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Widdows Arms

I was talking to someone who knows the area and he agrees with Astonian, it was named the Widdows arms, he said the front of the pub was actually on Wainwright street, and there was an entry down the side of the pub which lead to the litchfield road, I hope this helps. (note this is only what I've been told I don't know anything about it myself)
 
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Hi Bernie Don't know if I am being of any help but on todays post under Gunmakers Arms thread there is a picture of the said pub.
 
Thanks Denise but there only seems to be a picture of the Gunmakers on there. Never mind.
 
I'm with you on this one Bernie, I was expecting to se a picture of the Widdows.:(
 
think this will cause more confusion :( my mom and dad used to live / run the victoria inn on lichfield road during the 60's. i remember family members refering to it as the widdows, looking at the picture of the front it certainlt brings back memories some good some bad. i remember sitting on the stairs with my brothers and sisters terrified because we heard some noises in the next room, i also remember smelling the hops from the brewery next door mixed with the HP sauce factory. i used to have a bottle of babycham each night, i was only 4 years old !!! it was demolished in the late 80's i think, there and was part of it left tho, just the small lift and a few walls....all gone now tho.
 
hi captain black
many thanks for your in put on this
i was very pleased to see you have put your in-put to confirm
you are very correct in what you have said
at the end of the day its final day of the pub before i left aston
it was renamed the victoria and that would conclude the day of demolition when ever that was i can remember the day they changed from the widdowsto the victoria
meand my mate colin gaskin could not under stand why they changed the name we thought it was posh name ,
we only lived yards from the pub colins house was the bottom of the terace it was probaly abpt twenty yards from it
ans i lived five houses from my old mate colin
regarding the story of you having a babycham whenyou was about 4
for some reason the widows sold hell of alot of babychams in there
it was like a craze ,so yes i beleive in what you are saying
we left aston in the and around the beging of the fifties
and it had already changed the name fromthe widdows to victoria
and also there was an old disabled gather but i cannot remember his name at this precise time but he died and there was a man
whom had taken over and he was related to the goughs
and was the grand father to the gamages [ nancy the mothers name
and the friend of us all up the terrsace was carol gamage .]
he was there grand father he had taken over the pub
when that gather had died i have alot of memory,s of the pub
[ the widdows ] before changinging to the victoria ,
i expexct these people have passed over now the ones i have mention as they was older than me [ years older ]
but i reckon my mate is still around some-where [ colin gaskin ]
and my old flame jenny gough even her cousin carol gamage
jenny married an old friend of ours colin fisher .
there must be loads of people whom lived close bye in aston whom can relate to the widdows
still capt black it was nice to hear from you and tel your storyon the widdows
look foreward to hearing from you again best wishes astonian .;;;
 
thanks for that Astonian, that pic did certainly stir some memories, i talked to my sister today and she told me that we lived there in 1966, she remembered an incident very well during a world cup game at villa park, she chucked out some rowdy fans, they did as they were told in those days i guess....unlike today.
take care
 
Hi Astonian and all, its me again, not nagging about the photo but wondering if there was a Colin Pugh or Colin Meredith living in one of the back house who went to Thomas Street Boys. I am sure I had a cousin called Colin but unfortunately no one to ask, he would have been born around 1946.
Denise
 
Hi,
The Pub was actually Called the Victoria Hotel, The name the widdows coming from the war years. The licensee was actually Les Gammidge and his wife was florrie. He was the Brother of My Grandmother (my Great Uncle) I remember it as a child
 
hi geoff
well thats very nice to hear that your grand father was gammage as i remember him well
when the pub was the widdows and it was above the pub stating it was in full the widdows arms
all in a tile dezign from the war years the widdows name above it
they changed the name from he widdows to the victoria hotel in the midde of the fifties
or just the beginnng of the fifties and i can recall the day they changed the name to the victoria hotel
me and my mate colin watch them change the name and said oh they are making t sound posh
and thas when it became the victoria hotel
and just before your grand father whom had just taken over the pub just before the name changed
because the old fella the gather died and your grand father had taken it on about two weks of the old gather
dying he was yes i can rememberflorrie and the daughter carol andher husband
they lived two doors from us and the grand mother the goughs whom was related to her family
i alway thought that florrie was a gough andhad a brother named albert and philliss whom had
a daughter by the name of jennifer a pretty girl and she became my girl friend when i was young
when she grew up she married a kid from the next entrry by th name of colin
i went and watch ed her get married at aston parish church with saddess
still getting back on track the widdows pub will always be known to us astonians
we do have a pic of the pub with the widdows showing as i said for what ever reason the pub or when ever its was built and named the widdos thats when thevictoria name came in and your grand father had taken over the pub
thank you for telling me of your grand faher and it was gammages whom i had said in early threasds
on this pub
best wishes Astonian ;;
lived directley oppersite
 
Astonian can you remember the name of the entry, the wide one next to the Widdows? My mother in law was born there and lived there ubtil she married.
 
sorry I can't remember the name of the entry, although several members of my family lived up there i think. Certainly there was my aunt Nancy and her two daughters Carole and Janet, both extrememly good looking girls. I have a feeling that nancies maiden name was gough, but sadly i don't have anyone left now to ask.
 
pmc1947 said:
Astonian

What was the exact location of the pub, I can find no trace of a Widow's Arms on Lichfield Rd, perhaps if the pub was on a junction with another road the postal address was that of the adjoining road?

Was the Victoria Hotel a public house, because Queen Victoria was sometimes known as "The Widow". So perhaps this might have been the name it was known as.

Phil
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The pub was just down the road from Ansells Brewery.it was called the Victoria.it's nickname was the widows.used to drink in the pub whenm i worked at Ansells
 
Hi geoffopo
My grandad lived with his parents at 2back of 96 Lichfield Road which was next to the Victoria (Widows Arms) and I believe there was a family called Gough living in the same court
 
Astonian said:
Hi Postie Or Any -body
I Am Wondering Whether As Anybody Got A Picture Of The Widdows Arms
That Was On The Lichfield Rd As That As True Memorys For Me When I Was
A Little Whipper Snapper If It Is Possible Some-one May Have Could They Down Load It For Me I Would Really Appreciate It
The Land lord At The Time Was Our Neibour Mr Len Gammage
The Brother In law To Albert Gough Whom Also Was Our Neibour In Cromwell
Terrace His Wife Was Called Philliss And There Daughter Jenifier
Was My Child Hood Sweet Heart ,Please Forgive Me For Reminsing ,
But I Do Have Alot Of Memory,s Of The Widdows
Once Again I Thank You All For Your Attentention In Reading This Thread
Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;;;;;;;
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Hello my name is Declan Dunne. My mum & dad ran that pub in the late sixties. My mother was pregnant with me & my dad delivered me on the 21 of August 1968. The ambulance was slow getting there. I have a picture of me as a toddler drinking a bottle of Guinness. Christy & Agnes Dunne.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Our late member Alan( Astonian .RIP.) who started this thread, must have grown up close to the pub in the 1940s.
 
DECCYDUNNE21 said:
Hello my name is Declan Dunne. My mum & dad ran that pub in the late sixties. My mother was pregnant with me & my dad delivered me on the 21 of August 1968. The ambulance was slow getting there. I have a picture of me as a toddler drinking a bottle of Guinness. Christy & Agnes Dunne.
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hi and welcome....we would love to see that photo....could you just confirm the correct name of the pub as i believe the widows arms was just a nick name for the pub

lyn
 
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