• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Garages And Service Stations

Thanks Nick. I have a sneaking suspicion that we might have picked up the coach at the Hawthorn Rad/ Kingstanding Road junction. There was a newsagents ' Kirtons' (I think) that might have sold Stockland Coaches tickets, although not 100% sure about that. Viv.
 
I worked at Ryland garage for a while after I left school until the Suez war and fuel rationing and the work fell off so I was made redundant. Ryland was a main agent for Atkinson and Seddon trucks. As regards the photo the Citroen I think was owned by Brian Crawford and the big old Humber army staff car was owned by a salesman Tony Lister. It was powered by a Perkins diesel engine.
 
Hello Claribell, I started at Rylands in 1960 and left in 64. George Reedman, the foreman, had a V8 pilot, Brian Cranky Crawford had the Citroen, Harry, the stores manager, had a Humber sceptre, Tony Griffin had the old westminster automatic which one of the lads drove into the car section wall, Griff had the new style Westminster 110 which I bumped whilst he was in the car, Little Bill Whale had the E type and Big Bill Whale had the Bently (which Sally on the pumps washed with Swarfega so it had to be re-sprayed) When I first started in the stores at 14 a crowd of us used to go swimming at Monument road baths, we always got longer for lunch as George the Foreman used to come with us :) Do you remember having to collect your wages from the cash office and having to brave Miss Archer or did the garage foreman collect them for you ? I also remember Brian Crawford fitting a P6 into a customers Humber, took him months to do as the kit from Perkins came with thousands (it seemed) of parts.
 
It seems as though our paths must have crossed at different times, I worked on the coaches for the original Claribel coaches in1966-68, not the oufit that is running under that name now. They bought the name off Ronnie Lees daughter after Ron passed away. Harry in the stores was his name Simpson? Was John Stamps still in the stores? As regards the wages George Reedman used to get them for me. Sir Frank Griffin was a good guy but his son was a bit of a ..... shall we say I didnt like him. I know that he went on to keep The Sack of Potatoes pub on Gosta Green. A few more names John Fell, Tommy Birch, Ron Milward, Hayes, Milner the son of the owner of Milners transport of Smethwick. Did the arm of the canal still come into the workshop? Was they still reconditioning Gardener engines for Wolverhampton and West Bromwich corporation buses?
 
I worked for Ronnie Lees for about 6 months in 1970 (took over from Bob Toovy) Ron was shocked when I asked for 10 gallons of cleaner for the outdoor pit and shed before I would start work. I left early 71 (couldn't stand working outside in all weathers) and started work for Jennens in Coleshill, left there and started back with Shell at Kingsbury, moved about the country and retired early in 96. Yes Harry Simpson and John Stamp (who knew everything about spares) were in the stores when I started there, Tony Pritchard and Roger Fields in the Car section, Ted the body builder, David Kite in the HGV reception, Frankie Woodward and Johnny can you straighten my collar for me Rogers in the Syndromic section (which I hated working in) John Coop Cooper in the garage. I used to love going out on breakdowns, usually with coop, and would miss going on day release if I was working with him the day before. Don't remember the canal but certainly remember reconditioning the ex WCT Gardners. Happy days. I also worked for Colin Mann, Classic Coaches Coleshill, for a short time until I became engaged and later married his Sister, still see Colin on his visits to Cornwall.
 
Its a wonder that we never met as we both seemed to be following each other about or you following me anyway. Yes I remember David Kite and John Rogers after you reminded me. Happy days. Best wishes Clive
 
Hello Clive Another couple from Rylands John Killer Kilburn who's well known saying (I don't want to buy it only want to borrow it) still lives on and George Newman the welder who's language was the same at home as it was at work.
All the best Nick
 
Sorry Nick I dont remember those two gents, they must have started after I left.
Best wishes Clive
nickcc101 said:
Hello Clive Another couple from Rylands John Killer Kilburn who's well known saying (I don't want to buy it only want to borrow it) still lives on and George Newman the welder who's language was the same at home as it was at work.
All the best Nick
Click to expand...
 
The lady who ran the Prop garage all on her own was Mrs Rogers.
The story was that her husband was a fighter pilot and was killed in the war.
 
I passed the old garage at Much Marcle last weekend and it has been repainted. Shame I loved the old green.
 
I have vague recollections of a garage in the 1950s where very smart taxis were kept at the Shaftsmoor Lane end of Russell Road in Hall Green. Looking at Google Earth, it is not there now but it would have been at approx. 127 Russell Road. Dave.
 
Evidence of the former garage on Pershore Road in post #5 is still there if you look closely, but at first it isn’t entirely obvious. Here’s a comparison with the modern day view. In the end, the post box was the big clue. It seems to have been a National Petrol garage. Viv.
A2654744-7295-43DF-BA6F-08E10F523073.jpeg
894C9117-7771-4393-ABF2-80D81B9F191E.jpeg
 
National Benzole, famous in the late 1970's for its Smurfs. Smurfs have remained knows whereas the 'tiger in the tank' is long forgotten. The garage has gone, so has the post office. The tall lamp post has gone and so has the phone box.
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/National_Benzole_Co
The post box is a newer one, probably because it was moved to allow a wider sunken kerb. Gains are the bush, tree and yellow lines.
 
Would the petrol pumps have had sunken tanks underneath ? I did wonder about the post box as it now seems to have a black top. Not seen any like that before. Viv.
 
It might have temporarily been out of use. We had one replaced near us and the top (including the slot) was covered in black polythene for a while before it came back into use.
 
The Rondelle Service Station at the bottom of the hill, at the junction of Coventry Road and New Coventry Road, (now replaced by Aldi), must have been unique and surely should have been made a listed building.
The tower above the bulding and the roof line were marked out with neon tubes, which made it quite special.cto-rondelle.jpg
 
Went to one of our coaches broken down on Esso garage forecourt mid sixties in Bridgewater. Garage was closed so we decided to borrow one of the tiger heads over the Esso globes. My friend, who was with me, wore the tigers head all the way back to Stockland Green while we were towing the broken down coach home. What fun we had in those days.
 
lUqJYkb.jpg
 
I was told that why we still sometimes see old derelict garages boarded off is that the sites are toxic for years later? There is one here used to have the small old fashioned round edged pumps, Never been built on.
 
I Am Nico said:
I was told that why we still sometimes see old derelict garages boarded off is that the sites are toxic for years later? There is one here used to have the small old fashioned round edged pumps, Never been built on.
Click to expand...
We had one of our road tankers roll over loosing most of its 32,000litre load of motor spirit due to the side of the aluminium tank being ripped open. The roll over happened on a roundabout under what was to be the extension to the M53. The whole of the contaminated area had to be excavated and cost
the insurers many millions until the work was completed. On saying this though proves that contaminated brown field sites can be and are made suitable for new build but at what cost. The refuse tip near where we lived in Cheswick Green is now a large housing estate so the builders must have found a way of handling the large emissions of methane gas.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top