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Oliver Garage - 278 Chester Road, Castle Bromwich

prmoliver

New Member
I wonder if anyone has any information about my grandfather's garage on the Chester Road. He was Sidney Harold Oliver (born Sep 1893 in Balsall and died 4 Sep 1964 in Ward End). I think he was either a mechanic or pilot in WW1.

Sometime after WW1, in partnership with a Lawly Walsh, he set up the Walsh Oliver Garage. I don't know much more about the business, except that he had petrol pumps and a car dealership there, as well as a couple of bungalows. When Walsh died my grandfather bought out his interest and continued until he retired in the early 60s. I think he sold out then to the Clock Garage?

Any information or photos would be very much appreciated.
 
Welcome to the Forum, prmoliver.

An interesting question which I hope will prompt a good response from members.

(Your grandfather's Great War service would also be a good subject for a thread in the future).

Chris
 
The garage is listed in 1928 Warwickshire Kellys , though it is listed as being as being in Stonebridge Road.
 
Mike is it still there know. We are going down that road lunchtime. Where exactly would it be or have been?. Would it be the now closed down Clock garage?. Jean.
 
In the 1940 Warwickshire Kellys the garage is listed at 278 Chester Road. My mother remembered it as 'being down the Chester Road from Castle Bromwich' so I think they must have moved. She remembered that there used to be 3 garages in the village but they 'sold out' one by one. My grandfather kept his private until he retired. If the Clock Garage site is still there I think that would be the location.

Thanks very much for your help. I wish I had asked a few more questions when my Dad was still alive. But how many times have we heard that!
 
According to Google Earth, 278 Chester Rd would have been in the vicinity of where Redcrofts and KFC now stand. I have attached a pic of KFC and ironically there is a garage there as well. Though things could have been much different back then.
 

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I'm reading this differently because, to me, 278 Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, would be up by Hurst Lane where the Morrison Petrol Station now stands.

The Clock Garage that most us remember was at the junction, Newport Road, Coleshill Road.

Mike is the expert with Old Maps but I seem to remember that before the M6 was built, a section of Chester Road was quite narrow and ran up somewhere near Castle Bromwich Hall, and that there used to be a section of roadway almost opposite Heathland Avenue, I think a one-way street, that led off towards Water Orton Road.
 
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There was a garage on the site where Morrisons is now situated.My dad used to do car repairs there in the fifties,if my memory serves me right it used to be owned by a man called George Weaver.The other two garages nearby were the County Garage and the Forge Garage.The forge garage was near to the green and the county garage a further up the Chester Road.
 
278 Bradford Road is 6 houses away from the Castle Dental Care at 266 Bradford Road , there has never been commercial buildings amonst these houses as far as i know..
However across the road, there is a huge carwash building and it used to be County Garage, that is nos 205/207 Bradford Road and exactly opposite 2 bungalows, one either side of Old Croft lane.
 
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Thanks for your help everyone, but I am really getting confused now.

My Dad often told a tale of when he was about 13, which would have been about 1930. One night a Bently came in to the pumps for fuel. He only filled up the Prince of Wale's car. Apparently he had been visiting Lady Bradford at Bradford Hall. No body guards in those days.
 
Friend of mine used to park his coaches and buses at a garage/service station near Hurst lane, think it was Ashted coaches and his name was Dougie, this would have been late sixties early seventies.
 
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Redcroft timber at 286 Chester road, next Halfords at 282, next Aldi 280 and whilst Morrisons store and Petrol staion are 262 they take up what would have been
278-260.
 
Hi
There was an older garage there, - I think it is where Morrison's built theirs,
The name Dawes Autos comes to mind, but I may be mistaken.

Kind regards

Dave
 
Hi Jean

Lovely to have contact with you again. It looks from Alberta's post
showing the street numbers that it was definitely the one where the
Morrison's garage is now, and not the one further down opposite the
Doctor's surgery. I'm thinking back to when the supermarket was
Safeways, and didn't have a garage.In those days the supermarket entrance
was only in Huirst Lane. I used to have my car MOT'd there
and at that time it was called Michael Dawes Autos.

Kind regards

Dave
 
Used to shop in that supermarket when first married (1970) thought it was fine fare in those days and our weekly budget for food etc was £5, how times have changed.
 
I just found out through this forum that The Clock Garage has gone! Several years ago now? I lived in Ashville Avenue, behind the houses on Chester Road opposite in 50s/60s! Could see the clock tower from my bedroom window. Worked there for a short time circa 1965 in their new car sales department. Had driving lessons with Rootes Driving School (Frank) and passed my test in July 1965 in Hillman Super Minx! The 56 bus from town terminated here and then the Midland Red took over if you wanted to travel to Water Orton, Kingshurst, Bacons End, Coleshill, or even Castle Bromwich village! Happy memories if growing up in Brum post war! Now lived for 16 years in Colchester after 30 years in Swansea! Left Brum in 1969 aged 22!
 
I think you'll find that this address points to what is now the Morrisons fuel site. Before that is was a Gulf petrol station but before that it was a Cleveland Discol garage. The Cleveland building was dismantled and was re erected to become the timber mill at the former Redcroft DIY and the asbestos sheets were replaced with steel cladding. There were 2 bungalows next door to this. There was another garage at what must have been 270 Chester Road with at least 1 bungalow on the site. I have very first hand knowledge of this area having been there for 57 years.
 
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