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College Road Handsworth

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
This modern Google view of the corner shop at the junction with Oxhill Road shows it’s in a poor state. But at least some original features are hanging in there - just.

There are 3 red brick buildings on the extreme right which have an (Edwardian?) sign above which reads: “Market Place”. It looks to me like a later extension to that row of shops. Viv

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I used to live quite near and used the shops sometimes, it was known locally as The Village.
Sad to see it's deteriorated in recent years.
 
Yes very sad. Lots of little parades like this would have been a vital hub for the community. Probably still performing the same job in places, but it’s such a pity their aesthetic potential isn’t also fully realised.

The end red brick shop of Market Place was most probably a Post Office for a long time as the post box looks quite old. .
 
Yes, I would imagine so, it seems like the only original business there now.

From what i can remember, back in the 70's, there used to be a couple of nice greengrocers, a sweets and cigarette shop, a hairdressers, a hardware shop, an off licence I think, grocery shop, a charity shop to name a few.

The old Handsworth Town Hall is just round the corner and what was the Wesleyan College with large grounds was at the other end of the road. It must have been quite different back in the early 20th century.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Yes very sad. Lots of little parades like this would have been a vital hub for the community. Probably still performing the same job in places, but it’s such a pity their aesthetic potential isn’t also fully realised.

The end red brick shop of Market Place was most probably a Post Office for a long time as the post box looks quite old. .
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I see conservation areas are being set up in areas like Moseley and Acocks Green but is anything being done to recognise the individual buildings such as the Market Place in Birmingham. Also isn’t everything blighted by the wild west of advertising these days. In an era of facebook it ought to be possible to argue that more regulation is OK.
 
A 1960s photo that shows only one of the shops had removed its bay window on the upper storey. But now others have followed suit.

Note the Christmas trees being unloaded in front of the greengrocers.

Viv.

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And more upper storey window alterations since 1963, and not for the better either. Good to see the Grove is still there (just in view) on the corner of Oxhill Road. A new sign has replaced an older one. A pleasantly designed building. Viv.

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A WOODHALL said:
Does anyone remember JOJO's Records 20 College Road next door to the model shop 1974/5
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We lived not far away then but I can't quite remember the record shop.

Edit...I've just asked my sister, she worked in the hairdressers on College Road for a little while.
She said yes, she remembers the Record shop - thinks it was afterwards a sweet shop or a Ladies Wear shop?
 
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15 College Rd (next to the Post Office) was a shop run by Harold and Flo Adams for many years from around the turn of the century until the 1960s. Flo died in the 1940s but her husband kept the shop going. Yes, the Post Office is a miraculous survival!
 
A Sparks said:
We lived not far away then but I can't quite remember the record shop.

Edit...I've just asked my sister, she worked in the hairdressers on College Road for a little while.
She said yes, she remembers the Record shop - thinks it was afterwards a sweet shop or a Ladies Wear shop?
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Do you remember the name of the hairdressers your sister worked at?
 
A Sparks said:
Sorry, I meant I messaged my sister on WhatsApp - she lives in Germany!
The hairdressers was called June she said.
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That’s ok! And thank you!

As an FYI, I learned something yesterday, I do work with European companies, Sweden, Austria, Italy and Germany as well as India and Vietnam. I have have international calling on my phone to save money from the US. Yesterday talking to a fellow in Austria who lives on a small farm, we had a bad connection. He asked if I had an iPhone, yes so does he. Face time iPhone to iPhone is free, the audio was clear as a bell and other than he had to look at me for an hour is was wonderful! Sorry to be off topic!
 
Richard Dye said:
That’s ok! And thank you!

As an FYI, I learned something yesterday, I do work with European companies, Sweden, Austria, Italy and Germany as well as India and Vietnam. I have have international calling on my phone to save money from the US. Yesterday talking to a fellow in Austria who lives on a small farm, we had a bad connection. He asked if I had an iPhone, yes so does he. Face time iPhone to iPhone is free, the audio was clear as a bell and other than he had to look at me for an hour is was wonderful! Sorry to be off topic!
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Yes - we WhatsApp as it's free, unlike texting. You can do face on that but we hate it!
 
A Sparks said:
Yes - we WhatsApp as it's free, unlike texting. You can do face on that but we hate it!
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Yes, I’m not a fan of face time either but it worked yesterday. Interesting that there is a charge for texting, there used to be in the US but not anymore, text to Sweden and India frequently.
 
A Sparks said:
We lived not far away then but I can't quite remember the record shop.

Edit...I've just asked my sister, she worked in the hairdressers on College Road for a little while.
She said yes, she remembers the Record shop - thinks it was afterwards a sweet shop or a Ladies Wear shop?
Click to expand...
What was your sisters name. Did she ever go into the record shop and buy anything? The shop wasn't there long 1973/5
 
A WOODHALL said:
What was your sisters name. Did she ever go into the record shop and buy anything? The shop wasn't there long 1973/5
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My sister’s name is Lindsay.
I can't particularly remember that she bought any records.

Edit: just WhatsApp with her - no, she didn't buy any records from the shop but she definitely remembers it.
 
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