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City Centre Photographs

The later fountain was on the other side of the Hall of Memory nearer Suffolk Street Queensway (although I don't think it's called that now). Viv.
 
A photo of The Spirit of Enterprise fountain from the D J Norton Site, it looks like Broad St & Centenary square is a graveyard for fountains.
 

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Well Phil that proves me wrong regarding the location of that fountain. Funny how time plays with our minds.
 
Yes the Spirit of Enterprise is at the Birmingham Museum Collections Centre on Dollman Street. Assume that it is still there.

They left it outside, with other bits and pieces (plinths with graffiti).





 
Thank you Ellbrown, at least the birds can bath in it so it's not totally useless!

I "Googled" for "Spirit of Enterprise fountain", Wikipedia has a good aerial view, it seem to be where the old one was? I'm not very good with direction and memory does alter things!
rosie.
 
The original fountain near the Hall of Memory, I believe commemorated the Birmingham waterworks in the Elan Valley. When Centenary Square was laid out a new fountain was installed and yes I believe it could have been where the hole in the ground is now.
 
It was indeed nearer to the hall of memory, off centre; the intention was to have the square as a symmetrical layout; two Baskerville House like building, two hall of memory's and another colonnade and another fountain. There was a model in the Art Gallery a few years back, but have not seen it in recent years.
 
White Hart photo.jpgCobber and White Hart.jpg

I would kill to se a photo of it now Ivan...?

Hi Dennis

The garden has dried out now so I have managed to go down to the sun lounge and take a photo of the sign. The picture is slightly rounded because it was taken as a panoramic shot from a phone.

The back of the sign was badly eaten away by lice etc when I got it down from the pub, which would indicate to me that it had been up there for many years. Longer than the 11 years between 1954 when the picture you posted was apparently taken and 1965 when the pub closed. It would be interesting to know when the pub ceased to be an Inn, someone must know.
Regards Ivan
 
Hi Dennis, Yes it was definitely Paradise Street. I watched from my office window opposite The White Hart as the sign was taken down. I'd contacted M&B and they told me who to see on the site. I gave the foreman a ten-bob note to do it carefully. He must have thought I'd just dropped off a Christmas tree the look he gave me. "Whaddaya want that old thing for", he asked? It was my favourite pub I explained.
When I got it home (carried back to Hockley Brook with help from my dad) I had to saw a couple of feet from each end which bore no other lettering. I had it over the small bar in my bedroom until I got married and it has been carried from loft to loft for 30 years until we moved to the South Coast in 1998 whence it found a new home in our sun-lounge. I had always thought the sign was many years old until I saw that photo you posted which as I recall said it was taken in 1954.
 
Wow! What a story Ivan...the sort that abounded and entranced me when I first joined this site....I never used the place...more of a 'downtown' boozer me...the Cabin and the Temple Bar, the Troc (careful laddie....NO!) and the Windsor, Yates's and a few others...but not the White Hart... a bit posh for us plebs...in fact I can't ever remember it (damn my eyes!) ....but to think you have the actualitee...I feel like bowing to your image Sir....he said attempting to genuflect as much as geriatric hips allow....a million thank you's...It was a Georgian building dating from 1803 according to Joe McKenna, our Pub guy...and latterly gobbling up the next door Roussell Ltd in 1952...and then being sacrificed, along with a few other notable buildings, for the Inner Ring Rd and Library in 1965...plus ca changes....


White Hart  Paradise St 1950.jpg
 
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Just doing a bit of catching up on these old photos. In this photo there is a Rover 75 on the left hand side and I wondered if anyone could make out the number plate details? I will let you know why if anyone can work it out.

Image2_Steelhouse_Lane.jpg
 
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