• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Mum & Dad somewhere in Aston

Do you think the reception might have been in the Holte pub then - corner of Witton Road and Trinity Road?

the-holte-pub-22994999.jpg
 
On the map there was The Holte but also the Aston Tavern and a club. At one time the club was the Loyal Caledonian Corks Social Club. So there was quite a choice. All we have to go on are the windows in the photo Sue posted in post #25.
 
23484440374_dd91c48a07_b.jpg
 
Yewtree primary school, compare the windows of the ones in the picture of the bride & groom cutting the cake. alf.C
 

Attachments

  • D6C92AEB-E10B-422A-9826-F1ACCBC7FD05.png
    D6C92AEB-E10B-422A-9826-F1ACCBC7FD05.png
    123.4 KB · Views: 15
Thanks to everyone for your help. I've just spoken to mum and she can't recall the name of a garage or where it might have been. Also mum said she did have the reception at a school. She can't recall which one but she did say she went to a high school in Deykin Avenue and a primary school only a short way from her home (which I presume is the one on the corner of Yew Tree Road and Station Road, so this could be it). She also mentioned she worked at Woolsley Sheep Shearing Co in the 40s. She was very excited when I told her I had gone back 7 generations on her father side in Ancestry.

I'm still thinking the first picture is outside the Aston church but it's all roads and freeways now. I'm also thinking mum appears to be looking up and to her right - I wonder if she's looking at the bells ringing after her wedding? I have the original photos but still can't make out the name on the sign.
 
hi sue did you read all of the posts from your last but one post? because we have solved the location of where the photo was taken...post 49 shows a 1951 map showing the church and witton lane which has a bend...also showing is holte road...the garage is dents garage at 15 witton lane so this is where your parents were standing in the photo...it is always advisable to read a thread from the last post you made in case you miss anything...regarding wolesley sheep shearing where your mom worked...we have a thread for it click on link below but remember to read from post 1 so that you do not miss any posts...hope this helps



lyn
 
Last edited:
hi sue did you read all of the posts from your last but one post? because we have solved the location of where the photo was taken...post 49 shows a 1951 map showing the church and witton lane which has a bend...also showing is holte road...the garage is dents garage at 15 witton lane so this is where your parents were standing in the photo...it is always advisable to read a thread from the last post you made in case you miss anything...regarding wolesley sheep shearing where your mom worked...we have a thread for it click on link below but remember to read from post 1 so that you do not miss any posts...hope this helps



lyn
hi sue did you read all of the posts from your last but one post? because we have solved the location of where the photo was taken...post 49 shows a 1951 map showing the church and witton lane which has a bend...also showing is holte road...the garage is dents garage at 15 witton lane so this is where your parents were standing in the photo...it is always advisable to read a thread from the last post you made in case you miss anything...regarding wolesley sheep shearing where your mom worked...we have a thread for it click on link below but remember to read from post 1 so that you do not miss any posts...hope this helps



lyn
Thanks Lyn. I must admit I do get a bit lost reading some of the posts. I also notice there is a separate thread for Dents, so I will look into that too.

Dents on Lichfield Road​

Thanks for the link for Wolsely too.

It's great to be able to see where my parents (and other ancestors) lived and worked. My ancestors on both sides were from Birmingham and go back a long time. Trying to get as much information from mum, before it's too late.
 
always happy to help sue but it is a good tip for all of our members to try and go back to the last post you made on any thread and read from there...that way you will not miss any important posts

lyn
 
Thanks to everyone for your help. I've just spoken to mum and she can't recall the name of a garage or where it might have been. Also mum said she did have the reception at a school. She can't recall which one but she did say she went to a high school in Deykin Avenue and a primary school only a short way from her home (which I presume is the one on the corner of Yew Tree Road and Station Road, so this could be it). She also mentioned she worked at Woolsley Sheep Shearing Co in the 40s. She was very excited when I told her I had gone back 7 generations on her father side in Ancestry.

I'm still thinking the first picture is outside the Aston church but it's all roads and freeways now. I'm also thinking mum appears to be looking up and to her right - I wonder if she's looking at the bells ringing after her wedding? I have the original photos but still can't make out the name on the sign.
Sue, it was a wonderful ride around the neighborhood! We have some very talented folks on this Forum with maps, photos and sleuthing out great information. I got turned around a few times and am still not sure :) Thank you and your Mom!
 
Colleagues. Have looked at the trail. The details given about the properties opposite Aston Parish Church are very helpful.


I have some knowledge of the locations being discussed for two reasons (1) I am the hon. projects officer at Aston Parish Church and (2) from 1953 to 1957 used to travel from Kingstanding to school in Park Avenue, Handsworth.

Every school day to go home I boarded the 29A bus towards Kingstanding and the stop was in Hamstead Road close to the Mist Garage Showroom window. Between the window and the Roebuck pub there was a high blank brick wall broken only for the entrance to the public (Gents) loo, then a high double gate into the back of the pub. Conclusion the trail is correct it is not Mists garage in Hampstead Road.

I have been shown many photos of weddings at Aston Parish Church. Folks come from around the world to see where their relatives were married. Generally, the photos feature the arrival of the bride with her father at the lychgate and conclude with the newly married standing at the west door with its impressive 15th century archway. It is unusual to see a photo of the bride and groom leaving. We can guess that the road was busy, unless it was the last wedding of the day cars for the following wedding would be hovering so not easy for photos.

Weddings at Aston Parish Church may seem a bit over organised and it was for good practical reasons. At busy times ceremonies were conducted back-to-back and the west door location enabled the next wedding to enter through the south door unhindered. Not every wedding had bells (there was an extra charge). Was the bride looking towards the bell tower? May be. There could be another explanation that is looking towards another photographer standing in the raised church yard area to the west of the Lychgate.

It is correct that road widening has changed the area but the road in front of the church is still there as a cul de sac. The bend is still there and is sharp enough to need a warning sign especially with the high footfall in the area.


Aston families are scattered around the globe and it is always good to hear from them.
 
hello 49 heneagest and thanks for your intereresting post...i have ancestors who were married..bapt and buried at aston parish church...looking at your avatar am i correct in thinking you have an interest in heneage st...i had ancestors there in 1841 and 51...if so and you have not already seen it we do have a good thread for this st with quite few old photos...click on the link below

lyn

 
Last edited:
Colleagues. Have looked at the trail. The details given about the properties opposite Aston Parish Church are very helpful.


I have some knowledge of the locations being discussed for two reasons (1) I am the hon. projects officer at Aston Parish Church and (2) from 1953 to 1957 used to travel from Kingstanding to school in Park Avenue, Handsworth.

Every school day to go home I boarded the 29A bus towards Kingstanding and the stop was in Hamstead Road close to the Mist Garage Showroom window. Between the window and the Roebuck pub there was a high blank brick wall broken only for the entrance to the public (Gents) loo, then a high double gate into the back of the pub. Conclusion the trail is correct it is not Mists garage in Hampstead Road.

I have been shown many photos of weddings at Aston Parish Church. Folks come from around the world to see where their relatives were married. Generally, the photos feature the arrival of the bride with her father at the lychgate and conclude with the newly married standing at the west door with its impressive 15th century archway. It is unusual to see a photo of the bride and groom leaving. We can guess that the road was busy, unless it was the last wedding of the day cars for the following wedding would be hovering so not easy for photos.

Weddings at Aston Parish Church may seem a bit over organised and it was for good practical reasons. At busy times ceremonies were conducted back-to-back and the west door location enabled the next wedding to enter through the south door unhindered. Not every wedding had bells (there was an extra charge). Was the bride looking towards the bell tower? May be. There could be another explanation that is looking towards another photographer standing in the raised church yard area to the west of the Lychgate.

It is correct that road widening has changed the area but the road in front of the church is still there as a cul de sac. The bend is still there and is sharp enough to need a warning sign especially with the high footfall in the area.


Aston families are scattered around the globe and it is always good to hear from them.
Thank you so much for your post. It's very interesting to know how weddings were conducted there. Mum and Dad were married on 1 January 1955 (which apparently then wasn't a public holiday). I have their whole album of pictures and have lovely photos of them outside the side of the church you mention with the arched door behind them. As they lived in Holte Road, the church wasn't far from them. Mum is almost 90 now and doesn't remember a lot about it. They would have just celebrated their 67th anniversary if dad was still with us.
 
I really enjoyed reading this and its conclusion, picked up a lot of tips on how you guys work hard together to help us in our search for answers, well done and thank you for all you do, hope I can be as good and helpful one day but I am relatively new to this site.
 
I really enjoyed reading this and its conclusion, picked up a lot of tips on how you guys work hard together to help us in our search for answers, well done and thank you for all you do, hope I can be as good and helpful one day but I am relatively new to this site.
What a wonderful thread. Like other members, have thoroughly enjoyed reading this. We are so lucky to have this forum. I should imagine Sue is over the moon with all the answers about her mom and dad on their wedding day. Thank you for everyone's contribution. It has been a great read. Kind regards, Sue
 
What a wonderful thread. Like other members, have thoroughly enjoyed reading this. We are so lucky to have this forum. I should imagine Sue is over the moon with all the answers about her mom and dad on their wedding day. Thank you for everyone's contribution. It has been a great read. Kind regards, Sue
Yes I agree it's a wonderful thread and a great forum. I have been able to find out a lot about Birmingham where my parents and many other ancestors came from, and lived and died, went through wars and brought up their families. I have never been there and still have relatives that I don't know about yet who may still be alive. I love looking at my parents' wedding photos from that time. Even though I was born in Australia, I feel drawn to Birmingham and hope I can see it one day. Mum still calls it home! Mum's two long lost sisters that she never saw again may have families there, but we haven't been able to locate them yet.

Regards Sue.
 
Yes I agree it's a wonderful thread and a great forum. I have been able to find out a lot about Birmingham where my parents and many other ancestors came from, and lived and died, went through wars and brought up their families. I have never been there and still have relatives that I don't know about yet who may still be alive. I love looking at my parents' wedding photos from that time. Even though I was born in Australia, I feel drawn to Birmingham and hope I can see it one day. Mum still calls it home! Mum's two long lost sisters that she never saw again may have families there, but we haven't been able to locate them yet.

Regards Sue.
Thanks to everyone for this thread. You’ve enabled me to locate 13 Witton Road, next to Dent’s Garage, where my grandparents lived in 1921 until at least 1939. They were Lucy and Thomas Bourne and they had two children, Doris and Edna, my mum. In 1921 there were four other people in this house - Elsie Cashmere, a servant, Sidney (a clerk) and Ellen Perrins and their daughter, aged 1. It must have been a tight fit! I was born and grew up in Gravelly Hill, Erdington. Thanks to all for such excellent photos and maps.
 
thanks eric i remember the showroom on hamstead road much later than that...during the 70s and 80s...they had some pretty flash cars on show...

lyn
I bought a car from Mists garage in the mid 70’s and the salesman (a small man with black hair think his name was Reg was very helpful), I was in my mid 20’s and lived in Perry Barr opposite Enid Goodwin Dance Club at the time.
The small showroom was at the end of Soho Road (which continued onto Soho Hill into Hockey Brook with Elvins builders and the palladium cinema that became an amusement arcade) the Roebuck pub was on the corner of this junction and Hampstead Road was on the left where the entrance for Mists service and repairs were.
Although I lived in Perry Barr I knew the area very well as my girlfriend Ann lived in Whitmore Street opposite side of Hockley Brook next to the bus station and I used to regular walk home late at night along these roads. (What love will do)
We did get married and have a great daughter (now 42 and two Granddaughters aged 9 nearly 3 but Ann died shortly after the birth of our second Granddaughter)
 
Last edited:
Late arrival to this but absolutely agree. Well done all those involved. You have helped me because I was struggling to work out where my great-great grandmother's house was located. In the 1881 census she was Elizabeth Dooley living with her family at 3 Witton Lane. Thanks to the photos and map I am fairly sure that she was six houses down from Dents Garage and the first of the two shops selling tobacco. Brilliant. Thank you
 
I bought a car from Mists garage in the mid 70’s and the salesman (a small man with black hair think his name was Reg was very helpful), I was in my mid 20’s and lived in Perry Barr opposite Enid Goodwin Dance Club at the time.
The small showroom was at the end of Soho Road (which continued onto Soho Hill into Hockey Brook with Elvins builders and the palladium cinema that became an amusement arcade) the Roebuck pub was on the corner of this junction and Hampstead Road was on the left where the entrance for Mists service and repairs were.
Although I lived in Perry Barr I knew the area very well as my girlfriend Ann lived in Whitmore Street opposite side of Hockley Brook next to the bus station and I used to regular walk home late at night along these roads. (What love will do)
We did get married and have a great daughter (now 42 and two Granddaughters aged 9 nearly 3 but Ann died shortly after the birth of our second Granddaughter)
Wonderful story Peter! I think many of us did a lot of walking in those days maybe early 60's. I dated a girl who lived close to Sutton Park/Odeon Kingstanding. Many a Saturday night I missed the last bus to Handsworth & waited for night service which never seemed to come and walked it. I wish I could walk a quarter of that distance today!
 
Back
Top