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Passages, Alleyways Gulletts and Snickets of Old Brum

you are joking rob...where is it..ive been searching for what must be over 2 years for pics of buck st for you...

lyn

Hi lyn and Rob. You wait for years waiting for a Buck St, and then two come at once..? Enjoy. That area was a positive menagerie of animal names for Streets, Buck, Doe, Fox, Sheep....wonder why?


Buck Street.jpg Buck Strret Doe Street 1960.jpg
 
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I'm not that sure if these two have not been posted previously, I don't think they have but if I am wrong I'm sure they can be removed. One is Thorpe St that used to run parallel with Smallbrook Ringway, but then it was just called Smallbrook St and the other is Gothic Arcade off Snow Hill.

Phil

City Thorpe st.JPG City Snow Hill Gothic Arcade 1948 .jpg
 
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OFF TOPIC again, Reported to postie. Sorry guys and girls there are rules and regulations in place for the sake of everyone,not least people who are interested in the history of our great City.
It is important i feel ( i may be wrong ) that information on our city can be found easily and without hinderence , posting on the correct threads will enable folks seeking knowledge to find it without the hinderence of sifting through a raft of C.....p Max

Max could you be more pacific in what you define as "a raft of cr.....p" There is a certain amount of in house ribbing and light hearted banter going on between contributors to this thread but the theme soon gets back on topic (in my opinion) I know that history is a serious matter but surely a little humour between friends does no harm??Dek
 
I'm not that sure if these two have not been posted previously, I don't think they have but if I am wrong I'm sure they can be removed. One is Thorpe St that used to run parallel with Smallbrook Ringway, but then it was just called Smallbrook St and the other is Gothic Arcade off Snow Hill.

Phil

Thanks Phil. Not seen the Thorp Street one before, which is a cracker. I think The Gothic Arcade was on very early or maybe on another thread, but always fascinates me anyway. I think I've also seen one in my books where a Fire has occurred and there are ladders and Firemen all over the end shop!
 
I see we have a couple of images of Lower Priory, but as yet none of Upper Priory well at least none that I can see. So here are a couple one from 1951 and another from an earlier time which must be pre 1930 because it shows the old Central Fire Station that closed in 1930.

Phil


City Upper Priory 1951 .jpg City Upper Priory Central Fire Station Closed c1930.JPG
 
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Phil
In your picture of thorpe St, can I take it that the building in the centre with tbe triangular pediment on the op is the TA Hall?
 
Thank you for the Thorp St photo, Phil. My Nan was born at the "Lord Nelson " pub opposite the Barracks, in 1900. I don't suppose there are any picures though. (The site belongs to the Birmingham Ballet now.)
rosie
 
A couple more I recently found in Anny Richardson's' Looking at Birmingham' book of The Barracks in Thorp Street. Front and back. I cannot find out much about who, what, and why though...'cept I used the Car Park a lot when we went to the Chung Ying and the Hippodrome in the 80s.


Barracks Thorpe Street.jpg Thorpe Street Barracks Car Park.jpg
 
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I see we have a couple of images of Lower Priory, but as yet none of Upper Priory well at least none that I can see. So here are a couple one from 1951 and another from an earlier time which must be pre 1930 because it shows the old Central Fire Station that closed in 1930.

Phil

Good call Phil, and nice photos too. May I add two more featuring Upper Priory and especially the old Outpatients Department of the Women's Hospital before it moved to Showell Green Lane?


Upper Priory 187&.jpg
 
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This one I haven't a clue about only it disappeared about the same time as The Gullet this Court called Crusell Court according to the tag was in Steelhouse Lane. Perhaps Mike may be able to find it on one of his maps.

Phil

City Steelhouse Lane Crussel Court .jpg


Added 26/03/18.

I later found this to be Russell Court which stood next to the Queens Head where they later built the Coroners Court.
 
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Afraid I've had no luck. All the places i looked just showed courts in steelhouse lane numbered, no names given
Mike
 
This one I haven't a clue about only it disappeared about the same time as The Gullet this Court called Crusell Court according to the tag was in Steelhouse Lane. Perhaps Mike may be able to find it on one of his maps.

Phil


cracking pic phil..another one that looks scary and i bet it was not far away from the gullet...

lyn
 
Moving out of the City Centre to Northfield, this photo by the marvellous Phyllis Nicklin of Bell Holloway was taken in 1958 the second one was grabbed from Google shows that it has changed very little in over 50 years though I noticed there is a little new build encroachment.

Bell Holloway is reputed to have been part of an old coaching road from Dudley to Northfield. I pity the poor team having to pull a coach up that hill. Mind you I and my brother in law use to walk up it quite often on a summer evening when leaving The Merritt's Brook and heading for the Bell on Bristol Rd.

The final photo is of the Coaching Inn The Bluebell or as it was sometimes known the Old Bell.

Phil


1958.jpg Northfield Bell Holloway.JPG

Northfield Bell Lane - Bell Holloway  Bluebell or Old Bell.JPG
 
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I was hoping someone might have an image of the old fire station. Can you tell me which building is the fire station?
My Great Grandfather was Chief Engineer with the Birmingham Fire Brigade when he retired in 1908 after 28 years service. According to an article from the Birmingham Evening Despatch entitled " A Brave City Officer's Retirement. A Charmed Life" for 26 years he drove the first fire engine to every fire in the City with the exception of those when he was on leave.
He also drove the the tender carrying the coffin of the late A R Tozer who was Chief Officer from 1879. Apparently it was not easy to make fire brigade horses go at a funeral pace.The article is a fascinating document full of information not just about my Gt Grandad but also the work of the fire brigade during the late 1890's.
 
Hi rosehill

Welcome to the forum, this is a little off thread but I'm sure that the powers that be can move it to the correct one if they so wish to. About the station I'm not sure which building it was but I assume it was the one to the left of the photo.
here are a few more photo's.

Phil


City Central Fire Station Upper Priory.jpg City Upper Priory Central Fire Station St late 1800's.jpg City Upper Priory Central Fire Station.jpg City Upper Priory Central Fire Stn.jpg
 
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Wonderful photos, thanks so much for posting them. It would be nice to think that my Gran might be one of the girls in the first photo with Great Grandad on the engine.
 
Moving out of the City Centre to Northfield, this photo by the marvellous Phyllis Nicklin of Bell Holloway was taken in 1958 the second one was grabbed from Google shows that it has changed very little in over 50 years though I noticed there is a little new build encroachment.

Bell Holloway is reputed to have been part of an old coaching road from Dudley to Northfield. I pity the poor team having to pull a coach up that hill. Mind you I and my brother in law use to walk up it quite often on a summer evening when leaving The Merritt's Brook and heading for the Bell on Bristol Rd.

The final photo is of the Coaching Inn The Bluebell or as it was sometimes known the Old Bell.

Phil


nice pics phil...i often wonder if phylis nicklin realised just how invaluable her photos would be some 50 odd years later on...i have a feeling that she did....
 
I used to live at the bottom of Bell Holloway, and have a photo I took when a tree fell over and blocked the lane, the Merritts was my local Phil, and then up the hill to the Highlander.
 
This little Lee Bank narrow backstreet Owen Street that ran from Wheeleys Lane to Pigot St had an even narrower terrace ( Cleve Terrace ) that ran off it back uphill to Wheeleys Lane. It can just be seen here on the right of the photo.

John I enjoyed many a pint in all the pubs you mention, but the walk up the Highlander was enough to earn anybody a pint.

Phil


Ladywood Owen st cleve terrace 1960.jpg
 
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Great picture of Thorpe St. - my Gt.Grandparents lived there in the 1860's and 70's - then moved to Bread St. Are there any photos of Bread St. please.
Sheri
 
Another narrow Ladywood St that ran from Monument Road to Parker St called Bellis St. Showing The Monument Tavern on the right of the photo.

Phil

Ladywood Bellis St (1).jpg
 
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Hi Mike,

I have just been researching Shaw's Passage, although it is my family name I have not as yet made a connection.

As you say Henry Shaw & Sons Nail Makers and his son Walter Shaw & Co was on the other side of the viaduct. Residing in Park Street was a John Shaw going back to the late 1700's, I think he may have been the father of Henry!!

The Passage did not take the name until about 1880.

Bob
 
These have been on before...Bradford Passage and N.W. Arcade. Most of the photo's are at a fairly oblique angle though. This one is a little closer and a good shot of Lewiss's.
Bradford Passage is the first entrance up from the left and the Arcade entrance just past it. The postcard is not great but thought it was worth the effort.
Can't say that I was in either...if they were still there. On the other side of Temple Street the arcade becomes the Great Western Arcade and that is still there. Well they have to leave us a bit of something.
 
Am I the only one who looks up at the buildings on Corporation Street from the bus?

Noticed the modernish building occupied by Super Drug on the ground floor was built in 1996 (in front of City Arcade).

Also would rather look at the Victorian architecture than the shop fronts below. Seems like they keep gutting and refitting those old buildings for those shops (most don't last too long).
From Queens Corner to the entrance road to City Plaza on Fore Street.
 
About six months ago (Jan 20, 2011 -post # 370 to be exact) Dennis Williams introduced us to the forlorn sight of the Crown on the corner of Bath St/Snow Hill in the process of demolition. Reproduced with thanks here.

View attachment 69867

View attachment 69868I have now discovered a later photograph of the same location, now a dusty footpath with the construction of the Kennedy Mural underpass under construction. The old road to the side of Snow Hill is still in use as a proper thoroughfare but that too a few years later to be transformed into what we know now. The shiny new Lloyd House in in the same place in both shots, a sign of things to come.....
 
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