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Cromwell Street

coerl21

coerl21

master brummie
Hi Everyone,

Both of my maternal grand parents lived in Cromwell Street (Minnie Dayus & Thomas Hughes) around the turn of the century. I wondered if anyone has any pictures of the street at that time. Did those houses survive until the major slum clearances?

Paul
 
If you go to the thread " Gosta Green through Duddeston you should be able to go to page 20 Post 19 Cromwell Street is to the left of the Church ( click on original to magnify Page 33 - post 327 ..... then page 53 - post 526.
As far as I know there are only two images, but alot has been written I believe. Hope this helps you.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the info. I'll continue searching for more text. I think I am frustrated that I lived in Saltley in the 50's and had I known then what I know now I could have possibly seen their houses. If only....

It wasn't until I started researching my grand parents that I appreciated that B'ham probably finished somewhere like Nechells Green. Before the war they lived in Craddock Rd. which must have been a virtually new house when they moved in.

Paul
 
Morning coerl21,
What would you like to know about Cromwell St, ?
I lived there at no. 80 next door to the Cromwell Arms pub from 1940 up until 1953.
I have a photo of the pub taken in the late 30's showing our house next door, these houses were there up until the mid 50's, we were one of the last families to go because my mother was very fussy in choosing a house from what the council offered, we eventually moved to Fosbrooke Road off the Hobmoor Road Small Heath.
Feel free to ask anything you like I'm sure I can come up with something.
I will post photo a bit later today.
regards John Knight.
 
Hi John,

Many thanks for the picture. My grandparents lived at 3 House Court 62 Cromwell St. I don't quite understand the address as presumably it wasn't a flat? This is recorded in the 1901 census. I just wondered what these houses looked like. Were they still around in your time?

Cheers

Paul
 
coerl21

I have seen this court described as a court in Rupert St and I have seen it described as a court in Cromwell St. Apart from wishing the people who are recording these things would get it right, I dont think it matters much in this instance as all these courts were much the same.

I would imagine John Knight will know if it is Cromwell St or not, but it will still give you an idea what a court was. The photo was taken in 1908.

Phil

NechellsRupertSt1908.jpg
 
phil.i dont remember much of cromwell st,my friend live there,on the left just as you turn in from rocky lane,on the right was a school playground,
is that correct? what was on the right past the playground,going to ave rd
pete
 
Thanks Phil,

That's a great picture. I think I've seen a dvd of similar buildings - where there was literally a court yard with a "brewhus" and communal toilets. Interestingly, the address above is when they were in their early twenties; but they were both children in Cromwell St. (grandma lived at 1 Bk 218 Cromwell St which I assume was "Back Of") - so people didn't go far to find partners in those days!

Cheers

Paul
 
Pete

Cromwell St originally ran from Great Lister St to Long Acre between Rupert St and Scholefield St. In the sixties when they started messing everything about they renamed the section between Great Lister St and Oliver St, Bradburne Way. That was around the time they built the new Medical Centre.

Phil

CromwellSt.jpg
 
Morning everyone,
I will post in detail later on today, but in the meantime here's a photo Itook last week of the back of Cromwell St. school in Rupert St.
regards john knight.
 
Here is a plan of Cromwell Streetwhich I bodged together, no 62 is in the large yellow patch, and 218 is in the smaller one.
These courtyards were entered by an entry between 2 houses opening into an area bordered by 6 to 8 houses
each side and sometimes houses across the top end, or a wall dividing it from the next street which was the case in at the back of our house no. 80.
 
Here are the two other parts of the map for anyone interested, also the same picture as Phil posted showing it as being in Cromwell St.
I do not recall where I got this photo, so apologies in advance to anyone I should be giving credit to.
regards john knight.
 
Hi - my Grandfather 'William Bissell' was born at 8 Brighton Terrace, Cromwell Street in 1898, does anyone know whereabouts Brighton Terrace would have been on Cromwell Street - I've tried looking at old maps of the area but that kind of detail is missing. Thanks
 
Hi Phil

Many thanks - several hours searching drew a blank - two minutes online and hey presto !

Cheers

Martin
 
Hi there,
Brighton Terrace was on the right going down from Gt. Lister Street more or less next to the Gunmakers Arms.
If you look at post 14 on my map it was just before halfway on the green section right hand side as you look at the screen.
As MATTER OF INTEREST there was a Bissell family living up our entry.
 
Hi John - my Grandfather with his Mom and Dad (Joseph and Mary) must have moved by 1901 as they are shown at no. 6 Henry Street by that time but there were a few brother and sister Bissells around by that time that may be those you remember (Samuel, Walter, Susannah, Sarah and Arthur). How do you remember all of this ?
 
Hi Bissell backwards,
I have the census for 1940 which shows a Nora J. Bissell
living at 2 back of 81, which was next door to us.
I'm blessed with a pretty good memory, some of the stuff only seems like yesterday.
 
Hi John

Yes I'm the backward bissell - thanks for sharing your memories - they mean such a lot to those like me who need to know more ... I'm intrigued by Nora J Bissell - I've not managed to find her on my family tree although I've still got many avenues to explore. When did you live in Cromwell Street ?
 
Hi llessib,
I lived in Cromwell St. from 1940 up until 1953.
Also in the same house as Nora Bissell was William and Alice Richards whom I vaguely remember, I also remember a Frank White who was also living there with his wife,her name escapes me.
He was in the St. Johns Ambulance Brigade and was the person everyone went to when they injured theirselves, us kids were always running to him for plasters etc.
Mrs Bissell was quite old at that time, to us kids anyhow, she was in her late sixties
We were one of the last families to leave the street.
Kind regards John.
 
Two pics of Cromwell St. school, about the only original part of the street still standing, and more or less the same apart from the small extension to the right of the classrooms.
Many a time I've had the cane for climbing on those roofs in order to retrieve a football.
A photo of the 1940 census for Cromwell St., my mother and father marked in pink.
 
Thanks John - I've been to a place called Hanslope in Bucks today - it's the village from where the country Bissell's came prior to their move to Birmingham. First to Loxton Road Aston and then Cromwell Street before moving to Henry Street and then a little further to Bradford Street. Cromwell Street and Duddeston in particular must have been one hell of an overcrowded place as it seems that all of the branches of my family, whether they be from Loughborough (Street's), Northamptonshire (Sherlock's), Worcestershire (Sampson's) or the Bissell's from Buck's, they all ended up within a stone's throw of each other in and around Duddeston and that was some 50 years before my Mom and Dad met in Hay Mills. I can only imagine how it would have felt to live in those days - my earliest memory of where my Grandfather lived in Hay Mills (Arthur Terrace) was that of the smell of coal dust and damp and that also of my Granddads homemade lemonade - what a treat !
 
Hi llessib,
That's strange, when we left Cromwell St. we moved to
Fosbrooke Rd. which was off Hobmoor Rd., and just a stones throw from Hay Mills, spent most of my teens around that area, used to buy all my teddy boy gear from Sonnies on the Coventry Rd. in Hay Mills.
regards John.
 
Hi John
Small world ... my Mom was born and raised in Garrision Lane but were bombed out the same night that the BSA got hit. They moved to Berkeley Road East just the other side of the River Cole from you. My Uncle still lives there and still keeps pigeons - seemed like the whole road used to keep pigeons. They all met up in the Hobmoor pub and I can remember my Nan at the time used to sit in the snug with a few of the other old dears all supping on half a pint of stout - purely medicinal I was told, good for the blood ;-)
Cheers

Martin (llessib)
 
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