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  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
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Erdington

I was born in 1939 and we lived in Station Road Wylde Green, my Mum often spoke of the floods under the bridge as we were just two doors from the bridge opposite Voises the Newsagents. We were also bombed being so near the railway presumably they were trying to hit the railway. I imagine it still floods under there. Thanks for the memories Predrocut.
 
This post is for Once a Brummie. I found it when we were taking pictures of slides. It would have been taken from the end of our garden. Dad wouldn't have a hedge as he loved to look out over the park. You can just make out the Pavillion picture house on the horizon.
 

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This post is for Once a Brummie and refers to #499. I found it when we were taking pictures of slides. It would have been taken from the end of our garden. Dad wouldn't have a hedge as he loved to look out over the park. You can just make out the Pavillion picture house on the horizon.
Thank you,now if you can tell me the team and the score.........just joking
Thanks again
Bob
 
Post 654.
Vivienne my friend Marjorie Vaughan lived in the row of shops in South road in the 1950s, I would walk up from Marsh Lane to call for her on our way to catch the bus to Erdington Grammar.Her father was a Shoe repairer.
 
Bob, your post #493 – It’s taken me a little while but I have found out a little more about the Chipman family. Henry Chipman moved from Staffordshire to Erdington and on the 1861 census was living in Cross Lanes which is, I think where Summer Lane (now Road) met Gravelly Lane. By 1871 he had moved to New Oscott and some of the family remained there as you remember.

He and his wife Ann had several children including Charles and Jesse. I think the sign on your cottage is ‘C’ Chipman which I believe is Charles who was 10 years older than Jesse (b.1860). Charles was a coal dealer and lived on Chester Road, New Oscott.

Jesse and his wife Louisa (in 1911 living near the Greyhound) had a son named Rowland (b.1880) and it was he who was the chimney sweep and in 1912 was living at 233 Gravelly Lane. At some point he moved to 37 Goosemoor Lane but not sure when as in 1912 there are only very few houses towards the top between Sycamore Road and Court Lane at this time. He is also listed as living in Foden’s Buildings, New Oscott not far from Charles (at the same time as Gravelly Lane). I think 233 was on the right-hand side going up towards the old Rose & Crown, before it moved over the road. Now replaced by Bryant maisonettes.

Still a lot to be discovered. Perhaps someone has a map showing houses at the beginning of the 20th Century?
 
Bob, your post #493 – It’s taken me a little while but I have found out a little more about the Chipman family. Henry Chipman moved from Staffordshire to Erdington and on the 1861 census was living in Cross Lanes which is, I think where Summer Lane (now Road) met Gravelly Lane. By 1871 he had moved to New Oscott and some of the family remained there as you remember.

He and his wife Ann had several children including Charles and Jesse. I think the sign on your cottage is ‘C’ Chipman which I believe is Charles who was 10 years older than Jesse (b.1860). Charles was a coal dealer and lived on Chester Road, New Oscott.

Jesse and his wife Louisa (in 1911 living near the Greyhound) had a son named Rowland (b.1880) and it was he who was the chimney sweep and in 1912 was living at 233 Gravelly Lane. At some point he moved to 37 Goosemoor Lane but not sure when as in 1912 there are only very few houses towards the top between Sycamore Road and Court Lane at this time. He is also listed as living in Foden’s Buildings, New Oscott not far from Charles (at the same time as Gravelly Lane). I think 233 was on the right-hand side going up towards the old Rose & Crown, before it moved over the road. Now replaced by Bryant maisonettes.

Still a lot to be discovered. Perhaps someone has a map showing houses at the beginning of the 20th Century?
Thanks, was Foden Buildings in Court Lane, the ones we called the Barracks Cottages. Very good of you to deliver all this fascinating history of a place I left 60 years ago.

Bob
 
Back to post #690 and the Chipmans. I found this picture in the Visitor Centre in Sutton Park - I asked permission to take a photo so this is for Onceabrummie:
 

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Back to post #690 and the Chipmans. I found this picture in the Visitor Centre in Sutton Park - I asked permission to take a photo so this is for Onceabrummie:
Thanks you very much Lady Penelope. Of course what now comes to mind is the noise that they used to make at certain times of the year, however again many thanks
Bob
 
not sure if this one has been posted before but ive not seen it...

high st erdington dated 1961

Erdington High St 1961.jpg
 
i agree froth it does..i saw those photos last night forgot to post them.. i notice that those photos come from stephen birch..i guess he could be or was something to do with birches green house..

lyn
Hi Lyn: Haven't been able to get on to this site for ages. It just wouldn't let me in. I would change my password and still couldn't get in.Anyway, I thought I would have a go. You asked about Stephen Birch. Stephen Birch aged 56 passed away a year ago from cancer. He had the most incredible library of post cards and photographs of both Aston and Erdington that he had collected for years. He also researched them and posted them to the Facebook page Aston & Erdington Past and Present. Not many people knew that Stephen was ill for almost two years but I did and we became cyber friends exchanging e-mail, Christmas cards, etc. He had several respite trips to Taylor Hospital but continued on with his postings until he could no more. His aim was to leave as much information about these areas as he could for following generations. I learned so much from him and miss him very much.
 

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hi jenny good to see you posting again..sad news about stephen birch i believe he did a lot for our history...

here is one of erdington new post office Erdington Post Office.jpg
 
Lyn that was also the ERDington telephone exchange and Control Centre (dealing with 'phone faults) on the 1st floor, I worked there for 6 months in 1959. Eric
 
Viv, I've just asked the question on the post office thread which you've answered on this one! Amazing...mind reading added to your other skills. Now, do you know what replaced the post office and other shops before Blockbusters arrived please?
 
hi pen have you ever used this useful map site before??..i cant praise it enough..had such fun travelling all over birmingham to see what was there back in the day...just move the blue dot to the left and it will show the position of the post office..does not look like there was much there before it was built..i have had many a late night playing with this map site:D


https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=52.5251&lon=-1.8410&layers=176&b=6
 
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That's interesting Lyn, thanks. I shall have to get my head round it because the Swan stayed there until the 1960's. I will have to get some of my later maps out to compare. I'll get back to you.
 
hi pen have you ever used this useful map site before??..i cant praise it enough..had such fun travelling all over birmingham to see what was there back in the day...just move the blue dot to the left and it will show the position of the post office..does not look like there was much there before it was built..i have had many a late night playing with this map site:D


https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=52.5251&lon=-1.8410&layers=176&b=6
Thanks you a new toy!!! However it also confirms the Birmingham/Sutton boundary question and where the Greyhound was and it would appear to be in Sutton, now back to playtime. Thanks again
Bob
 
Hi Bob, the Greyhound was always in Sutton but was originally in the middle of 'The Waste' that's the rough common which stretched from Castle Bromwich to Stonnall or thereabouts. I paid a visit to Warwick Record Office but they told me the maps were in Sutton, Sutton said they were in Birmingham and around I go. All the Erdington maps, which I found in Warwick, end just before the Greyhound. I'm saving all this for the autumn as I don't want to be in a library in the summer (unless of course it's raining....).
 
This postcard is a view of the Village Green and the Free Library. But the 1906 library was to the right of the image out of view. Don't know the date of the image but looks around the early 1900s. Was there another earlier library near the green ? If so where was it in the image? Otherwise has the photographer labelled this image incorrectly? Viv.

image.jpeg
 
Viv, I seem to remember that there was a workhouse around the site of the library or chapel. I don't remember another library being mentioned until Erdington applied to the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. You can just see a bit of the wall of the library - maybe the photo originally showed a little more and it was cut off but the caption remained.
 
Quick put together of 1885 ish and 1913...quite a bit of development. Notice the Library, Picture House and Skating rink!

IMG_2049.JPG
 
This is a 'PS' to my previous posts. I knew I had a map somewhere and found it last night while I was looking at stained glass windows! Perhaps time to revise my filing system? This map is dated 1914 so it was some time before I actually went to the fete, in case anyone is wondering. I also noticed the two football grounds complete with pavilions as is the cricket ground. On another map there is a hockey ground so sport was really big at that time. Then WW1 came.
 

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