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Small Heath books and photographs

BordesleyExile

BordesleyExile

master brummie
Old Small Heath by John Bick is an excellent book which has very many photographs unseen on this site. The following give a real taste:
Coventry Rd with Whitemore off to the left
Green lane with Hobmoor Rd to the left & Blake Lane to the right
Green Lane looking east
 
Old Small Heath by John Bick
1) Coventry RdwithWhitemore to the left & grange Rd to the right
2) Green Lane with Hobmoor Rd to the left & Blake Lane to the right
3) Green Lane looking east towards Blake Lane
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Old Small Heath by John Bick
Hobmoor Rd from Green Lane end.
St Benedicts Rd from Hobmoor Rd - a great place to watch a thunderstorm from, given the high location.
 
Small Heath & Sparkbrook by Margaret D Green is different in character to John Bick's book in that photographs are smaller and it covers a slightly wider area. It is, however, complementary.
Here are some photos from Margaret Green's book:
 
Doris Stanley-my mother, attended St Benedict's Infants School in 1923, Small Heath. Any old photos of St Benedict's School about? I was looking with interest at the old photo you posted, BordesleyExile -Bankes Road Junction looking towards Coventry Road.
 
I cannot find anything with St Benedict's school I am afraid Gham but here is a picture of Hobmoor Rd with St Benedicts Rd off to the left.
The picture puzzles me as when I knew the area there was a tarmac forecourt to the right in front of the shops opposite St Benedicts Rd, but here we can only see walls. Can anyone shed any light on the matter?
 
I think I recognise some of the green lane/Hobmoor road pics . I went to Waverley Grammar school the new building was built in 1967 ? I used to get the number 8 bus from Osbourne Rd Spark Brook up to catch the number 17 (cant remember the Pub) and that took me down Green lane and turned right down Hobmoor Rd , I can see the journey now . Bet it isnt the same anymore :(
Jean
 
Postie I chose one of the pictures above for you - not that I am suggesting you remember 1930!
Catsclaws here is a picture published in Small Heath & Sparkbrook of Waverley School:
 
Jean,

I took the same route as you. I swapped from the No. 15 or No. 17, at The Vine Pub, Green Lane, to catch the No. 8. And actually it hasn't changed that much. But you won't see all the patients, lined up outside in their beds, as they used to be at Little Bromwich Hospital.

Bordesley,
I have had The Small Heath book by John Bick out of the library. And I agree it has some great pictures.

Ann
 
I can recommend another book.

Small Heath & Sparkbrook by Margaret. D. Green in the Images of England series. I don't know if it was an error or not but I got my brand new copy from my local library out of the books for sale section for 20p. I thought it was a bargain seeing as they are still on sale at bookshops for £11.99.

Phil
 

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Phil,

What a bargain. Can you give me the name of your library!

Ann
 
Ann B

It was obviously Solihull Library, but if I tell you which branch you may get there before me next time. To be honest I tour most of the branches in Solihull and a few in Birmingham with the soul purpose of looking for books to purchase. Besides the ex stock books you can very often buy brand new books that have been over ordered at bargain prices.

Phil
 
Thanks Postie ;) I know that piccy very well . I was fortunate enough to go into a brand new building in 1968 , that was the old school . Funnily enough when I graduated to Music College I was also fortunate enough to go into another brand new building .. Birmingham School of Music Paradise Circus .
In fact it was years after I left that place before they began to develope it .
Kind regards Jean
 
Phil I shan't come poaching! I've picked up quite a few good books from Sheldon and Yardley libraries, but in the main they have been biographies. So far, I haven't seen any local history books for sale. Had the best bargains, when we lived in Somerset. I was always buying nearly new books down there.
I shall have to keep my eyes peeled!

Ann
 
Postie
What's the source of that photo of St Benedict's Infants School-it's a very good photo? It was taken 8 years after my mother briefly attended that school, but still very interesting. I understand St Benedict's Infants School, Small Heath is still going
Gham
 
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Hi, I have just ordered this book on Amazon for £7.50...I am looking forward to reading it....many thanks for bringing it to my attention, I already have the one by Margaret Green...

Margaret.
 
Hi,
my copy of this book arrived today..I love it ! Has John Bick produced any more books on B'ham by any chance ???

Margaret.
 
Does anybody know when St Benedict's was built? I have realtive listed at 752 Coventry Road in 1901. A recent look on Google earth showed the school and some houses still in Coventry Road, but 752 has no building. Does anybody now if it bcame part of the school ground?
 
St Benedicts church was on hobmoor road but i thought st benedicts infant junior was at the cov road end of the road at the side of st bendicts church.
 
The shops on Hobmoor Rd opposite St Benedicts Rd were origionally 3? large houses converted into shops the garden walls were knocked down, the gardens were tarmacked or slabbed over and items for sale were put there, one was a carpet shop i think the are closed now. Len.
 
The properties on Hobmoor Rd opposite St Benedicts were shops in the 1950s. Inside, the smallish terraces were similar in layout to the kind of houses to be found in Third Ave. I do not believe they were ever converted from large houses and the distinctive L shaped footprint seen even today on say Google Earth or Microsoft Maps would substantiate this. There had been some bomb damage in the vicinity so perhaps that would explain what happened to the old houses in the photo I posted earlier.
 
Thank you for the pics, there used to be an old lady called Mrs anslow who had a sweet shop on the right hand side of herbert rd going up it from the cov rd. I remeber her well even though I was only little it was just up from what we called the big house where the catleys lived and next door to them was two newly built police houses the other side of them was the undertakers, opposite that was a small garage run by a guy called wilf attwood I knew the attwoods very well.
 
Small Heath Tram/Bus Garage Trams were a once a regular sight on the roads around Small Heath. The Coventry Road depot was a centre for many different routes, all replaced eventually by buses. these trams are numbered 11, 12, 90, 84 and 16. The Birmingham Gazette and Evening Despatch were two of the city's daily newspapers, both printed as broadsheets which made them somewhat difficult to read on trams or buses!. Len.
 
The inspection pit was used for maintenance of the underside of a tram. The tram was rolled along the rails which can be seen on the walled supports on either side of the picture. Trams ran along the Coventry Road up until 1935 when they were replaced by trolley buses. The Second World War stopped further closure of tramlines and it was not until 1948 that the route along Bordesley Green to Stechford was replaced by buses. Birmingham's last tramline closed in 1953. Len.
 
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