Sparkhill

[robert]

Rupert i spent many happy times in that area as a child in the 50s. The childrens section of the library seemed so impressive, the huge book shelves and the grand staircase. Next door was the swimming baths, 2d before 4oclock and 4d after. Opposite was a shop that sold surgical appliances, fasanating for an 8 year old. Ive been told that Sparkhill baths is closed due to a structual problem and may not reopen.

 

[bobsummers]

Small world Rupert, at that exact spot in 1956 my brother was run over by a removal lorry, and I am happy to say he lived to tell the tale. We went to the school on the left side of the photo, English Martyrs. We had crossed the road to by sweets from the shop by the corner of Court Road and failed to use the Zebra crossing out side the Library on our return.
My brother John ran into the Stratford Road, turned and looked at me and the next second was flung down the road to land by the crossing we should have used. I still remember that moment in time and it still gives me a shiver down my spine.

 

[caggyken]

HI ALL
Just got back from brum after a 3 day visit.While i was there i met up with an old friend from Sparkhill.We were talking about our old times in the 50s.On a monday night we used to go to ST JOHNS hall just inIVOR RD.There used to be a Monday night dance with a large dance band.Other players used to come along and join in.Sometimes there would be as many as 20 playing in the band.Although we remembered the Moday nights the name of the band would not come to hand.Can any one out there help us.????
KEN HARRIS

 

[mooky]

Does anyone know who used to live in 24 Newton

Re: Sparkhill & Sparkbrook

Most extraordinary Ann B, is that my family also lived in Newton Road at 29 next to the Building family, Mr & Mrs ? forget the name (Wilkes) and 2 sons. Also the dog Brock a small black dog that Barked at me all the time, I was small and terrified. They had a great social life in the street even ran 4 football teams in the 50,s called Newton Social. my dad used to look after all the case balls, dubbin & a hardy bicycle pump I recall. We played "Hard Tig Ball" in the street, football & cricket. kids where allowed in the 50's & 60's untill you broke a window. We broke loads and scarped very quickly. In fact we must have kept someone in full time work. Another trick was to tie cotton on two opposite door knockers and as the horse drawn milk float went by the doors Knocked simultaneously (Simple minds I know?) and we used to light photo negatives and as they smoldered, an awfully smell used to be given off in that area, like a long lasting stink bomb. What fun!! Your family must have lived at the top of the hill up from the Stoney Lane which was the boarder with Balsall Heath. In-fact on Bonfire nights we used to be in area gangs and have banger fights with one gloved hand, very cool what? See the photo of one of the teams sent to me from George Tustin from Australia. Do you remember the 2 shops in the street, Goodienuffs at the bottom and the corner shop by the outdoor Mrs Shipphams? Both sold great sweets and ice lolls.

Hello, I am trying to find out who lived at 24 Newton Road, in Oct 1960. My dad Vivian Bird lived nearby. I am really into my family tree, and this address is bugging me. Please can anyone help, I would be very greatful as I like to keep my tree as accurate as I can. I have so many on my Bird and Drew trees. Thank you

 

[mikejee]

The electoral roll (which would only include those registered to vote) has Richard & Hilda Whateley there from 1945 till last online entry available in 1965

 

[tim eborn]

Wow again ! living in Sparkbook for the first 23 of my life I thought I remembered it all then the dancing at Ivor Rd was mentioned and I was there aged about 15 in my prime with one of my mates. Can't remember how many knockbacks we had but then quite a good looking sort did get up for a dance. When I went back for another dance it was not on and I realized the first one was out of pity .
Cheers Tim

 

[caggyken]

Wow again ! living in Sparkbook for the first 23 of my life I thought I remembered it all then the dancing at Ivor Rd was mentioned and I was there aged about 15 in my prime with one of my mates. Can't remember how many knockbacks we had but then quite a good looking sort did get up for a dance. When I went back for another dance it was not on and I realized the first one was out of pity .
Cheers Tim

Was it the Monday night dance you used to go too in the early Fiffties ?????

 

[Phil]

Does anyone know who used to live in 24 Newton

Hello, I am trying to find out who lived at 24 Newton Road, in Oct 1960. My dad Vivian Bird lived nearby. I am really into my family tree, and this address is bugging me. Please can anyone help, I would be very greatful as I like to keep my tree as accurate as I can. I have so many on my Bird and Drew trees. Thank you

Are we talking about the Birmingham Author and Post & Mail writer Vivian Bird, as I have read a couple of his books on Birmingham and found them very informative and interesting. Sorry I have no idea who lived at 24 Newton Road and had no idea that Mr Bird had lived nearby, when you say nearby do you mean in Newton Street?

 

[mooky]

Are we talking about the Birmingham Author and Post & Mail writer Vivian Bird, as I have read a couple of his books on Birmingham and found them very informative and interesting. Sorry I have no idea who lived at 24 Newton Road and had no idea that Mr Bird had lived nearby, when you say nearby do you mean in Newton Street?

Yes, I am his daughter. He lived in the area before he married my mom. He then spent most of his time living in Hall Green. He died in 2000. Thank you whom ever looked up the Electoral Roll and found the Whatleys. I have searched them on my Ancestry but I cannot find them.
Best wishes Molly

 

[Phil]

Yes, I am his daughter. He lived in the area before he married my mom. He then spent most of his time living in Hall Green. He died in 2000. Thank you whom ever looked up the Electoral Roll and found the Whatleys. I have searched them on my Ancestry but I cannot find them.
Best wishes Molly

Well Mooky if you can be half as interesting as your dad on the subject of Birmingham, then I hope we hear a lot more from you on the forum.

 

[bobsummers]

Does anyone know who used to live in 24 Newton

Hello, I am trying to find out who lived at 24 Newton Road, in Oct 1960. My dad Vivian Bird lived nearby. I am really into my family tree, and this address is bugging me. Please can anyone help, I would be very greatful as I like to keep my tree as accurate as I can. I have so many on my Bird and Drew trees. Thank you

Hi if my memory serves me well it was the Anderton Family. Quite a posh house and one of the few houses that had a telephone. Mr and Mrs Anderton had a daughter and son but I can't remember there names. But that could have been no.25. Are you related to Marlon who lived at no. 27?

 

[tim eborn]

Y

Was it the Monday night dance you used to go too in the early Fiffties ?????

Yes why on a Monday who knows why ? another funny thing was how few people turned up in cars. But we were all young in those days and short of cash and public transport was frequent and cheap. Cheers Tim.

 

[Vivienne14]

Sparkhill Council House - good to see it’s still standing - in use as a Library and Police Station. Viv.

 

[superdad3]

Sparkhill Council House - good to see it’s still standing - in use as a Library and Police Station. Viv.
View attachment 132946

Library and police station are two separate buldings. Library from clock tower to the left, police station to the right & up Court Road.

The "library" was completed in 1902 as Yardley Council House. Sparkhill was in Yardley R.D.C. at the time & this was part of Yardley's new civic centre: council house, police station, magistrates court, fire station, works depot etc. All taken over by Birmingham in 1912 under the Greater Birmingham Act 1911. In 1923 upstairs of "council house" became the adult library & reading room. Childrens library was downstairs until moving upstairs in the 1960s. Building nearly sold off in 2014 but saved by public uproar.

Here's a picture of the council chamber about 1905.

 

[BrummieGeoff]

Looking at some of the photo’s posted on here in the last few years; this one stood out for the quality of the framing and interest in the subject. A little steam loco with it’s attached tram car going about it’s business; chugging along the Stratford Road towards Birmingham. It’s at the junction of Court Road and Stratford Road and the picture is looking towards the direction of Henley/Stratford and it’s a winters day at half past 12. The year must have been 1906 give or take and this may have been one of the last trips for this little engine…the overhead wires are there for the electric trams which were to replace steam. The tram would have run it’s journey back and forth for the whole of the Boer war and now that had ended and maybe some of the soldiers were spending Christmas at home for the first time in a while. Behind the photographer there was a hospital back then and just behind the lamppost the cape of a nurse can be seen and a nurses cap perhaps and another nurse further away in a different coat but a hat also. Maybe they were hurrying to the library to change books during the lunch break. The library being across the road …the building with the clock tower. The building is still there and a library now so I presume it always was. When the tram was passing, the library would have been fairly new back then. It is not on the 1890 survey so that it may have been built in the field during the steam trams tenure of operation. Anyway I must have passed this place many times on the Midland Red and it would not have looked any different except for the vehicles and overhead wires and tram lines…after a while anyway. It’s not so cold maybe but the English dampness would make it seem so and the slush always made life miserable. There would be a few years of peace before the start of the first world war. One of my favorite pictures and I think a real stunner.
(Replacement photo, probably the same as original)
Map ref. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...=10119&ox=1370&oy=1555&zm=1&czm=1&x=396&y=156

Ref Post #30
Great photo that I've not seen before. Although I think this "replacement photo" is more likely to be a view of the Stratford Road from the St Johns Road junction, looking away from town. The steam tram is parked outside the old tram building .... that was replaced by the current Salvation Army building in 1909.
Attached is a photo of the Stratford Road/Court Road junction (looking towards town) which has a different building on the corner. It also shows the old Women's Hospital mentioned by Rupert.

 

[Frank come]

Hi if my memory serves me well it was the Anderton Family. Quite a posh house and one of the few houses that had a telephone. Mr and Mrs Anderton had a daughter and son but I can't remember there names. But that could have been no.25. Are you related to Marlon who lived at no. 27?

 

[Frank come]

Hi Bob, the Whateleys lived at 24. They had a daughter, Barbara, and a son, Arthur. Miss Anderton lived further down the road next to Mr and Mrs Jenkins.
Nice to know you're still alive and kicking.
Frank

 

[Vivienne14]

Now this is what you’d describe as a proper display of bunting. For King George’s Jubilee, May 1935. I think I have the correct modern day location, but someone correct me if not, thanks. Viv.

 

[Clive F]

It was many moons ago that the ballroom above Burtons, Sparkhill was referred to and I can't see that anyone has named it since. I remember it as the Star Ballroom early to mid 60s.

 

[Taxi Tom]

Bob

I also remember the club above Burton's and I can't remember the name either, I think I only ever got in there a couple of times. I know later in years it was an Irish drinking club because a young nephew of mine owns the property at the rear of it in St Johns Rd.

Do you remember the club over the road on the corner of Showell Green Lane. The Cascades I think it was called. It was a bit of a rough place and the thing I remember most about the place in the early seventies was. The bouncer was a huge West Indian called "King"

I remember being in the curry house that was below the club on Stratford Rd one night and the manager had got a couple of blokes refusing to pay for their meal.

He telephoned upstairs and a couple of moments later "King" came in through the back door. The two lads just looked at him and got their wallets out and paid up.

Phil

Hi The Club above Burton's tailors was called The John Mitchell Club.......Irish club...as were all in area at the time...Cascade club had roof colapse under snow one winter........owned by Mickey Riley ..... King was his doorman and Desi

 

[Vivienne14]

Hard to imagine this rural scene being in Sparkhill. It's Hinds Farm, Sparkhill c1870. Artist was J.Jolly. Anyone know where abpits in Soarkhill this might have been ? Thanks. Viv.

 

[MWS]

1881 census puts in Anderton Road but it wasn't quite (maybe Medlicott Road now) the little bridge must be over the canal...

 

[Vivienne14]

Thanks MWS. By the 1880s map it shows the area to the north of the farm to be very well built up. On closer inspection of Jolly's painting there seems to be terraced housing visible in the distance behind the haystacks. I also wonder if the farm was connected to the Poplars. Viv.