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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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mikejee said:
Lyn
Judging by the date and the likelihood that it was taken by a birmingham post photographer, it was possibly one of those enormous plate cameras, so the quality would be good
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just what i was thinking mike...its just like the street pics taken by the public works dept they are always good quality as well..

lyn
 
Very little TV in those days. I remember looking at those posted results on my way to and from work in the City Centre. We had
Percy Shurmer, Labour MP for Sparkbrook, and a great MP he was. Eddie
 
I likes it cos we had polling day off at school I never understood why then but I didn't care. There were some beautiful photographs all black and white in the Cov Tel library I used to like to go and look at them and see the old fashions and the 60's etc, I used to get them for features in the paper but used it a anexcuse to look. Black and white certainly capture the period. As I recall most people wore camel raincoats, like on Allo Allo, or very dark coats in the winter unless you was posh. When I was made redunant from there about 4 years ago maybe 5, Brum library had relocated to Cov because they hat not allowed enough space to allocate them when they moved to Fort Dunlop. They didn't realise how big their own library is! It was run by 2 nice ladies.
 
A 'ragman' seems to have had a good day collecting and stopped outside the Royal George and the pub door is open!
Royal_george.JPG
 
Whittakers Shirts Gloves Hosiery shop in Finchley road seems to be a hang-out place for some local lads, although they may simply be waiting for a bus. The 'shop' on the right looks unusual but I can't read the sign.
Finchley_Rd_Kingstanding_62.JPG
 
What an iconic view a of a beautiful time, Payne's shoe shop, George Masons grocery, groups of young people in jeans, could have been the Castle Square or anywhere in dear old Brum, the year I left school.
 
In old Handsworth you could safely stand in the road, look at the camera and be in a street pic.
I suppose most of those we see in the street never saw their pic.
Handsworth_Wellington_Rd.jpg
 
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Nor me. Can't read it. one of those places they don't want to you looking in. Our chiropodists was just like that. We had a George Mason's too with glass topped tins with loose biscuits in.
 
It seems to be 249 Finchley Road, and is not listed in the 1962 or 1963 Kellys. I would have thought it would be listed if it was a doctors.
 
fsbiff said:
Is this Muntz street corner and coventry road B10
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Hi fsbiff - I'm not sure which pic in this thread you are referring to, or maybe you uploaded a pic which did not appear ... this happens to all of us at times. Anyway I know of two pics on the forum which do show the Muntz Street corner and have put links to them below.
oldmohawk
Click on the links
Post #67 Old Street Pics
Post #969 Old Street Pics
 
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A good old traffic jam, and everyone staring out, even the lady upstairs on the 5A bus. Some of the car drivers probably spent time on Sundays polishing all the chrome on their cars. That Ford van in the centre only has one windscreen wiper but does have one of those nice metal AA badges fitted to the radiator.
Maybe the traffic is stopped because there is a photographer standing in the middle of the road !! ...:D
5Abus.jpg
 
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A very busy evening rush hour pic I would guess. It seems like Corporation Street but others, more au fait, might know better.:biggrin:
 
oldMohawk said:
The traffic lights have failed and a policeman has the awkward job of controlling traffic on Five Ways. He's only got white covers on his sleeves, 'hi-vis' jackets had not been invented back then. The car behind him almost brushes his back, and it isn't a Ford and I can't see the driver's hat. I remember driving in those sort of jams and often glared at a traffic cop when I thought he was favouring traffic from other directions.
It's mentioned in the post where the original pic was lost from https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20114&p=160677#post160677
The lady in the white coat looks bemused by the scene....
FiveWays-HagleyRd1966.jpg
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That's a wonderful photo, full of life and classic vehicles!
 
Harbornite76 said:
That's a wonderful photo, full of life and classic vehicles!
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Hi Harbornite76
Yes it brings back memories when we drove those vehicles which have now become classics !

See some of the folks who brought the old street pics alive by just being in them ... click the icon to choose any one of 100 pics when a PDF file opens in your browser.

if you want instructions, they are in post#482
 
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let's have a look at all the vehicles we've got two Morris Minors (one is a Traveller), a Ford Popular, Morris Oxford, BMC Mini and an Isetta bubble car, as well as many more...
 
Looks like top end of New Street,with the bus coming out of Ethal Street on the left.Town Hall would be behind last bus on right.
 
oldMohawk said:
A good old traffic jam, and everyone staring out, even the lady upstairs on the 5A bus. Some of the car drivers probably spent time on Sundays polishing all the chrome on their cars. That Ford van in the centre only has one windscreen wiper but does have one of those nice metal AA badges fitted to the radiator.
Maybe the traffic is stopped because there is a photographer standing in the middle of the road !! ...:friendly_wink:
5Abus.jpg
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Love this photo. Think the cars look glossy because of the overhead lamps that were suspended across the middle of New Street. I remember nights like this. Going home on the bus. Note the 3 kids squeezed into the seat next to the driver of the 5A. I liked that seat or the one behind the driver. Used to like looking out for the orange indicator to flick out. And the driver often had one of those brown leather blinds, sometimes it was up, so you could see into the cab, sometimes it was down.


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It is a scene to bring back memories, almost evocative, but that's me thinking back to my younger days. I can't remember the buses having heaters, not much use with the open platforms. Upstairs always seemed warmer with the 'fug' of cigarette smoke. Our cars didn't have good heaters and if we wanted a radio we mostly had to fit one ourselves. That bloke in GNP232 seems to be edging forward for a try at getting through that gap. A nice Vauxhall in the pic with it's distinctive bonnet flutes and a white steering wheel.
 
Actually don't think it is 3 kids on the front, bottom seat of the 5A. Unless he's dressed up, one has a moustache! It looks like a couple and a child, maybe the child is standing, next to them. When the seating was all occupied and I'd stand for adult passengers I always felt very grown up holding on to the pole. And the grown up would usually be very, very grateful. Still do it today, despite probably being older than the person I'm offering the seat to! Viv.


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I had almost forgotten what the inside of an old buses with the open back was like. We used to make a dash to that front seat by the driver, and there was the single seat at the top of the stairs. We used to step off the back of the 5a as it went up Witton Lodge hill, first time I tried it, I did several cartwheels in the road.
 
Wow, yes, Moturn - I'd completely forgotten about those single seats at the top of the stairs on the buses! You brought back memories. I remember coming home from work one night from town on the No.9 to Quinton. The bus was packed and I was with my sister. We went upstairs and I got a seat next to someone near the front of the bus - my sister got one at the rear. As the bus went round the corner from Paradise Street into Broad Street, I slipped off the seat and landed in the gangway on my bottom. As I was very fashion conscious and thought I was very cool, I was very put out about it, and when I turned to look at my sister she was nearly doubled up with laughter!
 
Morturn said:
I had almost forgotten what the inside of an old buses with the open back was like. We used to make a dash to that front seat by the driver, and there was the single seat at the top of the stairs. We used to step off the back of the 5a as it went up Witton Lodge hill, first time I tried it, I did several cartwheels in the road.
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It's been on the forum before and it is 1946 when there were 'bus jams' and some cars. Lots of Brummies caught in the video and at some point it shows two women standing on a bus platform as it rounds the corner outside Snow Hill Station. Click the pic to see and hear the traffic and a famous old shop long gone ....
 
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