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The Summer Hill Stores, 401 Monument Road, Ladywood

Hi Bobowler
Looking at your request for information on the methodist church on monument road
I am looking at the map and also reading a listing of shop keepers whom was around in those days
And I can tell you the church was still standing right up until the Ladywood clearance and espeacialy
To the end
I was not around in 1905 but I was around in the fifty and I lived in the king Edwards road
And it was about 200 yards from our front door around to the front entrance of that church
Which had a huge front and side entrance to enter the church and the grounds
Which reached far back to our rear garden in kingedwards road and also there upon
At the bottom of our garden there was a huge high wall you could see some parts of the church
Within our rear garden
If you walked to the corner from the church entrance on monument road which would have been about 75 yards
To the kingedwards road on that very corner was a stationary shop and news agents which
Was never altered from day one the last person to have that shop business was a Mr Dickinson and wife
Both elderly they was there between the war years as you turned into kingedwards road
There was a long high brick wall which was for storages for the shops including the chemist
And if you like car garages then you had a entry with little back tiny houses possible
Belonging to the church you had to walk up a couple of steps to walk up this very narrow entry
There was a little house at the opening which was a Mr Albert Hawks And versa her name
And there was an old family called the liqudich excuse that spelling on that
But just past that entry was our house 243 king Edwards road and next to us was 245 the hollonds
Family whom was a well known chimney sweep for Ladywood right next to his front door was a
A gate way with steppes you would have walked up to the rear side of the church
And either enter through that way to get to the front door entrance it also had another high wall
Along the front on kingedwards road we used to go in that church on a Wednesday evening
To watch silent movies for the cost of 3d old money most of all the local kids came from around the area
What I also noticed on the kellys directory a couple of names was as follows
Clews cycles shop he was there in the year you are looking for along with his family
They .lived in a huge house on the corner of Portland road edgbaston and they was involved
Theaters and acting themselves
Coming from the church front was the chemist then the stationary ,
406 the green grocery later became the woods green grocery on monument road and
Open end another one around in the corner of Springfield street and kingedwards road as well
Which was only yards from the church wall in kingedwards road
The summer hill premises was there in the early fiftys but laid empty for years
I could not under. Stand why it was called summer stores knowing summer hill was down by spring hill
And further going towards summer hill sandpitts l will have to close now as my battery is running out
I will come back to over the weekend if you like best wishes Astonian,,,,,Alan,,,
 
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Interesting Thread concerning the Methodist Church, around about 1958 the church was used as an annex for Follet Osler street school for us 10 year-olds
As for the adjacent shops I remember having to collect bottles of paraffin from one of the shops for a portable heater...BTW lived on St. Marks street.
 
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