• 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

Stechford Area

I have some great memories of Stechford. First one is the swimming baths and being taken there from school in an open door blue and cream double decker every Wednesday afternoon from Archbishop Williams school Tile Cross in the 1960s. It also became a place to meet our "girlfriends" in the evenings. A lot of messing around in the pool but nothing much more apart from the odd kiss. Innocent times indeed!, Later memories of a few beers in the North Star as a mate of mine lived nearby.
 
I have some great memories of Stechford. First one is the swimming baths and being taken there from school in an open door blue and cream double decker every Wednesday afternoon from Archbishop Williams school Tile Cross in the 1960s. It also became a place to meet our "girlfriends" in the evenings. A lot of messing around in the pool but nothing much more apart from the odd kiss. Innocent times indeed!, Later memories of a few beers in the North Star as a mate of mine lived nearby.
:kissing::kissing::)
we would climb over the fence and have a swim in the outdoor pool. at night when it was hot weather
 
Last edited:
. A couple more for you mizzyjo
I can just about remember this row of shops. The Co-Op butchers was down to the right and the chippie was further up to the left. I was a paperboy for Axfords when they moved to their new shop in Poolway, next to the new Co-Op.
 
I don't know where to put this question, so I hope I'm forgiven for this! Does anyone remember Levis's at Stechford? I was in the works office there for a short time but I can't remember what it was they made!! I also worked at the Criterion in Albert Road, in the laboratory and packing. I'm writing my biography for my kids because I wish I had the answers to all the questions I'd like to ask my parents and grandparents. So if it's okay, can I pick a few brains which might be in a better condition than mine is? Thanks xx

Post moved to this thread
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi,

Back in the early 60s I rented a garage in Albert Road from a guy who used to own a Levis
motorbike during WW1. He showed me a groove in the side of the steps down to the garage where
he used to run a gas pipe during the war to start and warm up his Levis on gas then switch over
to paraffin when it was hot as he could not get petrol. He also told me that the bike didn't have
a separate cylinder head, and when you wanted to decoke it you had to remove the cylinder!

In Levis's later days they became known as Leviss. I rang them up and asked them why the
spelling of the company name over the door in Old Station Road had changed, and they
told me that it was because they were always being confused with Levi's Jeans!

Kind regards
Dave
 
So sorry to be 6 years late! I hope you have found other people who remember your family. Apologies and Good luck.
 
So lovely to find this website and have a trip down memory lane. I grew up in Stechford and left in 1978. My grandparents lived in Kitts Green Road, so we regularly stopped off at the library in Glebe Farm. We fished for tiddlers in the river Cole and looked forward to the fair coming on the ground just round the corner from The Bull (I think it was). I spent many a happy hour at the swimming pool - remember free passes for swimming?

It's fabulous to see these old pictures. It was a treat to get chips from the chip shop near The Atlas and I remember my Mom buying me pumps from the shop that doubled up as a pawn shop.

Does anyone remember the terrible train crash in the 60s? I remember seeing it on the way home from school.

Also I lost my 'magic purse' that I had made at school somewhere on the walk home down that hill (Station Rd) - I spent years keeping an eye open ha ha!

There was a shoe shop at the bottom of the hill Warrenders or something like that? That's where we got our school shoes.

Edit: Wow - just looked at the first post in this thread and there is Warrenders! I can't believe I remembered the name correctly!!
 
Hi Brian

We now live on the isle of wight and love it here . We have 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren . I am a nurse here and Brian did drive the buses in Birmingham and here but now works part time as a pharmacy porter at the same place as me . His Brother Malcolm sadly passed away last year age 68 it was awfull and Brian took it really hard , but untill then he lived in Flaxlery rd , Malcolms wife died 6 years ago age 60 so there children have had it real rough .

The sister is called Barabara she married Delwyn , they had 4 children and are also grandparents , they still live in Stud Lane .

Ron & janet Carter live in Malvern we still hear from them , Janet is in poor health .

I think i saw your Dad ( Mr Southwell ) last on the ward i worked on in heartlands about 7/8 years ago , i have feeling he was visting someone , not a patient himself ! Was sorry to hear he passed on , a few weeks ago we where reminising and talked about your Dad . Brian reconised the photo you put on , was it your sister Annette wedding , he thinks it is

Yes the Glebe has Really changed , my Mom and sister still live around there and everytime we visit it breaks our hearts looking at the church , like i said i so glad my dear beloved inlaws didnt see it

Any way all for now

Take Care
Annette
Hi Annette
I know you posted this many years ago, but I can't believe we both lived in Stechford and are now both on the Isle of Wight. Looking at your name on here, we may also share the same birth year.

We moved here as my husband took a job at the hospital - our paths may have already crossed again!

I used to live in the old farm house on the corner of Old Farm Road and Flaxley Road - until 1978.
 
So lovely to find this website and have a trip down memory lane. I grew up in Stechford and left in 1978. My grandparents lived in Kitts Green Road, so we regularly stopped off at the library in Glebe Farm. We fished for tiddlers in the river Cole and looked forward to the fair coming on the ground just round the corner from The Bull (I think it was). I spent many a happy hour at the swimming pool - remember free passes for swimming?

It's fabulous to see these old pictures. It was a treat to get chips from the chip shop near The Atlas and I remember my Mom buying me pumps from the shop that doubled up as a pawn shop.

Does anyone remember the terrible train crash in the 60s? I remember seeing it on the way home from school.

Also I lost my 'magic purse' that I had made at school somewhere on the walk home down that hill (Station Rd) - I spent years keeping an eye open ha ha!

There was a shoe shop at the bottom of the hill Warrenders or something like that? That's where we got our school shoes.

Edit: Wow - just looked at the first post in this thread and there is Warrenders! I can't believe I remembered the name correctly!!
Yes, I share many of your memories. I lived off Church Lane and often walked to the baths - before the flats and houses went up. The pub you mention was The Bulls Head, often called The Bull. It's where I used to swap buses from the No 11 to the 14 if I'd been into Erdington. And on the opposite side, I think the bus stop was opposite the shoe shop you mention. All gone now. The shops made way for the road system and the pub for a development.
My cousin used to run the chip shop next to the Atlas and I remember the pawn shop, both on the corner of Wyndhurst Rd, opposite Parkinson Cowan.
You'll notice many changes if you visit but the library is still there!
 
Yes, I share many of your memories. I lived off Church Lane and often walked to the baths - before the flats and houses went up. The pub you mention was The Bulls Head, often called The Bull. It's where I used to swap buses from the No 11 to the 14 if I'd been into Erdington. And on the opposite side, I think the bus stop was opposite the shoe shop you mention. All gone now. The shops made way for the road system and the pub for a development.
My cousin used to run the chip shop next to the Atlas and I remember the pawn shop, both on the corner of Wyndhurst Rd, opposite Parkinson Cowan.
You'll notice many changes if you visit but the library is still there!
Yes the bus stop was opposite Warrenders. I used to get the 11 bus there to 6 ways Erdington, and then the No. 64 or walked to school at St. Agnes' in Erdington. The 14 took me into 'town' :) or up to the Glebe if I was lazy!

I'd forgotten it was called Wyndhurst Rd. I remember my friend's house on Audley Road backed onto waste ground where we used to play. Google show houses there now - no surprise!

It's good to see the recreation ground is still there, and that the library is still going!

Your cousin used to produce some lovely chips!
 
Image18_Station_Rd_stechford.jpg






Image17_Station_Rd_Stechford_1955.jpg



Hope you enjoy and please let us know your stories, if it brings back any memories for you. Regards Stars

[/QUOTE in the above pic there was 3 shop on the corner of iron lane/station rd, next to parkinsons and was still there in 1980s i remember them
but in the pic above that they were not there. strainge[/QUOTE]
 
Like you, Flaxley Girl, I had a trek to school: the 14 to town, walk across town to Colmore Row then the 7 to St Paul's. At a time when school finished at 4, I was out from 7.30am - 5.30 pm from the age of 11. Who said, 'Those were the days' lol.
 
Image18_Station_Rd_stechford.jpg






Image17_Station_Rd_Stechford_1955.jpg



Hope you enjoy and please let us know your stories, if it brings back any memories for you. Regards Stars

[/QUOTE in the above pic there was 3 shop on the corner of iron lane/station rd, next to parkinsons and was still there in 1980s i remember them
but in the pic above that they were not there. strainge
[/QUOTE]
That pic reminded me that I loved the name of the hairdressers: Toni. I thought it was so modern, unlike the names I was used to: Mary, Susan, Diane, Margaret. I used to ask my mom why she didn't call me Toni. I'd forgotten that until now :)
 
..Hope you enjoy and please let us know your stories, if it brings back any memories for you.[/QUOTE in the above pic there was 3 shop on the corner of iron lane/station rd, next to parkinsons and was still there in 1980s i remember them
but in the pic above that they were not there. strainge
Thank you so much for sharing these. Warrenders looks more like how I remember it there, with the larger glass window.

I remember the corner drapers store. It was a step down back onto the pavement. I can't remember it being a drapers, but I do remember it opening up as a second hand store and I bought a battery operated cassette tape player there for £12 in about 1972.

@Dido - you didn't go to Corpus Christi too by any chance did you? I have a very old fashioned name and have always hated it.

My other memories revolve around the local shops. the VG store on the corner of Flaxley Rd and Audley Rd - we did all of our food shopping here and used to call it Jack's. I thought this was a huge shop, but it was so small by today's standards. Willy the butcher eventually had his own entrance I think.

Further down the road towards the Atlas there was the chemists on the corner (scottish people ran it I think - maybe Campbells?) with a big horse chestnut tree outside. There was the Bon Bon run by the Colliers - they could be seen sweeping the pavement every evening at closing time.
Nora had a clothes shop, Pet (from Newcastle area and always known as Pet as that's what she called everyone) ran the greengrocers and tipped the muddy potatoes straight into your bag. She also had a pekinese dog that I occasionally walked for her. At one time there were two hairdressers. Later there was a car parts shop. I bought my first transistor radio from a shop along here too, but cannot remember whether it was an electrical shop.
 
Thank you so much for sharing these. Warrenders looks more like how I remember it there, with the larger glass window.

I remember the corner drapers store. It was a step down back onto the pavement. I can't remember it being a drapers, but I do remember it opening up as a second hand store and I bought a battery operated cassette tape player there for £12 in about 1972.
i remember the junk shop.and later it selling radiators. i bought 2 school rads, it took 3 of us to put one in the van.so heavy.
 
i remember the junk shop.and later it selling radiators. i bought 2 school rads, it took 3 of us to put one in the van.so heavy.
@FlaxleyGirl I didn't go to CC - Our Lady's was my primary school. My much older brother got married at CC. Father Corcoran was the parish priest at that time; a giant of a man, at least to little me! The church at that time (mid 60s) was a wooden 'hut'. Mom and I often went to mass there if we'd missed the rare Sunday bus to the Mackadown. Great memories.
 
Thank you so much for sharing these. Warrenders looks more like how I remember it there, with the larger glass window.

I remember the corner drapers store. It was a step down back onto the pavement. I can't remember it being a drapers, but I do remember it opening up as a second hand store and I bought a battery operated cassette tape player there for £12 in about 1972.

@Dido - you didn't go to Corpus Christi too by any chance did you? I have a very old fashioned name and have always hated it.

My other memories revolve around the local shops. the VG store on the corner of Flaxley Rd and Audley Rd - we did all of our food shopping here and used to call it Jack's. I thought this was a huge shop, but it was so small by today's standards. Willy the butcher eventually had his own entrance I think.

Further down the road towards the Atlas there was the chemists on the corner (scottish people ran it I think - maybe Campbells?) with a big horse chestnut tree outside. There was the Bon Bon run by the Colliers - they could be seen sweeping the pavement every evening at closing time.
Nora had a clothes shop, Pet (from Newcastle area and always known as Pet as that's what she called everyone) ran the greengrocers and tipped the muddy potatoes straight into your bag. She also had a pekinese dog that I occasionally walked for her. At one time there were two hairdressers. Later there was a car parts shop. I bought my first transistor radio from a shop along here too, but cannot remember whether it was an electrical shop.
Also, I remember Jacks - there was an alley way that ran behind it from the main road through to Flaxley Rd that I used to hide in. Lol. Simple things...
 
@FlaxleyGirl I didn't go to CC - Our Lady's was my primary school. My much older brother got married at CC. Father Corcoran was the parish priest at that time; a giant of a man, at least to little me! The church at that time (mid 60s) was a wooden 'hut'. Mom and I often went to mass there if we'd missed the rare Sunday bus to the Mackadown. Great memories.
I remember Father Corcoran and the church very well. My grandma used to go up to church near the Mackadown - every day when she was older, and ended up getting knocked over on the road up there. My dentist was also up that way.

We used to call that alley way 'the gully', and it was our route through to 'the outdoor' from Flaxley Rd :) I used to live in half of the big house opposite Jack's - it was a farmhouse at one time, I believe. I last visited in Dec 2006 and I was quite shocked at the changes - traffic calming for one and some graffiti. I'll bet it's different again now.
 
I remember Father Corcoran and the church very well. My grandma used to go up to church near the Mackadown - every day when she was older, and ended up getting knocked over on the road up there. My dentist was also up that way.

We used to call that alley way 'the gully', and it was our route through to 'the outdoor' from Flaxley Rd :) I used to live in half of the big house opposite Jack's - it was a farmhouse at one time, I believe. I last visited in Dec 2006 and I was quite shocked at the changes - traffic calming for one and some graffiti. I'll bet it's different again now.
Well @FlaxleyGirl - not sure where you live, but it's not the best of places to visit now. I'm about 10 miles away so not too distant but I don't go that way very often at all - no reason to, these days. Youre right that it's definitely different. I'm not apportioning blame but I think once the council sold off to private buyers, a lot of dwellings were bought to let and are now private rental. If it's not their own, there seems less pride in the house and the area. Very sad.
 
There was not a thread for the stechford area, only a road so i started this thread.


A few photos of Flaxley rd and Station rd.


Image16_Station_Rd_1960.jpg









Image15_Stechford_Bridge_1889.jpg






Image14Flaxley_Rd_1980.jpg






Image12_Flaxley_Rd_1954.jpg







Image11Atlas_Stechford.jpg





Image10The_Atlas_Cinema_1961.jpg





Regards Stars
I used to go to a noisy. and full house children’s matinee on a Saturday . Cost about 6d. ( in the forties ) Cowboys Cartoons. Some fearful characters and we’d be excited and frightened Then go home and go to bed dreaming about it all I loved going to the ‘ pics ‘. The Beaufort was another favourite
 
Yes those were lovely pictures, I remember them all well. I also remember the train crash about 1960 at Stechford. My parents lived in Church road near to Bordesley Green end.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I remember the bakery on Manor Rd (I think that was the name of the road ). The last time I was up there was around 1968 when I wagged school. One of my wagging mates lived in Stechford, which is why were there. A group of us waggers wandered past the bakery and couldn't believe that they had thrown away cakes and buns into a large container (now known as a skip) We reclaimed and ate a few!,
 
I remember the bakery on Manor Rd (I think that was the name of the road ). The last time I was up there was around 1968 when I wagged school. One of my wagging mates lived in Stechford, which is why were there. A group of us waggers wandered past the bakery and couldn't believe that they had thrown away cakes and buns into a large container (now known as a skip) We reclaimed and ate a few!,
ha ha. It was Manor Rd. I think it was a Sunblest bakery. I remember the lovely smell from there as we used to walk to the baths round the corner.
 
Back
Top