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Wellhead Lane

HI PATTY
My brother was one of the kynochs police as well ; and he was also stationed in that gate as well
very regular and also in the main office gate on the front in witton rd for donkeys years
after coming out of the royal green jackets regiment is name was tony a big lad ;
he still works within the holford section complex now still doing the same job ;
hes abit younger than me i surpose he will be retireing soon ;
have a nice day patty ; and everybody as welll; alan ; astonian;
 
Image84.jpg
 
Alan I will try and find a photo out if I have it of dad and a few of the men he worked with perhaps your brother may be on them .
 
The corner shop and buildings behind it gave way to the Tufnol factory - anybody know when that was built? There was also a company called Bill Switchgear Ltd in the vicinity - was that further along Aston Lane towards Perry Barr? The mother of a girlfriend of mine worked there.

Franchise St turned off Wellhead Lane just past the bridge where the van is. There was a nice pub down there - can't recall its name, but it'll come to me. Also, there was a motor mechanic in Franchise St, and I remember only too well lugging the cylinder-head of my A40 down to him so he could skim it.

My maternal grand-dad William Diaper drove a shunting-engine at ICI Kynoch all through both world wars until he retired in about 1949. He wore stiff moleskin trousers that stunk of diesel...

Does anyone remember the regular short burst of machine-gun fire from Kynoch's, as they tested the ammunition? Someone once told me that the test-range was on a roof, and I wonder if this is true?

Big Gee
 
hi
if my memory serves me correctly i think it was the late sixties early seventies tuffnol was built
and just over the bridge was in well head lane was my brothers century box ;
that was the small police office for the imi security he as been there at the ICI ; and the IMI companyies for afew decades and at the front gates on witton rd and now he as moved to there new post around perry barr exit ; holford lane wher he still operates tony my young brother is well known there with inthe security team ;
by both ; men and women ;--- mainly women ha ha;
 
Hi. Yes, I grew up with the sound of the machine gun firing from Kynochs. The sound helped my fertile brain when playing at soldiers. Ir is little known that I saved our Country virtually every day from the safety of our back garden without ever being seriously wounded. With regards to Tufnol, it was built before the 1950's at least - possibly 1940's. I can remember it as always being their during my 70+ years. willey
 
A little good news on Tufnol they have only knocked down the 1st building down than ran along side Aston Lane it appears that the other block is still up and running.Dek
 
According to an old mate of mine who I happened by pure chance to see last night, the Tufnol factory was built during the war, as the stuff it made was a strategic material used for insulation amongst other things. I couldn't see it being built in the early 1970's according to Astonian, as the pong of the phenolic resin used at Tufnol was a feature of my boyhood and the area in general. My mother used to complain that it made the washing smell. Also, and I forgot to mention it, I drove down Aston Lane a while ago and Dek is right - it's only been part demolished. However, there was no stink of resin in the air, so I assume they've had to install proper extraction equipment at some point.

Can someone please remind me of the name of the pub in Franchise Street, and is it still there?

Finally, does anyone remember the Land Rover Axle works on the corner of Wellhead Lane and Aldridge Road? My dad installed some heat-treatment furnaces there in the 1950's. It's now student flats.

Big Gee
 
Big gee, l was about to state that Tufnol was built a lot earier than 60s my father worked at Ellisons from the mid 30s untill he retired 40years later and he always then mentioned about Tufnol, did'nt know what they made but one x'mas dad made me a desk and the lid was made of Tufnol, it was so nice dark brown and all shiney....wonder what happened to it....hopefully some little girl had a much pleasure out of it as l did.....Brenda...love the pictures of wellhead lane brings back many memories.
 
It brings back so many memories for me too Brenda as I walked over the bridge most Sundays on the way to Nans in Franchise street. It is funny though because I cannot remember the little corner shop. I remember the coal merchant the other side of the hill on the corner and his black cob that used to pull his cart. Oh such happy days.
 
I worked at Bill Switchgear in the fifties and yes, it was further up Aston Lane towards Birchfield Road.
 
hi patty
many thanks for the pic you sent me just to say my brother was not on the pic but he often discussed your father whom he knew
on the job very well;i beleive they was in the terms of a mucker as the scousers would say as they was often on each others shift
meaning friends ; have a great day ; did yu find the one in the bull ring outside the banna house yet with the jelf brotheres
i do not know which edition ofthe carls chinns but it was an early edition but i am despersately seeking it
i am contacting jaynews whom is related to me through the jelfs have a nice day alan ;; astonian ;
 
Big Gee said:
According to an old mate of mine who I happened by pure chance to see last night, the Tufnol factory was built during the war, as the stuff it made was a strategic material used for insulation amongst other things. I couldn't see it being built in the early 1970's according to Astonian, as the pong of the phenolic resin used at Tufnol was a feature of my boyhood and the area in general. My mother used to complain that it made the washing smell. Also, and I forgot to mention it, I drove down Aston Lane a while ago and Dek is right - it's only been part demolished. However, there was no stink of resin in the air, so I assume they've had to install proper extraction equipment at some point.

Can someone please remind me of the name of the pub in Franchise Street, and is it still there?

Finally, does anyone remember the Land Rover Axle works on the corner of Wellhead Lane and Aldridge Road? My dad installed some heat-treatment furnaces there in the 1950's. It's now student flats.

Big Gee
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I have an idea that the pub was called the Wellhead Tavern (even though it was actually in Franchise Street!)
The father of a lad in my class at junior school (Birchfield Road) was the landlord there in the late 50's/ early 60's.

No idea if it's still there, I haven't been round those roads for years.
 
The house on the corner is where the coal man lived and his black horse was kept in the yard at the back of the house.
 
The house Jean refers to is on the corner of Franchise Street, and opposite is the main entrance to the Kynoch Works, where my grandfather drove a shunting engine for years, all through the First and Second World Wars until he retired in the late 1940's. Sometimes we'd stand on the railway bridge to watch the Pines Express as it passed. It's all changed now, of course, but what hasn't?
 
Big Gee when we passed a couple of weeks back I went back in time and remembered the good times I had there as a child. I too used to look over the bridge when the train went by. It used to run at the back of Nan's yard.
 
What lovely memories from your childhood.... Jean , I wonder if the horse was originaly white if it belonged to the coalman ( ha-ha)
 
hi jean and ray if you spot my post would it be possible for you both to repost the photos that we have lost from this thread please..i think i may have saved one of yours jean but i would have to check my files

many thanks

lyn
 
dek carr said:
Ray i,m with Jean on this one i used to plat tennis every Sunday morning with my then partner the entrance to the sports grond was on the corner in Wellhead Lane you could see the best pitch from Holford Drive but the large football area was I.M.I. Two large electrical Switch gear companys that were located in wellhead Lane were Bill switch gear and Ellisons Switchgear. Dek
Click to expand...
 
dek carr said:
Ray i,m with Jean on this one i used to plat tennis every Sunday morning with my then partner the entrance to the sports grond was on the corner in Wellhead Lane you could see the best pitch from Holford Drive but the large football area was I.M.I. Two large electrical Switch gear companys that were located in wellhead Lane were Bill switch gear and Ellisons Switchgear. Dek
Click to expand...
dek carr said:
Ray i,m with Jean on this one i used to plat tennis every Sunday morning with my then partner the entrance to the sports grond was on the corner in Wellhead Lane you could see the best pitch from Holford Drive but the large football area was I.M.I. Two large electrical Switch gear companys that were located in wellhead Lane were Bill switch gear and Ellisons Switchgear. Dek
Click to expand...
it was used by Birchfield rd school
 
G G Jean said:
I can't find a specific thread on the Wellhead pub so have put this on here. My grandad is the first man front row on the left Jean.
Click to expand...
Hi Jean can’t find a photo, my first time on this site , i us to frequent the wellhead around 1965 . Rey Hacket was an old workmate and lived a couple of doors up from the pub.
 
hello ted and welcome...the site was hacked a few year back and we lost all of our images ...many have been reposted some have not...if jean spots your post hopefully she will repost her photo..in the meantime later on i will check my files to see if i saved it if i did i will be able to repost it for you

lyn
 
Astoness said:
hello ted and welcome...the site was hacked a few year back and we lost all of our images ...many have been reposted some have not...if jean spots your post hopefully she will repost her photo..in the meantime later on i will check my files to see if i saved it if i did i will be able to repost it for you

lyn
Click to expand...
Thank you Lyn , I have been searching factories for Bill switchgear I think it was in astonlane cant find it.
 
A Sparks said:
I have an idea that the pub was called the Wellhead Tavern (even though it was actually in Franchise Street!)
The father of a lad in my class at junior school (Birchfield Road) was the landlord there in the late 50's/ early 60's.

No idea if it's still there, I haven't been round those roads for years.
Click to expand...
Still there I drank there around 1965
 
ted you need to use the search box at the top right of the page...just put in what you are searching for...we do have a thread for bill switchgear click on link below

Bill Switchgear

does anyone know if this company still exists...it was at aston lane perry barr lyn
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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