• 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

Sparkhill Congregational Church

Thanks for the pics, Dave, some changes from when I used to live in Knowle Road in 1940s. That big patch of grass on the left of Colgreave Road was prefabs, opposite is the Tile Warehouse replacing the chemist on the corner, Cox's scrapyard on the opposite corner has been replaced by a now defunct House of Footwear, and just inside Solihull Road the Springfield Cinema has become the House of Furniture, and the Springfield Dance Hall has become Grand Occasions. I have still to see a photograph of the forerunner of the current bridge over the River Cole - one must exist somewhere.

Maurice
 
Thanks, Ell, and at least they have partly covered the collapsed roof, but I don't give a lot for its chances.

Maurice :cool:
 
I think at the time of the fire, I heard about bus diversions, so the 1, 1A and 6 would have had to go a different way at the time.

Hopefully they can repair it. Put sprinklers in or something.
 
Ell,

There wasn't a #6 bus in my day - 37 & 46 BCT routes plus several Midland Reds which had their own stops next to the 1 & 1A stop and, of course, the bundy clock! 31A & 29A went past, but of no use to me going to school.

Maurice :cool:
 
In the last couple of decades we have lost the 31 and 41 bus routes that used to go past here. Although a version of the 31 goes from Acocks Green to Solihull.

There used to be a 37 on the Warwick Road, but that is now the 4 and 4A (from Gospel Oak).

The 1 goes to Five Ways, the 1A to the QE Hospital.

All the old routes got renumbered by whichever bus company was in charge at the time.

Any plans to come back after lockdown ends?
 
My recollection is that the 32 and 37 went past the church and continued to Hall Green parade and beyond. The 1/1A and 31/31A went past the church and up Shaftmoor Lane to Acocks Green. I thought the 41 turned off at the Mermaid, from town, and went along the Warwick Road to Acocks Green.
 
The modern 41 went on the Stratford Road, then went down School Road, Hall Green around a weird route around Gospel Oak towards Solihull. They changed it the 41A and 41C in the 2000s (didn't last long), which only went to Solihull. The 41 stopped going beyond the College Arms to the City Centre. After it ceased to exist, the 6 became my main route.

The modern 37 left the Stratford Road at Warwick Road, but was renumbered to the 4 / 4A a few years ago.



 
Back in BCT dates it was the 44 to Acocks Green and 44A to Lincoln Road North. The 30 (initiated in 1928) was Olton but only went to the city boundary at Olton Boulevard East but was not a frequent service as far as I remember. The original 31 (1930) was an extension to Gospel Lane but was renumbered 31A and 32 (1936) when the route went around the loop of the estate - 31A via Shaftmoor Lane and 32 via Lakey Lane. 1962 saw the 31A renumbered 31. The PTE made some changes re destination blinds.
Route 41 from 1957 was a extension to the 45 which went to Turves Green.
The PTE and successors altered many routes and numbers. Many extensions beyond the city boundaries were now possible and incorporated former Midland Red routes.
 
Hi Ell,

I haven't left Crete since my last trip to the UK in 2014 and I stopped driving last year due to deteriorating eyesight. So I think it unlikely that I'll ever see the UK again as I am now 83. But I do like to see what has changed since I left Brum in 1961 and England in 2005, particularly in the areas I knew outside the centre of the city. Thanks for your photographs, they're a big help.

Maurice :cool:
 
There was a church building prior to that shown in Ell's photo in post #22. However, it seems debatable as to whether the plan below was the design adopted for the earlier building. But whatever was there before, the current building replaced it in the 1930s. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
No problem Maurice. Do you miss living in the UK?

Yesterday at the College Arms saw this:



And this was on the wall near the new extension to a shop (close to the Blackberry Way).

 
Ell,

To be honest, for most things aside of local history and seeing a couple of my late wife's relations, the answer has to be no. The family for both of us are split far and wide, my eldest son and his family have lived in Brussels for nearly 20 years, my second son lives in Luton, but will be back over here at the end of the lockdown, and my youngest son & his family live in Bournemouth as do my late wife's surviving siblings. I'm in a quiet rural village along with British, Dutch & Greek friends and life is good. My partner Jan's family are likewise split between Surrey and the Middle East. Thank you for asking, but I'm going to stop at this point before we get our knuckles rapped for going off topic. Cheers. :)

Maurice :cool:
 
Got a photo today of Mughal & Azam (the former Sparkhill Congregational Church) from the Greet Mill Meadow. Was a roof fire several months ago.

These are for Maurice. I stopped and took some photos on Friday and then realised I had not walked quite far enough so I nipped back this morning. I can see no sign of the burnt roof and the repair looks to have been sympathetically done using reclaimed tiles. Pics 5 and 6 are at the back where most of the damage was - under the tarpaulin, the others are down the side towards Stratford Road.
 

Attachments

  • Church 1.JPG
    Church 1.JPG
    486.4 KB · Views: 10
  • Church 3.JPG
    Church 3.JPG
    480.4 KB · Views: 10
  • Church 5.jpg
    Church 5.jpg
    492.9 KB · Views: 10
  • Church 6.jpg
    Church 6.jpg
    496.5 KB · Views: 10
I like the brickwork of the building, they’ve used minimal materials to good effect. Viv.
 
These are for Maurice. I stopped and took some photos on Friday and then realised I had not walked quite far enough so I nipped back this morning. I can see no sign of the burnt roof and the repair looks to have been sympathetically done using reclaimed tiles. Pics 5 and 6 are at the back where most of the damage was - under the tarpaulin, the others are down the side towards Stratford Road.
nice photos jan
 
Back
Top