• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Sheldon

The Sheldon opened on 10th October 1937 and closed on 26th November 1977 - my Dad, who was aged 10yrs at the time, played on the site when it was being built - he claims to have knocked a bag of cement off some scaffolding onto the stage area! Ironically, he attended the last night at the cinema, Orca The Killer Whale, and took a number of 35mm pictures of the box office and the projection room. Also pictures of the Cinema in the course of demolition. If I get a chance I will try and dig them out and post on the forum.

Early recollections was my grandparents taking me to see Darby O'Gill and The Little People around 1959. Thought it was great until the Banshee appeared - I was so frightened I wouldn't leave my seat for an ice cream in the interval.

Mom and Dad also took me to see Journey to the Center of the Earth again in 1959. When the scene with the dinosaurs came up I made her blind fold me with her scarf and covered my ears to blot it all out. I must have been a sensitive child lol.

I seem to recall that if we arrived too early we'd see the end of the film first and then stay for the second showing? The expectation of being treated to sweets and ice cream, dimmed lights and those colorful draped curtains. Cigarette smoke curling up through the projection beam. Look at Life, Pearl and Dean Advertising and this theme tune always seemed to be playing at the start or in the interval - really nostalgic to hear it again.
The last days of the Sheldon Cinema - I managed to locate two of the photos I refered to in the post above. Unfortunately I couldnt find the colour photographs taken on the closing night and more of demolition in progress but I did find the negatives with around 40 shots. The second picture was taken from Lyndon Road towards the Prime Point building on the Coventry Road
 

Attachments

  • SC1.JPG
    SC1.JPG
    111.7 KB · Views: 62
  • SC2.JPG
    SC2.JPG
    134.6 KB · Views: 60
The last days of the Sheldon Cinema - I managed to locate two of the photos I refered to in the post above. Unfortunately I couldnt find the colour photographs taken on the closing night and more of demolition in progress but I did find the negatives with around 40 shots. The second picture was taken from Lyndon Road towards the Prime Point building on the Coventry Road
What distressing pictures. So many fond memories of visits there.:sob:
 
Further to Spargone's response to 'The Jungle' in the Mapledene thread, the site of the jungle is shown below.
I have also attached a view from the rear of Normanton looking towards the rear of Shepherd Road and the airport runway. We could actually see the old terminal building then. This was taken in later years, evidenced by the many kitchen extensions, the houses were quite tiny! The aviary was a couple of gardens beyond the garage to the RHS. Looking back I now realise just how close we were to open countryside, I wonder if the view is still the same?
Dad used to hang a mirror on the bedroom wall to watch the planes taking off from the airport while lying in bed a night hahha. Occupying the front bedroom my view was less interesting but in the 50s and early 60s when there was less noise pollution I can member hearing the bells from St Giles and the clatter of railway wagons being moved at Marston Green Station!
1572511643934.png
1572512203645.png
 
With reference to your reply on the Mapledene thread, my Dad also had an aviary in the back garden where he raised budgerigars and canaries, later just concentrating on canaries. He was a member of the South Birmingham Cage Bird Society and sometimes I would go with him on Show days held in the upstairs room at the Bulls Head P.H. in Hay Mills. I wonder if the guy in Normanton was a member also and perhaps knew my Dad.
You're comment about how close we were to open countryside is so true. Although living within the boundary of Britain's second city I always thought I had a "country" upbringing roaming freely all day over fields and streams hardly ever seeing or hearing a motor vehicle until I got back home.
 
With reference to your reply on the Mapledene thread, my Dad also had an aviary in the back garden where he raised budgerigars and canaries, later just concentrating on canaries. He was a member of the South Birmingham Cage Bird Society and sometimes I would go with him on Show days held in the upstairs room at the Bulls Head P.H. in Hay Mills. I wonder if the guy in Normanton was a member also and perhaps knew my Dad.
You're comment about how close we were to open countryside is so true. Although living within the boundary of Britain's second city I always thought I had a "country" upbringing roaming freely all day over fields and streams hardly ever seeing or hearing a motor vehicle until I got back home.
 
Last edited:
Personally I find it a little sad that what must have been fantastic views of the surrounding countryside have been lost because of all the buildings. Unless one is walking it is easy to forget that there are hills in the Sheldon/Yardley area. For the public places like the top of Barrows Lane and the Oaklands Recreation Ground still provide good views, some lucky householders can see beyond the rooftops to more distant places from their upstairs windows.

Did Mbenne's neighbour plus one, (Post #623) have an asbestos sheeted garage? There was a time when the walls not just the roof were made of that 'miracle' material.
 
I'm always pleased when old photos of Sheldon turn up. These recently appeared on a Sheldon community website known as 'B26' https://b26community.wordpress.com/
I would have provided direct links but the photos are not easy to locate and over time websites are taken down and links no longer work . I suspect they are from some publication on Sheldon that I have not seen.

The first is captioned William Adams,St Giles Church 1887. Bell ringer, caretaker, doorkeeper and sexton, also responsible for organizing the digging of graves and summoning parishioners to vestry meetings to discuss parish business.

The next two are of Jubilee Bridge, 1920. Built over Westley Brook which apparently flooded Church Road in winter. This was to celebrate Queen Victoria’s sixty years as Queen (so would have been built around 1897?) The old Moat House is shown in the background - was this replaced by the bridge which now runs under Church Road?

The last picture is captioned Sheldon Cottage Stores, this was located on the Coventry Road, opposite Barrows Lane and would have been next to The Wagon and Horses.
1572542659425.png

1572542718829.png

1572542785708.png

1572543748203.png
 
Great pics of old Sheldon. The last one is intriguing. I'm sure that in later years directly opposite that location was a bus stop at which I used to wait for the 60 bus to take me home after visiting my Uncle and Aunt's house in Barrows Lane. I seem to recall a shop adjacent to that bus stop but not opposite. I wonder when the one shop closed and the other opened.
 
Great pics of old Sheldon. The last one is intriguing. I'm sure that in later years directly opposite that location was a bus stop at which I used to wait for the 60 bus to take me home after visiting my Uncle and Aunt's house in Barrows Lane. I seem to recall a shop adjacent to that bus stop but not opposite. I wonder when the one shop closed and the other opened.
I dont recognise the one in the picture either but do remember the one you mention on the opposite side. I think it was there until the early 60s. I had no idea it existed until we walked back from Stechford swimming baths - saving our bus fare to spend on sweets! From outside it looked like one of the surounding houses but had a 1d bubblegum machine outside.
 
I'm always pleased when old photos of Sheldon turn up. These recently appeared on a Sheldon community website known as 'B26' https://b26community.wordpress.com/
All of these pictures can be found in Margaret Green's Around Sheldon [Details at Waterstone's for info. only]
The Coventry Road picture pre-dates the opening of New Coventry Road so the road shown is two-way, as hinted by the 'Bournville' sign that faces what would be the wrong way today. Margaret Green places the photo as circa. 1925.
 
Last edited:
jubbridg.jpg
It looks like the Jubilee Bridge was upstream of Church Road and connected with the footpath to the west of Moat House. Judging by the slope of Church Road in the c. 1920 photo I would think that the brook was forded rather than bridged for road traffic. Most of the time Westley Brook wouldn't present much of a problem for carts and horses I imagine.
 
I hadn’t posted anything on here for a while, Burgess and Garfield in 1964 owned my 1925 car a Ford model T as you can see in my avatar with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham sitting in the front seat.
I searched the internet on info about Burgess and Garfield but there isn’t much in photos or info, but recently I found this a complimentary brass bottle opener on EBay, it was a reasonable price, I,m pleased to say it should arrive sometime this week.
 

Attachments

  • 29D67332-3158-491D-8DA2-20C8698260AA.jpeg
    29D67332-3158-491D-8DA2-20C8698260AA.jpeg
    208.1 KB · Views: 34
  • B6FA7E59-DB95-419B-A9D0-1759380C344A.jpeg
    B6FA7E59-DB95-419B-A9D0-1759380C344A.jpeg
    237.7 KB · Views: 33
I searched the internet on info about Burgess and Garfield but there isn’t much in photos or info, but recently I found this a complimentary brass bottle opener on EBay, it was a reasonable price, I,m pleased to say it should arrive sometime this week.
Can you imagine the 'Twitter Storm' if a car dealer made the slightest connection between 'drink' and 'driving'? Changed times indeed. (I bet the calendar pictures in the workshops don't focus on the female-form now either!)
 
A photograph of Sheldon Rectory c. 1925. Built in the 1820's, the main entrance was on the Coventry Rd. It was also known as Sheldonfield House. Home to the Revd. Jones-Bateman from 1860. It was sold for development in 1929.


Ann
Which road was this on? I have a relative who used to live just off Rectory Park.
 
Might not be 100% accurate but position of the Rectory is shown with a 1953 street map overlaid with a map from 1920
Not that it changes much but the overlay map certainly isn't from 1953. Sheldon Post Office was near to Coalway Avenue, not in Wells Green shopping centre, which didn't exist then.
 
y
Not that it changes much but the overlay map certainly isn't from 1953. Sheldon Post Office was near to Coalway Avenue, not in Wells Green shopping centre, which didn't exist then.
Yes PO was definitely down near Coalway avenue when I was a kid.:)
 
I was born in Whitecroft Road in 1943, our house overlooked the airport I have a photograph of myself in the garden. Neighbours included Mr and Mrs Lewis and Mr and Mrs Gold. Mr Lewis was a taxi driver. We moved in 1946 out of Birmingham but did visit from time to time when my mother was alive.
 
Back
Top