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Summer Lane

very interesting views of Summer Lane, I used to go to The Birmingham Settlement in Summer lane used to do dancing shows there with the Lawley school of dance and then went to the youth club there, bopping the night away. memories bless em
Gladi
 
hi john. ive got that book and as you say it makes interesting reading and the photos are marvelous.

lyn
 
Its definitely a funeral and an expensive one judging by the number of mourners following the hearse. Len.
 
hi len. yes i agree it was some funeral. i was talking to dad earlier and he well remembers the original unity club on the corner of summer lane and new summer st. as i posted ealier dad stills plays doms for the unity which is now half way up new summer st.

wales.
 
It is, in my opinion not a notable funeral but one which would have been of it's time.
No cars or very few. and if you notice there are six pall bearer's three each side which is usual for a funeral. also people did turn out for someones demise in those days because they cared..Cat
 
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Used to work bang opposite the unity club (Ratcliff (Metals) believe the company was taken over by ICI. Worked facing the club for years and thought it looked a bit of a dump then one day went inside to a party and realised that the proverbial saying you can't judge a book by its cover was right, a warm welcome and pleasant surroundings. circa 1958 those were the days my friend.
 
re.summer lane,I wonder if anybody can clear up this question which has puzzled me for a while.I see summer lane is referred to as being in hockley,but I spent many years living in summer lane,and it was always known as summer lane,aston,b 19.Why would I know it as being aston? Can anybody enlighten me? Great site,by the way,cheers,Mal.
 
hi mal...i have no idea why its sometimes referred to as hockley...thinking about it i myself have not noticed that...it certainly is aston as you rightly said....

astoness
 
Hi Mal,
As far as i know Summer Lane(B19) and to the west of it was in Hockley,and to the east down to Newtown Row where it became Aston.
Moss.
 
I have had the pleasure of travelling along Summer Lane many times and never ever saw a palm tree swaying!!!!. Len.
 
Although Summer Lane is less than a mile from Hockley, I'm a bit surprised that it has been described as being "in Hockley". Historically, Aston had much more history than Hockley - In the Domesday Book, Aston was five times as wealthy as any of the surrounding parishes. Hockley was never a parish, and the name seems to be connected first with the brook which ran from Smethwick into Aston and then later with the area around the early bridge on the Wolverhampton Turnpike over it (which was paid for by the Bridge Trust of Handsworth, later devoted to founding and maintaining Handsworth Grammar School).
I would venture to say that any claim that that Summer Lane was in Hockley would be wrong.
Sumkmer Lane was in Birmingham right down to the Brook (which marked the parish and later borough boundary), but the influence of Aston after the New Town was developed after about the 1830s spread over the Birmingham frontier, so the area has been commonly known as Aston New Town.
It's only calling places names anyway.
Peter
 
thanks for all that info peter...as usual it was very informative...

hope you are well....

lyn
 
you have to remember that boundaries have changed over the years this includes postal addresses this is were old maps come into their own, and as Peter pointed out Aston covered more of an area than Birmingham.
So you have to remember the time line when researching.
Addresses are a funny old thing I have had several addresses since moving to Aldridge and yet I am still at the same location.
Summer Laners are so sure that Summer Lane was in Hockley, Brian Harding (The Summer Lane Kid) is adamant that it is Hockley so we have had a few discussions regarding this issue
 
hi john..now you know i am no expert but how can summer lane be hockley....am i right in thinking that hospital st is newtown....then hockley is further on across...i lived in villa st..quite a step away from summer lane and that was a hockly address..surely it didnt span all that that distance....

lyn
 
On Ebenezer's Map of 1820 this district was shown as Somers Town. It was a name that did not gain acceptance and in the succeeding years much of the Summer Lane neighbourhood was seen as belonging either to Aston or Hockley.

neighbourhood means around and about, not specifically Summer lane which was Aston
 
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