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Lower Temple Street

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
I think this is one of those streets that often gets forgotten or people struggle to place exactly where it is. Here's a 1950s view looking up Lower Temple Street towards St Phillip's Cathedral. Think you can just about make out the passageway (Burlington ?) on the right which ran behind the shops on New Street. At this time it looks like it was only one-way for traffic at this point, the flow being only allowed down onto Stephenson Street/Navigation Street.

Viv.

image.jpeg
 
Can anyone date this?

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Took me a while to figure out where this was.

Of course it is pedestrianized now (as is New St you are standing in).

New St station in the distance of course, though now looking totally different with its shiny silver covering.

Really glad people took photos of these "ordinary" things to show how things change. I try to do the same today, going round the city taking loads of photos.
 
That's where Starbucks is now at the corner of New Street and Lower Temple Street. The Potato Man is usually outside on weekdays. Thomson / TUI was on the right but it closed down.

Image below from Google Maps Street View.
Lower Temple St 2016.jpg
 
Policeman: "Now what do we have here then ?"
Horse: " No idea, nuffin to do with me guv "

Viv.

IMG_0059.JPG
 
The New Street thread is not coming up on a search again, so will post this under Lower Temple Street.

Mainly taken as not a busy now that the Birmingham FCM is gone.

Tim Hortons at the corner of New Street and Lower Temple Street in the White House building.



Pevsner:

No. 111, The White House, started as a similar building to the Burlington Hotel block beyond Lower Temple Street, of 1874-5 by Plevins. Reconstructed 1911-12 by Nichol & Nichol for Hortons' Estate with a new steel frame and elevations of fine concrete render scored to imitate faience. Open top arcade mirroring Piccadilly, the uneven spacing betraying the reconstruction.
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This photo shows the curved building at the bottom of Lower Temple Street. Although I suspect some of the original building remains, major adaption has taken place over time. Or was it completely rebuilt ? And it’s seen several completely different business uses too. In addition I think it was once a car showroom and possibly had a garage workshop beneath (Colmore ?).

The first image shows a lot of effort was given to the outside display with palms planted in barrels. In the second photo, although not visible) there was once a Snooker Club (Churchill) next to the rear entrance of Piccadilly Arcade. Wonder if this is where the old garage workshop staff entrance was ?

Viv.



8B68C3FD-1E32-4AB4-B5A6-B8B7F6A1EDCF.jpeg633D682F-68A8-47AB-84BC-C63DBBA3901D.jpeg1B77B654-4430-4630-A0C3-1225B300D5EC.jpeg
 
Churchill’s Snooker Club was actually on Navigation Street. But the business premises we’re discussing here seems to have looped around slightly onto Navigation Street as well as the main part being on Lower Temple Street, as seen here. Viv.

71EE479C-7EF8-429D-8452-6041832D9656.jpeg
 
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Is that Hudsons on the right, beneath and to the left (sign) of the walkway? Used to love going in there but there don't seem to be many photos it.
 
1893 adverts appears to list Cumberland Hams, Celebrated A La Mode Beef, Collared Ox Tongue - all 1s 6d lb.

1883 advert seems to suggest it became Benson's about then and was previously Welch's.
 
Up till just before WW1 there were two Bensons restaurants in Birmingham, the other, named "dining rooms", being in Bull St. The Bull St ones seems to have been quite a high class place. I do not see any connection between the two similarly placed premises. The Lower Temple St premises, or rather its owner, recieved News of the World style coverage in the Birmingham Mail in 1907

Birm.mail. 16.7.1907 Bensons restaurant.jpgBirm.mail. 23.7.1907. bensons.jpg
 
Astoness said:
nice photo here showing bensons restaurant lower temple st which i believe later became the temple bar pub

lyn

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Temple Bar was in the basement of the pub which was the Shakespeare. On the opposite side from the Shakespeare was a jewellers shop whose name escapes me. Temple Bar was a regular meeting place midweek for the townie Mods. Shaun, Duffy, Declan Burn, Colin. Tuesday get there early two Black Velvets and West End Dance Hall around 8.15. Just in time to see Little Freddie do his Blue Beat shuffle on the steps. Surprised so many of us are still alive.
 
Don't know about a bar beneath the Shakespeare, but Viv's photo shows that there was a Temple Bar next door to the Shakespeare. I remember going into it and having great difficulty getting rid of an ancient crone (probably actually younger than me now, but looking a lot older), who was convinced I should buy her a drink. Put me off going in there again
 
ellbrown said:
The New Street thread is not coming up on a search again, so will post this under Lower Temple Street.

Mainly taken as not a busy now that the Birmingham FCM is gone.

Tim Hortons at the corner of New Street and Lower Temple Street in the White House building.



Pevsner:
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I think this property is now a Ladbrokes betting office.
 
mikejee said:
Don't know about a bar beneath the Shakespeare, but Viv's photo shows that there was a Temple Bar next door to the Shakespeare. I remember going into it and having great difficulty getting rid of an ancient crone (probably actually younger than me now, but looking a lot older), who was convinced I should buy her a drink. Put me off going in there again
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Temple Bar was definitely in a basement. Hell of a job to get up the stairs when Pat had started a fight.
 
Terence David Lines said:
Temple Bar was definitely in a basement. Hell of a job to get up the stairs when Pat had started a fight.
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Hi all had some great times in The Temple Bar in the 70s with my brother Eddie best mate Colin Hunt {RIP} and some more friends , the ground level was a bar, lower level was done out like a ship and 1st floor was a lounge, Reenie was the barmaid in the basement bar she was brilliant and Clive was another barman he was a happy fellow , Good Days
 
raz ullah said:
Hi all had some great times in The Temple Bar in the 70s with my brother Eddie best mate Colin Hunt {RIP} and some more friends , the ground level was a bar, lower level was done out like a ship and 1st floor was a lounge, Reenie was the barmaid in the basement bar she was brilliant and Clive was another barman he was a happy fellow , Good Days
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That sounds like The Nelson which was on the corner of Temple Row & Temple Street
 
The demise of Welch's Pie Shop near the junction of Lower Tempie Street and New Street. A close call for pie customers ! Viv

Screenshot_20230804_182022_Chrome.jpgSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
Mark Yates was landlord from at least 1851 (from newspaper mentions). but handed over the licence for the Shakespeare on 7th october 1874 to Charles Cotterill
 
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