The motorised cyclist is a regular on the BHF and first appeared on the forum herePost 263 is here on BHF somewhere, possibly in old street pics. Comments were made about the buses and in particular about the BCT cyclist.
Even in 1953 that junction caused tail backs of vehicles, during the rush hour, in both directions of the Stratford Road. Often there was a police constable controlling the junction, other times the traffic signals.I did realise that the image at #263 had been posted to the forum previously, but it was the best one showing the horrible junction that used to be at the end of Stoney Lane.
The photograph that includes the "Metropolitan Bank" has a number of buildings next to the bank at an angle. These were demolished and a cinema built on the site called the Picturedrome which opened in 1912. So that dates the photograph as pre-1912. The Picturedrome was demolished in 1929 and the Piccadilly Cinema was built further back on an enlarged site. This opened in 1930. It was closed in 1974 and the building still stands. It has variously been a bingo club (twice), an Asian cinema, a banqueting hall and is now an Asian cinema again. Incidentally the bank building is still there with shops on the ground floor.A few images of Stratford Road. Viv.
C1900
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Not heard of the “Metropolitan of England Bank” (to the right) in this one.
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1933
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Willmotts was on the corner of Cubley Road, not Green Road.I lived in Sparkhill 1935-1961,Saturday night was always a good night in the 50s at Catswell barracks. Like many of the dance halls at that time the night always ended with a good old rough and tumble. Not to violent but always over a young lady. No drink was served in the dances those days, you had to get a pass out and walk up the road to the Tree Horse Shoes pub.The Picadilly cinema was also a meeting place for the young on a Sunday night. On some special nights dancing was held at the Mermaid pub.Icould name loads of the shops along the Stratford Rd,but the one i used if i could afford it was Eric Willmots the sports shop on the corner of Green Rd just along from the Rialto cinema. You could get the used tennis balls they used at Wimbledon for 6d each. Icould go on but i will close now and see what others come up with but i may be back latter.
Just a couple of notes. The GWR station was Hall Green (not Spring Road), and the large traffic roundabout was the Robin Hood (not Fox Hollies).My recollections, such as they are, relate to the ten year period 1944 until 1954. They are from the eyes of what was, at the time, a young boy so the memories are only of prominent or noteable places. They are not strictly in any relevant order of travel.
From Camp Hill travelling south took you beneath the large railway arch (LMS?). Vale-Onslow motor cycles then followed. Smiths Coaches depot, a used car lot (post 1948?). The whole road to Hall Green was populated by many shops with accommodation above. Some were privately own, other areas had major retailers. Bata (shoes) comes to mind near Stoney Lane. Stoney Lane/Formans Road junction ws a busy place. The Inner Circle 8 route crossed here and the Warstock 24 and 13A routes joined Stratford Road. Bus routes to Acocks Green 44/44A and the 30/31A and 32 ran out from the city as far as The Mermaid then followed the Warwick Road. The 37 route ran up to the city boundary; the 29 left Stratford Road turning into Highfield Road, the 29A had already taken a separate route following Springfield Road. The Midland Red had good services:150/153/154/179 and some others on the Warwick Road. A couple of churches, at least, (mentioned in the Forum), The Mermaid Hotel (already mentioned), Sparkhill Baths, a park adjacent to the baths, Rialto Cinema, Spring Road GWR railway station, the very large Fox Hollies roundabout with Co-Operative shops (BCS).
Being young shops were of passing interest but a bakers, opposite the Mermaid Hotel, is remembered : was it Hardings? It had a distinctive Hovis advert on the wall.
During WW2, but I am not sure how frequent this occurred, vehicles were stopped and bus passengers checked and had to show identity cards to the police at the Robin Hood roundabout when entering the city boundary. Once over the city boundary there was a short run of fields until the Solihull district of Shirley was entered.
I remember queuing, at Christmastide, at a Wine and Spirit shop close to the Robin Hood island. Queuing, was of course, a necessity for most housewives, during those difficult times of shortages.