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City And Midland Arcades

It seems that by 1946 the City Arcade had shrunk and possibly become the City Arcade, Union Passage and Warwick passage
 
This picture came from an article in The Architects journal on use of Terra cotta. I can't quite place where it was in New St. Can anyone help
Mike

city_arcade_new_st_c_1902.jpg
 
Hi Mike,This must be the other end of the Arcade,i took it last year while standing very close to The Windsor in Cannon Street.Moss.
 
Mike

I'm not sure it was ever on New St, wasn't it on the big top site that was bombed and didn't it run from High St to Union St. When they rebuilt the whole of that corner block they replaced it I think and it now runs to Union Passage.

Phil
 
You've got it jennyann. Just before I did. Phil's thoughts that it might be high st made me go back and examine the picture and the directories. If you look very closely at max magnification, the shop on the left seems to say Reeve (or something like ut) chemists. The 1900 Kellys gave nothing, but the 1903 one gave Thomas Lewis Reeve, chemist at 19 New st, by the side of City arcade, with no 19 on the other side of the arcade as Richard Marsh, jewellers. On hindsight the shop on the right looks a bit like a jewellers window, lots of trays and curtain at the back. thank you all
mike
 
Mike

Take no notice of me, I rely on my failing memory too much, but I think I was partly right because There was a junction in The City Arcades where the arcades from New St and High St met.It's been so long since I was in the city but I think they still do.

Here is a photo of the old entrance to the City Arcade on New Street and here is an old post card of the arcade itself you can just make out the junction on the right.

Phil

City New Street 1937.JPGCity Arcade (7).jpg
 
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ll always take notice of you Phil. To be honest i was expecting someone to say something like " that's the such & such arcade, don't you recognise it ".
 
Those are great photos Phil. You were right. This City Arcade looks amazing. i Was it there until WW2 destroyed that block? It must have stood across from the Arden Hotel and the Odeon Cinema.
 
Jennyann

The street you can see opposite the arcade entrance would have been Worcester St at its junction with New St, before the bombing and the 60's revamp of the bull Ring. I believe there is still a piece of the original City Arcade left that runs from Corporation St to Union Passage. I think I have a photo somewhere I'll look it out.

Phil
 
Jennyann

One of these photos shows a better idea of where the Arcade was located. one also shows what a mess out EU partners made when they paid us a night visit in the early 40's.

The other photo shows the remaining little section of the Arcade that runs from Union Passage to Corporation St. they all show it at different times. I believe it has just been renovated once again.

Phil

CityCorporationStCityArcadeEntrance.jpg
CityCityArcade2.jpg
CityArcade1940ad.jpg
 
Thanks Phil. What a mess was made by the bombing. It's amazing anything was left. The street-scape along there must have been stunning with the Grammar School on one side before it was demolished.
 
When I left Birmingham I think there was still a milliners shop at the Union passage entrance to the arcade. (where Gabriels is shown in jennyanne's flickr photo). I think WH Smiths were on the other corner, and as you went down towards New St, the side of Boots was on the left, and a rear entrance to C&A on the right. As you then came out onto New St, Richard Shops was on the left and Marshall and Snelgrove on the right. Or am I... as ever..... confused?
 
Seabird, I agree with your memories, but would add the entrance where Gabriel Terry's premises were, was on Martineau Street, we used to get the No.6 tram outside there to come home to Aston via Newtown Row. I had many a nice blouse from there when I was in my teens. As JennyAnn says it was later a milliners and I had a gorgeous hat from there when my son got married in 1985, it cost £47.00 an awful lot of money then and now, and I only ever wore it once. Can't for the life of me remember the name of the hat shop.
 
Hi Sylvia: I remember Gabriel Terry's shop. In the early l950's I went to school around the corner at Lawrence's College and would catch the bus in Martineau Street. In later years I used to travel on the bus with a lady who who lived near me and she was a seamstress at Gabriel Terry's. She was Dutch and very funny. She used to regale me with stories about the larger size clientele who saw items in the window which were usually very small sizes. These ladies wanted her to make these suits and dresses to fit them. She said it was a very hard job at times. These shops were in a class of their own I know.

The hat for your son's wedding sounds lovely Sylvia. Very expensive but that shop was very expensive. Wish I could remember it's
name.
 
JennyAnn, I have remembered the name of the hat shop, it was Brecknells. I have a feeling this shop was mentioned in a thread a couple of years ago.
 
Sylvia my grandmother bought her hat's from "Miss Brecknell". My Mother used to tell me how she was taken there as a young lady for her hats. The problem was my Mom hated wearing them. The shop was there for many years and I think only closed in the 90's.
 
Wendy, it was a lovely shop, the hat I bought for Michael's wedding was what I would call a "picture" hat, grey straw with two large pink roses at the back and grey and pink ribbons. It would have looked lovely at Ascot. I have only ever had three hats in my life, all for weddings. When we were at school we used to go in C & A and other big stores trying on the hats until the assistants moved us on.
 
Thanks for that Sylvia...Brecknell's. I seem to remember Brecknell's still being there for years when I visited. That area was a great shopping area at one time and the Arcade shops were special. Then came Henry's and then Boots. I remember Jerome's and the Jewellers...now what was the name of the Jewellers close to Corporation Street? Sylvia,my Mom was a hat wearing person like so many women of her generation. I have memories of several hat shops where she would go to buy her hats. C&A was a good place for her and she liked the prices but for something special she would shop around.
Wendy, thanks for your memories of Brecknell's.
 
richardgrimmett said:
And during the 60s wasn't there also a school uniform shop on the first floor of the adjoining building on New Street? Hornes?
Click to expand...

Yes - I remember Horne Bros. I think it was a menswear shop. but we had to get our school blazers from there with the badge embroidered on the pocket. Perhaps we should start another thread about the trek our mums had to make for our school uniform. Blazers from Hornes, gym skirts and summer dresses from a little place down Summer Lane, can't remember the name, jumpers and scarves from the 'blind shop' somewhere round Paradise St. I don't remember Mum complaining, even though it must have stretched the budget - she was delighted I'd got into grammar school!
 
Hi jennyann,wasn't the jewellers Lesley's?I think they had a SALE on every day were open,it seemed like it to me.
Moss.
 
Not too sure Moss, about the name of the jewellers. It could be Lesleys as you say.Must be on some list. I do remember the sale signs, however.
 
I seem to remember a shop that sold school uniforms in Corporation Street somehwere near C & A, called The Don or Donne, when I went to Aston Commercial we had to get our blazers, hats, ties and school blouses from there, at a premium price as I recall. This was about 1951.
 
Hi Sylvia: The Don was where Mom used to buy all of our school uniforms. Three of us so it must have cost a fair bit.
Mom used to go to Horne's when they had a sale on. Austin Reed used to have some great sales as well and Dad had some shirts made to order at Austin Reed's a couple of times. He just liked the way they fitted for special occasions.
 
Hi Jenny, I think in those days schools had a contract with the Don and other shops and you had to buy the uniforms from them, I beliebe it is much more relaxed today. Do you remember the woven name labels, I think Cash's, that you had to sew into all the items. When my son went to King
Edwards, Aston, in 1970 I had to sew these labels into all his things, no forgetting the school badge on the top blazer pocket.
 
Was the shop Brecknell's? I had an expensive hat from there when my daughter got married in 1999. It cost a huge amount of money, more than my winter quarter gas bill at the time.

Shortie
 
Hi Shortie: Yes, it was Brecknell's and it was such a special shop. Looks like several members on the Forum "pushed the boat" out as it were for a very special hat for their sons/daughters weddings. Lovely memories.
 
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