Portland St, Aston

[brummy-lad]

The map shows Portland and Wainwright Streets.
Attached to the Manor Tavern are 2 buildings (marked green), in the 70s image the house is boarded up, in the current image it has been very sympathetically converted into offices. The building next door is still a run-down workshop.

On the map the building marked in blue still exists (picture from the road attached), on the wall in front of this building there is a date of 1915 in the bottom right hand corner.

 

[MWS]

Not much about this street. Does anyone know where Holywell or Hollywell Place was on Portland St please?

Doesn't seem to be marked as such on any of the maps I can see.

Thanks.

 

[mikejee]

There is a Holly Grove

 

[MWS]

Thanks. I was guessing it may have been a renaming of one of the courts or even possibly the row of 8 houses facing the street but nothing marked. There is definitely a no. 8.

 

[pjmburns]

Is Lower Portland Street a different place?
On 1911 census Holiwell Place seems to have 8 houses and the address after number 8 is 7 Portland Street. My question is because at least one house has put Lower Portland Street as the address.

 

[mw0njm.]

Is Lower Portland Street a different place?

i think it was upper and portland st i dont know of a lower.

 

[pjmburns]

Thanks Pete - perhaps it got used to distinguish it from Upper.

 

[MWS]

I assumed it was just Portland St and that there was only the one in Aston. I found my relatives on the 1921 census and then determined (laboriously) that their address was Hollywell Place Portland Street.

 

[pjmburns]

I found Lower Portland St referred to in 1915 Kelly's list of streets but it just said Aston and did not appear in the main part of the directory.

 

[brummy-lad]

Not much about this street. Does anyone know where Holywell or Hollywell Place was on Portland St please?

Doesn't seem to be marked as such on any of the maps I can see.

Thanks.

I found this on the 1861 census, don't know if it helps with the location on the map though:

 

[brummy-lad]

And 1871 census but looks like Hollybush Place

 

[MWS]

Thanks. First mention on Portland St so maybe it is the first 8 houses (under Portland) after all.

 

[pjmburns]

In 1901 it is Halliwell Place listed between 13 and 15 Portland Street


In 1891 it is Holywell Place

 

[MWS]

That make me less sure.

 

[pjmburns]

We need a map showing the numbers on the houses in Portland Street. Then we can see if there are any likely places for Holywell to be.

 

[brummy-lad]

Quite intriguing this, I don't have access to the maps at the moment but:

1861 Census:
Lower Portland Street Nos. 1 to 25 (consecutive),
Holleywell Place Nos. 1 to 8
Wheeler Terrace Nos. 1 to 9
THEN Park Street.

1871 Census:
Appears to have been taken in the opposite direction
3 properties unidentified,
Wheeler Terrace Nos. 1 to 7
Hollybush Place Nos 1 to 8
Haines (Harris?) Bldg Nos. 1 to 6
Lees Cottage Nos. 1 to 5

Hope Mike sees this and can shed some light on it.

 

[MWS]

The 1950s map of Portland St is pretty poor. Putting them on the map above, the first row of houses on the bottom number 7 to 21. The first 2 houses on the top after the pub are numbered 8 and 10.

I suspect the numbering has changed at some point though.

 

[mikejee]

Just for information below is the 1950s map, which shows what MWS means about it being pretty poor

 

[brummy-lad]

Using 1911 Census records I am fairly confident that these are the court names of Portland (Lower Portland) Street,
The map is c1889 and has only been used because the 1950s map is so poor.
The houses numbered 7 to 21 would probably have been numbered consecutively in 1889. I have no access to Paintshop Pro at the moment hence the map is labelled rather crudely.
There appears to be a duplication i.e. 2 courts are labelled Court 1.

 

[MWS]

So Hollywell Place was the row of houses behind no's 7 to 21.

Many thanks, much appreciated.

 

[Woodmam62]

I assumed it was just Portland St and that there was only the one in Aston. I found my relatives on the 1921 census and then determined (laboriously) that their address was Hollywell Place Portland Street.

What year was it when they started knocking the houses down in portland Street

 

[MWS]

I'm not sure, before my time. They appear to still be there on the 1950 map.

Just from the search results there appears to be an article in the Bham Daily Post 11 Dec 1959, that mentions clearance and Portland St.

 

[JLB]

Hello Everyone,
I'm searching the 1911 census looking for the residents of Portland Street. In particular, I'm looking for James and Annie Gore (born 1872 & 1880) and their baby son Harold (born 1910). Unfortunately, searches of the census indexes have failed to find this family, so I need to do "house to house enquiries" along the whole street.
Can anyone tell me where I might find Portland Street in the 1911 census, or maybe the name and details of an individual who IS listed in Portland Street in 1911.
Many thanks,
John Ball

 

[MWS]

Portland St comes under the Aston district, Aston Manor sub-district.

Frances Bartlett b1908, daughter of William and Winifred appears to be one of many residents.

 

[JLB]

That's a great response, Master Brummie.
Thanks to you, I've found Portland Street in the census. I'm very grateful.
Now all I have to do is step through the relevant Portland Street pages looking for my Gore family. They were at No. 51 when they married in Nov 1910, and when they christened their first child two months later. But they had moved to 62 Dartmouth Street by April 1912, when their next child was christened.
Fingers crossed!!
Thanks again,
John

 

[MWS]

James' sister Caroline and her family appear to be listed at no. 51 in 1911. No sign of James though.

Also from what I can see no. 62 Dartmouth St appears to be empty in 1911 (no search results) so perhaps they were in the process of moving and slipped through the net.

 

[Astoness]

hi john if you need any more help from our members could i suggest that you start a new thread under our SURNAME INTERESTS of the forum..

cheers

lyn

 

[JLB]

Thanks again MWS. I'll follow up James's sister's line tomorrow, as well as looking for James and his family.

And I'll follow your suggestion, Lyn, re the Surname Interests section.

I need a break now!...