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Navigation Street

Brum Burgin

Brum Burgin

knowlegable brummie
My first job after leaving school was as a typewriter mechanic(trainee)at a little shop in Navigation Street called "Typewriter & Accessories",owned by a Mr Walsh with two other employees called Dennis(Emigrated to Australia) and George(Mad keen on Cycling).Next door was theVictory cafe where I did a few stints behind the counter ,when I wasn't at work.I also used to spend my dinner hour in there playing the jukebox at 6d a time or 5 for 2 bob.This was 1959/1960.In 1960 they built a night club at the back of the cafe,which went well for a while,but it attracted some undesirables,got a bit of a reputation and was finally closed by the police because someone was stabbed to death.
On the other side of the shop and on the corner of Suffolk St was a Taxidermist's,with stuffed animals in the window,anyone remember it?
In October 1960 I told Mr Walsh that I was leaving in November because I had been accepted into the Royal Navy.He took the wind right out of my sails when he said,"Well that solves a problem because I was going to get rid of you anyway at Christmas".Talk about deflation.Hey Ho,it was a great move for me.,best nine years of my life in the "Navy".;)
 
hi brum burgin...what great memories you have..thanks for sharing them with us all...talking about typewriters took me right back to when i was learning to type on a big black heavy royal....:rolleyes: happy days though

lyn
 
Are typewriters used anymore? We founda small portable one in moms loft the other day and wre saying then that it was probably obsolete now!!
Sue
 
Sistersue61,I don't think they are so much obsolete as you can't get parts for them any more,especially ribbons or servicing.
 
Yeah, we have two typewriters one huge and one portable. Kind of like the desk top and lap top now. They are not worth much but what can you do...you can't throw something out that works perfectly and they both have ribbons. Not much work in that area now Brum. You made a smart change and saw the world. The whiteout companies must have suffered a decline also.
 
That shows clearly the Victory cafe in Navigation st.This side of it was the typewriter shop and on the corner at 58 is the taxidermists.
 

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Hi All, I was talking to my Dad recently and he mentioned a shop in Navigation Street called Spicer's (he thinks) where he used to go with his mates and buy birds eggs. This would be around the late 1930s and he said the shop also did taxidermy. Could this be the same shop? He recalls the prices of some of the eggs including a Golden Eagle which was £1 10s. If anyone has any memories of this shop, would love to hear them to pass on to Dad. I know collecting birds eggs is not a pleasant thing to do but in that time quite a lot of people did it. Thanks all.
 
I'm almost certain it would be the same shop Yvonne as there probably wouldn't be two taxidermists in the same street.Sorry I can't help you much with memories,I just know it was on the corner of Navigation Street and Suffolk Street and they had stuffed animals in the window.All the paintwork was painted black,it looked like a funeral parlour(which in a way it was I suppose).The typewriter shop was next door(where I worked) and next door in Suffolk street was a greasy spoon cafe where all the truckers used to go for their fry ups(not sure if it was called Ma Brad's).Perhaps someone can put me right on that.
 
My 3x grandfather Joseph Haughton Stokes B;1818 (can’t find his birth cert. but his father Joseph was a farmer)) lived at 25 Navigation St.B’ham & was a wholesale grocer, tea dealer, coffee roaster & cheese factor. Would he have had a shop at this address or was it his home and he just dealt in these things in some kind of exchange?. He married Charlotte Harris in 1848 & must have been a very successful man as he had his own farthing tokens made (I have one) & landed with his family in New York in 5 Oct.1846 where they had another child. Any ideas what would send him to USA at age 31? He had only been married 3 yrs & my 2x grandfather was only 1
He is thought to have died there .His wife & family are back in B’ham on 1851 census so they did not stay long & living at 61 Summer lane as a haberdasher. What would Navigation St. & summer lane have been like in these times? are there any pictures/drawings. Would it have been very expensive at that time to sail to USA on packet ship Hendrik Hudson ? He seem a very interesting person & I would like to know more about his times. Thankyou sorry to ramble a bit
 
From directories:
No listing 1839
1841-45 Stokes Joseph Haughton, grocer & cheese factor, 25 Navigation st
1852-55 Stokes Charlotte hosier & haberdasher, 61 Summer Lane
Gone 1858
Probably not connected, but could be misprint, there was also:
1833 Stokes John, grocer and tea dealer, 53 Coleshill-street
1839 Stokes John, victualler, 32, Severn street (very close to navigation st)
Mike
 
Mike have you been able to trace 25 Navigation St on a map. I was wondering if it was one of the properties now part of New Street Station
 
The answer is not quite David. It was on the corner of Summer St farthest from the station, and after became part of the Greyhound when it expanded. I would think from google that it is where the pavement on the eastern side of Brunel St is now
 
Willsto, have you looked on familysearch.org for more details of the New York side - they have a lot of info and it is free to search.
Sue
 
sistersue61 said:
Willsto, have you looked on familysearch.org for more details of the New York side - they have a lot of info and it is free to search.
Sue
Click to expand...
Thanks Sister sue. Found Joseph,his wife Charlotte & son Isaac plus 2 daughters
Mary Ellen & Charlotte born Mar 1846 & family landed in New York Oct.1846.
Must have been a terrible jouney with Charlotte 6 months old & Isaac 18 months old.
Still no further with Joseph Haughton Birth.
There is a Joseph Stokes marries Mary Vaughton 6-11-1791 but not sure if this is Joseph Haughtons father.
Thanks also to Mike jee. I will carry on looking
 
Hi,
There is an old photo (1952) of Navigation Street here, by D J Norton;

https://www.photobydjnorton.com/CityCentre.html

There is also a painting that was on the wall of Birmingham Archive, though I'm sure it is moving with everything else.
The map below is from the early 1850s, showing Navigation Street and Summer Street. Summer Lane was further up the town in the north part, near the old hospital.

navigationstreetandsummerstreet.jpg


Hope this is useful,

Jenni
https://birminghamstreets.blogspot.com
 
Any idea what the line is that runs between the back-to-backs to Summer Street and down to Navigation street. The word summer must have been a postage nightmare...Summer Lane...Summer Hill...Summer Street...Summer Hill Street et.al.
 
Looking at the map I would have expected lines like those shown to be tramlines but as far as we are aware the first tramline in Birmingham was a horse tram in 1872. Also I do not understand why a tramline would run between the houses from Summer Street to Suffolk Street. I am wondering if these line represent a sewer or some other such pipe work as they appear to run down hill. Anyone got any ideas?
 
Ok mike but why the line? Could it be a culvert line for a stream from Edgebaston down to the Bullring. Maybe it originally was open and fed the Parsonage moat. The old maps show Clearwater from Egebaston.
 
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cuppateabiscuit said:
Hi,
There is an old photo (1952) of Navigation Street here, by D J Norton;

https://www.photobydjnorton.com/CityCentre.html

There is also a painting that was on the wall of Birmingham Archive, though I'm sure it is moving with everything else.
The map below is from the early 1850s, showing Navigation Street and Summer Street. Summer Lane was further up the town in the north part, near the old hospital.



Hope this is useful,

Jenni
https://birminghamstreets.blogspot.com
Click to expand...
Thanks that gives me a bit more info.Would the squares on the map have been shops or houses or both.
by the way in my original post ,birth of Joseph should be 1815 not 1818
 
The squares are just buildings, shops, houses or whatever. The very small ones are probably outhouses or sheds.
 
Also, at that time most families lived in the commercial premises. When looking at directories you occasionally see 'John Smith, Merchant 11 Smith Street, house John Street', showing that they live away from their shop. It is more likely though that your ancestor lived in the same premises as his shop.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Navigation Street always struck as a bit forlorn as a street. Maybe it was because of New St station and too many hoardings. Sorry no date for the first photo.

View attachment 116904 View attachment 116905
About 1900s. Viv.
Click to expand...
The first photo is probably 1948/9, all the cars are post war models (early post war) before streamlining/americanisation came in and as the bus has only a route number destination indicator it shows that it is a pose war 'New look 'bus

Bob
 
I understand the Navigation St was so named because of its nearness to the Offices of Birmingham Canal Navigations
 
Views from the no 126 bus on Navigation Street.

A concrete bridge near the Signal Box.



The view up towards the Guildhall Building and the new Birmingham New Street Station. Taxi ranks on both sides of the road. Not many cars round there now, apart from those using the car park above Grand Central.

 
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