• 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

Soho Road Handsworth

Here's a photograph of the Regal Handsworth in more daily surroundings. The year is 1937

https://special.st-andrews.ac.uk/sa...rch&s=zoom&key=WczoxMDoiSGFuZHN3b3J0aCI7&pg=9


Programme showing on the day, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in "Shall We Dance?"
143509.1020.A.jpg
 
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
 
Last edited:
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
 
Alan - Here is the picture that you sent me recently from the Alton Douglas book. I'm not sure whether it willl come out OK, but here goes. It shows the Blackpool Fish & Chip Shop which my friend, Jean Thomas's parents ran in the 1950's, with the Herb Shop next door. Judy

Blackpool_Fish___Chip_shop.
 
Sorry Alan, it didn't work. Think I have to convert it from PNG to JPEG. Will keep trying.
 
alanfisher202 said:
Thanks Judy, Reg will see this and remember how things where when we used Mrs Hamiltons Herb Shop,happy times indeed.
Alan
Click to expand...
Hi Judy and Alan, "Thanks For The Memory" as the song goes. Alan, regards to Potter Sound Systems having the windows blanked out,when I worked there they weren't,it was also a retail Radio Shop and had window displays, although in limited supply new radios' were becoming available and among other electrical items were on show.
Regards Reg
 
Reg,When Judy posted the photo she said the Herb Shop was next to the Blackpool Chip shop,there was a Herb Shop next door, also another Herb Shop next to that,this was "Our Herb Shop" Mrs Hamiltons,on the picture Judy sent I notice that it is up for sale just incase you look it up again on Google.
Alan
 
img055~0.jpg

I took the liberty of copying this picture from todays Birmingham Mail. The caption reads, Roaring Twenties; 1924, the Grand Cineama in Soho Road Handsworth.
 
img057~1.jpg


img056~0.jpg


The front and rear of The New Inns Hotel on the corner of Holyhead Road and Sandwell Road in 1901. Stabling for tramway horses was once provided at the rear.
 
Great pictures Stitcher. I can't get enough of them! The Grand was still open when I lived in Handsworth and as a child I went to Saturday morning pictures there once with my sister. Once was enough as it was a bit of a flea pit!

Good picture of the New Inns pub as well.

Judy
 
I have said on previous posts that I was born and raised on the othe side of Birmingham so I did not see anything past the City Centre other than The Aston Hippodrome when Mom and Dad took us three nippers there.
stitcher
 
Belgrave Terrace is just off Soho Rd just on the Library side of the railway bridge. In the early 20thC there was a drill hall at the end of it - now gone. Anyone know anything about this apart from what is on the Drill Halls web site?
 
Thanks Sticher ,Those pictures are great,Alan I have commented on Belgrave Terrace and from the back of my mind I can picture a large building at the top of the Terrace with a big door.
 
Soho Road The Rope Walk.jpgThis is how rope was manufactured in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It is actually called The Rope Walk and is by Soho Road railway station
 
carolina another fantasic photo! I watched a program on TV a couple of years ago about the manufacture of rope at that time it was facinating. How lovely to know where it was done in Birmingham (although it would have been Staffordshire then).
 
Soho Road The Rope Walk2.jpgWendy here's another one. It was owned by family called Haines and the firm closed circa 1914 after his death. I would think it would have been around the Thornhill Road side
 
carolina said:
View attachment 74322This is how rope was manufactured in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It is actually called The Rope Walk and is by Soho Road railway station
Click to expand...

That's a great picture carolina!

My (paternal) ancestors were rope makers. According to my father there was a firm his dad worked for called Mewiss or Mewiss's, in Winson Green, that used to make rope along the canal towpath.

I can't imagine the canal boat people would've been very pleased !
 
Thornhill House was just up through the trees from the rope walk.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...=10080&ox=2369&oy=3053&zm=1&czm=1&x=312&y=230

Parts of the New Inns Pub still remain in the current building. This I believe is where the cable tramway eventually went to. There would have been a cable wheel under the road to turn the cable onto the return track. I think also that there was a toll gate located here at one time. Seems a long way to drive a cable...from Snow Hill to here and back but it did happen and was around for a number of years and the drive engine was at Hockley alongside the brook. You can see the engine house on the 1890 map but the extension to New Inns is not included in 1890.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...=10087&ox=4217&oy=1194&zm=1&czm=1&x=239&y=147
 
I do indeed Carol. I have spent many hours in and around St Michaels which was in St Michaels Road, off Soho Hill. I went to Sunday School here; went to School services here; played in the surrounding grounds as a child; went to Brownies in the Cub Hut that was off to the side; used it as a cut through from Soho Road to Soho Avenue; met boyfriends at the gate when I was in my teens! My sister was baptised here. This church is part of my growing up and I have very fond memories of it! Here is an interior shot taken in 1901. Judy

Satellite
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top