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Henry Street Balsall Heath

A

Alexander Rawlins

knowlegable brummie
Hello all.

Henry Street was merged with Oldfield Road sometime in the 1890's.

Does anyone have any information on the exact location of Henry Street, please? Do any relevant documents survive?

Also, any information on when and why this merger took place, and any impact on the house numbering in Oldfield Road?

Many thanks

Alexander
 
This map is from 1889.

Henry St.jpg

As you can see at this time there was no Oldfield Road, it is just Henry St where Oldfield Road is now. It also appears that Victoria St to the right was also renamed Studley St at some time.
 
This is from 1916.

Henry St 1916.jpg

Both Henry St and Victoria St have been re-named.

1904 map also has it as Oldfield Road.
 
Excellent, thank you so much!

Carl Chinn talks of Oldfield Road 'absorbing' Henry Street in the 1890s. I'm wondering if the blank bit of Henry Street was named Oldfield Road when it was built and the whole street then re-named Oldfield Road. I would like to be clear as my rellies said they lived at 78 Oldfield Road in 1901.
 
This seems very complicated. I think the confusion is partly because of the habit in the 18oos of giving an address as xxx st, yyy road, where XXX st runs off YYY road. Going from the maps and directories it looks as if, before 1892 there were no houses listed in Oldfield rd and no road of that name is seen in Kellys. there is however in the index of roads (which often includes small roads and terraces which are not listed as having houses in the main street index) an "Oldfield road, Ombersley road" , which means it ran off Ombersly road, which was parallel to Henry St. Henry St was a pretty new road at that time.
In the 1892 edition Henry St is again listed . There is also mention (see below) of an "Oldfield St, now called Kingsley road", which runs at right angles to Ombersley road and what is now Oldfield Rd.
In the 1895 Kellys there is no Henry St (in Balsall Heath, though there is another off Great Lister St), but Oldfield Rd is included. So it looks to me as though Oldfield road (or st), which had only a very short existence, changed its name around 1891 to Kingsley road, and shortly after Henry St was changed to Oldfield Road. The reason for the last change would almost certainly have been to reduce confusion with the other Henry St.The Kellys entries for Henry st (1892 ) and Oldfield Road (1895) seem to show that no renumbering took place, though the number of houses increased considerably. Note Kellys date is publication date and should be taken probably as the year before
The Kellys entry for Henry st 1892, the entry for Oldfield road for 1895 , and the entry for Oldfield st for 1892 are shown below, as is a map c1905 showing the relevant area

Kellys 1892. Henry st B.H..jpg Kellys 1892.oldfield st.jpg Kellys 1895 oldfield road.jpg map c 1905 showing ombersley road, Oldfield road and Kingsley st.jpg
 
Hi Mike

Thank you so much, this is all starting to make sense now. I really, really appreciate your time!

Benjamin Nash at 50 Oldfield Road. Is there any way of telling whether he was a shopkeeper who lived at 50 Oldfield Road, or whether 50 Oldfield Road was actually a shop? My gr gr grandfather George Mead is listed in Kelly's at some point as being at 50 Oldfield Road, although the 1901 census places him at 78 Oldfield Road. We have to be careful with any information relating to George Mead as he was on the run from the authorities, having deserted the Geman marine, and regularly changed his name and other facts when it suited him.

Thanks again

Alexander
 
Also, if you look at the map, the two parts of Oldfield Road are not aligned. It may be that the shorter, western section was built later and then the two parts joined together?
 
Looking into the whereabouts of Henry Street for my Dad (now 98, but who lived in the area in the late 1920s) I found this description by the enumerator of the 1891 census:

Enumerator's description.jpg

Starting at 1, after 138 Henry Street the entries move on to Carway Place, Grossmont Place etc., then Oldfield Road numbers 1 and 2 (only), followed by Ombersley Road 1, 7, 9 ... 181, ending in Bradgate Terrace.
 
Here is the original Henry Street in a map of 1890 (surveyed 1888):
Henry Street 1890.jpg
and again in 1889, with details of the courts:
Henry Street 1889.jpg
 
Last edited:
Strange, seems to be listed as Oldfield Road now and listed as such on the 1913 map.

Could the part of the modern Oldfield Road on the other side of Kingsley Road remained as Henry St a while longer?
 
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