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  • 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

Harborne

:)
sandracoley said:
hi .i had my first son in lordswood maternity home in 1965.i beleive its been demolished for some time now.ill never forget that experience. there were twin irish nurses on delivery room that night .i really thought i was hallucinating ..must have been the gas and air they shoved on you .lolxx ill always remember staff nurse foster .she was so kind....she went to bham maternity hospital years later .where i worked .i recognised her straight away......
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Hi Sandra my two sisters had children there first one 1959 my eldest niece,last one1968 another niece,it was a nice place,if you look
back a couple of posts you will see my old front door lol
 
hello Liz
I went to a roman catholic school in harborne, for a few mth's when I was about 7 yrs old, I hated it and mom moved me to Our Ladys in weoley castle it was down the road on the RHS of the police station and throyalty then you turned left do you remember the name of this school and is it still there.
regards
paul
 
St. Mary's Catholic Primary School

Harborne, Birmingham
(Replacement)

Vivian Road, Harborne, Birmingham, is this the one you mean
its still there i believe
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Hi Paul, The school you went to when you were seven may have been St Mary's in St Mary's Road and by the Catholic Church. I often went to the Old Harborne Cinema, otherwise known as 'the flea pit' for obvious reasons. I remember waiting outside for the doors to open when Cornel Wilde was in a film which I 'think' was called Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The sweet shop you mentioned may have been called Whithers, but I'm not absolutely sure. Anthea.

Liz. I remember those houses where you lived as I used to pass them several times a day for several years. The crane in the photo was probably preparing the ground for the garage which I last saw in 1997 when I came to Devon to live. Anthea.
 
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anthea said:
Hi Paul, The school you went to when you were seven may have been St Mary's in St Mary's Road and by the Catholic Church. I often went to the Old Harborne Cinema, otherwise known as 'the flea pit' for obvious reasons. I remember waiting outside for the doors to open when Cornel Wilde was in a film which I 'think' was called Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The sweet shop you mentioned may have been called Whithers, but I'm not absolutely sure. Anthea.

Hi Liz, Glad your photos were restored. I remember those houses where you lived as I used to pass them several times a day for several years. The crane in the photo was probably preparing the ground for the garage which I last saw in 1997 when I came to Devon to live. Anthea.
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Sadly i think not Anthea, the garage was there when i lived there, and it would seem that photo is probably no more than a couple of years old,there is a lot of development going on in Harborne at the moment according to my nephew
 
Hi Liz, I wonder what is being built where the garage used to be? I know several places I used to know have gone, such as the Duke of York where apartments now stand. I have been trying to locate a site with pictures of Harborne before and after which shows these changes, but I can't locate it now. It was put on the Forum about a year ago.

Anthea.
 
anthea said:
Hi Liz, I wonder what is being built where the garage used to be? I know several places I used to know have gone, such as the Duke of York where apartments now stand. I have been trying to locate a site with pictures of Harborne before and after which shows these changes, but I can't locate it now. It was put on the Forum about a year ago.

Anthea.
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Hi i will ask my nephew i think he will know,but i'm not sure of the photos you mention,we should ask the people who post most of the photos if they have any of Harborne before redevelopment,i'll look as well
 
thanks to anthea and liz for that information, I am keeping a record of everything I am getting as my memory is starting to fail, after a small stroke thank you for all the info although I never lived in harborne I seemed to have always been in or around it for most of my childhood. my dad worked part time in the duke of york, mom worked in woolies and earlier as a part time clippy, I had my first hair cut aged 5 yrs in the barbers across the island opposite to the D O Y, I had some schooling, started at the saturday childrens cinema (Royalty) at 6 or 7 yrs, drank coffee had chips and and later drank beer, and had mates and girlfriends there and as my dear mom and dad have now passed on there is no where else to get these childhood memories from. If I duplicate any requests I apologise but it is really great for me to talk to you all.
kind regards
paul
 
anthea said:
Hi Liz, I wonder what is being built where the garage used to be? I know several places I used to know have gone, such as the Duke of York where apartments now stand. I have been trying to locate a site with pictures of Harborne before and after which shows these changes, but I can't locate it now. It was put on the Forum about a year ago.

Anthea.
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HI Anthea my neice say's its still a garage,my nephew is not so sure, he said he will have a look when he passes
 
Liz, Thank you for asking your relatives about what is on the corner of Station Road - garage or ?

Liz and Paul, I have found the pictures I was looking for of Harborne 'then and now' but you will have to Google the following : photo dj norton Harborne. There are pictures of Rose Road as it used to look and if you click on the picture, Rose Road as it is now appears. Also the Duke of York, etc.

Anthea.
 
Hi Anthea Paul,

Park Hill/Rose rd years ago,
i
ParkHillRoad.jpg
 
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hi Liz
My how everything has changed now, (Photo's) I have this mental picture in my mind which is now 55yrs old and bears no resemblance to what Harborne looks like now. I know it's silly but I feel quite sad and a little upset and am in mourning for the old Harborne where I had so much fun, and have such happy memories, but in reflecting its really that I am mourning for my childhood and Youth like all generations before. Imagine coming back from the Victorian times and trying to find that Harborne.
paul
 
:shocked:paul i am suprised how much it has changed the little bit on the 2nd photo looks much the same,the house with the white door and
the cat in the window is where i lived, but the 4th one,where the police station should be i was very surprised,i know what you mean its like someone has taken something of you,strange how we react to change isn't it, i will post a few more that my nephew sent
take care
 
I think these maybe more how you remember it,the fire station is now apartments:)
and i think the fire station is where the Chad valley used to be
k
6869_8old_IMG_01_0__4_jpg.jpeg
 
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Hi Paul, I don't know if you remember but your mom worked at a large house in Metchley Lane. I remember going to see her there with nan. I remember the powder blue carpet all through. I was awestruck. Do you remember the house, or were you too young??????????? - Pam
 
There is a care home next door so it could have all been the same site. I work at the medical centre so I know the area quite well. They are in the process of pulling down the poor old swimming baths.
 
500miles said:
There is a care home next door so it could have all been the same site. I work at the medical centre so I know the area quite well. They are in the process of pulling down the poor old swimming baths.
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Oh right that would explain thanks for that, yes i have heard about the swimming baths there is a photo on here of the design of the new one they will be building
the photo of the swimming baths is on Harborne baths thread
 
I had a look on Google Maps and was able to pay a virtual visit to Harborne High Street and down Station Road where I saw my old Secondary Modern School which is now a Primary School. I am so pleased the old red brick school is still standing. Also the Royalty (old cinema now bingo hall) is still there. Lots of new buildings, but still a lot of the old ones. Opposite the Library is the old urinal along the side of the Junction pub - very convenient!!

Anthea.
 
Hi Anthea yes it was a Primary school when my brother went there in the 60s,yes and the Royalty,i lived right by there,i was
married in St Johns down opposite the library,was it there when you lived there
 
Hi Liz, Yes, as you mentioned earlier, you lived three houses down from the flower shop in Station Road. I was so pleased to see my old school still standing and still being used as a Primary school now. I do remember St John's opposite the library. The last time I came through Harborne High Street was in 1997 and haven't been there since, but as I said in my #61 post it was lovely to be able to have a look around Harborne via virtual Google Maps. Anthea.
 
I found this link on another thread (forgotten which one :rolleyes:) which has some interesting info on Harborne from 1066 to more recent and some nice pics (inc one of the Fire Station - I used to love that head sticking out!) at https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-h/harborne/ -- seems to have something on every area of Birmingham

I've started a separate thread on the Moorpool Estate/Harborne Tenants if anyone has specific memories and pics they wish to share of that area of Harborne at https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30747
 
Just found a few of the Francis Frith photos of Harborne at https://www.francisfrith.com/harborne/photos/ in the 50s/60s. One of the Swimming Baths, particularly like the ones of the Bell (surely rare to have a pub on consecrated ground - I believe only example but I may be wrong) & Green Man, always faves, and the poor old Duke of York (sadly demised).
 
Ray Barrett said:
That picture house was the "Old Harborne" Paul,it was in Serpentine Rd.:)
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I think (but maybe someone can confirm) that the flea pit is now the Harborne Village Social Club - picture here https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&...p=12,293.52,,0,-11.48&cid=4390080705763619834 In my living memory (feels long enough) it has always been the Working Mens club although it does seem to be declining as this year I have moved up to membership number 179. Last time I was up there I noticed with horror that the Kings Arms is boarded up arrggh! as you can see if you click and hold on the image and drag to the right

And another thing...when I was v.small (long before they pulled down the Duke of York and all around it) there was a wonderful old sweetshop on the corner of Serpentine Road - anyone remember it (it may be a figment of my alcohol fevered imagination) or what it was called?
 
Aiden,
That picture is the "Old Harborne",and yes, there was a sweet shop on the corner of Serpentine Rd.,once bought half a pound of treacle toffee in there and ate the lot in the cinema,left me with a raging thirst.:rolleyes:
 
View attachment 50792I thought i had put this on its in my album,can't remember the name even though i went in there most days
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Thanks Ray

Elizabeth - what a picture! Thanks. Nostalgic thoughts flood in when I see that window packed with goodies. Whatever its name was I don't think it was Players No.6 that is topping the window!
 
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