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Location wanted for this bus if possible

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I agree with Alan (Radio Rails) that the bus would not be coming out of service as it would be showing either a shortworking destination as its final service trip would not be a complete circle or it would in BCT practice be showing 'Garage'.
Post 276 shows the bus on the 3A route which I presume means that at some time it was based at either Harborne or Quinton garages which I would have thought unlikely to work the Inner Circle.

If it was coming into service I doubt that it would be showing Inner Circle because before the use of the 8A and 8C numbers no one would know which way it was going.
 
john knight said:
Middlemore Homes was also in Weoley Castle Road, I was there with my 3 siblings in 1949 when my mother was in hospital, one night my brother and I escaped about 2 am, we only got halfway down Weoley Castle road and were met by a copper who said "where do you think your'e going", and promptly took us back, my mother signed herself out of hospital otherwise I would be in Canada.
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I think it was Weoley Park Road
 
Radiorails said:
Twice I have drawn attention to Springhill School in this thread but no one has commented.
It has many of the features, was on the 8 route and shares the name Springhill. It is a suggestion that library was the word used when it should have been school.
Get your thinking caps on folks, prove or disprove. :grinning:
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Do you mean New Spring Street?
 
This thread is becoming a total legend. I used to have an e-mail address for Andy Foster but I seem to have misplaced it and it is not on my current PC. He was responsible for the Pevsner guide to Birmingham. I used to chat to him in the archives of the old library and noted that they brought out plan after plan of buildings for him. Even if this building has long gone he might recognise the distinctive tower that is behind the bus. It has eight pinnacles with perhaps gablets. If anyone knows how to contact him it might be a help.

Construction of the inner ring road caused a lot of traffic chaos around the time of this photograph which may have caused some sort of re-routing of the No.8 route. And I know that there was a anti-nuclear march around the entire bus route in the summer of 1959.

Is there now a prize for the person who identifies the building correctly ;)
 
Both Spring Hill Library and Icknield Street School were by the firm of architects Martin & Chamberlain but Martin did the library and Chamberlain did the school
 
Radiorails said:
The problem here Spargone is that the bus was withdrawn from service in 1960. The photo (from the book) is dated at 1959.
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I can believe 1959/60, you confirm my feeling that it is unlikely to be much earlier, i.e. 1955-58. Narrowing the time window must help, thank you!
 
Mac Joseph's Old Ladywood site has some good photos of Monument Road. Whilst there were some changes and demolitions I don't think the massive re-construction for the Middleway had commenced by the time of our photo.
One glaring mistake seems to be a photo of St. John's Church given as 1969. The cars suggest an earlier date as do the trams tracks. Trams were replaced by buses in 1947 and they would have been lifted fairly soon. particularly as scrap metal post WW2 was like gold. All of which reminds us to be wary of photographic dates.
 
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Probably not significant but note the 'striped' (bricks between paving slabs) pavement layouts in these two locations ...:rolleyes:
Pavements.jpg
 
Radiorails said:
Mac Joseph's Old Ladywood site has some good photos of Monument Road. Whilst there were some changes and demolitions I don't think the massive re-construction for the Middleway had commenced by the time of our photo.
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My post #306 mentions road chaos but I wasn't thinking of Ladywood specifically - the posts on this thread do seem to concentrate on this area whereas most agree it is not the library as mentioned in the book. Perhaps everyone should consider other parts of Birmingham rather than burying all thought in this one district. As a friendly suggestion to all, it could be good to start again with a blank canvas. Perhaps even forget the bus a little and concentrate on the architecture of the building.
 
oldMohawk said:
Hi brummy-lad,
I think you have definitely found it and we can all relax now ...:grinning:
The matching features I notice shown below ...
View attachment 131022
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I can't believe that the overwhelming evidence from this post appears to have been ignored. I just wish we had a picture of the windows of the Sunday School attached to Wycliffe Church (EDITED, NOT St Matthias Church) showing the name of the building also.
 
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brummy-lad said:
I can't believe that the overwhelming evidence from this post appears to have been ignored. I just wish we had a picture of the windows of the Sunday School attached to St Matthias Church (showing the name of the building). John
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I have now been (virtually) all round the Inner Circle route using maps, aerial photos, and Phil's photos of the complete route, looking at surrounding streets etc and found no other matching buildings. I agree that the Wycliffe Sunday School is the best match apart from those windows. Unfortunately the only photo we have is taken at an angle, and with the foreshortening effect does not give a clear picture.

I have a feeling this one will be joining the forum's collection of unsolved locations ...:cool:
edited to add correct name for the Sunday School
 
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There have been a few places discussed here, they are all of a similar architectural style and built in the same era.
R.F.Mack did not live in the city,as far as I know, so was not quite a familiar as local photographers were. Spring Hill library has always been a quite prominent structure and could have easily be assumed to be the place in the photo if the true location had been forgotten. I still wonder why the background is so poorly shown. Did something damage the film?
 
brummy-lad said:
I can't believe that the overwhelming evidence from this post appears to have been ignored. I just wish we had a picture of the windows of the Sunday School attached to St Matthias Church (showing the name of the building). John
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It's a good shout but there are some details that do not quite fit.
 
Spargone said:
My crude guess as to what the building on the left of the original image might look like. The upper windows on the very left appear to have very unusual frames.
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Having looked at numerous gothic windows I think Spargone has it more or less right for the windows near to the bus. There may be the 5 or maybe 6 sections, but I can’t see that pattern on any.

This does not help but it is interesting that we may have something original in design.
 
I believe that the building(s) HAVE been identified, however I would ask this - how many churches/schools/libraries etc. have EIGHT pinnacles around it's tower/spire.
 
hi carolina that is st matthias school corner of wheeler st and farm st its not one that is being discussed...the blocks of flats we see in the distance are 2 of the 5 blocks that run along new john st west..

kieron the st matthias church you pointed out on post 318 was also in farm st so is also not the one being discussed

cheers

lyn
 
brummy-lad said:
I can't believe that the overwhelming evidence from this post appears to have been ignored. I just wish we had a picture of the windows of the Sunday School attached to St Matthias Church (showing the name of the building). John
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Sorry, just realised that should be Wycliffe Church NOT St Matthias
 
Astoness said:
hi carolina that is st matthias school corner of wheeler st and farm st its not one that is being discussed...the blocks of flats we see in the distance are 2 of the 5 blocks that run along new john st west..

kieron the st matthias church you pointed out on post 318 was also in farm st so is also not the one being discussed

cheers

lyn
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I was just thinking outside the box as the church spire on St Matthias seems to have eight pinnacles in the small pic I can see. Typical - I have lots of pics of the St Matthias Tavern but not one of the church. But then again, I am a pub man!
 
brummy-lad said:
I can't believe that the overwhelming evidence from this post appears to have been ignored. I just wish we had a picture of the windows of the Sunday School attached to Wycliffe Church (EDITED, NOT St Matthias Church) showing the name of the building also.
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Nothing is being ignored as far as I can see, but until this theory is proven it's the same as all the other theories "supposition".
 
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