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Clifton Road Aston
- Thread starter LindyB65
- Start date
Lyn
On #232, the one you have labelled "NEED ALLEY..BARR ST.CLIFTON RD. WATERWORKS ST 020", if you lighten it, in the window above the door of the shop it says 109. therefore this must be 109 Clifton Road , on the north west corner of junction with upper sutton st
On #232, the one you have labelled "NEED ALLEY..BARR ST.CLIFTON RD. WATERWORKS ST 020", if you lighten it, in the window above the door of the shop it says 109. therefore this must be 109 Clifton Road , on the north west corner of junction with upper sutton st
Lyn
Your pic #233. It must be on corner of upper sutton or upper thomas st. That gives 4 posibilities: 80 or 95 Upper thomas st or 86 upper sutton st (the other possible corner here is the Crown pub). 90 upper Thomas St does not seem to be listed as a shop post ww2, and no95 is a chemist. However 86 Upper Sutton St is a green grocer, so I would say it is that, on the south west of the junctionof clifton road and upper sutton st
Your pic #233. It must be on corner of upper sutton or upper thomas st. That gives 4 posibilities: 80 or 95 Upper thomas st or 86 upper sutton st (the other possible corner here is the Crown pub). 90 upper Thomas St does not seem to be listed as a shop post ww2, and no95 is a chemist. However 86 Upper Sutton St is a green grocer, so I would say it is that, on the south west of the junctionof clifton road and upper sutton st
mike can you look again at that...looks like the entry to the right of no 69 leads to court 9..the entry to the left of 79 leads to court 11..mws is looking for court 9 not 11 in which case this photo does show no 69 with the entry to the right...lyn
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Sorry Lyn. when I said no, I meant that the map shows that the way it was numbered meant that no 75 would be nearest the camera, and 69 farthest away. I was not saying that 69 wasn't in front of court 9. It does seem to cast doubt on the labelling of the photo though, as it looks like there are either 3 or 4 houses between the two entries (which is an entry and which a doorway is not clear in the farthest one). This would agree with 69 being to the far left of the photo, but means the photo is mislabelled as numbering will decrease going to the right. If 77 was in the photo there would be 6 houses between the entries. Hope that makes some sort of sense
with you now mike...always difficult to know which way these photos are written down..either highest number nearest to the camera or lowest...either way i think no 69 is there and i usually try to pick out a door number but no luck on this one..the only clue is on the wall theres a plaque that say something place but i cant quite make out the name...thanks mike..
MWS
from Bham
Thanks Lyn & Mike.
Comparing map to photo the front gardens end at 87 and the houses step out at 85, so photo could possibly be 95 (nearest house) to 81 & 79 in the distance, which both have shop fronts (?). Though the map shows an entry between 81 & 79 which doesn't appear to be there.
Comparing map to photo the front gardens end at 87 and the houses step out at 85, so photo could possibly be 95 (nearest house) to 81 & 79 in the distance, which both have shop fronts (?). Though the map shows an entry between 81 & 79 which doesn't appear to be there.
![Upper%20Thomas%20St[1].jpg](/forum/data/attachments/34/34281-e6a0643fed058f3fd1155923757c592d.jpg)
Jayell
master brummie
Lyn, I'm not sure that this would be Gothic Terrace (although I would like it to be as I've never seen a photo of the houses there)! If you look at Mike Jee's map of the Terrace - post #244, the house numbers only go up to 19. I was told that there were gardens to the front of the houses in the Terrace though. Gothic Terrace was between 157 and 159 Clifton Road.
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hi judy gosh we all like to think we have a photo of somewhere special dont we but for the sake of getting it right if i have this problem i just say to myself well it could be...with no definitive proof thats the best we can do...at least this thread now has a few more photos to look at
williamjukes
master brummie
I believe this to be at the junction of Clifton Road and Upper Thomas Street - looking up Clifton Road. This was a shop in the ?late 50's early 60's - a green grocers and possibly changed hands selling other wares.
Towards the top of Clifton Road there were ?3 houses that recessed back slightly from the others (which you will see in the photograph) - I think the numbering of these houses were possibly 18 - 22.
williamjukes
master brummie
I think the numbering of these houses is slightly higher. My families recollection of houses with these identities were they were on the opposite side of the road to the office license and Jacksons Fish and Chip Shop (not directly opposite - just slightly higher up Clifton Road). On the right hand side of the photograph the last 2 properties I believe to be Elsies Grocery shop and directly next door the grocers ran by Mrs Mac, with an entry in between the two shops.
williamjukes
master brummie
These houses led up to the photo in your post "230" - picture 3 - houses 95 - 107.
Rutlandbelle
proper brummie kid
Clifton Rd is the street just shown going off on the right. Looks like this was taken just outside Park Lane Congregational Church, looking down towards Aston Cross
Rutlandbelle
proper brummie kid
My Mom bought a fair few medicines from Sanders Chemists in the 40's
Hi guys
The picture what Lynn put up is correct it is clifton road and the shop in question what you just see passing those shops was a
grocery combined with sweet shop acros the road was terace houses with back house and one family was roy edwards
the picture that Aston lad put on is indeed the corner of clifton road , and upper thomas street showing looking
Upwards and not down wards as if you was looking back at upper thomas street
It is looking up upper thomas street and from that corner there was never front gardens on the couple of them houses
Neither be yond right up to the very top of the street because our house was the very last house
On that corner and our house number was 309 upper thomas street
At that corner of clifton road was a betting shop ,the chemist the first couple of houses with metal boading on
And the fourth metal boarded up was the chippie of jackson and a guy named tony whom we came friends with
took over it and is wife tony used to work at the custod factory of night shift or the blue factory
is wife ran it during the week on leaving under the slum clearence he openened up a coffee bar on waterloo road
Smethwick later became a seweing shop and later a welfare centre for his fello country man
After that coming up the street there was a batch of house which i think was one of the said subject
and one family comes to mind is the Heinz family whom was grear friends of my brothers
Across the road from these houses starting back down the street of clifton road which is at the corner also of victoria
Road and is corner yard in clifton road was a terace which you had a long walk uop to get to the back
houses where the crutley family lived and the lanes there neibours
at the bottom of the terrace on clifton road was mrs Jacksons, then more terace house to the cornner of clifton road
and on that very corner was the public house and the other side was the green grocers
if you walked up clifton road towards park road on the corner of park road and clifton road was a genuine leather
goods shop bags and shoes very expensive
then from there walk down clifton road to the green grocery
best wishes Astonian ,, Alan,,,,,
The picture what Lynn put up is correct it is clifton road and the shop in question what you just see passing those shops was a
grocery combined with sweet shop acros the road was terace houses with back house and one family was roy edwards
the picture that Aston lad put on is indeed the corner of clifton road , and upper thomas street showing looking
Upwards and not down wards as if you was looking back at upper thomas street
It is looking up upper thomas street and from that corner there was never front gardens on the couple of them houses
Neither be yond right up to the very top of the street because our house was the very last house
On that corner and our house number was 309 upper thomas street
At that corner of clifton road was a betting shop ,the chemist the first couple of houses with metal boading on
And the fourth metal boarded up was the chippie of jackson and a guy named tony whom we came friends with
took over it and is wife tony used to work at the custod factory of night shift or the blue factory
is wife ran it during the week on leaving under the slum clearence he openened up a coffee bar on waterloo road
Smethwick later became a seweing shop and later a welfare centre for his fello country man
After that coming up the street there was a batch of house which i think was one of the said subject
and one family comes to mind is the Heinz family whom was grear friends of my brothers
Across the road from these houses starting back down the street of clifton road which is at the corner also of victoria
Road and is corner yard in clifton road was a terace which you had a long walk uop to get to the back
houses where the crutley family lived and the lanes there neibours
at the bottom of the terrace on clifton road was mrs Jacksons, then more terace house to the cornner of clifton road
and on that very corner was the public house and the other side was the green grocers
if you walked up clifton road towards park road on the corner of park road and clifton road was a genuine leather
goods shop bags and shoes very expensive
then from there walk down clifton road to the green grocery
best wishes Astonian ,, Alan,,,,,
Jeff Turner
New Member
I was born just down the road in Vicarage road but Dad made good in business and we moved to Sutton Coldfield when I was three, my nan lived in Clifton road, she ran a general store and her name was Clara McNickle fondly known by all around as Mac, so guessing your talking about my nan, my Mom, Olive Turner Mom.
I remember Saturdays spent with my nan ( Mac ) the shop interior is firmly etched in my mind, the worn and split lino on the floor, the rows of sweets in big jars that were out of my reach, the yellow sun screen film on the window, all with a permanently open door with nan sitting in the back room watching the horse racing ( she liked a bet or two ) then you would hear some one shout "Shop !" and Nan would get up to serve them. I remember the till was a wooden draw with a bell on. I remember the metal milk crates by the door and the orange pop that came with the milkman.I remember the kids from the back houses would come in to see me and I could not work out why they did not have shoes on, my Mom would say " nothing to do with you" when I asked.
I also remember even as a kid, locals coming in for food and instead of paying they got put in the "tick" book, just try that at Asda today !! I also remember the day a freezer arrived and was promptly filled with an assortment of frozen Birds Eye foods ( it was the future back then ) the bread man, the rag and bone man who came down the road on a horse drawn cart with plastic bags with goldfish in them.
A dog got run over outside the chip shop by a van, right under he went and came out the other side yelping his head off but still ran for his life down the road, never found out if he / she was ok.
My sister was a big girl ( 5 years older ) was not always around as she went to Boldmere girls school, but when she was we would pinch the little golly wogs ( can I say that ?) from the back of the Robinson Jam jars, she would send them off to claim enamel pin badges.
Summer holidays were long when your a kid and seeing my friends from Clifton Road was a special time, can remember taking toys from home to play with the kids from the back houses as they did not seem to have any, another "nothing to do with you" from mom when I asked.....little did I know!
I remember a street party for something, and lots of fun and laughter in the street, sinking and dancing, then a Winter that nearly killed my nan off with shingles, but Summer soon comes around again and more happy times, but then I remember some men came one day and nan was sad.
Compulsory purchase to make way for the Aston Expressway. of course I did not understand at the time what was going on, but can remember the people leaving one by one, if I missed a Saturday visit then I missed another friendly neighbour leave. My nan ended up in a Masonette on the Copenhall Grove estate, she had lost her husband in the war, raised thee kids, paid of the house mortgage at their house in Erdington, bought the shop, made a life serving others, and some oinks just shut it down without any thought of the community, or her.
Mac went on to live to the ripe old age of 95 and rests in Witton Cemetery, a small unassuming grave for a woman who loved the shop and her customers, as a kid I had no idea how important she had been to so many people, as I approach my late fifties I can see it all now, to see her mentioned after a random search I made on Google was simply brilliant so thanks for the memory as they say.
jm012q9719
jason moss
do you remember the moss family, my nan was lily, dad arthur and mom daisy, sister jeannette. i think they lived at no: 30 clifton rd, aston. my name is jason and i was the baby born just after the street was knocked down, we moved to porcherster street, newtown, i would love to here some story's.
JackiePritchatt
master brummie
Hi Jason, I was born in the old Porchester Street 1960, left 1966 ish until the demolition started. But return to Markford Walk, Newtown in 1970. Lived there for 11 years went to Holte Comprehensive. My Nan lived in Porchester Street near the Clifford Street.
Gothic Terrace definitely was behind 157 Clifton Road. We lived at 1/161 Clifton Road, from 1960 to 1969, when we moved to Kingstanding. Our houses backed onto the houses on the left hand side of Gothic Terrace as you looked at them from the roadside. In fact there was a wall separating the first house on the left hand side with a street lamp on the pavement
