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Witton Square

Hi Pedrocut

Pavilion Electric Theatre, Witton Road, Witton, was opened in 1911, closed 1914.

It's had a variety of uses I believe it is a Snooker hall now.

Ray
 
That's interesting, I'm pretty sure I have seen that photo before but we decided it was the Empress, which was further up Witton Road between The Broadway and Trinity Road. The Pavillion must have been one of the first cinemas to open.
 
Jennyann I think there was a bank attached to the IMI but Patty will know the answer to that. Peter would that have been Witton Lane and not road?. Jean.
 
Hi Jean: There was a Lloyd's Bank at IMI and I believe the interior was photographed by Keith Berry so would be somewhere in his collection. I didn't realize there was a bank in there until I found those photos a few years ago. I expect that was a good place for a bank since people who worked there would have made deposits right after they received their pay packets,,,hopefully. After all, it was like a small city so there would be a lot of customers for the bank. Thanks Jean.
 
My father, who lived in Wyreley Road, used to go to the Pavilion Picture house with his brother
between 1911 and 1914. He said there wasn't any other cinemas in the area and they were sorry when it closed up.
 
Hi Jennyann. Isn't it strange that I have never heard mention of the Pavilion before. I tell you something even stranger I worked at IMI for five years and didn't know of a bank in there, but it was most probably opened after I left. Our wages were put in the Municiple on the corner of Witton Lane, .
 
As I don’t seem to be able to insert in the post, here is a link to a section of map from 1913. Click on image to enlarge…

https://www.panoramio.com/photo/31399976

If you look on the Google Earth the shape of the Pavilion and the Aston Hotel are much the same today. Perhaps the Electric Theatre became the Pavilion cinema?

Here is a link to the Electric Cinema in Station Street that was 100 years old in 2009…

https://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/2009/12/100-years-of-the-electric-cinema.html

Was the bank near the bridge formerly the Birmingham Municipal?

Regards Peter
 
The bank was in the same place as shown on the map. Interesting to find out which bank it was in 1913. It will be in the trade directories. The road layout changed significantly, the island is now a major part of Witton, and Witton Road was a tramway on the map. Thanks for posting it Peter.
 
in the 1913 Kellys it was the London, Midland & City Bank (manager J.H.Pearson)
Mike
 
Pedrocut thanks for the link, the map shows my Granddads old house position, ( no longer there) up Witton Lane, the first one with a small front garden near the W, (Witton) on the map :)
 
I bought the print of the map for Aston Manor from Ebay for about £4, and it has proved to be very interesting. On the rear it has a good history of Aston Manor and a bonus of information from Kelly’s for about 6 streets: Witton Road and Lane, Birchfield Road, Nelson Road, Queens Road, Fredrick Street and Pugh Road.

Dave, as you come down from Aston Church the last 3 houses mentioned are 106, then no mention of others, 162, 164 and then to Station Road.

164 Arthur Clarke, shopkeeper
162 Wm E P Elton
106 Mrs Jenny Williams, dressmaker.

Thanks mikejee for the information concerning the name of the bank.

I see that the bank near the railway tunnel had not yet been built, or that Kynocks had not been located there. George Kynock moved to Lion Works at Witton in 1860.

Anyone know where that might have been?

Regards Peter
 
Pedrocut thanks will phone brother to check the number, I believe he had the house number from the door before demolishion :(
 
Thanks Mike for the great map.

Puzzled to see that the Lion Works is not marked on the later map!

And what a place Witton would have been at that time; tobogganing slide, refreshment rooms, and many other attractions. The rear of the reprint map says this…

“In 1873 Pleasure Gardens were established here and in 1879 a vast Great Hall, turreted and gabled, was built to host exhibitions, banquets, menagerie and aquarium. The electric-lit hall was said to hold more than the Town Hall, and was the venue for grand spectaculars. The Staffordshire Pool became a boating lake. A sports ground know as the Lower Grounds Meadow was laid out to the west of the Hall, near Bevington Road, and this included a 1500 seat grandstand, a roller skating rink and a switchback railway. But the venue, known as the Aston Lower Grounds and run by a Mr Quilter, failed in 1890 and the pool was filled in…”

The Good Old Days! Peter.
 
Pedrocut said:
I bought the print of the map for Aston Manor from Ebay for about £4, and it has proved to be very interesting. On the rear it has a good history of Aston Manor and a bonus of information from Kelly’s for about 6 streets: Witton Road and Lane, Birchfield Road, Nelson Road, Queens Road, Fredrick Street and Pugh Road.

Dave, as you come down from Aston Church the last 3 houses mentioned are 106, then no mention of others, 162, 164 and then to Station Road.

164 Arthur Clarke, shopkeeper
162 Wm E P Elton
106 Mrs Jenny Williams, dressmaker.


Thanks mikejee for the information concerning the name of the bank.

I see that the bank near the railway tunnel had not yet been built, or that Kynocks had not been located there. George Kynock moved to Lion Works at Witton in 1860.

Anyone know where that might have been?

Regards Peter
Click to expand...

House number 160 ? two shops on the corner of station rd then house 160 Witton Lane Dave
 
Hi Dave,

I have looked at a copy of Kelly’s for 1908 and it shows the following…

106 Mrs Jenny Williams, Dressmaker
162 William T Evans, Cycle dir
164 Arthur Clark, shopkeeper

This leads me to think that at these times Kelly’s only entered people with professions. Could anyone confirm this?

Regards Peter
 
Pedrocut said:
Hi Dave,

I have looked at a copy of Kelly’s for 1908 and it shows the following…

106 Mrs Jenny Williams, Dressmaker
162 William T Evans, Cycle dir
164 Arthur Clark, shopkeeper

This leads me to think that at these times Kelly’s only entered people with professions. Could anyone confirm this?

Regards Peter
Click to expand...

My granddads time there was in the 50s to early 60s, Dave
 
No joy on the 1962…

16 Fredrick Cambell Confectioner
162 Mrs. Fell Furniture Dealer
164 R & L Middleton Grocers

Regards Peter
 
Peter
I don't think it is true that the only people listed in Kellys are those with professions, but, undoubtably many addresses were omitted and these were usually private addresses . I used to be under the impression that people paid to be included, but I understand that was incorrect. However the main market for Kellys was those wishing to find a business, so I am sure they made a bit of an effort to include as many of these as possible, and probably didn't bother much with "ordinary " working people. You will only rarely see people in back -courts listed, and when they are it is usually a small business.
mike
 
Pedrocut said:
Thanks Mike for the great map.

Puzzled to see that the Lion Works is not marked on the later map!

And what a place Witton would have been at that time; tobogganing slide, refreshment rooms, and many other attractions. The rear of the reprint map says this…

“In 1873 Pleasure Gardens were established here and in 1879 a vast Great Hall, turreted and gabled, was built to host exhibitions, banquets, menagerie and aquarium. The electric-lit hall was said to hold more than the Town Hall, and was the venue for grand spectaculars. The Staffordshire Pool became a boating lake. A sports ground know as the Lower Grounds Meadow was laid out to the west of the Hall, near Bevington Road, and this included a 1500 seat grandstand, a roller skating rink and a switchback railway. But the venue, known as the Aston Lower Grounds and run by a Mr Quilter, failed in 1890 and the pool was filled in…”

The Good Old Days! Peter.
Click to expand...

For more information on Aston Lower Grounds see this link.

https://astonhistory.net/aston_brook_through_aston_manorbc.html

Regards Peter
 
Peter I remember a Middletons shop on the corner of Station road would this be the one?. There was a hairdressers next door and Buttresses greencrocers on the opposite corner of Holte and Staion road. A launderette comes to mind but that's about all.
 
G G Jean said:
Peter I remember a Middletons shop on the corner of Station road would this be the one?. There was a hairdressers next door and Buttresses greencrocers on the opposite corner of Holte and Staion road. A launderette comes to mind but that's about all.
Click to expand...

Looked on the 1917 map and it does not appear, I think Mike's map be about 1880, so we are talking a long time ago.

On the subject of Manor Road does anyone remember the Bookies, Charlie Woodward? I remember taking bets with the money wrapped in a piece of paper that had the bet written on it. You put it in a box just inside the gate.

Best wishes Peter
 
Peter I do remember Woodwards and Mr Partridge who sat on a wooden stool by a box with a slit in to place your bets if the office was closed. My family were friends of the family and they gave me a soverien when I was a child. Mr Woodward used to organise the lorry for us when half the road went on holiday to Talybont. I am sure he is on one of the holiday photographs. I have asked if anyone remembers this before and am so pleased you posted it. Jean.
 
An older friend of mine suggested a plausible reason for the omission of the Lion Works on the map here…

https://www.panoramio.com/photo/31399976

The map is the 1913 OS Map, and the edition is marked as revised 1917. The Works would have been omitted for security reasons as it would have been printed during WW1.

Best wishes, Peter.
 
The absence of military installations or those of military value happened until quite recently. I understand that, on occasion, railway lines leading to them disappeared from maps. When i moved to Reading , in 1981, local OS maps showed the area around Burghfield Common as empty fields, though no footpaths crossed them. Today a map will show the Burghfield nuclear bomb factory on the site. There's not much point in omotting things like that if on google earth you can see the position of the ventilator shafts in quite good detail.
This seems to have started with WW1 though. If you go to the 1890 map at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=10074&ox=3296&oy=216&zm=1&czm=1&x=466&y=144 , then the Lion works (as it was then) is shown in fair detail
mike
 
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