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The Girl From Guildford Street

gina

The Girl from Guildford St
This is my book, published by Brewin Books under the name Grace Caroline Holte. You can request it from Birmingham Libraries. All proceeds from my book go to charity, and it is on Amazon and Abe Books. I travel round libraries doing free talks. It is about growing up in the Back to Backs of Aston, 1957 - 1968.
 
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thanks gina i shall ordering a copy of your book...i was born off guildford st in my nans back to back at 4/12 paddington st which as you know is off guildford ..my nan stayed in paddington st until they threw her out owing to demo...good luck with the sales:)

lyn
 
thanks gina i shall ordering a copy of your book...i was born off guildford st in my nans back to back at 4/12 paddington st which as you know is off guildford ..my nan stayed in paddington st until they threw her out owing to demo...good luck with the sales:)

lyn
The proceeds are not big from local history, Astoness, so they are going to charity, at present Breast Cancer UK. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory_record/121935/gina_maddison This is my contact for free talks around the book. It is on Abe Books and Amazon, but you can request it from the library. I have a special The Girl from Guildford St fb page on which /ipost details of talks; the next free one is The Hub, Nechells, Weds Sept 12th, 11.30, and I will put them in the Events section. I lived at no 37, and my nan was in 2 at the back. We were there 1957 - 1968 x
 
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yes gina best to post about your talks on the events section of the forum and that charity is a very good cause and we need people like you to help keep the history of birmingham alive...there is a very good chance that your nan and my nan knew each other especially as no 37 was at the lower end of guildford st as was paddington st..nan was there from at least 1911 until as i said demo late 60s

lyn
 
yes gina best to post about your talks on the events section of the forum...there is a very good chance that your nan and my nan knew each other especially as no 37 was at the lower end of guildford st as was paddington st..nan was there from at least 1911 until as i said demo late 60s

lyn

lyn
My nan was there from 1930 till they moved her out in 1968. Yes, they probably did. Did she shop at Rudhalls?
 
gina i cant say about rudhalls but im sure she used to get her jugs of ale from the outdoor on the corner of paddington and guildford st..i was only about 5 when we left nans due to overcrowding so that would be about 58/59 there is a photo of the outdoor and many other photos of guildford st that i have posted on the guildford st thread which i take it you have seen

lyn
 
Yes, I love that thread. I have just started sorting out Mom's old photos, she died a year ago, so I will post some photos in that thread x
 
sorry to hear about the loss of your mom gina...will look forward with interest to seeing your photos on the guildford st thread as i am sure a lot of other members will...thank you

lyn
 
All proceeds from the Girl from Guildford St sold in December will go to the Salvation Army Homeless at Christmas Fund, in thanks for the times I stood outside Rackhams, listening to them playing Christmas carols.
http://https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Guildford-Street-Birmingham-1957-1968/dp/1858585791/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=/the_girl_from_guildford_street
 
Thanks to everyone who bought The Girl from Guildford St in 2018; the proceeds enabled me to make donations to the birmingham dogs home, Cancer Reaseach UK, and Homeless at Christmas. these charities all kindly sent me a diary, so I am taking bookings for 2019; here is the link to contact details. All talks are free, with a charity collection. Merry Christmas, Brummies!


https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory_record/121935/gina_maddison
 
Hello Gina. Just to say that I have completed the reading of "The Girl from Guildford Street". I enjoyed it very much and it is written with such great feeling and sensitivity. It looks as if you had very loving and caring parents who were as proud of you as you are of them. Glad that you felt you had a very happy childhood despite some of the adversities you encountered. Dave.
 
Hello Gina. Just to say that I have completed the reading of "The Girl from Guildford Street". I enjoyed it very much and it is written with such great feeling and sensitivity. It looks as if you had very loving and caring parents who were as proud of you as you are of them. Glad that you felt you had a very happy childhood despite some of the adversities you encountered. Dave.
Hello Dave, what a really kind thing to say! Thank you so much! I did indeed write it by heart, as a memorial to my parents, but is is also a love letter to the City of Birmingham and all her people. If you can come to a talk, you are very welcome!!
 
dear gina,,,,your book is not in the library system i just tried to reserve it,,,,i have tried three times, warm regards ,,,jg,,,,,
 
dear gina,,,,your book is not in the library system i just tried to reserve it,,,,i have tried three times, warm regards ,,,jg,,,,,
Sorry to hear this!

I have just done a search and there are 24 copies.
The catalogue is confusing.
Go ionto the online catalogue
Where it says search by keyword, put in Grace Holte (it does not find the word St)
This will take you to the record for the book


Now click on the title, and it takes you to a pop up message saying place reservation
Click on this and you go to the log in.

Alternatively, just pop into any Birmingham library and reserve! I hope you enjoy it!
 
Hi Gina
I have just recently received your book when you attended my husbands stroke club in northfield and he brought me a copy. I love reading it, it brings back so many memories as I was brought up in Clifton Road Aston and remember all the places you’ve mentioned, do you remember Davies’s shop? It was towards six ways and had loads of little shops all linked together with brown leather type floors and could walk all the way through and was so slippy? Thank you for bringing back so many memories
Sylv
 
Hello Sylv, and thanks so much for getting in touch. It means a lot to me when people like my book as I wrote it by heart! I remember all the little shops at Six Ways including Davies's, and a second hand shop called Lil's! But my favourite shop was The House that Jack Built. I am talking about my book at Great Barr Library this Thursday 19/12. I have got a family saga called Tales of Guildford St coming out at Easter, and I'll be coming to Stroke Club to talk about it, I hope you would be able to come - it is about a family in Aston in the 1960s xx
 
Hello Sylv, and thanks so much for getting in touch. It means a lot to me when people like my book as I wrote it by heart! I remember all the little shops at Six Ways including Davies's, and a second hand shop called Lil's! But my favourite shop was The House that Jack Built. I am talking about my book at Great Barr Library this Thursday 19/12. I have got a family saga called Tales of Guildford St coming out at Easter, and I'll be coming to Stroke Club to talk about it, I hope you would be able to come - it is about a family in Aston in the 1960s xx
Hi Gina
I loved the house that jack built....
I’ll look forward to reading that book too
I hope to be able to come next time, I’ll have to see if I have a Wednesday off from work.
Regards
Sylvia
 
Hi Gina
I loved the house that jack built....
I’ll look forward to reading that book too
I hope to be able to come next time, I’ll have to see if I have a Wednesday off from work.
Regards
Sylvia
I look forward to seeing you, but if you let me know who your husband is, I'll send a copy of Tales of Guildford St home with him xx
 
hi sylv and gina....can either of you remember what davies shop sold and what was the entrance like to it?...also was it on the same side as the bartons arms but just a little further up? going towards 6 ways...


sylv the brown leather type floors are interesting and also you mentioned it was linked together with other shops which i find fascinating...just trying to work out if it was the same shop that i used to use....it was a long time ago:rolleyes:

lyn
 
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I look forward to seeing you, but if you let me know who your husband is, I'll send a copy of Tales of Guildford St home with him xx
Hi Gina
My husband is called Alan Lee or Alan1 as they call him as there are two Alan’s at northfield stroke club.
I would love to have a copy of your new book it’s lovely to read and have happy memories of those days, HP sauce and Ansells brewery. I went to Upper Thomas Street school and our playground was sandwiched between the two.
regards
Sylv
 
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