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Church Road, Yardley.

the antique shop and barbers shop did they combine towards the end of there day? seem to remember going to the barbers on church road but it was at the back of the antique shop, could be wrong would i guess have been late 70's early 80's. we used to know the couple that ran the dog grooming business on wroxton road gosling was their name.
 
Maybe I have it wrong. I lived in Ash Road from about 1955 to 1967 and mom used to shop in Alum Rock. The moved to Nansen Road) I suppose I never thought of Ray as being 80!
 
Dwilly

I only lived in Wroxton for three years from 1977 to 1980 so don't know much about the shops really. Mother in law is the "font of all knowledge" as everyone was on the paper round!

When I lived there, the shop on the corner of Wroxton (oppostie Kelly's) was a florist. The hairdressers, a few doors down in Chruch Road belonged to the daughter of the lady who owned the flower shop. The hairdressers was two houses knocked into one.
 
That's a great photo Len. I would love to see a close up of the cake shop, with the meringues and the retangular trifles, covered with synthetic cream. (may have been by the bank).

Ann
 
Ann, The third gable from the right was over a shop which sold racing cars & toy soldiers made of lead, not allowed now, you had to go upstairs to the toys it was an Aladins Cave of Hornby Train sets, Mechanno Sets & any toy you can think of, the name of shop was i think Lines?, and that big puddle can be seen now!!. Len
 
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Think you're right about the puddle Len! Can't help you with the name of the shop though. Not yet anyway. Husband is racking his brains!

Ann
 
Len
I was in Yardley yesterday and took these pics. of The Shrubbery. Thought you may be interested.

As you see from the side view, the house is still complete, the shops on the front have been built on.
 
Many Thanks for the photos Sue, excellent, when i knew the house before the shops were built the house was obscured by trees and shrubs in the garden, and the length of the garden. Len.
 
MIL was tleling me that the garden in the front went right down to the road. She has tried to find photographs but can't find anything. Also interested in Yew Tree House which was where the bank is, down towards the school near the car park.
 
Suemalins

A couple of photos of the Shrubbery, one during building the extensions and one after. And also a photo of Yew Tree House.

Phil
 

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Many thanks for the very interesting pictures. I am seeing mother-in-law next week who lives in Newcroft, at the back of the Shrubbery so will prinbt out the pics. and take them to show her.

She has always said that she has never been able to find any photos of either The Shrubbery or Yew Tree House.
 
pmc1947, Thanks for the photos of The Shrubbery & Yew Tree House they are new to me. Len.
 
Any idea which corner Yew Tree House stood? Was it where the pub is now, or the other corner where Lloyds Bank stands?
 
Suemalins

The book says it stood on the right side of Church Rd just before it met Yew Tree Lane. I'm assuming it means on the right side coming from Coventry Rd. Which would mean it stood where the bank now stands.

Phil
 
Yew tree house seems to have been no 116 church road.

1908 Samuel Kington Cattell
1912 Miss Cattell
1921 Thomas Downs
1932 – not mentioned
1940 Ernest David Freeman cycle dealer
In 1904 it seems to be outside the area covered by the directory, and is not listed
mike
 
Correction. It just seems Yew tree house was missed out in the 1904 directory.

1868 Daniel Holloway esquire
1873 Daniel Holloway farmer & auctioneer
1876 - 1900 Daniel Holloway Land agent & surveyor
1903 Ernest Newton
Before 1868 I can’t find Yew tree house in the directories, and it may be outside the area covered, but in 1855 there is a Daniel Holloway, fancy steel toy maker & confectioner in Bristol St, listed but not numbered between 109 and 113 bristol st, and in 1862 he appears (as J & D Holloway) in Balsall Heath Road.
mike
 
Pic 1, Corner of Wroxton Rd was Kellys Florists: Pic 2, Formerly Linforths Cycle Shop, Hairdressers, Ladies & Mens: Pic 3, Was two shops "Antiques?", Newsagents, Citizens Advice, two shops now knocked in one Newsagents, cigarettes, sweets, ice cream etc 04/09/09. Len.
 
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Thanks for the photos. I lived at number 3 Wroxton, next door but one to the Vet which was Kelly's Plumbers when I was there. The Newsagents is the shop that mother-in-law's father used to own.
 
Thanks Lencops for the photo's. I have since discovered that the Linforth family also occupied no's 218 (Charles), 220 (Walter) as well as 226 (cycle shop) The 1911 Census shows William Linforth cycle shop owner as living at 218 and no record of 226 on the census. Maybe it was just used as a shop/storeroom. Thanks again Kat

lencops said:
Pic 1, Corner of Wroxton Rd was Kellys Florists: Pic 2, Formerly Linforths Cycle Shop, Hairdressers, Ladies & Mens: Pic 3, Was two shops "Antiques?", Newsagents, Citizens Advice, two shops now knocked in one Newsagents, cigarettes, sweets, ice cream etc 04/09/09. Len.
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suemalings said:
I remember the bathroom shop, I used to live at number 3 Wroxton.

Before it was the bathroom shop it was a grocers owned by the Ayres. This would have been in the mid-50's. The Ayres also had the house next door in Church Road. The people who had the bathroom shop, knocked the house through to enlarge their showroom.

My mother-in-law in Newcroft Grove used to have the Newsagents on Church Road. She has sent her brother up the road (he lives in Church Road) to have a look!
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just joined site, have read with interest your comments. i lived from birth at 45 wroxton from 1969. Just like memory lane, recognise the name Dawkins, i used to play as a youngster with Mark, Mandy and Nicholas Dawkins.

Also lived in Newcroft Grove just over 10 years ago, would your mother in law of been there then?

Regards
Malcolm Barrows
 
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When i went to Yardley School, we had an annexe on Newcroft Road, only remember going there a few times it was down the bottom of the road porta cabins. Don't know how long they were there for would have been early to mid 70's.
 
Mother in law has been in Newcroft since the houses were built. She tells me she measured the windows (for curtains) when they were lying on the ground. I know Mandy, Nic and Mark very well.

There are houses built at the end of Newcroft now, no portaßcabins any more.

I will be in contcat with MIL this week-end so will tell her I have heard from you. What number did you live at? MIL is the first house on the left. Of course she isn't a Dawkins now. There are a few people who have lived there for a while you would probably know.
 
@ Kat - I am doing a family history for sister in law's 50th and HORSLEY is her mums maiden name!! In the 1911 Census, Joseph and Helen Horsley have been married 5 years and live at 1 WROXTON RD Yardley.....He is a BAKER. The children are Norman and Ada Louise.
And I'm doing all this from Qld, thz folks....
 
I live in Church Rd. This is an old photo of the Edwardian Houses (middle one's ours) taken by Canon Cochrane in 1930 before Adams Farm (see cow in foreground) was transformed into Homecroft, and the houses opposite (313, 315, in the snow a few years ago. The Bing map shows the current geography (if it works) of this delightful thread. If not I'll repost a still photo.


Wroxton Road, Yardley B26 1
https://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&wher...1&q=wroxton road yardley birmingham&encType=1
 
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To get airial views, click over 'London Street view' and choose 'Birds Eye' from drop down menu. Then enlarge with + sign and bingo, you should get a navigable matrix over whole area like the photo enclosed.
 
suemalings said:
Len, the house that your friend George Hardy lived, is still there! It was called The Shrubbery. Now the back is obscured by the carpet shop, Ray's Wallpapers and an opticians
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The house is definately still there, the three shop fronts were just added on...at the back they are, still "The Shrubbery" (always, in my opinion, elevating disasterous planning to the level of felony.)...though I always thought, just from the shape and French windowes, that the back was always the back? I was given to understand the house was Georgian.
 
Trebor said:
I see that someone mentioned Ray's wallpaper shop at the Yew Tree, did you know that he was the Ray's wallpaper shop from Alum Rock Rd and that he died aged 80 on 21st May.

Regards trebor
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suemalings said:
I used to live in Saltley and my mom and dad always bought walpaper from Ray's Shop on Alum Rock. Wasn't that owned by Ray's (of Yardley) father?
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Trebor said:
Hello Sue,

I don't ever remember Ray's father in the Saltley shop, only Ray, my husband Rob and myself used to live in Croft Road and bought our wallpaper from the Yardley shop, we used to reminisce with Ray about Saltley whenever we were in there. Rob and I are both from Saltley.

Regards trebor
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Ray Helas was the nephew of the owner of the Alum Rock Road shop, William Fletcher. His mother was Dorothy Helas nee Fletcher. To confuse things further his father was William Helas.

He owned the Yardley shop jointly with Willian Fletcher's daughter Gillian and his wife Mabel.

suemalings said:
Maybe I have it wrong. I lived in Ash Road from about 1955 to 1967 and mom used to shop in Alum Rock. The moved to Nansen Road) I suppose I never thought of Ray as being 80!
Click to expand...

Neither did he when last spotted...I believe he celebrated his 80th birthday with a champagne breakfast.

He was a very dear man, and considerably larger than life right to the end and it is lovely to see him so well remembered.

Until they took it over in about '64 the shop was owned by County Wallpaper.

"Ray Wallpapers" is now own by a family friend who became like a son to him...they never had children.
 
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We were in Yardley last week-end visiting mother-in-law in Newcroft Grove. The wallpaper shop is just the same. Has anyone heard of the plans for the old Woolworths? Wetherspoons are interested, they want to put tables and chairs out on the front.
 
I am glad the shop is still going strong, the guy who took it over was really lovely to Ray in his last years and deserves every success.

Funny thing, now you mention Woolworths I think all the old Decorators' Supplies shops, as well as Rays Wallpapers were practically next door to Woolworths...some fiendish marketing strategy who's origins are lost in the mist of time no doubt.

Tables and chair out front would work very well, there is a lot of pavement out there doing nothing.
 
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