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City Centre Photographs

A band is playing in Victoria Square and the shadows seem to suggest early morning. The town hall has pipework for gas illumination fitted on it and I can see faint words 'GOD SAVE THE KING' so some royal event was imminent. Perhaps the band might have been rehearsing for it.
XBandTownHall.jpg
 
Display of gas illuminated town hall.
Birmingham Library dated this pic as 1902 for Edward VII Coronation. The layout does not match the pipe layout in the post#1892 pic so they appear to be different occasions unless it was quickly changed at the time.
TownHallIlluminated.jpg
 
Presumably some road diversions were taking place elsewhere. Was it around Snow Hill at this time? The Dudley 74 route usually entered the Snow Hill area via Livery Street and left going down Snow Hill. So seeing this 74 bus, with passengers, suggests road changes.
 
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It’s a pic typical of it’s time. Jackson The Tailor, I bought a made to measure suit from there. Street lights hanging on cables although I can see poles without anything on them, maybe they were going to change the lighting.
 
Radiorails said:
Presumably some road diversions were taking place elsewhere. Was it around Snow Hill at this time? The Dudley 74 route usually entered the Snow Hill area via Liver Street and left going down Snow Hill. So seeing this 74 bus, with passengers, suggests road changes.
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I would guess that there was a change of route to bring the Soho Road buses closer into the city centre. About that time the Dudley Road buses would also have been changed from their Edmund Street terminus. It was about this time that WMPTE took over the BCT services although the buses look to be to be in BCT livery and no WM signage.
 
In this 1951 Birmingham Mail photo the sun shines as they relax in their mid-day break. Reminds me it was the year when our crowd were young and fancy free. Four nights a week at the ice rink, the Gaumont cinema on Sundays, and first holidays without parents. Jobs were easy straight from school, money in our pockets, youthful fun.
Just a few concerns about the Cold War, Atomic Bombs, and for lads compulsory National Service ...
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The recently opened Metro Bank at the bottom of New Street at the junction with High Street have two massive blown up pictures on their wall from the Francis Frith Collection, one of the Council House in 1896 and one of Victoria Square in 1932.

They are very friendly and if you go in there and ask nicely they will give you poster prints of them.
 
DavidGrain said:
Traffic is also going clockwise in Victoria Square. I thought the traffic system changed in 1933 but perhaps it was in 1935.
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It was 1933 David, but this photo (post 67) shows it in 1936 (that is the date that appears with the photo).

Victoria Square

birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
I guess the traffic appearing to come up New Street is actually from Penfold Street? Trick of the camera? ;)
 
Radiorails said:
It was 1933 David, but this photo (post 67) shows it in 1936 (that is the date that appears with the photo).

Victoria Square

birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
I guess the traffic appearing to come up New Street is actually from Penfold Street? Trick of the camera? ;)
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No, Pinfold Street can only have had traffic going down the hill after the big change to one way system. Traffic coming up would be unlikely as it would have had to turn right to go down New Street and that would have been too sharp a turn.
We cannot however have any dispute about the date of the Silver Jubilee so I am confused.
 
In 1935 Phyliss Nicklin took the photo as shown earlier in the thread see quote below
oldMohawk said:
In May 1935 Phyllis Nicklin stood on the pavement opposite the Council House, held her camera high above the crowd and took this picture on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations for King George and Queen Mary.
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A few seconds later she took another from the same spot and left a wonderful photo for us to look at ...
VicSquare1935.jpg
 
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DavidGrain said:
Traffic is also going clockwise in Victoria Square. I thought the traffic system changed in 1933 but perhaps it was in 1935.
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The city centre gyratory scheme (!) was enabled in stages between 1933 and 1936. At the moment I am not able to define where and when the changes were made.
 
Lloyd said:
The city centre gyratory scheme (!) was enabled in stages between 1933 and 1936. At the moment I am not able to define where and when the changes were made.
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OK thanks, That does make sense in that Victoria Square and New Street could be the last part to be converted
 
Albert Street date unknown but the tram track has gone so possibly mid 1950s.

In the car seen in the bottom corner, the driver is 'hand signalling', indicating that he is either slowing down, turning right, or even turning left.

The 'Beehive' shop on the right always seemed a little old fashioned when I went in there.
IMG_1230.jpg
 
oldMohawk said:
Albert Street date unknown but the tram track has gone so possibly mid 1950s.

In the car seen in the bottom corner, the driver is 'hand signalling', indicating that he is either slowing down, turning right, or even turning left.

The 'Beehive' shop on the right always seemed a little old fashioned when I went in there.
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That's a smashing photo oM. The driver you mention could also be holding his fag out of the window. I remember my dad doing this so that the car didn't fill up with smoke.
My driving instructor said that I had very elegant hand signals - the one and only time I've ever been associated with the word 'elegant'!
 
1581606717911.png JOJ 191 (2191) Leyland PD2/1 with Park Royal body (not common for BCT).
Entered service late 1949 or early 1950. One of 50 buses withdrawn between 1965 to 1969.
An unusual feature of these buses was the continuous cobalt blue band beneath the destination box.
 
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