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Witton Then (1939) And Now.

oldMohawk

oldMohawk

gone but not forgotten
In the 1950s I worked in Witton and saw a lot of it.
In the top left of the first pic (1939) is the Aston Villa ground and the Witton end terrace, a mound of earth with concrete steps can be seen. Slightly to the right is the Witton island with a tram turning into Witton Lane. Bottom left is the old Hardy Spicer factory in Birch Road and the Yew Tree pub looks to have a bowling green. Prominent in the pic is Brookvale Road with the River Tame running alongside and under the bridge near Deykin Avenue. Higgs Motors is in bottom centre of the photo but does not appear to yet have it's famous large wheel. Lots of factories, lots of manufacturing jobs. But if you lived in Witton you would know all of this .... you might need to copy the pic into your computer and zoom in to clearly see the places you knew.
Witton1939.jpg

The second pic shows a similar view today.
The Villa Ground is still there with new stands. Lots of the old factories on the right have gone and now lots of open space. Near the island is a large supermarket with its car park.
Witton2016.JPG
Pics from Google and britainfromabove.
 
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IMG_1549.jpg IMG_1550.jpg If you stood on the earth mound at the Witton End of Villa Park and looked towards Witton Island you would look over the Barracks...May 1939
 
The 1939 and 2017 photos are very interesting in that the latter shows more industrial buildings than I'd have thought had survived. However, I wonder how many of these premises are still actually used for manufacturing?

The fathers of most of my friends in the 1950's were employed locally and could walk to work from The Broadway and surrounding roads where we lived; only guessing, but I'd think ICI/IMI was the major employer in the area. Small memories for me of those days is the pong of phenolic resin from Tufnol Ltd, and the regular sounding of 'The Bull', I believe from ICI, like it was summoning the Faithful.

G
 
Kynochs was by far the largest employer in Witton and in 1943 20,000 people worked there although by 1945 this had reduced to 15,000. There is an interesting website about Kynochs here
https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/KOtherInformationKynochV2A.htm
I've just looked at two large buildings in the modern photo and one stores data for companies and the other manufactures partitions. Others range from Hair and Beauty wholesalers to Video Game distributors.
I worked for a 'metal-bashing' company supplying the automotive industry.
 
not many clues that i can see on that one pedro...hopefully someone can help identify the location

lyn
 
IMG_1546.jpg

My grandmother used to live in Aston Lane and I seem to remember looking out the bedroom window and seeing the adverts. This map was published 1945.

At the top the Church in Holford Road and the site of the Yew Tree bowling green. Also at the bottom the Barracks.
 
Hi OM,

yep, I should have called it Kynoch's, not ICI/IMI which is what it later became. My grand-dad worked there - he drove a shunting-engine and I can still remember the stiff 'moleskin' trousers he wore.

I once interviewed for a job at GEC Electric Avenue but was late arriving at the Personnel Dept because I got lost in the maze of corridors....didn't get the job, goes without saying.

G
 
Another Witton company I had personal contact with was Xpelair Ltd, Deykin Avenue, which took over part of the old GEC site. They were (very) good customers of my old employer, and when I visited I always got coffee and bikkies! It was always a struggle to find parking-space around there, I remember that very well. Unfortunately they ended production of extractor-fans at Witton in 1998 and manufacture was moved to the Far East. The name Xpelair lives on, and I think they may still have an office on Deykin Avenue.

Linpac Mouldings also on Deykin Avenue was a target customer of my old firm, but for many reasons we never got in there. They moved to Solihull, I think.

G
 
This first pic is from 1939 and looks in the opposite direction to the first pic in post#1.
In the top left corner is a Birmingham City Refuse site with a ramp which the refuse trucks went up to empty their loads. Below and slightly towards the centre are what look like unused banked compounds where ammunition may have been prepared. The church/chapel on Holford Rd stands out in the centre of the view surrounded by factories. Allotments on the far side of the Tame Valley canal in the top of the pic.
1939Witton2.jpg

A similar view today. The Refuse Plant has gone with the M6 motorway over Moor Lane heading over Brookvale Rd and the allotments towards Spaghetti Junction. The above mentioned church/chapel has gone.
WittonNow2.JPG
Pics from Google and britainfromabove.
 
The 1939 Kellys (and the 1950 one) shows James Booth's works as being in Argyle St. The c1950 map below (which is s imilar to the c1937 one) shows at least part in red. I am not clear if the works behind, and the extrusion works next door were also them, though think they may be

map c 1950 showing James booth's works or part of.jpg
 
In 1939 the Witton Allotments, at the top of the picture, were the topic of heated arguments between the Public Works and the Allotment Association. They were the subject of proposals for compulsory purchase to build houses.

As seen on the modern picture a few still hang on near to what was the Barn Social Club.
 
Does anyone know when the chapel (of St Mary Magdalene) on Holdford Drive was demolished? It's featured in my 1954 Bartholomew Guide. I have only the vaguest memory of it. Was it still in use or redundant in 1939?

This is a really great thread for me - reminding me of things and places I'd all but forgotten about in the area in which I grew up and lived until 1971.

Thanks.

G
 
My father worked pretty well all his working life at 'the Wolseley' in Electric Avenue, right opposite the GEC if I remember correctly.
Some time ago I think I posted pictures on here of an Australian sheep sheering champion doing a demonstration to the workforce.
 
Big Gee said:
Does anyone know when the chapel (of St Mary Magdalene) on Holdford Drive was demolished? It's featured in my 1954 Bartholomew Guide. I have only the vaguest memory of it. Was it still in use or redundant in 1939?

This is a really great thread for me - reminding me of things and places I'd all but forgotten about in the area in which I grew up and lived until 1971.

Thanks.

G
Click to expand...

Information for the Church seems very thin on the ground. It appears in the Kelly's Dir for 1939 as a mission Church under the Rev C Harold Tye.

But as seen in post 6 it is up for sale with the land in 1939.
 
A bit out of time (1920) but interesting because there seems to be a match on at Villa Park with a moderate crowd on the Holte End. Kynoch's Lion Works fills most of the image and the River Tame can be seen meandering to the left of the railway.
AllWitton1920.jpg
 
diana said:
Does any one have pictures of the houses in Holdford Drive Witton, my grandmother lived there
Click to expand...
Hi diana,
Looking at old maps and aerial photos no houses appear to be in Holdford Drive. There are houses in Holdford Road showing on old maps and I have only seen aerial views of them. If the house is in Holdford Road and you can give a house number we might be able to work out which one it might be in the views.
oldmohawk
 
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