I think the Odeon is in New Street, and probably was then!Of the cinemas I mentioned in an earlier post the Odeon, Shirley was a good walk or cycle ride (knew people nearby where I could safely leave my bicycle), the Rialto and others would mean a bus ride. Cinema visits were not a very frequent event, actually, apart from a number of occasions when I went to the Saturday Odeon Club, but they were rare. I much preferred the reality of street and city life. I recall only two cinema visits in the city centre, one a murder film at the Odeon, High Street, which I hated and have lingering memories of it even after some nearly seventy years, the other a more delightful one about Robin Hood at the Gaumont, Steelhouse Lane. An aunt, on holiday from the Potteries, took me and her daughter there where it was being screened. On exiting the tramcars caught my interest; however aunt was not in any mood for a tram ride - even to the delights of far flung places such as as Erdington, Pype Hayes or Short Heath.
There was indeed an Odeon in Shirley and the photo by Phil confirms that. I have amended my original post to read New Street as High Street was not correct. I do, on occasion, get some streets mixed up, after all I was only 16 when I left the Solihull area to live in Devon and that was 64 years ago and since then many of the city's streets have either changed beyond recognition or disappeared entirely.
Not to mention the road strewn manure!
On the left is the wall to Cateswell Hall that later became Cateswell Barracks. The Wickes builders' merchants now stand on the site.
Indeed there is and there is also some information about the Sparkhill photo. There was it seems a small school there
The motorised cyclist is a regular on the BHF and first appeared on the forum here
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.
