I did not think that Rackhams stretched as far as Cherry St. but the second picture on post 116 clearly shows that it did. Gosh the Dolcis shop on the corner dissappeared and I did not notice. I suppose that, by the time all of this happened, I did not have to pass there every day on my way to school.
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Passages, Alleyways Gulletts and Snickets of Old Brum
- Thread starter Dennis Williams
- Start date
Thylacine
master brummie
The picture below doesn't quite belong on this thread perhaps, but it might be of interest. It shows an entry in Granville Street, Ladywood, providing access to the rear houses in a court (date unknown). It's a very good photograph, if not of the best quality (it is scanned from a newpaper).
[Thanks to Astoness Lyn's "old evening mail pics ..." thread.]
[Thanks to Astoness Lyn's "old evening mail pics ..." thread.]
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
I have walked down many of the Passages etc in central B'ham in my younger days, and enjoy reading about them in this thread. My brother-in law say's he can remember an alleyway named 'Chicken Walk' somewhere near Moor St station or Digbeth area. I can find no information about it and don't remember it. Has he had a 'senior memory lapse' ?
Yes Phil, that is the corner. The picture was of the first sale of whiskey at E.D. James shop after WW1. Since then I have come accross a cutting from the Ev. Mail in 1980, which states that soemone remembering the event said that there were two queues at the door, one to the left and one to the right. One of these was for those who had a medical prescription for it, , the other queue for the rest. Possibly you didn't have to pay duty on it if it was for medical reasons. I feel a need to visit the doctor coming on !!
Mohawk . i had thought that perhaps Chickens Walk was a local name for it (for obvious reasons). Cant find any mention of it, so , possibly it was a local nickname for another passageway
Mike
Mohawk . i had thought that perhaps Chickens Walk was a local name for it (for obvious reasons). Cant find any mention of it, so , possibly it was a local nickname for another passageway
Mike
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Right back to the purpose of the thread, anybody else remember Claremont Rd that ran from Farm Rd to Sampson Road opposite Lloyd Farmhouse in Farm Park Sparkbrook,
Though officially a road this also was no more than an Alley, with houses on one side only, and rear entrances to houses on Farm Rd on the other. It is still there today but devoid of all housing as it is mainly industrialised now, except for the local community centre and I have an idea that its closed now.
Phil
Though officially a road this also was no more than an Alley, with houses on one side only, and rear entrances to houses on Farm Rd on the other. It is still there today but devoid of all housing as it is mainly industrialised now, except for the local community centre and I have an idea that its closed now.
Phil
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Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Frequent users of "El Sombrero" on the Horsefair would have known this weird little street. Little Bow Street, it was situated at the end of the Horsefair and ran from the National Provincial Bank on the Horsefair to Bow Street.
I don't know how you would describe it, was it an Alley, a Cul De Sac, a Shut, No Through Road, I suppose it could be described as any of those. I'm afraid that it is gone now though.
Phil
I don't know how you would describe it, was it an Alley, a Cul De Sac, a Shut, No Through Road, I suppose it could be described as any of those. I'm afraid that it is gone now though.
Phil
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Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Oh the memories. El Sombrero, La Fiesta. Proper coffee to be had before skinny lattes, and the five hundred other variations invented by Costa Starbuck to make life irritatingly complex...
What about Ladywell Walk as well? Anyone remember this short cut?
What about Ladywell Walk as well? Anyone remember this short cut?
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Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Here's a real beauty of an old alleyway (just look at the date over that arch) It stood I am reliably informed adjacent to 6 Spiceal St at the bottom of the Bull Ring. It was known locally as "The Gates" mainly due to the large iron gates that were locked at night. Any ideas to the correct name for this alley would be gratefully received.
Phil
Phil
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Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Found this about the denouement of the Gullet...good riddance.
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White Lyon Passage.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=10098&ox=2527&oy=230&zm=1&czm=1&x=435&y=189
If you just page down on this map to James Watt St. you can see the Gullet still there.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=10098&ox=2527&oy=230&zm=1&czm=1&x=435&y=189
If you just page down on this map to James Watt St. you can see the Gullet still there.
john knight
signman
When I was an apprentice signwriter our shop was 60 Stafford Street, I was asked at one time to go down and start tidying the cellar up,(full of old signs and paint cans) and the back door led to some steps going up and at the top of these steps was an iron gate which if I could have opened it put me in Ashley Passage.
It was a real dirty place even then, 1953-60.
You could walk down it from Ryder Street down to James Watt Street
It was a real dirty place even then, 1953-60.
You could walk down it from Ryder Street down to James Watt Street
Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Well found Rupert. Yes Dek, I did confirm that it existed (Exhibit A M'Lud), but as you can see, there weren't many folk living there...at least in 1925 there weren't. I certainly cannot remember it or where it was. Good call.
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Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
More information on Shut Lane.
The only photo of this old Lane’s remnants seems to be the Keith Berry photo that Phil originally posted (Post 33), showing a very small derilect passage (just wide for one car). Being opposite Castle Street, it ran from Moor Street at the top and went down to Park St, but today it is all gone. Only Shaw’s Passage is left to give a general idea of where Shut Lane used to be, as this lay more or less opposite off Park Street. There is a small curb stone turning into a Car Park in Park Street, just opposite Shaw’s Passage, where it might have been (see photo), but no street sign is evident. Anyway it was probably the other side of the Railway bridge looking at the maps, and demolished when the New Road system by the Silver Slug was built.
The old way of spelling was Shutt Lane. Shutt meaning Gate or Floodgate (Floodgate St is a bit further down from town). It followed the ancient course of a stream from the many springs in the area. In its early days, the Lane was very narrow, was not paved, and had no lighting. The Governors of King Edward's School in 1854 offered to put a school in the Lane for the education of the children, but on seeing the conditions in the lane, decided to put the Industrial school in Cannon Street instead.
In these old Maps of 1730 and 1785, Shutt Lane is seen as quite a prosperous looking area. In the 1841 Census there are 42 dwellings listed, but by 1881 only one dwelling, No 1 (at the Moor Street corner), seemingly remained. But that must have been a substantial dwelling with two servants and four boarders plus a family of three and a visitor at home that night.
The only photo of this old Lane’s remnants seems to be the Keith Berry photo that Phil originally posted (Post 33), showing a very small derilect passage (just wide for one car). Being opposite Castle Street, it ran from Moor Street at the top and went down to Park St, but today it is all gone. Only Shaw’s Passage is left to give a general idea of where Shut Lane used to be, as this lay more or less opposite off Park Street. There is a small curb stone turning into a Car Park in Park Street, just opposite Shaw’s Passage, where it might have been (see photo), but no street sign is evident. Anyway it was probably the other side of the Railway bridge looking at the maps, and demolished when the New Road system by the Silver Slug was built.
The old way of spelling was Shutt Lane. Shutt meaning Gate or Floodgate (Floodgate St is a bit further down from town). It followed the ancient course of a stream from the many springs in the area. In its early days, the Lane was very narrow, was not paved, and had no lighting. The Governors of King Edward's School in 1854 offered to put a school in the Lane for the education of the children, but on seeing the conditions in the lane, decided to put the Industrial school in Cannon Street instead.
In these old Maps of 1730 and 1785, Shutt Lane is seen as quite a prosperous looking area. In the 1841 Census there are 42 dwellings listed, but by 1881 only one dwelling, No 1 (at the Moor Street corner), seemingly remained. But that must have been a substantial dwelling with two servants and four boarders plus a family of three and a visitor at home that night.
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Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Another two odd passages are off Allison Street, almost opposite Digbeth Police Station. Well Lane and Orwell Passage. I know nothing about these two, any information out there? Orwell Passage is not labelled on the map, but is coloured green and seemingly, in this 1902 map, joined up with Well Lane?
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Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
And for my final act today, what about Paternoster Row also off Park Street? Still some remnants there, but what the hell was it? Paternosters are the last few beads on a Rosary, or a type of continuous lift system you stepped on and off when it passed slowly by (I remember them with horror at Perry Bar Tech some time back), but is this any connection to its history? Any old RC church nearby at any time?
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