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Heaton St Hockley

Hi Folks, in the early 50's, when I was about 4, and my grandfather had not long died, I found treasure in the bedroom closet - his top-hat and white silk scarf, and I tried them on for size whenever the opportunity arose. Here's the mystery - all my family have been working class since the beginning of time, so what was my granddad doing with a top-hat and white silk scarf ? (I presume he wouldn't have stopped there - he probably had white tie and tails!).
He was a self employed jeweller (but only in the latter years of his career, due to losing his job) but I can't imagine what official engagements he might have attended which demanded such formal attire! Certainly not the opera or the ballet - a knees-up at the Bull's Head would have been the extent of his entertainment - unless of course you can throw light on the subject!

Peg.
 
HI Folks, The old tin bath - nearly everyone must have had one in the district (in the early 50's I didn't know of anyone close-by who had a bathroom, most people were lucky if they had their own outside toilet, I did have wealthy relatives who lived in Sutton Coldfield who were fortunate enough to have a bathroom) hot water? only if you boiled it on the gas stove! And if you only had one living room where did the rest of the family go on bathnight? And what a fag - fill it with hot water then empty it afterwards, but there was no alternative, was there? Actually there was, if you had the time and money - the public washing baths. I think the nearest was within the Grove Lane Swimming Baths complex adjoining Handsworth Park. For a few pennies you got a cubicle with a steaming hot bath.
Whilst I lived in Heaton St I don't recall my parents ever getting a water bill.

Peg.
 
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I may be wrong , and did not live in brum in my youth, but think that at one time the water bill was included in the general rates (what we know call council tax), rather than a separate item. This, of course, was before the government sold off the water infrastructure for the benefit of Thatcher's crooked friends
 
Quite correct mike, the city fathers moved to secure essential services when Birmingham started to emerge as a major centre of industry, establishing gas, electricity and water companies; the latter involved the purchase of dams in Wales (Elan Valley, I think) and, as you say, the infrastructure to get the water to the city.

Peg.
 
Hi Peg
we had ten in our house eventualy and because of the performance of taking in turn on a sunday night
and bring in the tin bath and line up for our weekly cod liver oil doze
The old man changed tacits and brought our bath time earlier and took us all up to victoria road
washing and swimming baths and cor blimey we thought we would drown in there
the old bath attendent jojed with the old man , blimey mate have you got your own foot ball team
we all had a bath to our selves in a row there , we had to climb over the side to get in it
they was very deep inside sitting down and the very hughe brass taps the blome had to turn with a spanner
In the end the old man changed bacl to sundays and done before dick barton on the radio came on and we would all gather around the big table eating sweets the old man brought home every sunday afternoon and he would walk down with mr dodds
and his big dog called dumpling from the golden cross pub on the rock where he was head barman
and of course from mr whettons sweet shop along the road and mr whetton was there selling his confectory long before the name changed
To Slade confectionary as some one said not so long ago it woulld have been 195/4 when he left
Astonian,,,, Alan,,,
 
Hi Folks, you may have noted my critism of my father, in previous posts, for his lack of ambition when selecting our annual summer holiday destination (Brean Down, near Weston, year after year after...........) but credit where credit is due - we always traveled in a civilised manner - by train from Snow Hill (which suited me down to the ground) with a taxi each end to get us to and from the station.
Why not Hockley Station? In the 50s it was not possible to get a train from that station to Weston (Locking Road Station), we did on one occasion get a train from Hockley to Snow Hill and then change for the onward journey to Weston, but it wasn't ideal. Although normally it was possible to walk from our house in Heaton St to Hockley Station if you were lugging cases it was a different matter - I remember one suitcase in particular, it was all leather with stout straps and was difficult to pick up when it was empty, my parents used it for years.
Ah! The good old days.

Peg.






 
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Peg Monkey said:
Quite correct mike, the city fathers moved to secure essential services when Birmingham started to emerge as a major centre of industry, establishing gas, electricity and water companies; the latter involved the purchase of dams in Wales (Elan Valley, I think) and, as you say, the infrastructure to get the water to the city.

Peg.
Click to expand...
There a massive operation at the moment in Stourport with STWA - they are laying pipes (which we have already from Elan Valley) across to Bartley Green Reservoir.
 
Children walking down Heaton Street, but not sure of the year. Children walking down Heaton Street Hockley.JPG. Could that be a picture of where Brown Lion was?
 
carolina said:
Children walking down Heaton Street, but not sure of the year. View attachment 115119. Could that be a picture of where Brown Lion was?
Click to expand...
It must have been around there somewhere. Great shot, Carolina - not too long ago judging by the car (Vauxhall Cavalier, if I'm not mistaken) - church parade from the Pentecostal perhaps?
I'm puzzled - you can see H V Smith, did they move? The shop was was next to the church. (Or did the church move - it was rebuilt wasn't it?).

Peg.

P.S. Site of the now infamous 1956 go-cart crash a bit further to the right, out of shot.
 
Peg Monkey said:
It must have been around there somewhere. Great shot, Carolina - not too long ago judging by the car (Vauxhall Cavalier, if I'm not mistaken) - church parade from the Pentecostal perhaps?
I'm puzzled - you can see H V Smith, did they move? The shop was was next to the church. (Or did the church move - it was rebuilt wasn't it?).

Peg.

P.S. Site of the now infamous 1956 go-cart crash a bit further to the right, out of shot.
Click to expand...
There is the HV Smith, bakery, information and pictures in this thread. Did they have more than one outlet?
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ey-known-as-the-flat.30910/page-8#post-592397
 
In 1962 their head office was 404 Lodge Road, but they also had a branch at 392. from the map the one here must be 404, though the Brown lion has long gone, and, by the look of it the building rebuilt (no covered entry)
 
mikejee said:
In 1962 their head office was 404 Lodge Road, but they also had a branch at 392. from the map the one here must be 404, though the Brown lion has long gone, and, by the look of it the building rebuilt (no covered entry)
Click to expand...
Having two outlets of the same enterprise so close seems an odd business strategy but I believe there were other examples on The Flat: Boots had two branches at one time (I only know of the one corner of Heaton St) and a butcher had two shops, I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a record of a babywear shop, potential for good business I would have thought given the size of the average family in the 1930s-40s (my mother was youngest of 11) Norton's probably had a dept.

Peg.
 
I lived in Heaton St age 0-10 years (1949-59), only a decade but enough for one Royal Event, The Coronation. I don't remember the street party but I do remember children all wore fancy dress, my mother and elder cousin joined forces to get me rigged out in a grenadier guard's uniform, only trouble was they got a girl's uniform by mistake, they tried to put me in it before realising their mistake, I think I was scarred for life.
Happy Royal Wedding Day.
Peg.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-4#post-617967
 
map of heaton st showing house numbers...i also had rellies in this street will need to check my records to see what number but i think it was a back to back...click on photo twice to enlarge

map c 1950 heaton st.jpg
 
carolina said:
Yes. In my red white and blue bows mom sewed on my sandals
Click to expand...
That is me on the right, miserable because i was very wet, didnt know where my sister was, and my hair hurt.We were dressed identical, although my sister was 8 years older. Mum didnt have much money to buy clothes, she bought our white blouses, and blue skirts, and made our red boleros, from unpicking a red dress of hers. Replying to pic of Coronation Street Party.
 
hi chicken and welcome...how lovely that you are on the street party photograph..

lyn
 
Chicken said:
That is me on the right, miserable because i was very wet, didnt know where my sister was, and my hair hurt.We were dressed identical, although my sister was 8 years older. Mum didnt have much money to buy clothes, she bought our white blouses, and blue skirts, and made our red boleros, from unpicking a red dress of hers. Replying to pic of Coronation Street Party.
Click to expand...
How lovely to see someone else from that party
 
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