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HI
Just had a look on GOOGLE EARTH at the shops on the corner of KNOWLE and SOLIHULL RD. They are completly different now to the ones
in the picture. Where did the photo come from in the first place?? You are unable to see the stonework now ,they have been updated???
Ican say for sure that it was not on the corner of BROMYARD orLEOMINSTER roads.
KEN
 
Slightly off topic here, but the adverts at the side of my Explorer page are for houses for sale in Formans Rd and Solihull Rd.

Big Brother is watching us. :blue:
 
Hello Barrie.

Staying off topic I had the same problem with being watched and then targeted with adverts. I moved from google to Startpage a private web search engine.

Graham
 
Grrr this is frustrating. The image came from another decendant who knew the people in the image not the location of the shop!

I've tried illustrating what I can see and what's not there.
In Red the bird box finnials I referred to. Therefore a local design feature still present today.

In Blue, the pretty masonry over the door next door does not match :~( While the style of scroll work is common to the area I haven't been able to find ANY that match it. Despite the fact the shop door is probably covered the neighbour's property should still be visible (Unless it has one of those hideous porches tacked over it now!)

Green. The one fact I did spot when staring again for ages, is the double window upstairs on the left side. Obviously the Google earth image doesn't have this. And the wall/ bay window next door on the right of the shop. Again the modern image shows just a one long blank wall.

So it's similar but just not quite there! There's a lot of large buildings/warehouses between Solihull Rd and the Stratford Rd. Maybe it was there and was pulled down?

It's certainly a lot less likely to be any of the buildings at the other end of Formans Rd as they're different in style.

xxx Sioux

WilsonShop.jpg
 
Basset & Wilson had a shop in Asquith Rd Ward End which was on the corner of Morley Rd No 69 which could very much be the shop in the photo.


Phil
 
OH....MY......GOD!!!! HOW?!!! How on earth did you find it?
Hug2.gif
You're a complete superstar, THANK YOU!

The double window on the upper floor is right, it even has perfect matching scroll masonry over it . The whole building has been plastered so I'd never have found it.
Just leaves the conundrum, when did they swap from Morley Stores to Oaklands Stores in Formans Rd ? (1911 census)

LOL I guess it should be moved from here now then! :~) This site is amazing, for all the help you get, I'm so glad I found you all.

xxx Sioux
 
Goodness, I've just realised how close it is to Burney Lane! That's where my Gran (Other side of the family from the shop owners) lived and I spent my childhood visits!!! Considering how big Brum is, it's a small world! :encouragement:

xxx Sioux
 
The information comes from the 1913 edition of Kelly's Trade Directory so the information would be for 1912 so perhaps at that date they were living at Foremans Rd and still trading at Asquith Rd, though it would be a long commute in those days

Phil
 
I'm wondering if they started off in Formans Rd, (1911 census) and tried to find somewhere 'closer' to home - wich was Aston & Derritend - if your info comes from after the census. *shrugs* I dunno....I'm just glad you helped me find where it actually was! :~)))


xxx
 
HI ALL
I have just sent a photo of the shop to a friend. He used to live in FORMANS RD,and is still in touch with a guy
who is 87, and has lived all his life in FORMANS RD. He will take the photo over to him in the near future to see
if he can throw any light on the matter. He would not have been born when the picture was taken ,but the
shop would have been there all his life.
Watch this space.
KEN
 
Ken honey, did you miss the previous posts?

Phil solved it. It's in Ward End! on the corners of Asquith Rd & Morley Rd (Hence Morley Stores) they were listed in the 1913 Directory.

So we think the Oaklands Stores, Formans rd, were previous to the photo, as that's the details they gave on the 1911 census.

xxx Sioux
 
My mother was born in normans road in 1927. She remembers the house having a very long front garden (it backed onto the brickworks). Her father used to grow rhubarb and passersby would knock the front door for 2penny worth of rhubarb. The family moved to bromyard road in the 1930s when there were cows in the fields in runneymede road
 
Amazing pics. Very happy to see this forum. Thank you for share here. Those days are golden days we can't get it back now. I feel very to see such images or any memorable moments like this. thank u so much.
 
HI ALL
Sorry i am unable to help on this one.The last person that would been able to help passed away 6 weeks ago.It was my aunt IDA.
She was born at 109 FORMANS RD in 1910.
KEN
Ken, it becomes clearer and clearer to me (as I grow older with time to reflect perhaps, and as I scan info, stories, pictures in BHF) that with the death of older people we all lose sooo much! Their experiences, and how they viewed the time in context is irreplaceable.
 
Hi,

I'm not sure anyone is active on this forum atm.
I moved to Formans Rd in 2016 across where Amazon is now. Was wondering if anyone has any pics on this side of the road. I'd love to share them woth my children.

Regards

Nadeem
 
Nadeem ....
Here are a couple of aerial photos of the top of Formans Road (Credit: britainfromabove.org.uk).
I assume you've also seen the other thread on this site "Formans Rd Sparkhill" that has discussion about different parts of the road ?

1920:
Sparkhill Formans Road Lucas's 1920.jpg

1950:
Sparkhill Formans Road Lucas's 23 May 1950.jpg
 
Interesting to see on the attached c1887 map that an area adjacent to Formans Road is annotated "Magazines". I assume this means storage for explosives/ammunition .... maybe used in extracting materials for the nearby Burbury Brickworks ?

Screenshot_20230316-115452_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
Not sure of the source of the map, but the OS. 1887 1:2500 map does not mark it as a magazine, though does have a series of square markings similar to those used where buildings housing explosives are housed.

map c1887 showing area around forman's bridge and magazine.jpg

On the similar 1903 map these markings have disappeared, but similar ones are on the area south of Forman's road and this is shown as a fireworks factory. Might I suggest that originally the fireworks factory was north of the bridge/ford , but, for some reason was later moved to the south


map c1903 showing area around forman's  bridge and magazine.jpg
 
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