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Witton Road

S

steerboy

Guest
Hi everyone.

My wife lived at 351 Witton Road in the late 1940's and early 50's until her father died there in the summer of 1951.
She has never forgotten the great kindness showed to her father by the people who ran the grocery store which was facing where she lived right up to the day of his death but as she was only ten at the time she can not remember the names of them, also in the block of shops was a drapers who made her and her older sisters white dress's for his funeral.

Any help with finding the names of these shops would be much appreciated.

Regards Steerboy
 
Hi Steerboy. My husband was born in Witton road no 51 in 1953. His old house is still standing and we do pass it occasionally. Welcome. Enjoy. Jean.
 
Did Janet Haden live in Witton Road or was it a side road off Trinity road?. Have you met up with her lately?. Oh bye the way I did have a can of carlsberg export last night after after my gaff. TTFN. Jean.
 
steerboy said:
Hi everyone.

My wife lived at 351 Witton Road in the late 1940's and early 50's until her father died there in the summer of 1951.
She has never forgotten the great kindness showed to her father by the people who ran the grocery store which was facing where she lived right up to the day of his death but as she was only ten at the time she can not remember the names of them, also in the block of shops was a drapers who made her and her older sisters white dress's for his funeral.

Any help with finding the names of these shops would be much appreciated.

Regards Steerboy
Click to expand...

Hi Steerboy,

Was 351 Witton Road down by Witton Island? If not, can you please say where?

Thanks,

Big Gee
 
Hi big Gee.

Yes, you are correct it is almost on Witton Island just above the Billiard hall on the same side and the back gardens would have overlooked the Barracks according to my better half.

Thanks for your interest. Steerboy.
 
Click on the Search facility, top right of this page and put in Ratpan, that takes you to some previous posts that mention Witton Road. Apparently, an old boyfriend of mine used to run the Billiard Hall, and lived very close to it, (357 Witton Rd I think) and Catkin's family owned shops there.
 
hi seeing Witton rd query my g/grandfather ,mother lived in Witton rd according to their marriage certificate in 1878 ie Thomas Barlow,harriet clarke i found witton road houses nos to 51 ,then i believe it becomes handsworth ,Stafford . i would be thankful if anyone can help or advise
thankyou

tom
33bus
 
Steerboy, there were two grocer's shops in that part of Witton road, the one on the opposite side to the Billiard Hall and the Barracks but a bit further along was Wrensons. It was double fronted and a largish shop for the time. The other shop was on the same side as the Barracks, on the corner of the drive up to the Barracks, again it was a large shop, with the old wooden counter and the cheese and bacon slicers. I can't think of the name but a look in Kelly's will do the trick if no one else can name it. The only dress shop in Witton then was Em's just above Wrensons.
 
Hi All.
Thanks for all your input, Wrensons it was after all she has just confirmed it .
When I am at the Central Library this week I shall check Kelly's for the other shops thank you for the advice.

Regards Steerboy.
 
Hi all, does anyone out there remember any of the neighbours on Witton Road, Aston.The area between The Sacred Heart Church and Trinity Road.


I was down there recently, the place is unrecognisable. I remember it as a fairly quiet road, but not anymore. They say you shouldn't go back, and it's true.
 
My husband lived at 51 just above the Sacred Hear Mollie. He remembers the Geens who lived across the road and the Martins. Jean.
 
Hey Mollie - I lived in Witton rd, No 93, just down from Sacred Heart, for about 12 years - from about 1961 - don't remember the names of any of the neighbours but I worked at Lovell's on the corner of Lodge rd and Witton rd, for a while, delivering groceries on a Saturday morning and a couple of nights after school. Had to help with stocktaking sometimes and, as I was up in the attic stocktaking, the future king of heavy metal was in the cellar taking stock!! - so I'm led to believe??

Yes Jean - I remember Billy and Brian quite well from up "your end" - Dave
 
Was it Brian Smith or Brian Quebell Dave?. I worked at Claremont Bakery opposite the Sacred Heart when ever I could while I was in my last year at school. Jean.
 
It was Brian Smith, Jean, Peters brother, last saw him, I think, at The Old Oscott club when he retired a couple of years ago - Billy was there too along with many friends and relations - I knew Pete as well but hung around with Brian mainly - I've known him for many years - from the early Lion Rangers days.
I remember Claremonts well, shopped for my Mom there most weekends, with a list and money screwed up in my hand, she used to like those cakes that were white, with hard shell like halves with cream in the middle and the doughnuts - then it was up to, I think, Mulleady's, corner of Witton and Mansfield roads, for the fruit and veg. - this was from about 1961- 1964 when I was still at school - you may have served me Jean?? - Dave
 
Dave I might well have. Did you know I am married to Pete?. There is a Dave E Collins on the forum who used to hang around with John the younger Smith brother?. Gordon Ritchie met up with Brian the other day. If you IM me with your full name I will pass a message on to Brian. He is seventy in two weeks time and wanted all of us to go to Gran Canaria for his birthday. Jean.
 
I knew George and Nancy Rowand who owned The Model Mecca model shop just down from Lodge Road, and also Walter and Mary Bates who lived a couple of doors down from the Model Mecca towards Trinity Road. Walter Bates managed an off-licence, but I can't remember where. I was also distantly related to Bill Sims of W H Sims greengrocer on the corner of Witton and Trinity Roads.

Big Gee
 
Hi Big Gee, I remember that model shop, there was also a newsagent, next door I think, there was a parrot on a perch in the shop, it used to shout ETHEL when you went in. Better than a bell on the door. trouble was us kids used to try to find excuses to go in, just to hear the parrot!
 
Hi Bumbellini, did you know the Bunce Family? They lived about opposite Lodge Road.
I lived further down, just a few houses up from Billy Hill's Newsagent, but I left to get Married in 58 so I was gone from there before you arrived.
 
Hi Jean, I remember a family of Martins, don't know if they are the same ones, it's not an uncommon name. there was a Billy , Jean, Joyce, Janet, & Jimmy. Their house was about midway between Lodge Road and Trinity road.
 
Hey Mollie - sorry to say that Bunce doesn't ring any bells - in fact I don't remember the names of anyone who lived round me I'm afraid - sorry - Dave.
 
I lived off the Broadway in Melrose after i got married in 1976, until moving in mid '80's ans often frequented the model shop.
They were a nice couple, although had limited, aged stock. After the husband died, old woman still kept it for some time - very pleasnt people, increasingly trapped in a world changing too fast for them.
 
Brian, after George Rowand died his widow Nancy did try to keep the shop going, but after a short time sold all her useable stock to someone who opened a model shop in Kings Heath. Nancy moved to a flat near Brookvale Road and died about 15 years ago. You're correct when you say they didn't move with the times.

BTW, I lived in The Broadway quite near Melrose Road until I married in 1971. It's all student accommodation round there now.

Big Gee
 
Hi Big Gee,
If we could have lifted our semi and put it down in elsewhere we would have - nice houses - just the area that was rapidly plummetting downhill!
George and Nancy must have felt the same.

Brian
 
As a previous writer wrote NEVER GO BACK, I made the mistake of going back to where my late Wife and I lived from 1962 t0 1985 in Hillside Rd Erdington, it broke my heart to see how the area has deteriated, I'll not go back again. Eric
 
When I was about 8 or 9 my best friend at school's mom had a hairdresser's shop on Witton Road called Linda Jane. Their name was Lawton or Laughton. They lived at the bottom of our road in Four Oaks for a while, sadly her Dad became ill and couldn't work so they moved into the flat above the shop. I often went to stay with her I remember feeling very much out of my comfort zone. The local shopkeepers were so kind to me and my friend. The family soon after moved to Jersey. I never went to Witton Road again but have fond memories of staying there.
 
The area around Witton Road began to go downhill in the late 1950's/early 1960's. Supermarkets began to seriously affect local shops, and increasing affluence (yes!) meant that people were able to move out of their cramped terraced houses to better accommodation elsewhere. Unfortunately, my father absolutely refused to move from The Broadway, even though he could have afforded to, and he watched the area decline. I know it's not PC to say so, but like many other more-or-less inner-city areas, immigration was a major factor in its change. When I was a kid in the early 1950's, the area was what I'd call "upper working-class" - everyone had a job, more and more kids of my age were passing the 11-plus and going on to grammar- and technical-schools. The area was I think transitional - not slums, but not kippers-and-curtains, as my mom would have said. I loved it until I started work in the early 1960's, but I had to get out, which I did. I do go back for a look occasionally, and I see a very different world - not completely bad, just different. I wonder how many kids who live there now would understand being sent by their mother to the local shop for 3 eggs and a quarter of butter and 2 slices of corned beef?

Big Gee
 
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