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Gun Trade Factories

There is no "gun quarter" anymore because all the little back alley buildings that the gun tradesmen worked in are gone.
When I worked part time after school as a kid in 1960, the streets I delivered gun parts to & collected gun parts from were Price Street, Loveday Street, Bath Street, Whittall Street, Weaman Street, and St Marys Row. I also had to do the weekly trip to the Proof House in Banbury Street who tested the barrels. Can't imagine a schoolboy walking around with gun parts today. Rowland Keen Ltd, the people I worked for were located on the corner of Bath St & Shadwell St (now gone) until the re-development of St Chad's Queensway. They then moved to Lincoln Jefferies shop in Steelhouse Lane (now gone). All gone now (except the Proof House) but, still fondly remembered.
Hello, We must have passed each other many a time, as I was doing exactly the same thing in the very same place from 1960-63. I worked at William Ford Ltd./James Carr & Son, in St. Mary's Row. Carr's was owned by Mrs. Carr, and managed by Alan Thornton, and I was the general dogsbody. One of my jobs was converting old .303 rifles to 4.10 shotguns, which we then sold for £10. Those old .303's are selling for £600 these days (de-activated).
 
To give contexts of where some people lived who worked in the Gun Quarter my 4 x Great Grandfather, James Trueman, who was a “Gun Breech Maker” in 1851 was living at 23 New John Street, Aston and later when living at 277 New Town Row, Aston.
His son, my 3 x Great Grandfather, Shadrach Trueman, was a “Gun Barrel Forger”. My 2 x Great Grandparents , the daughter of Shadrach, Jane Trueman who married George Matthews a “Gun Finisher” lived at 11 New Town Row, Aston in 1861.

Phil
 
Hello, We must have passed each other many a time, as I was doing exactly the same thing in the very same place from 1960-63. I worked at William Ford Ltd./James Carr & Son, in St. Mary's Row. Carr's was owned by Mrs. Carr, and managed by Alan Thornton, and I was the general dogsbody. One of my jobs was converting old .303 rifles to 4.10 shotguns, which we then sold for £10. Those old .303's are selling for £600 these days (de-activated).
Hi Steve, yes, we may well have encountered each other during that time. More so if you went to the cafe on the corner of Price St & Loveday St. I was always in there playing the jukebox. I reckon I played "Tell Laura I Love Her" so many times I could have bought the record.
 
Hi Steve, yes, we may well have encountered each other during that time. More so if you went to the cafe on the corner of Price St & Loveday St. I was always in there playing the jukebox. I reckon I played "Tell Laura I Love Her" so many times I could have bought the record.
Hello Banjo, yes I remember the cafe, but I only went in occasionally to buy a cake. Remember that record, still a 60's bloke at heart, still got loads of 60's original records. Cheers.
 
To give contexts of where some people lived who worked in the Gun Quarter my 4 x Great Grandfather, James Trueman, who was a “Gun Breech Maker” in 1851 was living at 23 New John Street, Aston and later when living at 277 New Town Row, Aston.
His son, my 3 x Great Grandfather, Shadrach Trueman, was a “Gun Barrel Forger”. My 2 x Great Grandparents , the daughter of Shadrach, Jane Trueman who married George Matthews a “Gun Finisher” lived at 11 New Town Row, Aston in 1861.

Phil
Charles William Page is he your grandfather?
 

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Hi Steve, yes, we may well have encountered each other during that time. More so if you went to the cafe on the corner of Price St & Loveday St. I was always in there playing the jukebox. I reckon I played "Tell Laura I Love Her" so many times I could have bought the record.
Banjo, funny thing about those jukebox’s, how many of us have bought records over and over!
 
Someone recently prompted me to research this thread. I admit I haven't read it all. However, you may be interested to learn when my husband and I visited The Alamo, Texas, USA, there was at least one rifle which had imprinted on it "Made in Birmingham"!
 
a lot were made in birmingham ala and its stamped on them my friend has a steyr rifle
 
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According to a search on Google it is estimated around 800,000 Birmingham guns were shipped to America during the Civil War.
Yes, Janice! Many guns were shipped from Birmingham for the US civil war on both sides, North & South. Having lived in the North and South I have seen the guns at a number of historic sites in both places.
 
Not sure I hav eseen any evidence of gunmaking in Birmingham in US that early
Correct Mike. Most US gun factories were in Connecticut and a few other New England states which is why the south bought guns from England, Germany and France as well as a few other places.
 
Yes, Janice! Many guns were shipped from Birmingham for the US civil war on both sides, North & South. Having lived in the North and South I have seen the guns at a number of historic sites in both places.
David Williams ("The Birmingham gun Trade") quotes 733,403 guns being sent to America over 4 years from Birmingham, with many marked with American manufacturers names during manufacture (presumably at the request of the Americans). Apparently the profits generated meant that there were nightly carousals at the Gunmakers Arms
s
 
British guns definitely ended up in New Orleans. I took this photo in a shop in the French Quarter a couple of years ago. I’ve never seen so many vintage weapons. Personally they give me the creeps. But I did stop to wonder if they originally came from Birmingham (UK). These pre-date the Civil War. Viv.

22714A2C-23BE-4EA1-A7DE-D3C3B9175D0A.jpeg
 
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