• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Keith Berry's Photos (pbase Galleries)

jennyann

jennyann

Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Please note this thread has been superseded by a later thread because the pBase website no longer hosts Keith Berry's images. Please go to
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/keith-berrys-photos-bhf-recovered.46801/
to view his images
Thank you.

Lately, I have been having a look around the PBase Photo website. https://www.pbase.com/beppuu/root It's a very interesting site in so many ways. Keith Berry, has been photographing parts of Birmingham and some areas that are fairly close by for several years now and in addition posesses an amazing camera collection. Also, he has posted his work on the PBase site which allows you to put up photos in galleries and also detail the type of camera that was used for each of the shots within individual galleries. .

Keith and his wife live in Brantley Road, Witton, the street where my Mother was born. He has photographed the area around Witton and some of his photos of parts of Witton may already be on this site. Keith has worked in the photography business throughout his career in various camera shops.

I have enjoyed his Galleries so much on this site and have seen photos of local scenes that I thought I would never see again. Another great thing about this site is the fact that viewers can leave comments about each photo in the galleries.
Have a look...you will enjoy a walk down memory
lane. The sadness comes when you realize how
dreadful some of the scenes have become but those who knew those scenes in days gone by will
hold onto the memories evoked by these photos.
 
:D jennyann, Yes it's a great site I have been to it a number of times and recomended it to others. (I think Rod or John H said that the link is also on the main Website).

Chris :D
 
We have reccomended the site a number of times, its well worth a visit.
 
I saw the wall where we used to play cannon, the memories came flooding back- again.

Shame on the council for not taking more pride in our city. The houses that were demolished were in such bad order. Are the tower blocks they built going down the same route.
 
Thank you Jennyann for posting the site. I have just spent a wonderful one and a half hours browsing through all of the photos and saw Falcon Lodge wher I used to live. My husband recalled all the places he drove round when he was a driving instructor for BSM in Handsworth. :roll:

Great site and thank you again
 
Great site-and we all have enjoyed it I am sure. I found one photo that made me laugh. The photo brought back memories instantly and Keith's comments were so in keeping with this character. He was a flower seller who appeared on the corner of York Road and High Street Erdington mostly on Saturdays....my secret name for him was "The Burglar". In my child's mind he must have reminded me of a typical comic character who was a burglar.....scruffy appearance, flat cap, heavily unshaven and very shifty.

He was always there on Saturday's with his boxes of flowers that were definitely not "fresh cut". Standing next to the night safe opening always proved fascinating to me as I passed by over the years. He would shout out some words that were hard to understand. He was generally rude to his customers and swear words came naturally to him. However, he did have his better days when he seemed to be more polite to his customers.
The flowers he is selling in Keith's photo are very straggly as I often remembered them to be most of the time.

I bought some blooms from him for my Mum once because the price was right and they lasted but one day at home. Anyway, there he is caught
in a photograph just as I remembered him. What a revelation to arrive
at that photo. "The Burglar" was very much a part of the street scene in
Erdington from the late l940's onwards. I wish I had known more about him. I shall have to ask a few of my friends a couple of whom lived in York Road just around the corner from where he stood.
 
Photos

Fantastic Photos what more can you say.
Look forward to more
 
I've just tried to access Keith Berry's pictures on PBase and they are no longer available.
Keith died in January 2009 and I guess his collection was deleted either because he hadn't accessed it or paid his subs.
I've just contacted PBase to explain what a valuable collection it was and asked if can be reinstated.
I'll keep you informed.
(In case anyone's missed it - the pictures Keith downloaded of Phyllis Nicklin's are now available on the University of Birmingham Institutional Research Archive - https://epapers.bham.ac.uk/chrysalis.html.)
 
Bill, I must be thick because it was only last night I tried to get on KB's site, and didn't realise it no longer exists. I just thought there was a technical hitch, and that I would get on later. I really hope there is some way these pictures can be re-instated, as to lose them would be terrible.
 
Hi Bill and Baz: I too came across the fact that Keith's photos were no longer available yesterday. It didn't register right away and I thought there must be an error. Hopefully, you will hear something back from PBase Bill regarding these photos. I have an e-mail somewhere going back to 2009 from a person connected to Keith's family who said that the photos would be maintained but as you say Bill perhaps the sub has no longer been paid.
 
We really need these photos to be preserved. Like you Jennyann, I hope Bill has luck with PBase, and that something can be done. We simply cant afford to lose such pieces of Brums history.
 
This is a terrible loss!! I so hope it's reinstated. I've thoroughly enjoyed browsing Keith's photos. A great record of its time. Viv
 
I contacted PBase who said Keith Berry's photographs were on the list for deletion because of the length of time that his subs had not been paid.
Apparently they can be restored, but I'm still waiting for a further reply from PBase. I've a horrible feeling . . .
 
Still keeping my fingers crossed Bill. And thanks for all your efforts to keep the pics alive.
 
Today, I found Keith Berry's Gallery on PBase. We all thought the photos were gone. Hopefully this link will work https://www.pbase.com/beppuu/root
Try it out and see if it works. Fingers crossed. I should add that Keith Berry passed away in early 2009. He spent many years recording scenes of Birmingham
and other local areas with his amazing collection of cameras. Some of the Phyllis Nicklin Birmingham Collection slides are also on Keith's site. Phyllis Nicklin was a professor at the University of Birmingham and recorded colour slides of many Birmingham places in the 1960's.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that Jennyann. I too thought we had lost this piece of photo history for good. Lovely that its been found again.
 
Thank you for that Jennyann, I've just managed to waste....erm...spend over an hour catching up with all these photos again.
Sandwiches for tea tonight methinks!
 
Same here Charlie. What a great collection, skillful photography and interesting subjects. A great pity if it was lost. I would have thought B'ham Library would have (surely?) made a move to preserve these. Viv.
 
Re. Keith Berry's collection on PBase.
I've been emailing a feller at PBase who said that he'd rescued the pictures from deletion, but I didn't know they were back on till I read Jennyann's post today.
He did say that someone would have to pay the subscription if they were to remain there. I'm still waiting for him to get back in touch with me.
Can I suggest that people start saving these priceless images. Keith Berry was happy for me to use any of his photos on my website,
A History of Birmingham Places & Placenames . . . from A to Y - https://billdargue.jimdo.com/ as long as they were credited to him and were not used commercially or for profit.
I understand he has a widow, but I have no way contacting her. And as he's sadly no longer with us, (I'm only guessing) I would think he'd be happy for the same to apply to any further use of his work.
Will keep you informed if I hear any more. Bill
 
Bill, thank you very much for paying for Keith's collection to stay online for another year. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
 
just like to add my thanks as well bill this is so kind of you..keiths photos are an absolute treasure..

lyn
 
Such generosity Bill. I'm sure there will be many, many people that will appreciate your very kind gesture. On behalf of all of us. THANKS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top