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Then & Now

Phil

Gone, but not forgotten.
This has been tried here a couple of times previously, but it seems most of the photos were lost when the site was hacked. As I have previously done this sort of thing elsewhere and I have some fifty or sixty photos I thought I would post them here. If you have any photos of a similar nature or some of those that were posted previously then please join in.

I suppose there is no better place to start than the Bullring through the years, this is something that I hurriedly knocked up some years back to illustrate something on another site. I think it is pretty amateurish, but obviously the council didn't think so because they nicked it for one of their webpages. The second photo shows the Bull that adorned the façade over the Queensway.
 

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Phil that is really great - thanks.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
 
Bernard


Glad that you like them, here are a couple more, I think All of us who have ever visited Cannon Hill park will have no difficulty in placing these two. For thos who have never had the pleasure, the one photo is the tea rooms on the main drive and the other is of the rock that was deposited by a once glacier that passed through Birmingham on its way from the Arenig mountains in Wales some 18000 years ago. I understand that it was removed from the area of the lake when it was being excavated in the 19th century.
 

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Top right is my favourit in the bull ring pictures, that's how I like to remember it. back in the 40's & 50's

Nick
 
A little bit of self indulgence here, 5 scenes from Balsall Heath in the 60's and what they look like today. We have Mary Street, Knutsford Street, Edward Road, Cheddar Road and Cox Street West. If you are not sure which is which just run your mouse over the photo.
 

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Lovely photos Phil. I remember Cheddar Road - wasn't that where the naughty girls plied their trade?
 
Charlie

Yes that's right, but I believe that was in the 70's in the 60's they plied their trade in the many coffee houses that were scattered around Balsall Heath.
 
I am sure I remember that "boulder"#3, I think my dad said it was a meteorite ?, was it there in the 50's does anyone know, and is it there now?, if so, does anyone know what it is please?. Paul
 
Paul as I said in my post, "the rock that was deposited by a once glacier that passed through Birmingham on its way from the Arenig mountains in Wales some 18000 years ago. I understand that it was removed from the area of the lake when it was being excavated in the 19th century. "

As kids we always thought it was a meteor that when it hit formed the a crater that was turned into the lake, it is still there today and the later photo was taken by myself on my last visit to the park.
 
If you have any photos of a similar nature or some of those that were posted previously then please join in.
Taking up your invitation Phil, the old forum photo shown below of Arden Rd Acocks Green c1915 has always intrigued me. Was there something special about that tree for them to leave it in the middle of the road ? The second photo dated 2010 shows the same patch with a new tree, and a flyover photo today shows the patch still there in front of the house with the solar panels on the roof.
In 1915
Arden_Rd_Acocks_Green_1905.jpg


In 2010
Aco_Arden_Road_2010.jpg


Flyover now
Helicopter.jpg

The upper two pics were originally here.
 
How about Alexander road and varna road houses they was huge Victorian houses
How far back in years does these roads back to the red light days possible 1800 s maybe even further
They had huge bay windows was well and very long gardens my ancestors NAD a huge house around the backs there in the 1800 s
They used to make diarys for a business when I say my ancensters I really mean my mothers relatives
They was the poorer side of the family of jelfs mom said they ended up in the work house
It was a big house which was along from Mary street its the old pub on pershore red end which as been empty for years and is in blue across from belgrave police station my first job after leaving school wasaslaters mate and wedone roof repairs on these RDS Alexander and varna and princess rd
Best wishes astonian,,,,,','
 
I think the only thing to have changed in the last hundred years about Arden Rd except for the approach from Stockfield Rd is the name from Quality Lane. I was told at one time that the Oak tree in the centre marked near enough the centre of The Forest of Arden, but it's most likely been left without interference for all these years because of it's great age. It was old when the houses around it were first built. I know they severely cut it back a few years ago and just left the bare trunk, but it has recovered and looks quite well now even if it is an odd shape.
 
Astonian

I've just made this up for you, Varna Rd as it used to be and what they replaced it with. It seemed a little extreme to demolish perfectly good houses even if they were a little on the large size (but they are screaming out for them now) to my mind they did this to rid the area of the working girls and the bad name the area had. As I say a little in the extreme.
 

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Thank you Jenny and Phil for your reply's, I have re read phil's original reply, and apologise for any misunderstanding, to think looking at that old rock I stood upon it holding dads hand, and wondered about it at age 5 years, around 1952, but I suspect earlier, that's why I love this forum, with its ability to return old duffers like me to a very happy time, thanks all, getting old now and don't always compute correctly. Paul
 
Lets take a look at some of the old pubs and what replaced them or how they look now.

We have the Dog and Partridge at the junction of what used to be Windsor Street and Ashted Row, which though it held out for longer than some it is now closed. Then we have just down the road on the junction of Revsby Walk 7 Vauxhall Rd built in the mid 60's has since been demolished and replaced by a community centre.

Then we have the Gospel Oak at the end of Gospel Lane in Acocks Green, that is now a Co-op supermarket. Also there is the Atlas at the junction of Garrison Lane & Cattel Road now the site of a piece of modern art know now I believe as "Old Blue Nose".

I have loads more pubs to post at a later time, please run your mouse pointer across the thumbnail image if you are not sure of the name of the pub.
 

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What about a quick look around the City, Broad Street, Dale End, Digbeth, Colmore Row, & New Street. Some have changed beyond all recognition, whilst others can just about be recalled.
 

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