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occupants of 151 Varna Road

Yes , your quite right, that wasn't a very good first post, My names Don, I was born in Birmingham in 1949, im looking for imformation about my birth mother whose name was Ann Mary Kirwan an resided at 151 Varna Road then, or any imformation
concerning other occupants of the house
Thank You
 
hello don and welcome...i have had a look at the available electoral rolls on ancestry (i am afraid 1949 is not available) and can find no trace of anyone named ann mary kirwan living in birmingham for the years i could check which were 1945/50/55...

to search any other years you would need to look up the electoral rolls at the library of birmingham..

lyn
 
The question is whether your Mother would have been old enough to vote? In 1950 a couple called Edward and Agnes O'Hara lived at 151.

Janice
 
Don

The other thing is most of the houses in Varna Road being of the old fashioned type of house were very large. This being so during the 50's and 60's quite a few became lodging houses and bed sitters with a quick turnover of residents. Perhaps your mother was not resident long enough to register for voting or to get enumerated on a census.

If she lived in the Balsall Heath area and was an unmarried mother as looking for birth mother suggests then it is entirely possible you were born at the Laihai Roi Rescue Nursing Home, Park Hill Moseley. Have to tried enquiring about records from there, it has been mentioned several times on the forum.
 
It certainly looks as if you are correct Phil. In 1947 there were multiple occupants:
Patrick & Jane Kirk
Edward B & Agnes G O'Hara
Lily Oreton
Mary Sheehan
Afraid, as previously said 1949 only available at library
 
Many thanks for the imformation so far, I was born at 77 Dudley Road, which I understand was a hospital, I was adopted at 1 month old, and grew up in Leicester, so I don't know a lot about the area, I see most of it was demolished , I did learn about the houses being used as lodgings from various threads, and the sad decline of the area., My hope is to find any living blood relatives in Birmingham
Don
 
Yes , your quite right, that wasn't a very good first post, My names Don, I was born in Birmingham in 1949, im looking for imformation about my birth mother whose name was Ann Mary Kirwan an resided at 151 Varna Road then, or any imformation
concerning other occupants of the house
Thank You
Hi Micheal66,
My father lived at 151 Varna Road during the 1950's/60's with his family, His parents and 8 boys. The Revitt's. My Dad was also born in 1949 at Dudley Hospital.
 
Hi kirwan common name in galway lots of irish in birmingham around that area .I worked for whittalls builders early sixties we picked two of our men up in varna road yes their was rented rooms their, Try national irish census free their is a one year old in 1911 mary ann kirwan her mom was ann so daughter was probaly called ann mary might help depending on age.
 
Hello,my name is Merv, just found out how to make this work in 2021,good A. I was born in Birmingham in 1949 at Dudley Road Hospital.started life in Handsworth and moved to 151 Varna Road in 1951/2 there was no electricity only gas,recollect waiting with my mom and younger brother for the electric board to come and do there magic. There is a story to this.
 
I remember in the 1970's Varna Rd had such a bad reputation that it was all pulled down, and new houses / flats built with the road altered and given a new name. The name Varna could not be used again. A useless fact is that Varna is a port in Bulgaria.
 
Hello,bobbytwenty one,it was bad,but I had a lot of fun in many ways,not sure if I can write about it, would like to would make some people smile and some very angry.
 
I remember in the 1970's Varna Rd had such a bad reputation that it was all pulled down, and new houses / flats built with the road altered and given a new name. The name Varna could not be used again. A useless fact is that Varna is a port in Bulgaria.

I was an apprentice at the Midlands Electricity Board in the 70's. Any call-outs to Varna or Princess roads were an education to a young chap, let me tell you, especially emergency calls at night. Enlightening, would be an understatement!


Steve.
 
There's a lot said about why the houses around there were pulled down. Most obvious reason is that the city were working through the area slowly and it was their turn. They'd done the bit between Bristol Road and Pershore Road in the 60s and this was next. There were some false starts (the blocks on Pershore that didn't last) and the whole lot came to a halt at Moseley Road in the 80s because Thatcher didn't like public rented housing which was what the city was building.
 
I was an apprentice at the Midlands Electricity Board in the 70's. Any call-outs to Varna or Princess roads were an education to a young chap, let me tell you, especially emergency calls at night. Enlightening, would be an understatement!


Steve.
Early sixties working in Ladywood certain mechanics would roadtest vehicles around Varna road for the entertainment, certainly an eye opener for young impressionable lad.
 
There are some interesting photographs of Varna Road 1968 here from a young American photographer Janet Mendlesohn who was a student in Birmingham at that time...

 
Some wonderful photographs, though the title is a little off, as the majority of the photographs are not Varna Road
 
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