Rowley's Butchers, Smallheath.

[Gazzo]

My Father worked here for many years making their famous sausages. I used to travel from Northfield on the 60's to Highgate and get the No.8 on a Friday to pick up Mom's 'swag' bag. Even in the dark days of the 3 day week, meat was a great resource for bartering for sugar, bread or coal. Me a my brother remember sticking a neighbours bag of coal in a wheelbarrow in exchange for a joint of topside and black pudding.

 

[Old Boy]

Hi Gazzo,

I was born and grew up in Small Heath but cannot place Rowleys Butchers. Where were they?

Old Boy

 

[Astoness]

hi gazzo ive been looking for a pic of rowleys shop for you but if you could let us know the street or road it was in i may have more success...

lyn

 

[Gazzo]

Hi Old Boy, Rowleys was on the corner of Muntz St/ Coventry Rd, must of been there at least from the fifties till the eighties. Albert Rowley (the old man) and his son Bob had about 9 or 10 shops round Brum. There was an incident in the early 70's when a big lorry drove through the front of the shop after overshooting the junction, made the front page of The Mail, unfortunately I think someone got killed. Albert was one of the first people to attach a 'Minimart' to the shop. Obviously, social and demographic changes led to the demise of a lot of Butchers and pubs in the area.

 

[mikejee]

Fronm 1962 Kellys:

Rowley H. J. Ltd. 131 Fairfax rd 31
Rowley H. 496 & 269 Coventry Td 10; 76 Spring hill 18 ; 129 Cregoe s t T 5; 4 Alum Rock rd 8 ; 574 Hagley road •west 32; 248 Ladypool rd 12; 220 Chinn Brook rd 14; & 66 Ingoldsby rd 31​

Rowley H. 84g Hagley road west 32

 

[Gazzo]

Well done Mike. I think there's still a shop in Erdington. My Dad was once told by Albert (Rowley) that the secret to his wealth was having a note pad next to his pillow in case he had an idea. My Dad said that all he kept next to his bed was the p*** pot because he was too tired after working for him to have any ideas.

 

[Phil]

Here a photo of Rowley's taken in 1968 before he bought the adjoining shops and turned it into a freezer centre. I often shopped there in the 70's to buy half a pig or lamb and sometimes a hind quarter (if that what its called) of a cow.

Phil

 

[Gazzo]

Hi Phil, quite possible that they bought 'Hawkins' next door for the freezer centre. Looking at the photo in reference to the Lorry crash, Iassume that the junction in the photo was the one in question. P.S. Would this be in the Birmingham Mail archive?

 

[Phil]

Gazzo

I would imagine the report of the accident would be in the Birmingham Mail archives. The road that he must have come out would have been Golden Hillock Rd. But anybody pulling straight out of there with enough speed to cross the Coventry Road must have had a death wish or suffered brake failure. He was most likely travelling down the Coventry Rd toward Sheldon an swerved to avoid someone.

Phil

 

[Gazzo]

Through the mists of time I recall a 7ton flatbed Bedford suffering brake failure c. 1974/75.

 

[Dolphie]

Oh this picture has just brought back many memories for me as I used to live in Golden Hillock Rd (the Cov end) & I can just picture walking down onto the Cov to go the butchers with my Mom when I was little. I walked down Muntz Street every day to go to school (to go to Somerville). The junction was sort of dog leg wasn't it....not straight across. They changed it at some stage if my memory serves me right. How different it is today!!!

 

[brummie nick]

Rowley's had an entrance to their freezer depot in Muntz St, I remember when we had our first freezer, one of those big chest types, we'd buy half a lamb, they would chop it up for you, leg, shoulder, chops. also seem to remember large packs of Sausage rolls.

 

[Phil]

Didn't they have an entrance & car park in Wright Street round the back?

Phil

 

[robert]

I think they are now known as Rowfreeze.

 

[Big arty]

My Father worked here for many years making their famous sausages. I used to travel from Northfield on the 60's to Highgate and get the No.8 on a Friday to pick up Mom's 'swag' bag. Even in the dark days of the 3 day week, meat was a great resource for bartering for sugar, bread or coal. Me a my brother remember sticking a neighbours bag of coal in a wheelbarrow in exchange for a joint of topside and black pudding.

Your. Father use to drink in the beeches. And your mom sent you to get his wages Bert rowley was bobs half brother as for Alan hunt the married your dads sister evelyn tell me the history of Tommy bradshaw

 

[Big arty]

Hi Old Boy, Rowleys was on the corner of Muntz St/ Coventry Rd, must of been there at least from the fifties till the eighties. Albert Rowley (the old man) and his son Bob had about 9 or 10 shops round Brum. There was an incident in the early 70's when a big lorry drove through the front of the shop after overshooting the junction, made the front page of The Mail, unfortunately I think someone got killed. Albert was one of the first people to attach a 'Minimart' to the shop. Obviously, social and demographic changes led to the demise of a lot of Butchers and pubs in the area.

Herbert had 22 shops I worked at all of them

 

[Doogie]

Herbert had 22 shops I worked at all of th

Herbert had 22 shops I worked at all of them

Do you remember any of these guys?

 

[paulinehorton]

Hi Gazzo,

I was born and grew up in Small Heath but cannot place Rowleys Butchers. Where were they?

Old Boy

Hi Old Boy,
it was on the corner of Muntz Street and Coventry Road. Opposite was the Malt Shovel Pub.

 

[Covroad]

Yes , right on the corner of Coventry Road and Muntz Street , it later morphed into ROWFREEZE and extended at the rear in Muntz Street, and to the immediate side on Coventry Road

 

[Doogie]

My Father worked here for many years making their famous sausages. I used to travel from Northfield on the 60's to Highgate and get the No.8 on a Friday to pick up Mom's 'swag' bag. Even in the dark days of the 3 day week, meat was a great resource for bartering for sugar, bread or coal. Me a my brother remember sticking a neighbours bag of coal in a wheelbarrow in exchange for a joint of topside and black pudding.

Hi Gazzo. I worked there too in the 70s/80s. What was your father’s name?

 

[paulinehorton]

Rowleys butchers shop corner of Muntz Street & Coventry Road, Small Heath.

 

[Doogie]

Rowleys butchers shop corner of Muntz Street & Coventry Road, Small Heath.

Wow, that brings back some memories, I started work there in 1975.

 

[Pedro42]

A couple of colour photos of Rowleys butchers

 

[Lindy V]

Do you remember any of these guys?

Hello there the guy on the right was called Alan worked
there for years moved to Erdjngton

 

[Lindy V]

Hello there chap on far right of photo was called Alan
He was there in 1975