Recent content by AndyOram

Hi Viv, yes we were originally led to believe it had been a chapel but there's no evidence for it having been one in its current form. Maybe way back in the dim and distant past, but I think the art deco touches make it look more ecclesiastical than it really was!

Hi Mike On your 1890 map it looks like it's part of the back of the Avery works. It could well be that the Bradford St part of the Avery building was sold off after this point.

We're thinking that it used to be part of the Avery works which was on Moat Lane. The original Mr EH Smith's wife's surname was Avery and we got all excited hoping there might be a family link, but actually there isn't

Thanks Mike. It's a real lesson to all of us who enjoy history that taking pictures of the 'ordinary' today will help future generations discover their past. It's not all about the soft focus and perfect composition; sometimes it's just about recording life as we see it.

This is brilliant, thanks everyone! What we're trying to achieve with the design of the space when we move in is have it as a contemporary design space for construction folks to come and see different types of building materials, but with a definite Birmingham heritage to it too. Anything we can...

Hopefully that's not an omen for us!

Thanks Lyn!

Hi All I work for EH Smith Builders Merchants (a good honest Brummie company!) and we will be opening an office at 312 Bradford Street in early 2024. I'd love to know more about the history of the building (and Bradford St in general) if anyone is able to help. We believe that the building...