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Birchfield Road Perry Barr

Reply to #26 John,
brought back some happy memories,
Got to know the Gibson family quite well,
and there was a miserable old lady serving in
linington's kept the fag's under the counter
"Pasha" or "Turf" only she cried
 
if you havent taken your books back by now,its a bit late :2funny:
 
oohps,should have said that was birchfield road libary
 
wonder if they're gonna build a new library there now...
or will they not bother?
Is it because not so many read these days? :-\

mom used to take us to the library 2 or 3 times a week when we were kids - Lichfield Rd. Library AND Albert Road Library (both Aston).
 
I suppose they'll put more sheds up, to match the rest in Perry Barr.  :mad:

I spent hours in that library. :(
 
now that's a good idea!
combine pubs and libraries ;D

well, it would be till the words went all blurry :D
 
thanx d'ya know i was wondering what they were doing behind those lovely white painted boards i only go up as far as the bank i must try and walk up futher to see what other beautiful sights there are (slight sarcasm ha ha )
 
In Canada we combine an eating area - coffee and sandwiches in libraries
 
The 'then' pictures are taken from old postcards, the 'now' pictures taken from Google Streetview.
The older of the pictures dates from 1907.

Ian.
 
The 'then' pictures are taken from old postcards, the 'now' pictures taken from Google Streetview.
The older of the pictures is thought to date from the 1890's, corner of Wilson Road - but cannot confirm as I haven't got a Kellys directory for that period..

Ian.
 
Edward Dyson comes in from sometime between 1900 and 1903 and the shop was taken over by another corn factors between 1904 and 1905
Mike
 
This pic brings back a few memories, TT. It's the junction of Birchfield Road and Bragg Road, with the old Birchfield cinema which was demolished to build a Mac Fisheries supermarket, now also gone. Opposite the cinema is what I think was a bus garage. Just to the left of the walking man and out of view was Watts Toy Shop, much frequented by me when I was a nipper. I'd guess your photo dates from late 1930's or 1940's? All the buildings on the left-hand side of the road vanished, of course, when the underpass and flyover were built. The photographer was standing, I should think, outside the old Lloyds Bank or thereabouts. Thanks for posting it!

Big Gee
 
Yes Big Gee #5 was dated 1938.
Image82.jpg
 
HI GUYS ;
As anybody got a picyure of the biddles office/shop on birchfield rd
it was between the fly over and victoria rd i think it was about half way
they was a money lending family in the early years right up until the early sixties definately earlier years as well
in the fifties and my cousin had a loan for a car and he had to pay a tanner a week 6d old money for his repayments
and he like me worked for midland counties dairy in the fifties he could not afford to get to work because of the very early start in the morning he lived in catherine street by the astoncross picture house mind you he could have walked up the cross to get to the dairy which was the boundry for costa green and the horse troth was about two hundred yards from the dairy where upon you could stand all day and watch the milk bottles going around and around if you did not fancy the bottles of milk you could have walked back and gone to park rd on the 39 bus and watch ansells beer bottles going around and around ;
 
Hi TOPSYTURVEY! Thanks for the photo of Bragg Rd junction with Birchfield Road. I know that very well indeed. I think the period is circa early 1950's. The bus garage mentioned by Big Gee was originally the tram shed for the No.6 and became a bus garage on the demise of the trams. Many memories! willey
 
Does anyone have any ideas as to whereabouts along Birchfield Road this view would have been taken? Just can't place it. Viv.

Birchfield_Road_Handsworth.jpg
 
hi viv its a lovely pic but to be honest i just cant think where on the bichfield road it could have been...it somehow does not look right to me...hope someone can help with this one...

lyn
 
Before my time, but I think Viv's picture was taken from near the junction with Trinity Road, looking towards Perry Barr, and near Holy Trinity Church and its vicarage. There are still a couple of very substantial villas on that part of Birchfield Road.
This photo is from long before the flats opposite the Odeon were built. Anyway, that's guess! Nice pic, too.

Big Gee
 
That's how I feel about it too Lyn. My aunt remembers there being very large houses along Birchfield Road at one time, so that would be in the last 80 years. But that's all I know. Viv.
 
Big Gee said:
Before my time, but I think Viv's picture was taken from near the junction with Trinity Road, looking towards Perry Barr, and near Holy Trinity Church and its vicarage. There are still a couple of very substantial villas on that part of Birchfield Road.
This photo is from long before the flats opposite the Odeon were built. Anyway, that's guess! Nice pic, too.

Big Gee
Click to expand...

Thanks BigGee - our posts have crossed. How refreshing to hear there are still some of the large villas left standing! Seems out of character (well nowadays at least). Viv.
 
Yep, Birchfield Road ain't quite the same as it was in your photo! Incidentally, Birchfield Road was never in Aston as far as I'm aware. I lived on the Witton Road end of The Broadway and our address was 'Handsworth, Birmingham 20'.

Big Gee
 
Hi Big Gee;
You have just beaten me to it trinty rd and just up towards perry barr island and beyond those house were there in fact up as far as the old birchfield harriers athlete ground and before that big uni block was built there and the redel
of perry barr and if you can recall there was a walkers chocolate factory therelong before the place of that students place they call it and i think before that it was a school but the choco was there before any of those two building
i think it was the old perry common school before i think they moved futher into the great barr end but these houses and the tree lined road was there many many years ago as i recall and long beforethey ever built the first block of flats on the birchfield rd nice big house and long gardens early 1900s and a couple of the jelfs ; the legal side of jelfs lived in along those house if you check old records i think one or two of there ancesters lived along those houses one i recal i think was david ; and there was or another of them if i recall the records to my mind ;
take care alan
 
Agree 'Handsworth' would be correct. Just had a nose on streetview and, as you say, there are a few of the houses just down fom Trinity Church. A miracle! The downside is they face onto the flyover and if they originally had the large gated entrances, they've gone. Probably to make way for the flyover. But all the same, good to see some of the villas to get an idea of style and how it once looked etc.

Astonian, never knew there was a chocolate factory in Perry Barr. But I do remember Birchfield Harriers. Once queued there to see a circus, but for some reason never got in to see it. Viv.
 
One childhood memory I have of Birchfield Rd was standing at a bus stop opposite the Odeon Cinema waiting for a Midland Red bus to Great Barr and hearing a 'swishing' noise from the tram wires which meant a tram was approaching at speed from Trinity Rd. I hope my memory isn't playing tricks here !
Anyway, I do remember how leafy and green it was on that part of Birchfield Rd and here is a photo of a tram under the trees.

No 6 tram approaching Trinity Rd - Midland Red bus going out of town.
Tram_Birchfield_Rd_1949.jpg
 
That's a very evocative picture, Mohawk. How things change, eh? My mother's mother used to tell us about when she 'did' for wealthy families in Trinity Road and Birchfield Road, before the First World War. Hard to believe now. My dad's mother stopped travelling by public transport when the trams finished in Brum; she said buses were too fast, smelly, and made her feel sea-sick!

Big Gee
 
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