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Stratford Road

Well what a lot of memories. I was born and bred in Tillingham Street, off Ladypool Road, just before Highgate Road and lived there until 1961 when I took a 10pound cruise to Australia and have been here ever since.
I went to Stratford Road School, first in the Nursery School as Mom was running a works canteen during the war and Dad was in the AFS, fire service.
I then went to Golden Hillock Secondary School before escaping to Handsworth Technical School 1952-1954.
I also attended St. Agatha's Church of England (Next door to the school) for Sunday School, Boy Scouts, Church Lads Brigade, and Youth Club at which I learnt to dance, had some beautiful girl friends.
I worked at a hardware shop at Camphill. Thos Whitecross, whilst waiting National Service call up. I volunteered for 9 years with The Royal Artillery but failed the medical.
I had a part time job at a tailors on Sparkhill whilst at the Tech, after school each weekday and Saturday mornings, I think it must have worked out at about a bit over a shilling per hour. This included serving in the shop, deliverers, and a bit of tidying up and cleaning in the slack times.
I was an ABC Junior at the Piccadilly picture house, played on the bombsites.
Well that's it for now as it's past my dinner time, but will call back if and when I get inspiration.
 
I used to live in Hall Green between 1942 and 1967. I passed the Stratford Road nearly every day, first of all going up Cubley Road to York Road School (headmistress Miss Dunton) and later going along the Stratford Road by bus (32 or 37) to King Edward VI Camp Hill Grammar School. I was at the old school from 1954-1956 before it moved to Kings Heath, where I stayed until 1961. Other contributors have mentioned Eric Willmotts, sports outfitters, on the corner of Cubley Road and Stratford Road. I had to go there prior to starting at Camp Hill in order to get my rugby kit (compulsory to play rugby for the first two years). I have to declare that I hated rugby and therefore used my much better chess-playing skills to try and avoid getting anywhere near the ball. Another shop not yet mentioned was Gilks the men's barber on the rise from the College Arms towards the Rialto. Trips to town would also have course involved going along the Stratford road
 
Bought my 1st Winkle picker shoes from a fashion shoe shop next to the Army & Navy stores on the Sparkhill Hill close to the boarder with Sparkbrook. Every body in those days late 50's bought there football boots from that Army & Navy stores.
Next to Sparkhill Post Office I recall a very trendy coffee bar that used to be a cool place to meet, can't remember the name? They played a lot of USA pop music and danced all round the tables. Remember the girls spinning skirts. Never saw ladies under garments before. Frightening for a young lad like me born 1947.
 
I lived in Knowle Road, behind the Springfield Cinema and Springfield Ballroom from 1941 to 1950. During most of that time, the Cinema, devoid of its seats, was used for storing white sugar by the Ministry of Food. And Henry Goodall and his Orchestra performed at the Ballroom. I was at College Infants & later Junior School (Headmaster Mr Shakespeare) until 1947 and then moved to Moseley Grammar School (Headmaster Mr Ernest H. Robinson). My "playground" was either the allotments, which ran from Knowle Road to Foremans Road, or the banks of the River Cole from Stratford Road bridge to Green Lane ford, with occasional excursions to either the brickworks in Greet or the aqueduct. We walked pretty well everywhere!

Maurice

In addition to the above;

I also went to College Road Junior and Infants school and in 1950 the headmaster was a Mr Isaacs. On to Moseley Modern Secondary in 1950 the headmistress was Miss Cohen.

My playground were the same allotments together with the River Cole and the "Tip", a huge dry goods dumping hole which may have been a bomb crater (Guess) where I broke my arm being lowered down by my brother on a piece of string! The tip was behind a huge Lucas factory, goodness knows what was in it.

Regards to Sospiri.

Sparkhill Boy.
 
I lived in Formans Rd and our house backed on to the allotments which backed on to the tip. My dad lived in the house most of his life. He told me many times that when the tip opened they used to bring the rubbish on horse and cart. Many horses were draged down into the hole when the driver was backing them up to tip the load. They were just left at the bottom and covered over with the rubbish. Ihad no reason to disbelieve him.
 
Are you still looking for replies? - as a schoolboy at Moseley Grammar School in the first half of the 1940's i.e. during the war, we often used to wander down to the Stratford Road at lunchtime. I remember Mr. Samway's junk shop (sorry, antiques) a little way along on the left past College Road. Further down was Austins furniture emporium, and opposite was Gaskells Radio (and later, television) shop. In my youth I became great friends with John Austin and John (I think) Gaskell, at first via Hall Green Youth Club, which originally met in a large underground air raid shelter after the war, and later driving to and drinking at all the country pubs down the Stratford Road out in the countryside. I also remember the Midland Counties stables roughly opposite Hall Green station. It comprised a huge yard with stables around three sides, housing the ever patient milkmen's dray horses.

Philm
 
As a very small boy- circa 1950- I can remember donning my brand new green school cap and walking to Hall Green Infants and Junior School. Brooklands Road- School Road- Stratford Road. I was happy to notice that those superb Art Deco Apartments on the left were still there when visiting last year. At the end of the trek a gargantuan (it seemed to me) member of the local Constabulary ushered us across the busy thoroughfare.
 
Sparkhill Boy: Hello there! Many happy days spent playing at the clay pits and by the Cole on both sides of Stratford Road, but I can't remember much about the shops along that stretch of Stratford Road. When I lived there there was a chemists on the corner of Knowle Road & Stratford Road and on the opposite corner a scrap yard that also sold logs with a tall wooden fence. I can't for the life of me remember their names now - the chemist may have been Carter - and the pre-fabs were on the opposite side of Stratford Road. By 1950 we'd moved to Albert Road, Kings Heath. I remember there was a bundy clock for the 1 & 1A service outside the church.

Philm: I would have been in the year above you, having started at MGS in September 1947 in 1d - I was a borderline pass in the 11+ - with Ron "Gunky" Jones as formmaster.

Maurice
 
I was in thr BB at the curch and for some reason we always went into the chemist to get some Horlicks tablets before reporting for parade.The scrap yard was owned by Jacksons, the son was in the BB with myself
 
I remember the BB there, although I was never one for BB, Scouts, etc. Jacksons doesn't ring any special bells, but I can remember the son, maybe a year or two older than myself.

Maurice
 
There was a short run of shops between College Road and Springfield Road, where the 29A turned off from the Stratford Road. The first shop, nearest to College Road, was a newsagent. There were then other shops and the final building in that stretch was the Municipal Bank. I think I would describe the district as Springfield with Sparkhill starting a bit further down the Stratford Road. I certainly remember the Springfield cinema, Congregational Church, pre-fabs, and Bundy clock, all near the bridge over the river Cole. Dave.
 
As I have detailed elsewhere on this site, the Springfield Cinema was taken over and used for storing sugar during the war and immediately in front of it was a large air raid shelter. I remember the latter being smashed up with a ball and chain around 1947 and the site beong levelled and grassed over. As kids we used the cinema as an unofficial roller skating rink after the sugar was removed. I'd still love to find a photograph of the forerunner to that bridge, though it was well before my time.

Maurice
 
I don't think anyone has mentioned the essential bit of knowledge that if going on a pub crawl from Camp Hill to Shirley along the Stratford Rd to offer to buy the drinks on the right hand side of the road, by the time you reach the second pub on the right ie in Shirley most will have surrendered!
I was told as a child that the first ever traffic lights in Birmingham were at the junction of Durham Rd and Stoney Lane, can anyone verify this?
My great grandfather and later a great uncle owned the shoe repair shop at the junction of Clifton Road and Taunton Road, now an estate agents.
 
My journey starts at The Antelope on the corner of Baker Street where we lived in the late thirties. We lived in a yard where the front of the house was in Baker Street and and the entry from the yard was in St.Johns Road. Further along the Stratford Road was Evelyn Road and my Dad and I went to Mass at English Martyrs Church. On the opposite side of Stratford Road was Court Road and the Fire Station and next to it was Sparkhill Police Station and then the Library and Swimming Baths then St.Johns Church of England School where Mr.Baker was Headmaster and then there was Sparkhill Park with its ornate flower beds and beautiful lawns and pools and a bandstand. On the opposite corner was Thornhill Road and the Bear Public House which was very popular. At the end of a block of shops was Formans Road and on that corner was the Doctors House which was. Beautiful Victorian house which was covered in Ivy. Just a little further along Stratford Road during the war was The British Restaurant where you could get a very decent meal for a few pence - I think it was a shilling. After the large array of shops already mentioned previously we came to Springfield School Clinic where Mr Cliff Baker ( son of the headmaster of St.Johns School) was the Dentist there. Further along and over the bridge was The College Arms Public House and the road forked there to Shaftsmoor Lane and off that was Allcroft Road where we moved to the day before war was declared.
 
Hi patty
I do believe barker street is a one way system now for traffic and the way they designed it for residents in that road
And in your period of the thirty and fortys and I would say the fifties Stratford road was a very good and bright and cheerful rd,
And it was an true Irish community and always know for good genuine bargains
And from end to another of Stratford rd right up to the robin hood pub was a well swept and clean road
No matter time of day and you could drive through and up it with ease
And many years ago two of my old friends ran two pubs down there both Irish
The antelope and the bear pub always packed with jolly cheerful people
But today its a completely utter mess from traffic wise and pedestrian wise you have to fight your way along on foot
Because the shop owners have brought there stalls right out on to the pavements virtually all the shops
Have done it and with scores of people gathering around the boxes surporting there goods you can not walk freely
And you cannot shop with ease and congestion of cars and huge vans doubled parked busses cannot get through and stopped and holds the flow of
Traffic the gutters are full of lost fruits or thrown into the gutter by the shop keepers
And its a dirty road now from one end to the other from old camp hill up to the robin hood pub
The police station looks dirty and grottie and I do not think the road is ever swept
I believe Yeats ago the council was gonna make it a red line root to stop the parking along a certain section
But that idea as been thrown out never happened
Just like ladypool road and belgrave road and the surrounding roads the trees have all been chopped out of these roads
These roads was lovely to walk along in those days
Patty would you recall the Beverly hotel on Stratford road that was one of the first to go to the dogs
I will have to admitted it did become a Doss house in the late fifths best thing they done was to knock it down
I went up the died of the spark hill police station not so long ago and where there museum
Was the walls was plastered in bill boards and posters it. Looked disgusting. I can tell you
Have a nice day patty best wishes Astonian,,,,,
 
Dear Astonian - yes I recall the Beverley very well down in Sparkbrook and it did become an eye-sore over the years and I agree with your comments about parts of the road up to Springfield but you can still get lots of bargains down there and I find a lot of the shops fascinating and well worth a stroll from Springfield down to Formans Road.
From the College Arms and up the hill are some some very with pleasant Edwardian houses on the right hand side and on the left are some lovely old bungalows probably built in the twenties and next to them I remember a large double - fronted Victorian house which was beautifully kept.Crossing over Reddings Lane and York Road you have the Parade and a thriving array of shops. Passing School Road you have those Wonderful art-deco flats which look exactly as they did in the 1940's when I first remember seeing them.
Past the BullsHead pub you have Waitrose then the new Aldi which opened in December 2014 then a run of pleasant semi and detached houses leading up to the Robin Hood pub ang then the Island with its many
and varied shops all neat and tidy.
I agree there have been lots of changes over the years and some not good but Stratford Road in general
still has a lot to offer.
with best wishes Astonian.
Pat Hayward
 
Alan

I recall the Beverley Hotel from the 70's for a couple of reasons one was before the opening hours of the pubs changed we always used it for a drink after time if there wasn't a stopover at the local, later in the 80's when the owner Paul was in financial trouble he mortgaged the hotel up to the hilt, got a renovation grant for the hotel, borrowed as much money as he could, ran his credit up everywhere including about a grand to me and did a bunk. I think everybody in Birmingham was looking for him.

Sometime later we got the contract to strip out the hotel and demolish parts of it, I can't remember now who the main contractor was, but I remember they stopped the job for a day when some large bones were found under the main entrance steps we were removing, if you remember they were quite high as were the all the entrances to the hotel. The police took the bones away and examined them and found they were from a cow. The other thing was if I had known how badly the alterations to the hotel over the years had been done I would never have sat drinking in there all the times I had. It wasn't until after it was stripped out you could see how badly the work had been done.
 
Hi Phil
Nice to hear from you again yes I can recall how down hill it went over the latter part of its life span
It was a right dive in and out and I wondered why the sudden close down and never open end again
No one seen or heard of him way back in time in the early years you could get in after the afters
And I can recall knocking it down its was a wonder it never fell down on its own
Phil did you ever go into the queen Victoria across the road or the Angel for blimmey that was a complete down and outer
Best wishes Phil ,,, Alan,,,Astonian,',,,
 
Alan

I drank in all the pubs, clubs, and drinkers around there unfortunately not in the 40's as the OP needs to find out about my times were more the 60's & 70's in my misspent youth.
 
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