Backstreets Glories of old Brum...

[Dennis Williams]

This is hopefully an adjunct, and a sort of Big Brother to the Alleyways Thread, which is a now little cumbersome for easy reference. I expect many of these Streets and Roads will have been posted on other threads, and for this I hope people forgive me and others for giving them a second airing. The Streets with interesting names and the stories behind those names will be of particular interest to me, but hey, fill yer boots as Nan would say...

Let me kick off with SMALLBROOK STREET. Named after the Smallbroke family from Yardley - my back yard.

One Monday 30 November 1440, John Smallbroke broke into the home of a John Fulford (him of Golf Club fame) in Solihull and not only had his evil way with his missus, Margaret, also robbed Fulford of 10s of silver coins, a bed (yes a whole bed) worth 18s. 4d, three pairs of sheets worth 14s. 4d, and a paten of brass worth 6s. He must have had a Transit at least...?

He was found guilty but instead of going to prison he took the King's shilling option and enrolled in the Army to try and win a parole. He must have fought well in France, and for this he was pardoned and soon became a yeoman - which is someone who holds a small landed estate, but is under the rank of Gentleman and above that of dek carr (peasantry).

The family survived the Back Death and the recession of the 14th Century, and became quite wealthy and respected in Yardley where they settled. Richard Smallbrook was even noted as a landowner and tenant in Park Street, Edgbaston Street, Camp Hill, The Ravenhurst estate in Small Heath, and even in West Bromwich. He was so good and famous he went on to become High Sherriff of Brum, and when the new King Edward VI got greedy in 1547, and broke up the Gilds of The Holy Cross (a sort of Trust fund set up by the rich for the poor) and trousered the funds (as you do), he successfully persuaded the King to endow a school to assuage his conscience perhaps, and thus the King Edward VI Schools were founded. So I am doubly grateful to him personally, as I now live on his land and went to his School...

There is much more about his connections to Yardley especially with Blakesley Hall, which his son, also Richard, built in 1590, but suffice to say he and his family are owed a great deal for their efforts in this City. His Street is now no more, but his Ringway lives on...

 

[Thylacine]

Great pictures and text (as usual) DW. "This is Williams the Hatter" (pic 1): priceless! (One of your illustrious forebears?)

 

[Dennis Williams]

Of Course! Cheers Pietr.

 

[bobsummers]

Thanks Dennis for starting this thread of back streets. I find it fascinating to see and hear of all the old tales of the streets of old Brum. Not lost forever!!

 

[Aidan]

Great idea Dennis.

Loverly shot in pic4 of the Tower of Varieties and Circus/Tivoli Theatre of Varieties/Hippodrome Moorish Tower - see https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33029 for details - how could we lose such an interesting feature on the skyline?

 

[dek carr]

Nice start Dennis here,s another one. As for peasant I never quite aspired to those dizzy heights but I did go to King Edwards in fact I went to quite a few Aston I installed a new Boiler House. Camp Hill a new heating system when it became a Muslim community centre. Edgbaston a new Science Lab and Kings Norton a new P.E. Block so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Photo 4 must be about 1958 it looks as though the crane has just gone up for the building of the Albany Hotel another one of my adventures. Dek

 

[Dennis Williams]

Absolutely bang on Lord Acton sir, if it were French there would be a restaurant at the top and Place de L'Hippodrome T shirts everywhere....here we just bulldoze it to save on Steeplejack fees for cleaning ...

 

[Dennis Williams]

Nice start Dennis here,s another one. As for peasant I never quite aspired to those dizzy heights but I did go to King Edwards in fact I went to quite a few Aston I installed a new Boiler House. Camp Hill a new heating system when it became a Muslim community centre. Edgbaston a new Science Lab and Kings Norton a new P.E. Block so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Photo 4 must be about 1958 it looks as though the crane has just gone up for the building of the Albany Hotel another one of my adventures. Dek

Ha! You were awake and loitering then? Thanks for the pic, brilliant shot my Lord of the Engineers.

 

[dek carr]

Found another one somewhat earlier.I,m always loitering looking out for libellous remarks.Dek

 

[Wendy]

Good thread Dennis and I had no idea of the beginnings of John Smallbroke....what a bounder! Dec I only managed a bilateral school no matter we all have our input and its equally interesting in my mind. I can't wait for more on this thread!

 

[mikejee]

Was wondering who F.King was (on the top of the building in the Tonks st .Smallbrook st junction photo, as the name didn't seem to be repeated on th eshops below. He is not mentioned in the 1867 directory, but Francis King, grocer, 24 Smallbrook St is in the 1862 directory. Must have been an important shop to have the name in stone on the top of the building (if it is in stone)
Mike

 

[Dennis Williams]

Good thread Dennis and I had no idea of the beginnings of John Smallbroke....what a bounder! Dec I only managed a bilateral school no matter we all have our input and its equally interesting in my mind. I can't wait for more on this thread!

Oh thanks Wendy, but don't encourage him. I only WENT there when they let anybody in. Didn't pass much except wind and stuff. Whilst he rebuilt Birmingham I just gawped at it and went to the pub. He will come round when he's finished being 'outraged' ...

 

[Dennis Williams]

Found another one somewhat earlier.I,m always loitering looking out for libellous remarks.Dek

Splendiferous photo our kid, from whence it came? The Square building looks interesting, a pub maybe?

Here's another evocative photo of a Street - Alexandra Street, Ladywood - unknown to me, but taken the year I got spliced, so not that long ago. Note the apparently unsupervised little boy wandering about the neighbourhood. Couldn't do that now...how times have changed in a mere forty odd years

 

[Richie]

Splendiferous photo our kid, from whence it came? The Square building looks interesting, a pub maybe?

Here's another evocative photo of a Street - Alexandra Street, Ladywood - unknown to me, but taken the year I got spliced, so not that long ago. Note the apparently unsupervised little boy wandering about the neighbourhood. Couldn't do that now...how times have changed in a mere forty odd years

I think the photo of the boy-and other photos of unattended children throughout the Borough-were a gift to the developers to illustrate how reckless Birmingham had become and needed a good knocking-down. By them and at a serious price also!

 

[Astonian]

HI DENNIS
THATS A GOOD SHOT OF THOSE SHOPS ON THE CORNER OF ALEXANDER STREET WHICH I CAN RECALL BEING TAKEN ALONG WITH ANDERTON STREET
AND THE CORNER OF KINGEDWARDS RD AND MONUMENT RD WHICH WAS TAKEN DURING THE SAME TIME THE ONE OPPERSITE THE MR CLEWS CYCLE SHOP WAS TAKEN AT A DISTANCE ACROSS THE STREET CROSSING FACING MR DICKENS NEWS AGENTS WHICH ISIN SOME BOOKS ANDIN THE EVENING MAIL
AND AT THE TIME THERE WAS A COUPLE OF YOUNG KIDS STANDING THERE AND ONE YOUNG LAD ON HIS BIKE
OUT OF THE KIDS TWO WAS MY YOUNGER BROTHERS WITH THERE FRIENDSAND THE LAD ON THE BIKE WAS A KEN GARDNER WHOM LIVED ALONG THE RD IN KING EDWARDS RD HE LIVED NEXT TO JUNE MOORBY AND I HAD JUST WALKED UP TO THE CORNER TO SEE IF MY TWO LITTLE BROTHERS WAS ALRIGHT AND I COULD SEE THIS CHAP TAKING THE PICTURES
OF THE SHOP I DISCOVERED THIS PIC A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND I GOT THE IC OUT OF THE PAPER AND DOWN LOADED A COUPLE AND RECENTLY GAVE THEM ONE EACH AND THEY SHOWED THERE WIFES ND KIDS A TO WHEN THEY WAS LITTLE
THE ONE IN THE ADERTON ST I WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RD ABIT LATE GETTIONG THERE INTHE CROWD OF KIDS
THOSE PATICULAR SHOPS ONE WAS A FRUIT AND VEG THE OTHER WAS A BUTCHERS SHOP
AT THIS PRICISE MOMENT I HAVE NOT LONG COME HOME FROM THE WORCESTERSHIRE ROPYAL AFTER HAVING MY EYE OPERATION BUT I WILL RACK MY BRAIN
FOR THE OWNERS NAMES I KNOW WISEMANS WAS THE TOP GROCERS ON KING EDWARDS RD BUT THOSE TWO AT THE MOMENT I CANNOT PUT MY FINGER ON THE BUSSER
NOR THINK OF THE KIDS NAME OF WHICH I KNEW
THERE WAS ALSPO A PHOTOGRAPH OF SHAKESPEAR RD IN ONE OT THE BIG YARDS TAKEN BY AN AUSTRALIAN GUY OF A LTTLE SMALL GIRL
AFEW YEARS LATER AND THIS GUY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO REPUBLISHED IN THE MAIL ASKING WHOM THE LITTLE GIRL WAS YEARS AGO I GOT TO KNOW THIS FAMILY
AND BECAME A LIFE TIME FRIENDS AND CORTED HER OLDEST SISTER THE LITTLE GIRL WAS A GIRL NAME TINA SHE WAS NOT VERY OLD AT THE TIME THIS WAS TAKEN
AND THIS FAMILY IS ALSO A GOOD OLD FRIENDS OF OUR GOOD OLD FRIEND ON THE FORUM AND THATS OUR MOSSY AS HE WAS A VERY CLOSE AND GOOD FRIEND MICKY
THERE IS A LOAD MORE KNOCKING ABOUT ON LADY WOOD THEYALSO MADE A FILM ABOUT A GANG IN LADY WOOD ABOUT THE DEAD END KIDS
AND HOW THEY TURNED TO GOD AND BEHAVED THEM SELVES IT REVOLVED AROUND THE NICK KNACKS OF ADYWOOD AND ALAN COUGHMAN BECAME A CHOIR BOY IN IT
I REALLY FOUND AND TRACKED A GUY WHOM I KNEW A KIDS AND USED TO PLAY WITH HIM AT FOOT BALL AND GAMES IN THE BACK YARDS
PLAYING TRACKING AND IT ALSO TURNED OUT HIS WIFE IS ALSO A VERY GOOD SCHOL FRIEND OGF MY WIFES SOI W HAVE MADE CONTACT AND THAT IS THE MOUSEDALES
AND THERE GRAND FATHER WAS CHIEF FIRE OFFICIER MY WIFE REMEMBERS HIS WIFE,S BIRTHDAY AS IF ONLY YESTERDAY WE WILL MAKE CONTACT SOONWITH THEM
DENNIS YOU ARE A STAR BEST WISHES ANDTHANKS FOR THOSE LONG FORGOTTEN MEMORIES Astonian

 

[Dennis Williams]

No Alan, YOU are the REAL star for recalling and sharing your fascinating memories with us all so vividly. Pictures are nice to look at, but the memories bring them to life and add a new dimension. They will live long after we have gone, and hopefully serve as a lesson and a reminder of how things were to generations in the future. Twee and trite this may sound in today's society, but true nonetheless. Keep then coming Alan old mate, and I hope you can see better now you've had the op!

 

[sylviasayers]

Thank you Dennis for starting this thread, and the other contributors, our friend Astonian covered such a lot of old Brum and always has an interesting tale to tell. When I was about 17 years old I worked in Bow Street and walked along Smallbrook Street every day to get there, it is so hard to recall how these old streets looked in those days, so thanks for jogging the memory, I look forward to your further input.

 

[dek carr]

Here,s a photo of Smallbrook St in it,s final days about 1958-9 posted by Phil on another thread. Dek

 

[Dennis Williams]

Thank you Dennis for starting this thread, and the other contributors, our friend Astonian covered such a lot of old Brum and always has an interesting tale to tell. When I was about 17 years old I worked in Bow Street and walked along Smallbrook Street every day to get there, it is so hard to recall how these old streets looked in those days, so thanks for jogging the memory, I look forward to your further input.

Thank you Sylvia, much appreciated encouragement. Here is a puzzler, for me anyway. Not one I remember, but a cracking photo of STANIFORTH STREET. The caption says off Corporation Street. THE Corporation Street? Huh? Anyone any idea where this is? Anyone got a map? Is it me?

The photo is lovely, nice well kept tunnel backs. Proud mom with lovely baby - window boxes and hanging baskets, and the little black lad peering from the entry is priceless! Good old Brummie women!!

 

[mikejee]

If you go to https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&...am,+West+Midlands+B4,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=16 then staniforth st is in the centre
mike

 

[dek carr]

I think Staniforth St is still there i,ts opposite the Turks Head on New Town Row just past Halfords that was. Dek

 

[Dennis Williams]

Of course, down a bit right a bit. Thanks mike. This magnificent gothic boozer lies at the Staniforth Street - Corporation Street apex. Was renamed the Ben Johnson for a while I think. Looks like it has been refurbished. Great, but not much foot traffic now round there, I doubt it will survive long..

 

[lencops]

Hi Dennis as a Yardley boy is it OK to post photos of streets & roads which have altered by "progress?" in the Yardley area?. This is Waterloo Rd looking from Stockfield Rd, circa1930. Len.

 

[Dennis Williams]

Hi Dennis as a Yardley boy is it OK to post photos of streets & roads which have altered by "progress?" in the Yardley area?. This is Waterloo Rd looking from Stockfield Rd, circa1930. Len.

Len my old chum, if it's an old backstreet of Brum, from whatever area, I would think it OK. I had rellies living at 25 Waterloo Road (opposite that row of shops), a railway man, he used that glorious gothic pub, now gone, at the very end of this road.

 

[Wendy]

What lovely memories and photo's. I love the one on post 19# the lady has worked hard to make her house look so nice. I have found a couple of photo's like this in my family they were often taken to send to family who lived far away. Just look at the two children looking through the window. Michael's gt grandparents lived in Staniforth Street in the 1880's. Astonian your stories certainly bring these pictures to life. My thanks to all who have contributed.

 

[Astoness]

smashing pics going on...i may even have one or two that i could post on this thread...keep em coming folks as these are what keep our history alive...

lyn

 

[Dennis Williams]

smashing pics going on...i may even have one or two that i could post on this thread...keep em coming folks as these are what keep our history alive...

lyn

Ha!! Good on yer lyn! Wanted to draw you onto this Thread, as you have some of the best 'old' pictures of Brum I've seen, plus a host of lovely stories to go with 'em. Go girl...

 

[Dennis Williams]

Love this one of three backstreets of Ladywood. Coxwell Road, Hyde Road and Clark Street. Wonder what nickname the unfortunate corner shop owner had to endure...? S.Tiffen. In Coxwell Road? Excuse me?

 

[Astoness]

ive got these two of blews st which is at the back of newtown row...pics 2 is back of number 22.....been told that i had ancestors living here but ive yet to find the evidence..i would think looking at these pics the living conditions in this street were not very good....

lyn

 

[Dennis Williams]

Brilliant lyn. I had Fred and Edie Stretton living there in 1897 - 1924 at least, George and Emily Measey living at no 10 in 1927, and my GGG gfather Thomas and Emma Williams living there in 1853. I bet our rellies knew each other for sure!