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Soho Road Handsworth

Holyhead Road

Holyhead_Road.jpg
 
Wasn't the Regal a beautiful cinema? Music during the interval was played on an organ that used to rise up in front of the stage. I used to go there regularly and can remember the queues of local boys and girls waiting to get in on a Sunday afternoon. We used to meet all our friends in there.

Judy
 
Used to go on Saturday morning to the ABC minors. Loved the programmes and sing songs. When it was your birthday, you went up on stage and they all sang to you.....
 
Hi
There are so many threads this photo could go, but i thought
what better place than where these great men were based around this area.



Image17_James_Watt_Centenary_1919.jpg



Regards stars
 
3 great men indeed stars...

was there a bit of a write up to the pics of nineveh road ??? i posted them ages back and dont think i saved them...something like they were the oldest..me memory is failing me this morning lol..

lyn
 
bbb~0.jpeg

All the celebrations were planned for the crowning of King Edward V11 to tke place on June 26th 1902. However, he was taken ill and the coronation was postponed but part of the planned activities still took place. The main event of the day was a cycle procession along the Soho Road. The coronation eventually took place on August 9th in the same year.
 
Hi mikejee! The white-coated policeman on "point duty" would confirm your 1939 date as the latest possible date. Such duties disappeared with the onset of the war. willey

Hi All,

If that was so what was I doing wearing a white coat and directing traffic on Aston Cross during the 1950s?

Old Boy
 
Hi everyone,
Looking at the photograph on post 17, where the car is turning right out of Boulton Road, brought back memories from when I was attending Handsworth Technical School in the middle 1940's when some lessons were taken at Boulton Road school which was used as an overflow facility.During the lunch time break I remember going quite often, with other lads, to a Herbalists shop which was just on the right as you turned right coming out of Boulton Road,where you could buy warm Vimto in the winter another drink which we also would buy was called a "Special" made from various herbs which we thought gave us an "Intoxicated" feeling ! but I doubt that it did. On leaving school in 1946 I went to work at a Radio shop, near to Soho Railway Station, called "Potter Sound Systems".

Happy New Year to everyone, Reg. (Roverman)
 
Reg I left school a little later than you (1952) I cannot remember the Herb shop you mention, but I can remember a Herb Shop further up Soho Road, if you turned right coming out of Queens Head Road it was about three shops down (Mrs Hamiltons)
Happy New Year to you too. Alan
 
Hi Alan, thanks for your reply, you are no doubt correct with the location of the Herbalists, obviously my memory of the location is at fault. I remember turning right into Soho Road and the shop being a short way down on the right. Perhaps the "Special" was intoxicating after all. !!
Regards Reg.
 
Reg, It may well be you remember turning right onto Soho Road from Queens Head Road and not Boulton Road,Queens Head Road would have taken you from the school to Soho Road as would Boulton Road off cause,I attended Boulton Road Junior school from 1942 and we would walk past the "Tec" to play in the field just past your school buildings.
There is a picture on the back cover of one of Alton Douglas's books titled "Birmingham 1900 to 1970" of the Herb shop along with the Blackpool Chip shop.
Do you remember there was a bench seat under the window in the Herb Shop.
Alan
 
What a great picture. I think the buses were running by the time I went on the 70 bus to and from Sandwell Road terminus. They must have put the lights in at the corner when they changed to buses.
I have looked at the rest of the thread and it brings back so many memories. I worked at Martins Florist on Soho Road next to the butchers just past Grove Lane going into Birmingham from 1958 - 1962.
How I loved going to the Regal with my mom and then the Sat morning childrens shows. We used to go to the Albion on Holyhead Road, I felt like a Princess in the lounge with the plush carpet.
Thanks everyone for the memorie! Mo
 
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Hi Alan, I do remember sitting on a bench seat under the window in the herb shop supping our Vimto or Special. I took a trip along Soho Road yesterday via Google Street View beginning opposite the premises that was Potter Sound Systems where I began earning my living in 1946 which is now " Cash 2 Day " Buy and Sell Centre on the corner of Belgrave Terrace, I tavelled along Soho Road passing Grove Lane, Nineva Road,Boulton Road as far as Queens Head Road, Just down on the left in Soho Road I noticed that there is a "Good Health Food Stores" selling health foods and herbs, could this be the same shop? I must say that things have changed a bit since last travelling along Soho Road 60 odd years ago!
Regards Reg
 
Sakura, (post 35), how far up or down Soho Road was Martin's the florist in those days? Maybe someone has a snap of that section of highway. Anyway, here's the cherry on the cake, The Albiohttps://special.st-andrews.ac.uk/saspecial/index.php?a=wordsearch&s=zoom&key=WczoxMDoiSGFuZHN3b3J0aCI7&pg=8n in its film presentation heyday, again 1937. Sorry I can't read what was showing there from the angle in order to put up its poster, but if you click on or under the photo on the link you should be able to enlarge it.

Richie.
 
Hello Reg,, Second attempt to reply, at first I could not place Belgrave Terrace, then out of the mist a memory came flooding back, I remember during the war Mom found a Ration Book belonging to a lady who lived in Belgrave Terrace the lady was so pleased when we took it back, I had not thought about that from that day till you mentioned where you used to work.
Where the windows partly painted, maybe not, just an image comes to mind.
The Herb Shop was next door to where you thought at Ashta Jewellers, and yes it has changed around there, enough said .
My first attempt to reply is lost in the ether, hit the wrong button, if I knew how too I would post an attachment of the picture I mentioned of the Herb Shop, I know how to post attachments on E-MAIL.
And that is all I can manage without blowing up every bodies computers.
Alan
 
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