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Market Hall 1835 - 1963

Well done I remember this too, but had seen the other one too, Viv was right all along, and ,well my memory is in another place....
 
I was disgusted when they demolished the the old Market Hall, it should have been re roofed and restored to its former glory. To me St Martins and the Market Hall was the Bull Ring. It was a favourite painting subject of mine, have attached 2. Eric
 

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cookie273uk said:
I was disgusted when they demolished the the old Market Hall, it should have been re roofed and restored to its former glory. To me St Martins and the Market Hall was the Bull Ring. It was a favourite painting subject of mine, have attached 2. Eric
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Eric, wonderful paintings! Brings back memories of my visits to the Bull Ring on a Saturday afternoon!
 
They did this a lot in the early 60's Cookie, they destroy so much of our Birmingham buildings with memories for thousands, such a shame, I have discussed this often on the forum , mainly with Astoness, it really dos hurt when you take the time to think and remember!!
 
Come on guys...you can become accustomed to most anything. Built not very nicely on some Grecian style maybe...more like an elongated flack tower. Looking for some place to be to ward off the invaders. Way over designed to provide cover for a few stalls I think. For much of it's life it did not even do that.
 
I agree with what you say Rupert, but you miss the point, its the memory's of the generations, what is important about such buildings, even , looking at those pics from so long ago, brings a lump to my throat, although far away now from Brum, seeing my long gone Mom and Dad, at Christmas, and the laughter and chatting. That's what you associate as a kid, and we went regularly there. So yes the building meant much more than its architecture to me at least, and I suspect quite a few others...
 
paul stacey said:
I agree with what you say Rupert, but you miss the point, its the memory's of the generations, what is important about such buildings, even , looking at those pics from so long ago, brings a lump to my throat, although far away now from Brum, seeing my long gone Mom and Dad, at Christmas, and the laughter and chatting. That's what you associate as a kid, and we went regularly there. So yes the building meant much more than its architecture to me at least, and I suspect quite a few others...
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And going up those steps to see all those stalls became part of who we were.
 
Yeah...I know, but I wish we had a bit more than that from back then. Nobody cares about industry anymore and there is not much of that now. I suppose the world is unfolding as it should.
 
Rupertstill said:
Yeah...I know, but I wish we had a bit more than that from back then. Nobody cares about industry anymore and there is not much of that now. I suppose the world is unfolding as it should.
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Rupert, I care about industry VERY much! I have worked in it all my life. I am saddened by so much industry that I grew up with In Birmingham has gone!
 
Yes, you are both right, we as youngsters were brought up , in one of the most industrial community's in Britain, yet names you thought would go on for ever, Lucas, Austin, Birmetals, and so many others I could name now gone for ever , and the whole of what was Industrial Birmingham, turned over to service industry's and of course high Tech. Change has come very quickly for our Generations, it was some what slower for the previous ones, and it leaves a bit of a hole, except for our memories!!
 
A few images of the Hall. It all looked incredibly organised and neat. Source: British Newspaper Archive

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50992A7E-4730-47A6-8F24-C4C1FC417843.jpegCBDF4848-B243-48AB-AE6D-CC6B6D7D83C8.jpeg
 

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When my nanny and I visited the city our first port of call was the Bull Ring Then we went to the Market Hall, for a dish of cockles and then on to Woolworth restaurant for our meal. Such nice memories, I was between 8 and 10 years old and this was in the period 1946 -1947.
As I have recorded in another thread the Bull Ring was a magical place for a youngster.
 
The Market hall used to have a roof until it was bombed. I used to go every Saturday with Mom into town and visit the Market Hall every week. Then one Saturday we went and found it had been bombed, I think the night before. I can't remember what specific items we went there for.
 
The novelty of a fish stall in Birmingham, this one in the Market Hall. Viv,

Screenshot_20230712_152852_Chrome.jpgSource: British Newspaper Archive
 

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Great photo's Janet, that's how the market became roofless, and if I remember rightly as a boy in the 50's there was a mine or bomb displayed where you could make a donation !!
 
This photo shows the Market Hall (without its roof) and jam-packed with market stalls in the early 1960s. Despite its days being numbered by the time this photon was taken, it looks to have been buzzing right up until its end. This is how I remember it. Very busy and it was slow progress to get to the stalls you wanted to see.

Soon after, the ground beneath the Market Hall became Manzoni Gardens.

Screenshot_20240104_164912_Chrome.jpg
Source : British Newspaper Archive
 
In 1939 we moved to Shirley and every Saturday our Mom took me and my 2 sisters to see our Nan in Aston, we caught the 154 Midland Red to the Bullring walked up the hill past Woolworths to the Market Hall for some cockles and mussels it had a roof on then, then continued to Martineau Street to catch the 3X Witton tram getting off at Queens Road where our Nan lived (the road I was born in in 1930). Eric
 
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