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Kingstanding

yes viv these gullies are still there..it amazing that when we were kids we didnt need pots of money to enjoy our childhood..there was always somewhere to go and things to do including scrumping lol...popped back up the kingstanding road the other day and took some more pics of the other shops you mentioned junction of tresham road.. if you would like me to post them just let me know also took one of a hut type building that is now the 610 club for kids..cant be sure though if this building was there when you lived here...

lyn
 
I'd love to see up-to-date pics Lyn. That'd be lovely. Seems amazing to me that the area we're discussing was like this in 1921.

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Viv
 
ok viv i will download them asap for you...sorry i cant see the pic you have posted...

lyn
 
Lyn
Click on the square box thing. you get a little blank screen witj a whirling dervish (sort of) in the middle. click on this and you gate asked if you want to see it or save. Do which you want.
 
hi mike thats not working for me..all i get is a whole page of mixed up letters...
 
Just found I can open the picture by clicking on the little box and then clicking on the whirling once. It now opens the picture.
 
I think it might be a problem with uploading pics via Tapatalk. Will go back to coppemine.

I think Lyn's right about the Scott's garage photo in post 780. Just typed 549 Kingstnding Rd into Google maps and it comes up very close to the Texaco garage. So it must be the position of Scotts in 1955 as all the houses on either side of the garage are inter-war houses. And looking at the 1921 map I'd hazard a guess that the garage buildings were something to do with Kettlehouse Farm. You can see buildings on the map on the roadside where there's a bend in the road. Surely this must be where the garage is ? Interestingly if this is the building, at this point the Kingstanding Road left the path of Icknield Street for a short distance, then returns to the path later on. That would place the (farm?) buildings as once all being on Icknield Street. Viv.
 
That's very kind of you Lyn, thanks. I also have memories of a nursery (plants, not kiddies) somewhere in Kingstanding, possibly along Kstanding Rd, going towards the Circle. Not 100% sure about the position, but I remember it being on top of a hill. It was a large nursey, which makes me think maybe it was part of a farm at one time. I used to go there regularly with my dad. I think they sold Christmas trees in December too. It must have been somewhere in Kingstanding as we always walked there. Maybe it became a garden centre in later years? Or I suppose the land could have been built upon, it would certainly have been there in the 1950s. I clearly remember the rows and rows of plants, it was pretty large-scale. Viv.
 
hi viv..i think the nursery has gone now..cant think of one along the kingstanding road..just going to download those pics and get them on for you.

lyn
 
here you go viv..the shops by tresham road

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not sure how long this building has been there viv..now a club for the youngsters..

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Wow thanks Lyn. Not too much has changed!! The shop units occupied by Bright Eyes Nursery was in the 1950s/60s two shops. In the corner was the Candy Stores - up to where the black drainpipe is. Then it was the wool shop/ladies & baby clothes shop. The Solarium was a greengrocers and the shop next to the garage was a sweetshop. In the 60s the club next to the garage was, I thought, called the Settlement. That's been given a facelift and looks like its got extra buildings to the left in the last picture. The entrance used to be at the front in line with the gate and had 2 swing doors. On the other side of Tresham Road what's now the Fish Bar has been a chippie as far back as I can remember (people will always want fish & chips!), Bilash was a chemists and the ladies hairdresser's was either where Rattlesnake or the Barber's shop is now, more likely the barbers I think. The hairdresser's had a fire in the 60s above the shop, started by a TV set being left on. Don't remember what Adrian Paul was - I have a very hazy memory of it being a men's clothes shop but definitely not a hairdresser's in the 60s. Thanks so much Lyn. Trip down memory lane!! Viv.
 
its a pleasure viv..i forgot this one..the new apartments next to the chippy..they have been up for about 4 or 5 years now..before that there was a petrol station there...

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There was a field there in the 1960s which had a concrete block wall around it. We'd get into it by climbing over a lower part of the wall in the gulley at the back of the shops. It was overgrown, no-one seemed to look after it and there were all sorts of things dumped in there. The ground was very uneven and I'd guess this was where some of the debris from the 1930s building was dumped. This is where we collected our wild flower stock for our floristry enterprise! Lyn I've also been trying to re-post the map in post #786 but it's not having it. Will try again when the forum has settled down. Thanks Lyn. Viv.
 
lol viv sounds like you were a bit of a tom boy like me...ive got a book here with an 1880 map of the area but it in the centre pages..think it will be difficult for me to take it out in one piece and i may lose some of the map but i will have a go and see if it scans ok...

lyn
 
Astoness said:
lol viv sounds like you were a bit of a tom boy like me...ive got a book here with an 1880 map of the area but it in the centre pages..think it will be difficult for me to take it out in one piece and i may lose some of the map but i will have a go and see if it scans ok...

lyn
Click to expand...

Lyn, yes I was, although I tried to do it in style in a pair of royal blue stretch pants - very American. You know the ones with the stirrups under the foot!! Please, please don't ruin your book. I think the difficulty I'm having with posting pics is to do with Coppermine. But maybe this wil settle down when the forum is sorted. Viv.
 
lol viv yes i remember those stetch pants..which brings to mind the day i climbed our apple tree...i had done this many many times but this time climbing down the tree my navy blue school knickers got caught on and branch and i was left just hanging about..anyhow im going off thread now lol..dont worry about the book ive mangage to prise the centre pages as far as i can and scan the map..if you save it you your pc you will be able to zoom in and read it better..seems strange looking at the spot where my house is now....all fields back then...i was hoping to see poole cottages on this map so i will take a better look at it...ps you may already have this..

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Smashing map Lyn. Haven't seen that before. I think Pool Farm Cottages might be on there. If you look to the left of Lodge Pool there's a little house-like building. Wonder if that's the cottages? There's something written just below that, I've zoomed in but can't read it. Also I think it looks like the Hare & Hounds was in the late 1800s early 1900s called the Greyhound. Just a little futher along towards Kingstanding Rd going towards the Circle there looks like there's a smithy (although I can't quite read the word). Then where the Texaco garage now stands opposite Old Oscott Hill - if you look to the right of the words Old Oscott - it looks like there's some sort of building, a cottage I think. Maybe that's where Scott's garage was? All guesswork of course (as you know, my map reading skills leave a bit to be desired) so don't quote me!! Thanks for posting, a great addition to this thread. Viv.

PS - off thread - gives new meaning to 'don't get your knickers in a twist' lol. !!
 
Viv
If the building you mean is what I think you mean , it seems to be Old Park Farm on the c1884 map below

mike

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Not too sure Mike. Obviously the maps are different scales but I think Old Park Farm looks a bit too close to Booths Farm and Powells Pool. The cottage (possibly later Scotts garage) looks to me to be on the other page nearer Old Oscott. Old Oscott Hill joins Kingstanding Road (at the time could have been called Holly Lane) and at that junction is roughly where the cottage is I'm looking at i.e just below Kings Vale Farm. Probably thoroughly confused you now - sorry! Viv.
 
sorry viv think ive prob confused mike even more now...i thought mike thought you were on about the cottage to the left of lodge pool being poole cottages which of course it is..i will shut up now lol...

lyn
 
Right, got it ! Apologies Mike. Think I'll go and have a lie down now! Thanks both. Viv.
 
nice pic dated 1930 of halfway farm...this was situated where the GPO sorting office now is on the kingstanding road

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What a great piece of history Lyn! People would struggle to place this one. So am I right in thinking this is past the Kingstanding Rd/Hawthorn Rd/Dyas Rd junction going towards Perry Barr? If so it must be near where the Territorial Army buildings are/were. The farm must have been demolished shortly after this photo was taken. And imagine trying to walk along this stretch of road today like the people in the photo - be risking your life!! Like this photo very much. Thanks Lyn. Viv.
 
viv you have the location spot on...i keep looking at this one..so hard to believe that the hawthorn lights are just by that 2nd pole you can see..i havepics of other farms and lanes around there so will scan and post..considering kingstanding holds no personal family interest to me i have lived here for 13 years now and i am really finding this thread interesting...

lyn
 
Lyn these photos are so interesting and they're building up a really fascinating view of the area's history. I find it especially intriguing, partly because I grew up there, but also because it was very rural right up until 80 years ago. It was so undeveloped for such a long time. And now there're still traces of that history to be found when you look closely, like Pool Farm cottages. I stumbled across a map from 1830s which I will post when Coppermine's working. I think it shows Pool Farm cottages. See what you think when I post it. It's got some nice bits and bobs on the map. Pleeeeeeeaaase DO post photos as I've never seen these old ones you're posting. Your hard work is making this thread very interesting. Many thanks. Viv.
 
yes viv as i think you already know kingstanding was all agricultural farming which suppliedproduce to the sutton..birmingham and walsall markets..looking forward to seeing your map when you can post it.. just going to scan some more pics..
 
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