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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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A chauffeur waits in Martineau Street and to me looks like he has spotted something he does not like ... it could be something on the car or maybe whatever that is by his boots.
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Roneo Co, Duplicators, shop by the horse and cart.
Get your state of the art Roneograph duplicator.
There were quite a few interesting shops in Martineau St, I notice one shop is displaying a large flag and perhaps a car expert could tell us what make the car is.
 
Pedrocut, Post #2181 - it looks rather an elegant stance to me. I was going to say it looks like a 'hello sailor' moment, was we say in this house but I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that.
 
This is obviously an old
A chauffeur waits in Martineau Street and to me looks like he has spotted something he does not like ... it could be something on the car or maybe whatever that is by his boots.
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Presumably this is an old picture postcard and it is superb, full of detail and animation, just look at the two old biddies on the left looking in the shop window, widow's weeds? Although the white feathers in the hats would perhaps cast doubt on that, but really this is one of those postcards that show what artists some of the early photographers were.

Bob
 
There were quite a few interesting shops in Martineau St, I notice one shop is displaying a large flag and perhaps a car expert could tell us what make the car is.

Notice the Union Jack has the English flag on the same Pole? Maybe sometime around St George's Day? But what year?

My interpretation, seeing something on the floor by the driver's foot, is that he has broken the door handle and is looking down and thinking Oh S**t!
 
I suspect that somehow, possibly somewhere along the country roads he travelled to reach the city, the car got a scratch. :eek:
His thoughts might be, Oh! golly, gosh, (remember this is a polite, family Forum), how did that happen. :oops: What will his Lordship/Ladyship say?
 
Actually he is about to flick the object on the floor, with his nicely polished boot into the gutter. It looks like a tin of boot polish. By the way can anyone make out what is for sale at 2/8d and can anyone translate the Buy wholesale Save Retail P....... on the banner wraparound the building front. DU is a Coventry registration, can anyone suggest a possible year. The two old dears dress suggests prior to WWI. The tram, I think the number is 218 was built in 1906, there is a difference to the 'tween decks of the two trams. Or is that just adverts that are not showing as they should. Certainly with the number of men in the picture I would hazard a guess at prior to 1914. Also the actual layout and printing of the postcard give it a pre WWI look, after the war there were not so many real photographs and borders began to disappear from the majority of cards - they reappeared in some of the 1930s cards. ....and when I am wrong I'll say sorry. But as a card collector, if I collected Birmingham cards (and I cannot afford them) this is one I would want and it would probably be offered by a dealer in the region of £30 - £40 or even higher.

Bob Davis
 
Here's a start...Roneo became a Ltd Co in 1908

In the 1912 Kelly in Martineau St, either side of Union Passage are 17 Roneo Ltd and 15 The India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Works Co.

At 19 and 21 is JOHN Bird Ltd, boot and shoe makers!
 
At 5 and 7 there is a George and William Morton...boot makers.

Just on top of Roneo I think it says S Hanson and Sons, if it is then above would be known as County Chambers (B) and they were wholesale grocers.
 
Just for the record in the 1912 Kelly going upwards on what must be termed the North side we have...

15 India Rubber, Gutta Perca, and Telegraph Works Co
Union Passage
17 Roneo Ltd
19&21 JOHN Bird Ltd, boot and shoe makers
23 Remington Typewriters Co
25 Walter Bros, Tailors
27 Salter Typewriter
29 Nestle and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co
31 W Holbrook, milers
33,35,37 Grenville And Co, Artistic furnishes
 
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