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James Watt Street
- Thread starter Astoness
- Start date
George1468
master brummie
My recollection was that it was the building above the car. I could be mistaken. I went there in 1953 but joined up in Glasgow recruiting office whilst on holiday.
ellbrown
ell brown on Flickr
It's where the Queen Elizabeth II Law Court's is now.
Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts by ell brown, on Flickr
A section of James Watt Street survives off Newton Street.
Court Restaurant and the Citadal Chambers - James Watt Street by ell brown, on Flickr
Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts by ell brown, on Flickr
A section of James Watt Street survives off Newton Street.
Court Restaurant and the Citadal Chambers - James Watt Street by ell brown, on Flickr
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Dek
The downhill St to the front is James Watt St. the road running off to the right is Dalton St, and the road at the other end of the building is Newton St. As you can see in this photo.
Phil
john knight
signman
It then moved across the Street to the opposite corner.
dek carr
gone but not forgotten
Thanks Phil that what I thought And Johns post#6 has completed my query. Dek
Just couldn't place this street so dug out a map. This is a 1912 map showing James Watt St. Viv.
View attachment 69171
View attachment 69171
Yes Lynn. I was confused about this as it doesn't come up on Goole maps at all. But Ell's 2nd photo in post #4 shows there is still some of James Watt Street left. Must be a very small part of the original street. I used to work in Steelhouse Lane and never clocked that this was nearby ..... so I have no excuse ! Viv
hi viv dont know how long ago it was when you worked in steelhouse lane but when i was a teenager going out and about up town i could not tell you the name of many streets..never looked much as long as we knew our way to the pubs and clubs were we were happy.....lol
ellbrown
ell brown on Flickr
A lot has changed since that map in the last century.
Aston University has taken up much of the land to the north east.
Stafford Street and Chapel Street became James Watt Queensway.
Didn't know there was a recreation ground behind the hospital. That must be where the multi storey car park and Post & Mail buildings were / was.
All that is left of Ryder Street is this small cul-de-sac section by Methodist Central Hall.
Methodist Central Hall - Ryder Street by ell brown, on Flickr
The rest of Ryder Street is where they are starting to build the Aston University Student Village.
This last photo looks like where the Girl Guides shop was. Seem to remember it being an old Victorian, gothic building on the corner with pretty big windows. It had tents and models in uniforms on show in the window. They may also have sold Scout uniforms. Then opposite at the end of Corporation Street was Hawkins linen shop. Very big shop too. This later became Hawkins Wine Bar in, I think, the very early 1980s. Had an enormous shelving unit at the back of the bar. Looked like a church screen. That was on the end corner overlooking the Fire Station. Funny how this end of Corporation Street had shops, and big ones too. Well that was an enjoyable, fleeting trip down memory lane. Thanks Ell! Viv.
That's a good 1912 map on post #8. Possibly traced from the OS. Anyway, while here, if you go down to the bottom of James Watt street...where it says Hotel...you will see a back lane leading up parallel to Stafford St. That is the infamous Gullet that has been mentioned many times before. I can't read the map but the name seems to have changed by 1912. There are photo's of the entry on here somewhere. I believe that the picture below (from Here) is the entrance at the bottom of James Watt St. or whatever that street was named then.
Rupert. The name is Ashley Passage. I had to get the magnifying glass out to read it! Excellent picture too. Viv.
ellbrown
ell brown on Flickr
That end now is a student travel agent shop. And next door might be a club called The High Spot.
That end isn't so major now. Several restaurants in the shop units between Ryder Street and James Watt Street / Newton Street.
Opposite (other side of Corporation Street - Ruskin Buildings / Coleridge Chambers) are quite a few empty units
Various texts say this was cleared away to form Corporation St. but I don't think so. If you look at the older 1890 OS they existed at the same time and in any case this end was not in the way. I think the 1890 OS still has Gullet on it but not clear enough to be certain. Gruesome rememberance. There are lots of references on here to similar places. Actually this drawing makes it look more gruesome than it may have been. There are photo's on here of the same place...not as bad but still...
You are correct Rupert about the "lower" Gullet in 1890. The larger scale 1889 map shows the name more clearly, though the top end is completely cleared. I expect they changed the name because of the association the name had, in a similar way to the complete absence of Varna road after rebuilding in a more recent era
All that empty space on your map Mike! Seems impossible today. I've always felt that this end of Corporation Street was the poor relation to the New Street end. I think I read somewhere that Corporation St was built as a boulevard-style street, but this end has never seemed to me, to live up to that image. Viv
john knight
signman
When I worked in Stafford Street 1956-62 Ashley Passage ran at the back of our shop, but you could only gain entrance via the cellar steps and up another set of steps into Ashley, could never understand why.
Hi Phil,
I have been looking for information about the army recruiting office in James Watt Street and was pleased to find this photo. Do you know when the recruiting offices moved please? Or did you mean the navy recruiting offices moved across the road?
Thanks very much.
Jules.
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Hi Jules
I'm afraid I cant really help you with your query, it was just something I read somewhere when I was reading up on the subject that originally the Army Recruiting Office started life on the other side of James Watt St. I'm afraid that I cant even remember where I read it.
Phil
I'm afraid I cant really help you with your query, it was just something I read somewhere when I was reading up on the subject that originally the Army Recruiting Office started life on the other side of James Watt St. I'm afraid that I cant even remember where I read it.
Phil
James Watt Street - Corner Cafe Milk Bar and Restaurant. The cafe has called itself a 'milk bar'. Its also a restaurant and cafe, so covering all its options. It's dated 1949. The high wall to the left has a James Watt Street street sign, so maybe JW St runs left to right (or maybe not?) Not sure. Viv.
Radiorails
master brummie
Milk bars were very common in the late 40's and early 50's. They were succeeded by coffee bars and similar named places.
In Kellys for 1950 No 119 Coleshill St is L'Orient Cafe (in red) , and no 118 is a hairdressers (in blue). The c1950 map is very unclear here, but the earlier c1889 map shows the corner building is rounded, as in photo. Cannot see any other place that fits with cafe & hairdressers
So the road leading off on the left side of the photo is JW St. Can only see a little of it. Thanks Mike. Viv.
