the royal mint.icknield st

[Astoness]

i didnt know that the actor tony brittons father once ran the mint...here is tony having a game of darts in the pub in 1964

 

[maggs]

Nor did I Lyn, but I knew he was a Brummie. He is one of my favourite actors, not around so much these days, he must be a great age now.

 

[Astoness]

we are never to old to learn are we maggs...i like tony britton too...were you still living round there when this pic was taken or had you moved by then..

lyn

 

[maggs]

Lyn, I had left Moreton St by 1964, but I was down in the area around the Mint very often. I would have popped in to meet Tony Britton if I had know he was in there.

 

[Astoness]

i thought you had left moreton st by then maggs...nice bit of info to have though..

lyn

 

[maggs]

I used to go back to Moreton St regularly Lyn, right up until those back to backs were pulled down in 1971. It must have been one of the last streets to be demolished. My step mother was put into a high rise flat down at Nechels overlooking the railway.

 

[Astoness]

and its amazing maggs just how many folk who were stuck in flats wished they were back in the old houses..
not all of course but i hated having to bring up 4 young children in one of them..blocked rubbish shutes..no garden for the kids..the lifts constantly out of order so having to heave prams and buggies up and down 7 flights of stairs..nowhere to peg out washing...sorry going right off topic now but for me it was no way to live..
lyn

 

[terryb18]

Here he is pictured in 2010

Terry

 

[Alberta]

Tony was born in 1924 above the Trocadaro, 17 Temple Street.

 

[Astoness]

how interesting alberta..thank you...looks like tonys dad may have run that pub as well then..

lyn

 

[maggs]

Lyn, I suppose it was a better way of life for my step mother, because the back to backs where she was were in disrepair, and not suitable for an ageing person. The flats in Nechels were brand new when she moved into one, and she was happy at last to have a bathroom and a nice little kitchen, leaving all the cochroaches and uglies that went with the back to back slums. However, I can understand that for you, with a young family it would have been very difficult. They were not the sort of homes that young families should have had to live in anywhere, not just Brum. One thing that always puzzled me was, who were the landlords of the back to back houses? Were they owned privately by wealthy business men? I can remember that nothing was ever repaired without a lot of badgering, even then only very basic repairs were carried out, and most people gave up and did their own.

 

[maggs]

Still a handsome man terryb18. I did see him in a play at a theatre in the 1990's. Did anyone every watch him in the TV series 'Don't wait up'? He was so comical with his dry sense of humour.

 

[Astoness]

maggs do you know im not sure but i think it must have been the council who owned them....when i moved from the back to back where i was born into villa st the house was privately owned...

i used to watch dont wait up maggs and i loved robins nest..good old english comedies....

totally agree with you about the conditions of some back to backs...a lot were certainly unfit to live in..

lyn

 

[maggs]

I always thought that those houses were owned by private landlords Lyn, but I could be wrong. Perhaps someone on the Forum can come up with the answer to this. Glad you enjoyed Don't Wait Up, as you say they were a lot of these old comedies on TV worth watching. I liked Steptoe and Son too.

 

[BernardR]

I think you would be correct Maggs other than when the council carried out compulsory purchase for clearance schemes.

 

[maggs]

Thank you Bernie, I did always think that these were privately owned. I would love to know who those landlords were.

 

[terryb18]

Dont know who the landlords were in Nechells, but when I was living in Hockley 1958 It was Birmingham who were the landlords, as can be seen from my parents rent book.

Terry

 

[Astoness]

pretty sure it was the same in paddington st too terry...i now remember the rent cards...

lyn

 

[TOPSYTURVEY]

Our Houses in Paddington St, Clifford St, Wheeler St were all council. The rent man used to come to the door for the rent when i was young and he would fill the rent book in on the doorstep when he was paid. Mom used to get in touch with Bush House if there were any problems.

 

[Astoness]

thanks topsy im so glad i didnt imagine those rent books...when i saw terrys post it all came flooding back..

lyn

 

[maggs]

I do remember the rent book, but have seem to remember going to some office in Brum with my step mother to pay it. Don't ever remember a rent man coming to the house. I believe they paid something like 6/- a week for the house in Hockley. I wonder if the original landlords sold some of these old back to backs to Brum City Council even before the compulsory purchase of them Bernie? The flats in Nechels would have been Council owned though.

 

[terryb18]

Just had a look at how much rent my parents were paying in 1957/58. 11/7p per week.

Terry

 

[maggs]

Thats almost twice as much as the house in Moreton St terry, it must have been a better property because the dates you give do co-incide with the house we lived in.

 

[terryb18]

Thats almost twice as much as the house in Moreton St terry, it must have been a better property because the dates you give do co-incide with the house we lived in.

Blimey, your house must have been in a really bad state then Maggs, ours was'nt in good condition at all.:blue: typicall back to back slum.

Terry

 

[jackofthehump]

Could someone tell me what corner the Royal Mnt pub stood on, please?

 

[dib44]

Icknield Street & Hingeston Street.

 

[jackofthehump]

Thanks, dib44. You have just filled a little gap in my family tree jigsaw (figuratively speaking).