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Bevington Road Aston

Just some random notes. My grandmother was bombed out in the war and moved to Bevington Road, I am afraid that I don't have the number, nor any numbers for these anecdotes. Her name then would have been Ridding. In the fifties and following for about twenty odd years, my brother lived there; his name was Ingram, of course. A few years ago I was in Brum and visited St Paul's church in the jewellery quarter met who was probably the verger. As we chatted he told me that his family had owned several houses in Bevington Road. Finally, my sister had good friends who lived there in the forties, the Shaw family; Lil Shaw, etc.,
 
When my grandparents who lived at No 22 were alive (they both died in the early 1970's) there was a 'rough' end of Bevington Road - that portion of it between Trinity Road and Witton Road - and a 'posh' end, from Trinity Road to Frederick Road. To my grandma, that was always the 'kippers and curtains' end, mainly because the houses were larger, some of them three storeys, while 'her' end was all terraced. There were also the houses behind those in the 'even number' side of Bevington Road, but I would think those are now long gone. If my mother, bless 'er, were alive, she could tell you the names of virtually all the families in 'her' end of Bevington Road.

I wonder if the Ratpan's been re-opened yet....

Big Gee
 
Hi Ray
should the writing on the photo be 86 or B6. The reason i ask is if it is 86 is if it is then my
gt grandparents (the Harveys) lived next door at 85 Bevington Road in 1935. A great photo by the way Ray.


Regards Stars
 
Bevington Road is B6 - Aston, Birmingham. I think you may very likely find that a house with the number 86 could well be on the other side of the road to a house with the number 85.

G
 
No problem Ray it may be the way I posted it. I actually paid a lot of money to have this one restored several years ago. Now the lovley folk on this forum help us for free!
 
I wonder if any one remembers Alfred Bowers who lived in Bevington Road in the 1940s/1950s he was a painter & decorator,a very keen cyclist but I remember Alf as our scout master to troop of scout who met every week at Birchfield Rd school in Perry Barr,I have found a photo taken about 1954 at Bournemouth with me ,Brian Harding Alf is the one with the curly hair,Curly being his nick namescan0585.jpg
 
Hi Alf. Lovely photo. I remember my piano teach a Charles Gough who had a little plaque on his door advertising that he did lessons. That was in the middle fifties. Jean.
 
Just caught up with this subject. I wonder Michael Ingram, if the Lil Shaw you remember had a son Alan and daughter Hazel? geofred
 
I can't remember off hand. I am in North Wales atvthe moment for my wife's second cousin's 100th birthday party. When I get home next week I will have a look through my family photos. I am sure I have one of the Shaw's. It was my sister Rene who was a Shaw family friend
 
Big Gee,

I'm new to this board and am just started on the search for the background to my grandparent's lives in Birmingham in the first 20 years or so of the 20th century. I recently acquired the Death Certificate of my grandfather - Alfred William Spurrier. He died in August 1926 of TB at the General Hospital. He was only 46. His last residence is given as "Back, 18 Bevington Road", Aston. So he was living next to your mother at the time of his death. His wife died in 1919 (also of TB) - she was 36 - and at that time they were living in a back to back in Franchise Street so at some time in the intervening 7 years he made the move to Bevington Road. He would probably have been living there with his two sons, Albert (20 in 1926) and Norman (10 in 1926). He had to send away two of his other children - one of whom was my father - because he couldn't cope and two others had died when very young.
Can one assume that the address "Back, 20 Bevington Road" would indicate a back to back? Or was the house split into two with a back entrance for those living at the back?
Loooking at the Google map for 20 Bevington Road today I can see an archway at the side which. I presume, ran down to the backs of the house.

Any further info you - or anyone might have - would be greatly appreciated.
 
Ralph
Alfred william spurrier is listed on the electoral rolls as at no 1 back 81 Franchise st with Lucy Spurrier in 1920 and at 1 back 18 bevington Road in 1922 and 1925 with James Sheldon Spurrier . James Sheldon Spurrier was also there in 1920 and 1927. 18 bevington road looks as if it is still there. It is the white house to the left of the alleyway at https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Be...=YCV9YKbEBuukksaSj11PXA&cbp=12,258.58,,0,0.07 According to the map below, there were 4 back 18 houses, marked in red. No 18 is in blue and they would ahve been accessed via the a;lleyway. In fact. looking at google maps there are houses there now, but these are newer ones that have replaced old ones

map_c_1913A__showing_back_18_bevington_road.jpg
 
mikejee:
Many thanks for this vital information. James Sheldon Spurrier was my great-grandfather so it would appear that this was his house and his son moved in with him after Lucy's death.
(Lucy Spurrier died June 1st 1919 so either the information for the electoral rolls of 1920 for Franchise Street was collected before this date or my grandfather ether didn't inform them of her death or just forgot to correct the form when it came through the door (if this is how it was done in those days).

Alfred Spurrier was a Capstan Lathe worker (it states on the death certificate) and I suppose he could have worked at the Gun Barrel Works just across the road shown in the map. It is sobering to think that both my great-grandfather and my grandfather were living in obviously very poor conditions. It was lucky that my father was farmed out to an aunt as he, Victor Spurrier, eventually did quite well for himself working his way up from telegram boy, aged 13, to a senior position in the GPO.

Once again, many thanks for this information. Another piece in the jigsaw.
 
Hi Ralph Spurrier
They say it is a small world. I also had my gt grandparents living at no 85
in Bevington Road although it was a bit later in 1935, his name was Harry Harvey and wife Annie with
sons George, Walter and Bertie. I was looking at mikes map and google earth and i see number 83 is still
there.It is strange but like a lot of other people who are doing their family trees you find out all kinds of things.
I have found both sets of my gt grandparents and also i now know where they are buried and we tend to their
graves and keep them tidy. It is a strange feeling when after you have researched, you have a feeling of complesion
when you are stood at their graves. All the best with your search.

Regards Stars
 
Hi Stars do you remember the old music teacher who lived towards the top of the road on the right coming down the road. He was Professor Charles Gough?.
 
Ralph Spurrier said:
Big Gee,

I'm new to this board and am just started on the search for the background to my grandparent's lives in Birmingham in the first 20 years or so of the 20th century. I recently acquired the Death Certificate of my grandfather - Alfred William Spurrier. He died in August 1926 of TB at the General Hospital. He was only 46. His last residence is given as "Back, 18 Bevington Road", Aston. So he was living next to your mother at the time of his death. His wife died in 1919 (also of TB) - she was 36 - and at that time they were living in a back to back in Franchise Street so at some time in the intervening 7 years he made the move to Bevington Road. He would probably have been living there with his two sons, Albert (20 in 1926) and Norman (10 in 1926). He had to send away two of his other children - one of whom was my father - because he couldn't cope and two others had died when very young.
Can one assume that the address "Back, 20 Bevington Road" would indicate a back to back? Or was the house split into two with a back entrance for those living at the back?
Loooking at the Google map for 20 Bevington Road today I can see an archway at the side which. I presume, ran down to the backs of the house.

Any further info you - or anyone might have - would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

My maternal grandparents William and May Diaper lived at 22 Bevington Road (still standing) and the entrance to the "back of" houses was along 'their' entry, which is the archway you refer to. They weren't back-to-back houses, the gardens abutted on each other. The only name I can ever recall my grandparents mentioning with regard to the "back of" houses was Moxon. Hope this is of interest to you.

G
 
Hi Stars,
Thanks for your reply and comment. I don't want to let the Bevington Road thread go off topic so I'll be brief. At the beginning all I had to go on was one funeral card (my grandmother's) which gave the date of her death and where she was buried (St.John's Perry Barr) and one photocard which showed her and three of her children c1911. And that was it. Since then I have managed to unravel a part-history of my grandparent's difficult lives. I never knew them - my grandfather died 20 years before I was born - so I was at first intrigued by what I had missed. Now, I feel a sadness about their short "hidden" lives ruined by the first world war and the scourge of TB. Their graves are unmarked in St.John's. The church's records show they are buried there but not where. I've been round the churchyard but could find nothing amongst the stones or mounds which would indicate their final resting place. Like you, I feel this need to mark their graves/lives in some fashion and am planning to approach the vicarage with an idea to erecting a stone at some point in the yard.
Regards
Ralph
 
Hi Big Gee,
Thanks for that information. Moxon is not a name I recognise. I see from an earlier reply that there were(are) four houses down that alleyway and I am presuming that one of those was owned by my great-grandfather James Spurrier. He lived on until 1932 but whether he was still there at the time of his death I don't know. I guess my next step is to go and take a look on the actual ground (and hope that Bevington Road hasn't become a no-go area for an old Brummie!).
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.

Ralph
 
Hi Ralph,

My grandparents are long gone, as are my parents, so I'm afraid there's no-one I can ask regarding your family. My gran knew just about everyone on Bevington Road between Witton Road and Trinity Road. I don't think it's quite a no-go area just yet, but take care if you venture down that way......

G
 
Hi g g jean
No i would not remember any shops there, as it was not till the
early 50s i remember seeing my gt grandparents when they came to see
us. I think by then they were living in Lee Hall.

take care Stars
 
I visited Bevington Road last week and found my great-grandfather's house is still there at back of 18 Bevington Road down the alleyway between 18 and 20. He had lived at no.19 but I can see that that row of houses has now been demolished.
The four houses numbered 1-4 back of 18 Bevington Road are seriously delapidated but people are still living in them. I bumped into one when I walked down the alleyway but they couldn't speak English - a common occurence it would seem for this part of Brum - so I didn't get any information out of them. The four houses are squeezed between a factory wall and the back of the gardens of the houses on Bevington Road.
It felt quite spooky to be standing at the door when my great-grandfather lived and where my grandfather died.
 
hi di
do you recall a family in woodhall rd by the name of Golders, Graham, Melcolm and John
robb128
 
Hi Rob, just caught up with this post. There were Goldings, my sister's friend was Barbara her brothers were Grahame and John. I think. This would be early 50's up to 60's. The Malcolm I recall was Malcolm Smith. Long time ago, so the memory can play tricks can't it.
 
Leslie Smith, the ex Villa player had an electrical shop opposite Darlingtons. He gave locals credit but if you were slow paying, he'd put your name in the shop window
 
Carl was one of my teenage friends and he now lives in the Isle of Wight, brother Earl lives in Brownhills. Opposite were the Shakespeare family, I remember Michael. At 30 were the Turners, Celia (now in Australia) Michail (his dad couldn't spell but had a good go) and Clive. We lived at the back of my aunt's shop at no 32. My aunt was Lil Kendall, husband worked at Kynochs, son David and daughter ... Forgot her name, moved to the Woomera rocket range in Australia with her husband
 
We lived at Aunt Lil's until about 59, the moved to 10/32 in the back to backs. There were several names I remember, next door were the Norton's, children were Graham, (once jumped out the bedroom window with a sheet as a parachute and ended up with several broken bones), Linda and Jean.
 
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