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Witton Square

hi patty
yes i remember you putting it a very long time ago and at that time i down loaded the picture with your dad on
and took it to my brother to show him and he recalled him ; and he spoke highly of your father infact he still as the picture
as he also stood in there that little house on the main gate along with your father they are old friends i think it must have been about two or thre years back now when you put it up 'my brother got remarried and moved top bristol and he married an italian girl ;
yes it was changed to kynoch wrks at a later stage they are old frinds my brother was tony a big tall guy
he had just come out of the army when he joined the company and met your father ; small world patty do you not think so
have a nice day best wishes alan ;; astonian;
 
what a cracking thread on wittion island. my late mothers brother had a hardwere shop in manor road just opposite the post office. his name was horace west. the shoe shop opposite the mouth of manor road was called wasselles i think. i will get in touch with my mate to confirm this. there was a buliding socity branch on the manor road side of wittion road, might be the west bromwhich. the other was abbynational, with the tsb around the corner. not shure about the oter one, do not think it was tsb for all of its life time. used to live in davey road, just of aston lane. kind reguards sidwho.
 
When I was a nipper it was always 'Witton Circle', never 'Witton Square'. I can remember Shorthouse's Packing-Case Company (he was a drinking-friend of my dad's), Lloyd's Bank Witton Branch where I banked until about 20 years ago when it closed, and the Witton Arms and Witton Hotel pubs. We used to catch the No 39 bus into town from outside the bus-garage (which became the Transport Museum). There was Jolly's Radio and TV shop just in Aston Lane, and on Manor Road near the post-office was a shop where I bought air-gun pellets when very definitely under-age! There was also a very good chip-shop in Manor Road. Just before the railway bridge on Brookvale Road was a turning up to the left, where a motor mechanic and car-body repairer had their premises. They were rip-off merchants par-excellence! I think there was also a Baines Bakery around there, and a shoe-shop where my mother always bought her shoes.

Not quite the same these days.....

G
 
I lived in Witton from the 30's and ony ever knew it as Witton circle.

Alan do you mean the Billiard Hall when you wrote about a men's club or society. It was almost next door to the Aston in Witton Road.
 
Hi Di. I remember the Variety club but that was more Trinity road I think?. Mom still lived in Holte road till she passed away twelve years ago and once a week I would buy us fish and chips from Manor road. Was still good then.
 
sidwho, I remember the hardware shop we used to get the parafin from there, I am sure you had to go up some steps to go in. I also remember on the same side as the post office a shop that sold knitting wool I used to go and pick a pattern out and take so much wool and put the rest buy to get as I could afford it. I also recall a small fruit and veg shop near the bottom of the road I think it had a shutter that pulled down. Me and Mom went there and my mom had a tracheotomy tube in her throat to help her breath and he always used to shout and talk slow to her, I think he thought it made her deaf, we always had a giggle about it.
 
sidwho my aunt was friends with the lady from the shop and I think her name was Gladys?. She was always popping in for a cuppa tea. I will remember the shop owners name later when I put on my thinking cap. Had my thinking cap on and the Stokes family had the shop if it is the same one?. Jean.
 
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hi g g jean, are you refering to my post #123. if you are this is the only information i can give you on the hardwere shop. it was owend by a farther and son, whose name was horace and brian west. they are now both dececed. if you require any more information i will try to help, but i do not know the lady you are refering to. kind reguards sidwho
 
Thank you sidwho. I may be getting the shops mixed up. I know the Stokes family owned the one. Can't remember the West family sid. Thanks.
 
hi g g jean, the only pepople i know who lived in manor road is the callow family, who lived nexed door to the post office. i went to secondary school with there son paul, who i am still in contact with, hope this helps you sort out the familys who used to live in this area, kind reguards sidwho
 
Hi sidwho. I remember the Bagshaw family and Mrs Davies who owned the wool shop in Manor road. There was a betting yard there too. Think it was called the Woodwards Office.
 
Patty said:
I am trying to recall whether there was a island in the middle or not. There was Aston pub, over the way Browns meat and pie shop, over from them co-op shop and coal merchants, then the witton arms, over from them a shoe shop by the no 5 and 7 bus stop then past the municiple bank and round to 39 bus termimus, opposite were I started the Aston. I lived there most of my early years till about 26 and cant for the life of me think if it was a circle in the middle, must have been something because the 39 stopped outside the Aston then went all the way round(was it an island) to the start outside the tram sheds
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I can only remember there being an island there. I think the tram terminus was nearby.
 
G G Jean said:
Hi sidwho. I remember the Bagshaw family and Mrs Davies who owned the wool shop in Manor road. There was a betting yard there too. Think it was called the Woodwards Office.
Click to expand...

Yes it was Charlie Woodwards, I remember going with my grandad and placing a bet, expertly folded paper with some cash inside, and putting it in a box. I seem to remember a chap standing guard nearby!
 
Hi sid
My younger brother married a Bagshaw girl from Aston
She was is only and first girl friend he met her name is mary
They both had a friend call sid, i do not so pose you could be the same sid
If you should by any chance you could be thesid we knew
You would know of myself
Have a nice day sid best wishes Astonian,,,,
 
I think the answer is that it was firstly known as a square and then a circle...

Aug 1941 an advert concerning a purse lost while travelling from Witton Circle to Aston Cross.

But in July 1919 seven men and a women were remanded and charged with rioting. A bonfire was started at Witton Square late at night, with doors and fencing removed from a coal merchant's premises. Afterwards the crowd threw coal on the flames and a cart was also burned, a motor-lorry narrow escaping the same fate.

The police and fire brigade were pelted with stones. A police superintendent who urged the crowd (around 2000) to quietly go home was threatened that he would be put on fire. Finally the crowd was dispersed by fire hose.
 
Thank you Pedrocut, I found that very interesting. Isn't it interesting that even way back 100 years ago people were attacking the emergency services who I would think were there to protect them. The main difference being the use of fire hose which I guess would not be allowed today. Mossg
 
image.jpeg This is the 1887 OS map showing the area. It can be seen that at that time there was neither a physical square or circle there. The trams seem to travel up Witton Road and Witton Lane, and the track extends half way to the railway bridge,
 
I was born in 1947 in Davey Road not far from Witton Road and used to shop there regularly. I remember there was an traffic island near the tram terminus, a pork butchers, a newsagents and the co-op and post office. I used to catch the bus into Birmingham City Centre near the island which I think was the No. 5. Along Witton Road, of what I can remember, there was a Fish and Chip Shop, another newsagents, a wool shop and on the corner was a shop called Darlingtons which sold mainly toys. Also on Witton Road was a shoe shop where my mother always bought my dancing shoes and which we called the "Last Pair Shop" because every time we bought any shoes there the owner always said that they were the last pair! On the opposite side was a greengrocers and opposite on the corner was a place called Wakelins where we had our celebration meal for the Coronation because it started raining.
 
Smartie said:
I was born in 1947 in Davey Road not far from Witton Road and used to shop there regularly. I remember there was an traffic island near the tram terminus, a pork butchers, a newsagents and the co-op and post office. I used to catch the bus into Birmingham City Centre near the island which I think was the No. 5. Along Witton Road, of what I can remember, there was a Fish and Chip Shop, another newsagents, a wool shop and on the corner was a shop called Darlingtons which sold mainly toys. Also on Witton Road was a shoe shop where my mother always bought my dancing shoes and which we called the "Last Pair Shop" because every time we bought any shoes there the owner always said that they were the last pair! On the opposite side was a greengrocers and opposite on the corner was a place called Wakelins where we had our celebration meal for the Coronation because it started raining.
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Going from Witton in the direction of town the bus usually carried the number 7 and went across to terminate in Portland Road. Going in the opposite direction towards Perry Common it was the number 5 and for a time there was a 5A. Short workings to town from Perry Common could have been 5 as well but somebody else here is bound to know.

Simon
 
Witton Arms.jpg

Witton Arms pub. Long time on Witton Circle. Became known in recent years as Cap & Gown. Now has returned to its original name.
 
Old photo of Witton shops taken from Aston Station.
 

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I used to catch the 5A and the 7 from 'The Spinney' at the junction of Witton Lodge Road and Court Lane. This was the terminus. The 5A went as far as Victoria Square and as you say the 7 carried on to Portland Road. The 5 only went as far as Witton Circle.
 
Just realised I should have made it clear that Witton Circle refers to the island in Witton Lodge Road. This has a playground in the middle and shops half-way round.
 
My memories from childhood are that outbound from the city, the 5 bus had a terminus at the large circle in Witton Lodge Rd and the 5a bus went on to a terminus at Court Lane.
 
Smartie said:
I was born in 1947 in Davey Road not far from Witton Road and used to shop there regularly. I remember there was an traffic island near the tram terminus, a pork butchers, a newsagents and the co-op and post office. I used to catch the bus into Birmingham City Centre near the island which I think was the No. 5. Along Witton Road, of what I can remember, there was a Fish and Chip Shop, another newsagents, a wool shop and on the corner was a shop called Darlingtons which sold mainly toys. Also on Witton Road was a shoe shop where my mother always bought my dancing shoes and which we called the "Last Pair Shop" because every time we bought any shoes there the owner always said that they were the last pair! On the opposite side was a greengrocers and opposite on the corner was a place called Wakelins where we had our celebration meal for the Coronation because it started raining.
Click to expand...
 
The 'reply' instructions on this forum are unlike any others I've ever seen....but never mind.

With regard to the buses that ran along Witton Road to and from Town, there was indeed the No 7 to Portland Road and the No's 5 and 5A, which terminated in the centre of Birmingham. I went to George Dixon Grammar School at the intersection of City Road and Portland Road, Edgbaston, and would wait for the No 7 bus at the stop near Leslie Smith's Radio and TV shop on the corner of Witton Road and Bevington Road. If I missed it, or it was late, I'd hop onto a No 5 into town and get another bus (numnber forgotten, could have been No 9) in I think Navigation Street, which would take me to the junction of City Road and Bearwood Road. I never liked doing this, as it would usually mean I was late, and in those days that could spell Detention.

The mention of Darlington's on Witton Road (corner of Bevington Road opposite Leslie Smith's) brings back memories. That was where I'd get the latest Dinky Toys as they came out, and also bits and pieces of Meccano. I remember one Saturday I was looking in the window and someone from the shop asked me it I'd like to earn five bob - well, yes! It was at the height of the Hula-Hoop craze, and I helped this bloke put together what seemed like hundreds of hula-hoops, as demand was so high. I must have been good at it, as he gave me a ten bob note!

G
 
Hi graham
Nice to read your memories of the circle ,do you recall the billard hall just alongfrom there
And the main gate house of IMI /ICI our kid came lut of the forces and worked there on se urity gates
At that front gates,
Well graham its nice to have seen you back on here as you have not been on for along time
I know you have alot of general knowledge and informstion you can contibute to this forum
As i regard you as one of our old brigaid of this forum so please grah spare us some of ykour valuable time
Give my regards to maria best wishes Alan,,,, Astonian,,,,,
 
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