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Gun Quarter or Gun Factory photos - plea for help

Hi Dek, I think it is on the corner of Whittall Street and (what was once) Bath Street. J


Hayboy you may be right but I am not so sure I worked for Walker Bros electrical contractor in the late 50s -60s we were based in Bath St opposite the Gun Makers Arms our office was almost on the corner of Whittall St. maybe the memory has faded in time. Dek
 
Dec,
In the early 50s.I remember Walker Bros.having a place in Temple Row close to the "The Old Royal"....please tell me I didn't dream it.:rolleyes:
 
Hi Ray what a good memory you still have you are quite right that was my first place of work I was not there long before we moved to Bath St in those Days we had a couple of Barrows that we used to move our equipment around. Dek
 
Dec,
It's just a vague memory but I remember the move you speak of.I did some contract work at the Austin and Walker Bros paid my wages,but I never actually went to the main office.
 
Mikejee could you do a location on the Midland Gun Co if possible in the 50s-60s. Much obliged. Dek
 
Dek
Is this in relationship to the photo?. The building in Whittall st with J.W.Fry & Sons (No 75) and Midland Gun Co ( no 74) is the red building on the c1910 map. They were there 1943-56. The closed shop in the foreground (in blue) must be either 26 or 27 Bath St, but I cannot find it listed under their, or any other, name in the directories of the period that I have.
In 1955-56 they also had 76/77 Bath St
By 1962 they were at 55/56 Price St
Note In 1940 they are listed as at 76/77 Bath St. I suspect they were bombed, and had to move to whittal St, but then rebuilt by 1955
mike

map_c_1910_Midland_gun_co.jpg
 
Thank you for clarifying the position for me Mike. Hayboy you are correct apologies to you for doubting your knowledge. Happy New Year to you both. Dek
 
Hi , has anyone got any photos / records / staff rosters of any of the factories or workshops of the gun quarter that relate to anyone with the surname Field, my family came up from London when it all moved to Bham , please let me know if anyone finds anything
 
Gun Quarter - Wikipedia
I used to love going around the gun quarter with my dad,watching the smiths making the gun actions.filling a bit here and there to get it to fit. then there was the shops in steel house lane,with the sporting guns in the window for sale. back then it seemed that you had to be a millionaire to afford one.
 

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The second photo looks like Greeners (?) gun factory. I have stood in the room behind the coat of arms on the first floor. Had a good look around the old factory too. Rows and rows of work benches, each one with a gas pipe
 
Back when I was a apprentice I followed the driver Phil delivering a Jag back to a customer
The customer was a gun smith real small narrow place, down the one side stored wood for the stocks your pick, then along the other side was his work bench with guns in various stages
Looking back I wish I paid more attention to what I was looking at but I did see a couple of finished guns and knew they did not come cheap.
 
Back when I was a apprentice I followed the driver Phil delivering a Jag back to a customer
The customer was a gun smith real small narrow place, down the one side stored wood for the stocks your pick, then along the other side was his work bench with guns in various stages
Looking back I wish I paid more attention to what I was looking at but I did see a couple of finished guns and knew they did not come cheap.
you got a good one for 400.000
:)
 
I remember going to the Gun Quarter with my uncle when I was 9 or 10, he had a farm near Water Orton I would spend time at. We walked back through those old worn alley ways to where the gunsmiths were making a new 12 bore shot gun for him. It was very dark and smelly with 4 or 5 men in leather aprons. The second time he took me, the gun was finished, it looked like a shinny jewel. I remember those two visits like it was yesterday!
 
I remember going to the Gun Quarter with my uncle when I was 9 or 10, he had a farm near Water Orton I would spend time at. We walked back through those old worn alley ways to where the gunsmiths were making a new 12 bore shot gun for him. It was very dark and smelly with 4 or 5 men in leather aprons. The second time he took me, the gun was finished, it looked like a shinny jewel. I remember those two visits like it was yesterday!
they are works of art.did your uncle let to use it?
 
Several branchs of my mother's family were in the gun trade and whilst several pictures of the buildings and businesses are still floating around, there are very few of the gunsmiths actually working on the guns or making actions for them.

Maurice :cool:
 
Several branchs of my mother's family were in the gun trade and whilst several pictures of the buildings and businesses are still floating around, there are very few of the gunsmiths actually working on the guns or making actions for them.

Maurice :cool:
yes Maurice. sadly there will be none in Brum. apprentices don't seem to like the work. most weapons now are made abroad.
 
Several branchs of my mother's family were in the gun trade and whilst several pictures of the buildings and businesses are still floating around, there are very few of the gunsmiths actually working on the guns or making actions for them.

Maurice :cool:
Birmingham has a connection with the Alamo and the famous battle
Most or a very good portion of the arms used by the Texiens during the battle had their " actions " made in Birmingham.
As a side note more people from the UK were killed there than Texians.
 
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