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Big Top 1959

L

loisand

master brummie
I started work in 1970 at Boots the Chemist, Big Top, New Street and to this day I still refer that area as being the Big Top, all the youngsters just look at you when you say Big Top in Birmingham :flower: :cat:
 
Isn't the Post Office in there (in the covered shopping area by B.H.S./W.H. Smith's) called the Big Top?
 
Sorry to bring an old thread up but I have a question about the Old Big Top Post office...

My friend said he worked for the PO many moons ago and said there was a tunnel running from the Big Top PO up to Victoria Square's PO for internal mail to be carried (by cart not vehicle)

I may have found an access point to the tunnel next to the PO but was wondering if any one else had any information on it before I go down any holes lol!
 
I thought it was New Street/Corporation Street junction. I'm sure that the old Boots (now Primark) had Big Top in its address.
 
Hi Carolina and Leslam. This is one of those places where I've never been sure where it actually is. But after googling it ( should have done that first ! ) it looks like it's quite a large area/group of shops opposite M& S High St and goes right across to the shops on New Street opposite the Odeon.

https://wikimapia.org/1810487/Big-Top

Is it commonly known as Big Top I wonder? Viv.
 
Thanks Jennyann. NOW I know exactly where it is! I remember BHS was once there and you could get into the shop via the arcades. Like the article says, its one of those places you don't take a lot of notice of. I remember it being a pretty grey looking row on High Street side. It's interesting how it got it's name, though and it'd be interesting to see earlier pictures of the place pre-WW2 bomb damage. Viv.
 
Yes it was a cleared bomb site opposite the Odeon New St on which a circus tent (Big Top) was pitched. I remember being taken to see the circus as a child, saw my first tiger there.
I also remember seeing some of the bomb sites around there with wisps of smoke still rising and the fire brigade still damping down, and seem to remember 'War Savings weeks' with a large Thermometer thing on the site showing how much had been saved.
 
That must have been a shocking sight as a child OldMohawk, to see all those buildings wrecked and smouldering away.

I still can't make out which road it is in the first pic in post 1. Does anyone out there know if it's. New St or High St? The two photos in that post join each other. Viv.
 
Viv
The darker looking building in the background is the Arden Hotel , which would make the one to the right of it (out of site ) the Odeon, in New St
 
Thanks Mike. That means, I think then that, the Arden and all to the left of that first photo, were cleared away. Expect it was to make way for the Rotunda etc. Just tried to do a Streetview tour, but kept finding myself in dark tunnels! More of this area seems to be pedestrianised than I remember! Viv.
 
I remember going to a display of wwII Items as a kid ,on the big top site just after the war, Two Man Sub ,Spitfire, Shot down ME109, any one else remember this .PLEASE DONOT TELL ME MY MINDS PLAYING ME TRICKS lol:0)
Somewere on this site there are pics of the BIG TOP Were old mohawk says.
 
Yes mossg you are right the left of Eorcester St is the now the site of the Rotundra & the odeon is just a block up New st as we look at this pic.
 
Big Top - it's where WH Smith is now on Union Street. From there to New Street. BHS is still inside there.


Abandoned Big Top in Birmingham - former Post Office by ell brown, on Flickr


Big Top, Birmingham - empty walkways - to New Street by ell brown, on Flickr


Big Top, Birmingham - empty walkways - steps to Union Passage by ell brown, on Flickr

The Post Office used to be in there - still signs of it.


Signs of a former Post Office in Union Passage - E II R 1958 by ell brown, on Flickr


Signs of a former Post Office in Union Passage - stamps and post box by ell brown, on Flickr

Recently they did up a section of it on High Street - where PC World Black is now.


New retail development on High Street, Birmingham - Coming soon a New Electrical Store by ell brown, on Flickr


Big Top, Birmingham - empty walkways - refurbished by ell brown, on Flickr
 
A few photos of the Big Top site, throughout the years from just before WW2.

Phil

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00d53706.jpg
 
The 3rd photo takes me back. I think that the building next to the Times is where I looked down into the basement at the smoke and water running out of damaged pipes, stepping over the fire hoses across the road. I wonder now, why my Mom and the next door neighbour went shopping from Great Barr with me in tow on the day after a major raid...must have been something special on sale in town !
oldmohawk
 
I had no idea that this part of Birmingham was so badly destroyed during the last war. I'd always assumed it was down to 1960s development. Thanks to Ell and Phil for posting the photos. I now know a lot more about this part of Birmingham. Just out of interest was the circus there for a long time?

The layout/design of the Big Top seems odd to me. Ell's photo of the steps up into Union Street reminded me that C&A had an entrance to the right of those steps, but you had to go down steps again into C& A. (think it later became W.H.Smith). I also remember an entrance in one of the arcades to a club up on the roof of the building. Think it belonged to the Co-op.

I notice Phil's 4th photo has 'Midland Arcade' in the centre of that building. I found these in a search. Lovely! Unfortunately the modern arcades in Ell's photos are not a patch on this.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64196730@N00/3182693520/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64196730@N00/3182694884/
Viv.
 
C & A closed ages ago (think they still exist on the Continent though). Then it became Beatties. Then that closed a few years ago. Now split between different shops such as JJB Sports and Mother Care. Think they made alterations when they split it into three. That back entrance to C & A is no longer and entrance.

A few more shots from Union Passage


Signs of a former Post Office in Union Passage - striped glass window by ell brown, on Flickr


Britannia Hotel from Union Passage - back to Martineau Place by ell brown, on Flickr

Old C & A entrance was on the right (out of shot)


Britannia Hotel from Union Passage by ell brown, on Flickr
 
Still looks a little as I remember it. But as I've found with so many of the modern views, it looks a lot cleaner than I remember, better looked after etc. Does anyone know if any of the Victorian arcade (Midland & City) survived the 2nd WW? Or was it all replaced in the 50s/60s? Viv
 
That's great news. Now I've seen this, I vaguely remember seeing something around there but I think it was all closed off when I last saw it or maybe it just wasn't very well looked after. Either way, I'm glad to see it's got a new lease of life. If this section is the ' City' section of the 'City & Midland' arcade, the Midland section must have been destroyed in the bombing. Thanks.

Just noticed that the external view of the arcade architecture in Ell's last photo in post #22 matches the New Street end of the Midland arcade of Phil's photo Post#16 ( right-hand side of pic). Just a slightly smaller scale. Viv.

Here's an old picture of this section of the arcade. Looks Edwardian, so roughly early 1900s.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64196730@N00/3182692986/
 
Jennyann, l remember "the big top" after the war it always seemed to have a big tent on the corner of new street and corporation street, as you say it was a circus...l always wanted to go there as l'd never been to a circus but there was never any money in those days....l eventually went to my first circus in Texas at the astrodome in houston.....the big top corner seemed to be there for years and l remember the wooden fence it had to and always had ads on it......Brenda
 
The Baron said:
I remember going to a display of wwII Items as a kid ,on the big top site just after the war, Two Man Sub ,Spitfire, Shot down ME109, any one else remember this .PLEASE DONOT TELL ME MY MINDS PLAYING ME TRICKS lol:0)
Somewere on this site there are pics of the BIG TOP Were old mohawk says.
Click to expand...
I remember going to see that display, but I thought that it was near The Civic Centre by The Hall of Memory, could be mistaken, I was only 5.
 
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