• 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
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Smells Of The Past

A

Alberta

Super Moderator
Staff member
When I took my dog Alice for a walk in the sunshine on Monday I passed a very large Hawthorn tree covered in flowers, the scent was beautiful.
I was taken back about 65 years when myself and a friend would play either May queens or brides, old net curtains on our heads and bouquets made of May/hawthorn blossom.
What wonderful days they were we had no worries in the world.
Made me feel fantastic as I continued my walk.
 
One Scent of childhood I had forgotten about was the sooty smoke from the coal fires around Birmingham. When we went smokeless the scent disappeared without anyone noticing.

Then, I lived for a short period of time in South Derbyshire, as small mining village, were this smell was always in the air. Miners use to get free coal, so there was no gas in the village then.

Living there I stopped noticing it, but visitors would pick up on it immediately.

I do love the way certain smells, images and noises can catapult you back I time, evoking memories a long time past.
 
After we moved from Aston in 1969, I would cycle back down to Aston Cross, just to take in the aroma of both Ansells and the HP, visitors couldn't stand the smell(s), but to me it was the smell of home and my childhood.....now my Aston as gone, and so have both companies..its no longer my Aston.....
 
Dope - no, not THAT sort - from more innocent times, the stuff you painted on to the wings of your model aeroplane to make the tissue paper taut and hard.
Coal smoke - puffing out from a newly made up open fire.
Damp and mustiness mixed with paraffin fumes - from our air-raid shelter.

Chris
 
Childhood memories of the aroma of the plant that sprung up on bomb sites; commonly known as 'Fireweed'. As Adolf levelled the sites the seeds of this plant that had been built over in Victorian times burst out of their long incarceration into verdant growth. I can smell it now!
Ted
 
Like Morturn my smells of chilhood are the smoky smells of small streets and many coal fires, and in the few gardens "Lilac" most seem to have them in for some strange reason, in the 50's.
paul
 
Like Sylvia it has to be the aromas from both HP and Ansells ( now sadly both gone forever) when I worked just across the road at Hercules Cycles, also gone forever, at the time I lived with my Nan in 1943 when my Mother died in Queens road opposite Atkinsons Brewery, more 'beer' smells. Happy days gone forever. Eric
 
Ho!!!, Nearly forgot the scent of apple blossom, (very rare now a days), takes me back to the age of 4/5 yrs to Raglan Road Edgbaston, standing with my old dad.
paul
 
Alberta, the smell of 'May' blossom from the Hawthorn trees always reminds me of when I was young too. We had two trees in our garden, one was white blossom and the other pink, and my sister and I loved to pick the flowers. It is a lovely scent. Now my next door neighbour has one which is in flower, and the smell takes me back years.
 
Last edited:
Smell of new paint = first day back at school in September after school re-decoration during the summer break. Viv.
 
My mom was a barmaid in the late 40s and I spent a lot of time behind bars, the smell of beer, cigarette smoke and polish always takes me back to those days as a small child.
 
Jayell said:
Alberta, the smell of 'May' blossom from the Hawthorn trees always reminds me of when I was young too. We had two trees in our garden, one was white blossom and the other pink, and my sister and I loved to pick the flowers. It is a lovely scent. Now my next door neighbour has one which is in flower, and the smell takes me back years.
Click to expand...

Privit hedges and creostoted fences with the sun on them always remind me of playing out in the street on warm sunny days. Viv.
 
Oh yes Viv! The smell of privet takes me back as it is such a strong scent. And do you remember trying to make whistling noises with the leaves?
 
Oh yes Keegs And don't forget the burning smell as you set fire to it! Judy, never tried whistling privet. But it's firmly on my list of jobs to do this bank holiday! Viv.
 
I remember when the wind was blowing in our direction from Aston Station you could smell the steam trains as they went by. I loved the smell of linseed oil in putty when dad replaced a window, probably after I broke it. Judy I remember making whistling noises with the leaves.
 
Same as you Alberta, may blossom, my birthday is 2nd May and I always have some may blossom if I can - luckily, the hedge outside our house is hawthorn, as well as the one by moms, so I have a vase of it today.
My other smell is totally different, linseed putty - dad was a caprnter and there was always putty in the garage to model with, but mom hates the smell, so we had to be careful to wash it all off!!
Sue
 
Sue I used to roll it in my hands to make the smell come out of the putty. I always got told off for leaving my finger prints in it once it was holding the glass in place.
 
sistersue61 said:
Same as you Alberta, may blossom, my birthday is 2nd May and I always have some may blossom if I can - luckily, the hedge outside our house is hawthorn, as well as the one by moms, so I have a vase of it today.
My other smell is totally different, linseed putty - dad was a caprnter and there was always putty in the garage to model with, but mom hates the smell, so we had to be careful to wash it all off!!
Sue
Click to expand...
N'ere cast a clout till May be out, said Nan, and the SMELL! of it. ALso like coal fire smell and the nature table at school nd the powder paints and gloy remind me of Christmas.
Grandad smelled of factory suds when he came in and I loved that too, dad smelled of baccy. Mum of body mist. Great Gran of lavender, her sister my gt gt aunt of 5/7/11 was it? Nan of fresh linen.
Also loved smell of Suttons bakery on a sunday morning the church bells, the quiet and the salvation army band playing on the corner of Shakespeare St and Dane Rd.
 
The smell of opening a new annual on Christmas morning.Can't get that with a Kindle !
 
Oh and Sweet Peas,my nan always grew them and so did my Mom,now so do I.The scent never fails to remind me of both of them.
 
sylviasayers said:
Another magical smell is that of young baby freshly bathed.
Click to expand...

i agree sylv...mom had 5 of her 6 children at home and me being the eldest i can still remember going into the bedroom to see my new baby brother or sister..the room was filled with the scent of johnsons baby soap and talc...wonderful...

lyn
 
I loved the smell of sun tan lotion in Woolworths, Barmouth when I was a child. Went back last year but of course Woolworths had long gone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top