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Kings Heath

Here is a 1950s photo of Kings Heath's High Street just showing Woolworths on the right hand side which was originally Kings Heath and Moseley Institute before it was replaced by Woolworths.
 
On earlier photos you will notice that there was a spire on top of the tower on the right.I was told that the spire leaked profusely into the classrooms below and it was too expensive to replace so they removed it.
 
I am trying to track down the loaction of Mrs Smallwoods shop. My mum used to visit it often but is struffling to remember exactly where it was. My mum was living in Fairfield Road at the time.

I remember I used to visit a small general grocery store in one of the side roads which sold the worlds best bacon and I was fascinated watching the owner slice it. I am struggling to remember his name, possible Alf?, he was quite a tall man who was rather rotund and loved cycling, ring any bells with anyone?
 
Bella1, welcome to the forum,
I remembered the shop on the corner of Silver Street and Fairfield Road, never changed for years.
Fred. D. Smallwood, Grocer, 47, Silver Street, there's a picture of the shop on https://www.photobydjnorton.com/GTC/KingsHeath.html
Not sure about the other one though, there were quite a few small grocery shops around Kings Heath.

Colin
 
I am trying to track down the loaction of Mrs Smallwoods shop.

I was in King Heath yesterday, when on Silver Street I spotted a old wall advert for Twinings. On closer inspection of my photos, at the top it said
Smallwood Grocers - G M Smallwood. It is on the corner of Silver Street and Fairfield Road in Kings Heath.



It's now Kings Heath Hydroponics

 
Hi Bella 1 the shop on the corner of Silver St was owned and run for years by Grace Smallwood I lived nearly opposite the shop at 92 Silver St from 1965 to 1986 and Grace was there when we moved there and was still there till she sadly died a few years ago, Grace lived over the top of the shop with her daughter and her two grandchildren. I think the shop in open all hours was based on Smallwoods because the inside resembled Arkwrights shop.
 
Johnieo do you recall where the café was along Silver Street? If I am correct it was on a corner on the left hand side as you looked from the High Street though it may have been along one of the side roads that went off Silver Street.
 
hi ellibrown
yes its abit of a coincidence but yes its as benard said looking down the street from the high stret its on the botom end of silver street
i know it very well for the very reason way back in the eightys and ninetys one of our long life school and neibour bought that shop
and he was a builder named davidsons [ [ sid ] and it was a builder merchants with hardware shop combined a real tradesman ;
he is well known guy he is getting on in life now he sold every think even glass this guy was and is still worth a fortune
he learnt is trade a a young kid from mr horton a well known bulder of the yester years of victoria rd aston sid uused to and brought up in vicarage rd aston
facing the old bakery shop on the corner of vigarage rd and victoria rd and he bought that shop of your relie,s and
after years of trading moved down to alum rock and bought the land and the shops facing the old picture house and as far as i know he still ownens all those shops and the rear lands today he as bult propertys for the NHS AND BIG PROPERTYS AROUND the midlands he had dozens of men working for him
old sid was a bussinress man from the day he was born and he worked hard and saved hard to build a bussiness and by golly he knows is trade
and on that subject of sving hard as kids and young men he worked for old man horton and spent all is time at our house day and night we or should i say my mother
kept him fed him 24 hrs a day ; i say that because he never went home as we lived on victoria rd our selfs at 47 and he lived down by the police station
we would be playing darts at our moms house day and nigh andhe used to smoke our faggs very rarely old sid would buy is own
so you see thats how i know of your relies shop i used to go and see him from time to time to buy my hardware materials when working around kings heath myself way back around that period best wishes Astonian
 
Bernard, do you mean The Silver Grill on the corner of High Steet and Silver Street.

Colin
 

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My Grandfather Denis W Breakwell lived in 13 Adrian Cottage (1901 census) long gone now i bet not sure where it was, then he moved to 24 Grange Road 1911 census. Married my Grandmother Gladys Finch 47 Highbury road, when i went to that area 2 years ago could not beleive that this house has still got the green front door that i remember from the 60´s when i used to visit.

Join¡ed the Navy in September 72 with a lad who lived in Silver Street can´t think of his name want to say Horton but not 100% sure
 
No Colin this was way back in 1959/60 I worked at 'Drayton Radio' and 'Hobby' Hobday would often call in there when we were on our way to do some electrical job. Always ran into MEB electricians moaning abut how much work they had to do. Funny thing was they were already in the Café when we arrived and still there moaning when we left. Having looked on Google Earth I now think it may have been somewhere between Silver Street and York Road. I will have a wander around next time I am in Kings Heath - which may be this Friday since I discovered 'Maison Mayci' in Silver Street.

I seem to recall the Silver Grill was a Greengrocer's back then but not sure.
 
hi bernad
we lived in heathfield road in the seventys and we got a compulsive order to move so they could buld that so called comunity centre
that isthere now yes it was good in kingsheath in those days but now i would not give you tuppence for it charity and fast food shops virtualy every other door way
is a food shop oh beg your pardon they must be about six computors technolgy shop gong towards the church
fast foods are springing up like nobodys bussiness just like harbourne high street just like lady pool rd
whom is paying for al these take aways whom is issueing these licences shop after shop in these rd are fast foods harborne high street is gone down
ride down pershore rd its the same there shop after shop take away curry houses whats the reasons and why are we being bomb barded wich such shops i asked
alot of these take aways and pittas aint takng money surely not you wont find solihull or sutton bombarded with these shops in any street one after one
best wishes astonian;
 
Hi Bernard R I think the cafe that you are thinking of was in York Rd the next road down from Silver, if I remember right it was called the York Rd cafe and it was just above where the Ritz used to be on the right hand side looking from the high st it was more of a transport cafe as they were known in them days, I hope this is the cafe you are refering to.
Regards John.
 
Hi Bernard
I have been going through a book called Birmingham look back and I seem to recall not so long back you put a thread regarding kings heath
Section how you worked in kings heath and the cafe you used but could not quite recall it
Well in this book there is a page called the kings Norton observer its all business advertisements

The original cafe in silver street at that time as I recall j now as I said I lived in heathfield avenue k heath
They put a compulsory purchase on our house a small batch of us in act to build the comuneity centre that is now
I do know k,heath very well silver street its just two streets from us in those days
But getting back to the subject of the. Are its advertised in this k Norton observer
And the block adverts says meet me at ,,,,, my cafe 34 silver street,kings heath for lunch
Hours between 12 pm and 2.15 pm. Each day
Renowed. For real home cooking ,,,,,,,so that be the cafe you would have been thinking as they was there before the York road one
Best wishes astonian, Alan,,,,,,,
 
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