I got the wrong entry (other side of pub) but Astonian should like the picture!
 
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The Old Aston Cross. The postcard is dated 29 Feb 1904. I think that this clock tower was built in 1854. The present clock tower was erected in 1891 built by George Smith & Co, cast at Sun Foundry, Glasgow. The architect was Arthur Edwards
 

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My oh my, Michael, your Aston pictures have stirred some memories.
I was very taken by the pic in your posting No 3, not being able to identify the location, even after Lloyd's very informative contribution in posting No 7. I also looked at the lamp post, and thought first of Handsworth UDC rather than Aston, which I never realised had a few of those lamps.
But I've just cheated and found a pic in Vol 1 of David Harvey's 'A Nostalgic Look at Birmingham trams', in which the bottom picture on page 84, taken from under the railway bridge, shows the same scene from a slightly different angle, and while the trams were still in operation.
British Road Services didn't last much longer after that photo was taken. In the 1956 Kellys it was listed as Alliance Motor transport company Ltd.
As the trams didn't finish until 1953, that dates the picture to 1953 - 56.
And weren't those buildings dreadful! Rather like what has replaced them, I suppose.
Peter
 
Spot on in 'POST #9' Michael, great thread by the way.

"Can I just take the time to ask here...
If posters are posting in connection to a post or picture made by Michael or other posters, rather than re-posting the whole post in "Quotes", could you please just post a small portion. Or better still just refer to the post 'Number #00' as I have done above.
All post have a number at the top of each post on the right hand side, on the thread page, this is POST# 25.
This save myself or other Moderators having to go through and remove unneeded "quotes" in order to help save web-space and often makes for easier reading by other members. thanx for listening :)".

Sorry to go off topic on your thread Michael, but it just seemed a great opportunity to make this statement.

Pom
 
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Aston Cross as we knew it about 1952
 

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Aston Cross Clock as it is now, well 2000.
 

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From a less picturesque angle
 

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Michael, great photo's took me back. I noticed the bus on the Aston Cross pics, I bet it was the 39, I used that a lot coming from Aston Church stop to HP stop. I used to visit my nan in Tower rd.
I was just wondering if you had any of Litchfield Rd that might have the hairdressers on I used to work at. It was called Mavis's and was about half way. It was the same side as the Domestic, there was a paper shop next door run by mrs cooke I think and the other side was a betting shop called Wilf Gillberts If I remember correct, opposite there was an shop that sold all house hold stuff Beringtons comes to mind,and a butchers and then a shop that repaired jute boxes.
Did you ever go to Yewtree rd Junior school or have a brother that did ?because I used to and there was a Ingram in my class, I'm trying to think what his first name was, I have put a class photo on under Yewtree rd and he is on there. Just a thought
 
Sorry, I don't think so Patty and I went to Burbury Street school; I was a Lozells lad. My main memory of Lichfield Road was getting my bike wheel stuck in the tram lines
 
HI MIKE ,
Some Of Us Have ProbalyHad Seen Them Before .But It Good To See Them Again ,
The Forth Pic You Showed Was The Old Garage Forecourt Which Was Directly Oppersite Our Terrace House Which Was Called Cromwell Terrace It Had Two Big Walls In Blue Brick On Each Side With Two Big Whopping Balls Of Concrete On Each One And You Walk Through It To Walk Up A Hill To The Terrace House Which Was Both Sides Of You As You Walked Up These Row Of Houses ,But Getting Back To The Garage , That Where Old Claribelle Staerted Its Sharra Bangs And Where You See That Dark Fencing It Was Only Put There I Would Say About Three Years Before That Picture Was Taken It Was All New Just Where The Fencing Is The Fore court Would Go Down Very Rapid Slope And That Side Of The Fence Used To Belong To A Builders Merchant Whom,S Name I Cannot Recall At The Moment And You Could Get Off The Bus At That Lamp post And Walk Through To Wain Right St , Same You Walking Along To The Corner Of Portland St And Turning Down Into Wain Right St But More Often And Enough The Builders Merchant Would Lock The Gates In Wain wright St And You Would Have To Walk Back And Around The Little Shop Next On Your Riight Was Greens The News Agent , You Would Have To Step Right Down Into The Shop If He Had Three People In YouCould Not StepIn Because It Was That Small . And Next Was The Chippy ,The Chips Was a Penny , And ThenThey Started Over The Years Creeping Up To 2 Pence Then 3 Pence Mind You They Was Good Chips And If You Asked For The Scratchings Because We Could Not Afford The Fish They Would Give You A Big Bag Of Them , ThenThere Was The Gallaghers The Barbers With His Cut Throat Razor For Men My Dad Took ME oVER wHEN i Was Able To Walk Turn Into Portland Street At The Corner Side Of Gallaghers Was A Cafe He Was My Friend Raymond We Used To Play With All His Dinky Cars His momHad A Morriss 1OOO Commercial Which Was Kept At The Back Of That Fence But Before They Ever Built It Because The Builders Merchants Sold Out And Claribelle Bought The Land And Built Himself A Proper Little Office
Facing The Cafe And The Side Of Gallaghers Was An Horse Trough For All The Ansells Dray Horse The Draymen Would Often Start There Or Finish There With A Breakfast Or A Cup Of Tea When They Had Finished There Round And Un load In The Yard And Take Ther Horse Up To Vicarage Rd Stables Facing The School You Certanly Have Brought Memories Back To Me Today Mike , You Have Put The Icing On The Cake
Because Today I Got A Bonus , I Got A EM From Dave Bath And A Proper Picture Of The Widdows Arms As Some Members Thought I Got It Wrong And It Was ,t There
And It Was And It Was As I sAID wITH oLD mATTY On The Corner The Butchers Then The Entry For The Back House Then Old Parkes Grocery Where He Done The Butter Patting Then The Old Widdows As I Recall It From BirthIt Was A Little Short Of Catching Into View Old Cromwell Terrace Where I Was Born And Brought UP .
Any Way Mike Thanks A Million And Keep Up The Good Work You Are Doing For Us All On The ForumYou Have Made Me A Happy Man Along With Dave , Have ANice Day Both Of You
Best Wishes ASTONIAN,;;;
 
Yes Patty, it was a 39 bus, and it dates the picture, because the buses didn't replace the 3X tram until 1 January 1950 and the last tram on the Lichfield Road ran on 4 July 1953.
Peter
 
Hi Michael,

Thanks for posting such a great set of pictures, the ones of Elkington Street were particularly evocative for me. I am the little boy on the end seat in the front row on the left as you look at the picture, Mrs Cropper is on the same side. A more distinguishing mark would be the size of my ears which it took me another 50 years to grow into.

Mrs Cropper holds a special place in my memory as it was in her car that I had my first car journey, a dark green A35 I think. It was as a reward for doing well in the end of year exams, four of us were taken out into the countryside to set the class newts free. Three of us sat in the back and one on her lap, no seat belts or risk assessments in those days.

Sadly I can't remember the names of almost anyone else in the picture, although I think my best mate Geoff Smith is in the middle of the middle row. I was slum cleared before I came to the end of what would now be year 5 but when I went back after passing the 11+ I was told that Geoff had gone to Handsworth Grammar I think, I went to KEGS Aston.

I have posted more about my time at Elkington St on another thread but sadly there don't seem to be too many school/classmates who are involved on the site.

I loved my time at Elkington St. perhaps it was one of the reasons why I became a headteacher, in a Primary School, myself. Have been retired for two years now but still come up from the Essex coast to watch my beloved Baggies, along with my oldest son who I brainwashed.

Thanks again for bringing back happy memories.
 
How about a couple of pics of Lichfield Road railway bridge when it was parked on it and not over it!!. BobS.
 

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Michael,
just spotted this. Mrs Cropper was my teacher at Westminster Road school too! I have very fond memories of her. I was there from 1959 -1966 and have a pic of her somewhere....
Empty
 
Hi Michael, your pic LOVERS WALK ASTON,
As a GEC employee I walked that WALK every day for 5 years from 1954, CAN YOU TELL ME WERE THE HOUSES WERE as shown in your pic?
 
PIC #26 . any one remember the young boy being crushed by an ANSELLS lorry on the spot marked * In the late 40s (Outside what was the home&colonial? or Maypole? on the corner of Tower Road /Park road)
This site has stuck in my memory all my life. I would have been about 6 at the time.
 

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Pat was he the short lad I think his name was Johny?. I used to get the 39 bus to get to town. Jean.
 
I used to pass this on the inner circle bus on my way to my Grandmothers in bordesly Green from geech street in the 60's
 
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