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Wood Lane Handsworth

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
To me this is such a lovely image. I think the person in the road is probably a postman, although can’t be sure. Can we locate it precisely ? It’s taken at a junction, but I can’t work out which end of or junction with Wood Lane this would have been. Viv.

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Second pic shows how it looks today ...
An early 20th century postcard view of Wood Lane, Handsworth. The man was stood in Wood Lane and Butlers Road is to the left.
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Today, the cottage is still there with more windows but at first glance looks not too different. The house in Butlers Road can be seen over the hedge. The 'mock-tudor' decoration has been removed.
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If your computer or tablet can do it have a look round in link below
 
This is the full view of the ‘Farm in Wood Lane, Handsworth’ painting by John Joseph Hughes in post #5. And one more of Hughes’ paintings of another farm in Wood Lane, Handsworth. Both were painted in the 1800s.

Not only was Hughes an artist, he became a councillor and was a local man living at 37 Villa Road, Handsworth.
Viv.

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The Calthorpe Cottages have either had a name change since the 1960s or the Levick’s Cottages are different ones. (B&Wimage dated March 1962 by Birmingham Library). They look the same to me, even down to the position of the street name. Maybe Levick was once the owner of these ? Viv


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Lovely cottages, nicely preserved too ! These were called Farm Cottages according to the Birmingham Archives. This was them in the 1960s. I wonder if these were farm cottages connected with the Lea Hall estate ? Agricultural labourers cottages perhaps ? There was also a Lea Hall Farm with the address of Wood Lane too. Viv.

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Thanks Janice. I’m guessing the “Levick” Cottage B&W photo is most likely wrongly labelled then. The Census shows Ivy Cottage too. Here it is in May 1968. Viv.

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They are listed buildings and pretty old. My guess is someone called Levick was involved way back. I then wondered if the Calthorpe estate became involved. That is all conjecture at the moment.
 
Yes that prompted me to have a look on satellite view, seems to be the home of an allotment society and institute now. Amazed (pleasantly !) it’s still there. Viv.

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We have a thread about Lea Hall (also known as Ley Hall). There’s a good painting of the Hall on there too. Viv.

 
Pollypops posted this on the Lea Hall thread which explains one thing; some of the nearby land was that of the Hon. Calthorpe’s (advert dated 1873). Viv.

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Thanks Mike. Do you think it shows Mrs Levick living at Ashley House (ho) or is Ashley her first name ? Viv.
 
Not particularly relevant maybe but it seems that Levick is an Anglicised Jewish name .... this if from a pdf of the Association of Jewish Refugees in 1996..

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...maybe the same family?
 
Have just noticed on the map in post #2, Ashley House, is a little south of our Calthorpe Cottages, and also on Wood Lane. So we have Mrs Levick living very close to the Calthorpe Cottages in 1921. Maybe she owned them for a while (probably for a short time) and they unofficially were referred to as Levick Cottages. A few maybes and probablies ! Viv.
 
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Very difficult to precisely place this one in Wood Lane, but I'm attaching my suggested Streetview. Not sure it's exactly right, the only thing to go on being the ruse in the lane ahead. I think I can see a couple of finials to the left, although that might be a trick of the camera.

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I think this letter refers to Rushton's farm. It seems to have gone by the name of Lea Hall Farm.

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Could these cottages "Woodland Place" be the 4 cottages mentioned earlier ? Unusual for the names of residents to be given in an auction notice. They must have been farm tenants, so perhaps hoping to remain after the sale ?

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Source: British Newspaper Archive

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