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Whitmore Street

i agree carolina...i thought i could see the depot but now you have confirmed it...

lyn
 
That's a lovely photo of Hockley garage with a Guy Arab emerging from it. By all accounts it was a great garage to work in and a pity that it has closed but at least the building still stands. The photo would have been taken between 1967 and 1969.

Simon
 
This c 1955 map seems to show the right distribution of "holes" in the frontage, with the right number of houses in between. Photographer at red arrow
I was born at 62 Whitmore Street in 1955 my nan and grandad lived next door at 63.
Strange the numbers are not on the map. It is lovely to see all your photos, brings back so many happy memories
 
Dawn.
You can see where no 63 was. It is not uncommon for some numbers not to be marked in a street on these maps. I am not sure why, though it is possible that the surveyor for the ordnance survey could not see a number on these houses and so did not mark it. Would, however, be surprised at this as I would have thought that almost all houses would have had numbers easily visible.
 
Astonian.you say you knew the Phelps boys.Did you also know a girl who hung around with them.Her name was Brenda Wathen and lived at 45 Whitmore St.Did you also know the boys Uncle Dick.
 
Edifi,

I'm sorry to tell you that Astonian (Alan) passed away some months ago now.

Maurice :cool:
 
Astonian.you say you knew the Phelps boys.Did you also know a girl who hung around with them.Her name was Brenda Wathen and lived at 45 Whitmore St.Did you also know the boys Uncle Dick.
Brian Phelps is on facebook with photos of his group The L8 Arrivals (he plays guitar and sings)
 
There was a guy who lived in Whitmore Street in the late 50s/early60s and he loved Connie Francis and he would have her records playing all day long which you could hear everytime you walked past his house. The Atkins I talked about were Margaret and Maureen, their siblings were, John, Ronnie, Joyce and Ruby. The lived in a yard and everytime you went into their house you had to bang about as the coal was kept right next to the living room and hence loads of black bats. We had some great times together.
Hi, I was most interested to read this post as I am trying to do some family research for a direct descendant of this same family. He was born to John Thomas Atkins, born circa 1945. Johns father was Ronald Claude Atkins, married to Doris May Masters. Do you by any chance have any further information on the family that you could share. Many of Ronald and Doris's children were born pre the war and others after the war. I'm thinking Ronald went to war? Would love to hear from you. Thanks Sandi
 
Hi, I was most interested to read this post as I am trying to do some family research for a direct descendant of this same family. He was born to John Thomas Atkins, born circa 1945. Johns father was Ronald Claude Atkins, married to Doris May Masters. Do you by any chance have any further information on the family that you could share. Many of Ronald and Doris's children were born pre the war and others after the war. I'm thinking Ronald went to war? Would love to hear from you. Thanks Sandi
I presume you are related to John? I went to John and his wife's house just at the back of Wretham Road many times with Margaret and Maureen. John also worked at Dennison Watch Case Co on Soho Road.
 
I presume you are related to John? I went to John and his wife's house just at the back of Wretham Road many times with Margaret and Maureen. John also worked at Dennison Watch Case Co on Soho Road.
I’m a friend of one of Johns children. He does not know anything about his grandparents and their children, or about his father John as his mother remarried. Your post is the only info outside of the names and births of Ronald and Doris Atkins children, the twins Margaret and Maureen being two of them. Their mother Doris’s mother, Teresa Masters and siblings, also lived close by and there was another couple Samuel and Annie Atkins who lived at 22 Whitmore Street. I think Ronald’s family lived at that same address as it is noted on the baptism. I am wondering if Samuel related but not sure how. Samuel Atkins was born in 1887 and was a silversmith. He was living in Whitmore Street from at least 1910 until the mid 1950’s. Any info would be much appreciated. It’s so valuable to get an impression of what life was like back then and details about the home.
 
Sandi I do have photos of Theresa Masters and Ruby (Doris's mother and sister) but they were given to me personally and was asked not to publish them at any time. I have a photo of Doris and Theresa with my mom. My mom is at the front on the left hand side, Doris and Theresa are at the back in between the two ladies in the front on the right hand side. Theresa lived 2 Ford Street, I lived 4 Ford Street. Doris moved from Whitmore Street to a maisonette off the Lichfield Road and then moved back to 1/6 Ford Street. I know that Ronald died quite young leaving Doris with Ronald, John, Joyce, Ruby, Margaret and Maureen. If you are on facebook there is a Billy Kavanagh whose sister was called Brenda, I think she was a cousin to the children of Doris and Ronnie.
 

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Don’t think I’ve seen anything like this arrangement for auctions before. Seems to be a marquee/temporary structure attached to the premises for the audience. It has ‘catwalks’ for staff to show potential bidders the items for auction, Viv.

8A094503-0E04-4AAC-AB08-3A6D369B9D3D.jpeg
 
Every evening at seven o'clock. They must have got rid of lots of stock. I went to a couple of these sort of auctions, but smaller type auctions - usually in an empty shop. Grand Opening Sales they were often billed as. There was a kind of fever and excitement that encouraged people to buy. It was a slick operation and the punters were soon reeled in! ;)
I went in out of curiosity - and with little else to do when wandering the town of Weston-super-Mare when in the RAF. Being in the RAF meant there was little, if anything, that I would need or want to buy. Careful observation revealed the plants in the audience coupled with the auctioneers gestures. All in all a cheap entertainment. :laughing:
 
Yes Alan. I can imagine the 1881 Pearson’s auctions would have been entertainment too. And with the circus-type tent/marquee/awning it probably created a particular atmosphere. Viv.
 
Maybe a one-off. No record of Pearson in Whitmore St. 1883 or 1879. But in 1890 Pearson's Grand Auction Mart address in Tonypandy advertising for a pianist.
 
No mention in Kellys of Frederick Vincent Pearson in the 1882,83 or 84 editions, but is a Frederic Pearson (with that spelling) at 149 Irving St, shopkeeper, in the 1880 and previous editions
 
Carolina. The advert is from the Birmingham & Aston Chronicle (from British Newspapers Archives). As long as you acknowledge the source and don’t use it for commercial purposes I’m sure that’ll be fine. Viv.
 
I wonder then if the drawing was used for different venues. It seems to me that the “Whitmore Street Birmingham” address is in a different type and is less distinct. Maybe it was originally blank and the venue added later ? And maybe the auctions were actually in a tent, not attached to a permanent building. Were there such auctions ? Viv.
 
It would appear that he was a travelling dealer originating from sheffield, and a number of prosecutions were made of his practices.One is below:
Sheffield daily telegraph.24.7.1869.jpg
 
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