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Harborne

Hi everybody, I've just joined Birmingham History Forum and I'm finding it most interesting. Most fascinating to me is this section relating to Harborne.

I lived at Quinton Road from 1948 until 1973, I attended St. Peter's Junior School, 1953-1958 and Harborne Hill Secondary Modern, 1958-1962 and also worked at Bradshaws Printing Co in Vivian Road. I have been searching for a picture of the house that stood at 55 Harborne Park Road for many many years now with no luck, this is a very personal mission for me. The house was long ago demolished (circa late 80's), I know that a group of houses now stand on this site but prior to it's demolition the house that stood there was a very large one. It originally stood next to Clent house which was on the corner of Harborne Park Road and St. Peters Road opposite Vivian Road. Clent house itself was demolished in the early 50's to make way for further housing but 55 Harborne Park Road remained there for another 35 or so years.

If anyone has either a picture of this house or is aware of any information relating to it's residents from the mid 50's until it's demolition I would be very grateful if you could contact me. As mentioned this is a very personal mission I am on and any info no matter how small would be wonderful.

I have many fond and happy memories of Harborne from the time I lived there and would be more than happy to reminisce these with anyone out there.

Thanking you in advance.

aok
 
Hi aok: Welcome to the Forum. The Birmingham Government https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/harbornehistory
pages have some great links to Harborne and also their Local History Group. You may
be able to find some information on the house that you are looking for on Harborne Park Road and perhaps a photo if no one on the Forum has one.
The Field House care home is probably the only big old house left on that road.
 
The online electoral rolls show the following occupants for the years available online from 1950 (remember only those eligible to vote will be included):
1950 Dora E Wood
1952 Dora E & Edith Wood
1957 & 1962 & 1965 Albert & Florence M Freer & Dennis A Wright
 
The Clock Tower buildings have been renovated and re-opened, didn't have time to investigate! I'm glad all that scaffolding has gone.
rosie.
 
pam m said:
Hi, does anyone remember the cottages that where on North road in harborne they were demolished to make way for new houses?? iv search for pictures of these cottages but cant find any at all i would love someone to come up with any info/pictures iof these it`s a vague memory of thse cottages of mine
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demolished cottages north road.jpg

Demolished houses North Road, now site of Old Tolken Birmingham City Council old persons sheltered housing
 
aok said:
Hi everybody, I've just joined Birmingham History Forum and I'm finding it most interesting. Most fascinating to me is this section relating to Harborne.

I lived at Quinton Road from 1948 until 1973, I attended St. Peter's Junior School, 1953-1958 and Harborne Hill Secondary Modern, 1958-1962 and also worked at Bradshaws Printing Co in Vivian Road. I have been searching for a picture of the house that stood at 55 Harborne Park Road for many many years now with no luck, this is a very personal mission for me. The house was long ago demolished (circa late 80's), I know that a group of houses now stand on this site but prior to it's demolition the house that stood there was a very large one. It originally stood next to Clent house which was on the corner of Harborne Park Road and St. Peters Road opposite Vivian Road. Clent house itself was demolished in the early 50's to make way for further housing but 55 Harborne Park Road remained there for another 35 or so years.

If anyone has either a picture of this house or is aware of any information relating to it's residents from the mid 50's until it's demolition I would be very grateful if you could contact me. As mentioned this is a very personal mission I am on and any info no matter how small would be wonderful.

I have many fond and happy memories of Harborne from the time I lived there and would be more than happy to reminisce these with anyone out there.

Thanking you in advance.

aok
Click to expand...


I have just noticed your post aok - I can't really help you but it brought back a memory of going to a party at a very big house in Harborne Park Road which had been divided up into bedsits where a friend of friends was living at the time. This would be around 1976 I think.

The house must have been amazing, it had a large entrance hall with a grand sweeping staircase and minstrals gallery. The gardens were massive, both front and back. I understand it was eventually demolished for flats but I don't know when and I can't remember the number of the house - sorry, not alot of help!
 
Hi Sheila, I've only just joined this site and was shocked and pleased to see your post of 23rd August 2010 when you mentioned your cousin Gillian Scarf and her Dad who had the grocer's shop in High Street, Harborne. My mother worked for Don Scarf for ten years and we got to know the family very well. When sorting through a suitcase which belonged to my late parents, I found quite a bit of memorabilia from those days and wondered if you or anyone else in your family would be interested in having copies - there may be things your family might not have or haven't seen before. Gill and Peter were married on my 9th birthday and I have some photos of the day together with other memorabilia, including the very sad announcement of Gill's too early death. Please get in touch if you are interested.
 
Hi Barbara -Nice to read your message about the Scarf family.I would be very interested to see any memorabilia you have. I lived in Harborne from1940-8 as did several branches of my family,I have researched quite a lot.I'm still in touch with Gill's husband,so,can pass on to him anything relevant which his children may be interested in. Kind Regards Sheila
 
I remember that Co-op and as a child being fascinated by the money canisters they used to send on a wire up to the cashiers office upstairs!
 
Hi Sheila, lovely to hear from you - I was hoping you would see my message and reply. I was born in Handsworth in 1947 but moved with my parents to my Nan's house in Grays Road shortly afterwards and lived there until I was 9 when we moved to our own flat in Quinton. I have a letter from Don to my Mom when she left Scarf's in 1963 which states she had worked for him for 10 years so that must mean she started in 1953, when I was 6. I can't remember if that was when the shop closed when Don retired - do you know? I have the newspaper cutting (unfortunately undated) from the day it closed, 50 years after he opened the shop, showing Don and Elsie accepting a cheque from their last customer Mrs. May Munday. I also have a large photograph, backstamped Sunday Mercury, taken at the same time with Gill also on it. I have another smaller photograph, of Don and my Mom together with a chap who also worked there but I'm having difficulty remembering his name (maybe Ernie ??) - I think he drove the delivery van. I don't think this photo was taken on the same day as Don isn't dressed the same. I have my Mom's invitation to Gill and Peter's wedding, together with the order of service on Mom's place card. I also have two photos of their wedding and sadly, Gills' death announcement, presumably from the Birmingham Mail. Finally, I have four photographs (I may uncover more as I sift through my Mom and Dad's huge collection of photos) of Don with my parents, taken on various day trips out together. My parents didn't drive and we therefore obviously didn't have a car and Don would often taken them/us out for a day trip or a meal or drinks in the evening (I was often taken on these evening trips out (probably only at weekends) and I would be quite happy sitting the car with my books or comics, a soft drink and packet of crisps while they had a drink in a country pub somewhere!! I remember the Whittington was a popular place). They were all very good friends and had lots of good times together and I know Mom loved working in the shop. I also remember helping put together the orders in the back room, ticking them off the lists, and putting them into boxes for Ernie (?) to deliver in the van. Happy days! It's lovely that you are still in touch with Peter - I hope all the family are well and happy. Thinking of the three children (as they were then!), I also remember when I was at Lordswood School I often stopped off at Gill and Peter's house in Croftdown Road and was allowed to take Jackie into Queen's Park for a little walk in her pram before I got back onto the bus to go home in Quinton. More happy memories! They are all flooding back to me now as I write to you!
I don't know how I can get things sent to you so I will wait for you to let me know what you suggest. I look forward to hearing from you again. Barbara
 
Found this picture, if it helps.
 

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It's the section coming from the junction with High Street/Lordswood Rd (where the pub fire was last year). In the Streetview you can see the edge of the church hall with the glass-frontage. It's curving round towards the junction with Vivian Road
 
I can see it now that Vivian Road goes off to the left and St Peters Road goes off to the right. What I can't see from the photo is the continuation of Harborne Park Road which bends to the right at this point. The lady on the bicycle appears to be coming out of a gateway to a path or drive which I think would be where Vivian Close is now.

Harborne Park Road.jpg
 
Does anyone remember, or have pictures of, Yewcroft school or Baskerville school? as it was known. Thanks
 
When i was a kid living in High Street right opposite the Royalty I used on odd occasions to go to the reservoir in Reservoir Road. I used to stand and watch the water pouring down into a square hole that had no railings round. Anyone could have fallen (or jumped in) never to be seen again. I googled the area and there's no sign of any water. Did the authorities divert the water flow and when? What happened to the canal with the ariel Scout hut? The area seems to have changed out of all recognition.(Dave Groves)
 
Julie

I believe this is a photo of Baskerville Special Needs School Harborne.
 

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Harborne Reservoir was a canal reservoir on the Dudley No. 2 Canal. The canal closed in the 1950s (I think) and the reservoir then became redundant.
 
Thanks David. Have only been back home to Harborne a couple of times since leaving in 1961. I have no-one living there now and when I Googled the reservoir area I was astounded that there was no evidence that the reservoir had ever existed.
 
I worked as a Telegram Boy at Harborne .po around 1942 and recall going to a large pond or reservoir but cannot remember now just where it was. When I worked at Harborne the P.O. was on the corner ofwhat I seem to remeber was Station St
 
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I couldn't find any direct reference to when it was drained. Earlier in the thread it said early 1960s. The OS map dated 1966-68 shows it there, but that would have been the publication date, and survey would probably have been a couple of years earlier, and, though it would only have been a rough addition of some changes, I would have expected it to have noted the disappearance of a reservoir!. The 1976 map shows it gone (with images of 6 trees in the middle of where it was), so early to mid 1960s would seem to be about right.
 
Bit more info on the Reservoir. It was on land owned by a family named Monks. They also operated a scrap metal yard on the same premises (all gone now) They used to hire out boats on the reservoir for something like a shilling an hour and as young lads (10/12 year old) myself and my wayward pals would go over to the reservoir on Sundays and hire a boat between us. We invariably kept it out for longer than our allotted time and one of the family would come round the outskirts yelling at us to come in. Fell in a few times getting out of the boats and it was a long wet walk back to Quinton!!
 
paul stacey said:
I used to drink in a pub in Quinton, "The Punch Bowl", Welsh's Farm side. 62 time.
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Paul, not going to far off thread, you were probably served by my mother Clara, although for some unknown reason everyone (including her sisters) called her Rita. The gaffer at that time was an ex policeman named Charile Hill. He kept a very strict and orderly house. Me nor my friends could get served in there as we were all underage, so we went to the Monarch or the Court Oak or popped into one of the many pubs in Harborne, the Bell was a favorite.
 
Punch Bowl junction of Wolverhampton Road South and Ridgacre Road has been closed for a long time but the building is still there. Area know as Quinborne because no one is too sure whether it is in Quinton or Harborne.
 
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