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Lucas Great King Street demolition

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
Edit. The photos referred to are in post #36.

hi all. i cant see any other pics on the site of the demolision of lucas gt king st so i thought you may like to see these. they were taken in march 1994 by my brother H. dad used to work there in the 70s. he was the man in the security box. my aunt joyce purnell also worked there for about 30 years. and me and my brother used to go to the lucas christmas parties. wales.
 
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How sad it was to watch the destruction of this banner of Birmingham - and British - industry. What industry and manufacturing might have we now? It is to be hoped that there isn't another war soon as there is no ability to produce the necessary machinery to wage and win it in this country now.
 
Thank you for the pictures, Wales.
My sentiments exactly Lloyd; my grandfather used to call Birmingham the city of a thousand trades. My mother Sylvia Rose Fellows (nee Bayliss) worked at Lucas in the early 1960's. It helped put food on the table during a time when we lived in an old decrepit council house in Frankfurt Street.
I do worry about Great Britain and this country too (America). It seems as though we are becoming nothing more than a bunch of managers and service personnel. I fear a great awakening is in store for all of us.

Kevin Fellows (Project Manager)
 
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hi kev. as with Lloyd i agree with you. we know for sure that the housing conditions left a lot to be desired. i was born in paddington st. (a couple of streets from frankfort st) then moved to villa st when i was five. as i have said before on the site us kids (6 of us) never went without the main things in life(food clothes and love) and i for one grew up feeling safe and secure. its just sad that things have to change. best wishes wales.:)
 
Hi

remarkable pictures of the demolition of GKS.
The few years I worked there in those huge
Factories and Offices contained within this
vast site one would have never believed it was
all coming down.
I attach a few pics I have.
(Thanks to https://www.astonbrook-through-astonmanor.co.uk for the photos and also the photographer Stan Hussey)
Mike Jenks
 
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hi mike. brillient pics. thats just how i remember it. having lived round there all my life i must have walked past lucas thousands of times. i dont know how true this is but the story goes that the ground beneath lucas was contaminated and should never have been rebuilt on. if you go to the main lucas site and click on lucas history i have posted a couple of pics of artifacts that came out of GKS. just thought they may be of interest. wales. ps on your 1st pic to the left i think is a pub. cant recall which one. just off to find out. wales.
 
I have fond memories of this building. I lived very near in Defford Road (opposite Burbury Park) in the 1960's and went to Harry Lucas school. On one careless night, friends and I clambered up builders scaffolding to the top of the building - I must have been insane (oe perhaps young and foolish)? Thanks for the pictures. Keith
 
ps on your 1st pic to the left i think is a pub. cant recall which one. just off to find out. wales.

Did anyone find out the name of this pub. Would be very interested to know as looking at the picture it seems to be a the bottom of Burbury Street.
 
Hi All

Hopefully there will be a full gallery of the demolishion of king street in the near future
I have just received a load of pictures and I'm in the middle of scanning them in

I'm told the two pubs in the area are The Lord Byron and The Duke of Cambridge

I will get the photos on as soon as possible


Jackie
 
When i was in my teens the Lucas factory in Shirley was knocked down and guess what replaced it a shopping centre b&q etc.:sweat:
 
There was a St Geoge and Dragon at the corner of Gt King St and New John St West
but this is probably the Queens Head in Burbury Street
 
There was a third pub. The Queens Arms, by the directors entrance, corner of Bridge St West and Burbury St.
 
Hi Wales.
Thanks for sending those pictures, it reminds me of the fantastic book I've just reading "BRUM UNDAUNTED Birmingham during the blitz" by Karl Chinn.
Anybody who remembers the war and lived in Birmingham during these difficult times should read it, it is compulsiv readings
 
my pleasure ray. well not really. i wish it hadnt been demolished. i have made a note of chinnys book and will try and get a copy asap. wales.
 
It was the Queens Head corner of Burbury St Bridge St West.Atkinson's Brewery owned it I lived up a yard a little way down Burbury St. during the war we used to stay in bed while an air raid was on until a bell rang to tell the Lucas workers to go to the shelters. (and so did we)as the bombers were near Brum.. After the war Lucas.s sent a Xmas parcel to all the houses Turkey, Cake ,etc, it was said this was because of all the cars parked on both sides of the Burbury St making it difficult to cross the street .

Jean.
 
jean. thanks for letting us know it was the queen head and how nice to receive xmas parcels. i will try to find a better pic of the pub. wales.:)
 
Hi

Some photo's from our Estimating Group from
Great King Street.
Our Office was located in the M2 area of the Main
Office block. 1966 to 1970 was my era.
Grace one of the Office workers is leaving
to have her baby.
The other photo is our retirement group.
We meet evey year.

Mike Jenks
 
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