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Icknield Street

Here is the image @carolina was trying to post (it's different to the Birmingham images one linked by @Astoness). She says it's early 60s. Thankyou @carolina

You can see that the cafe window is bricked up. I must have been wrong about the timeline I think, they must have been there late 50s to early 60s and not waited until the clearance. Or... this photo is actually older, which might be the case because a street sign has been installed outside the pub in @Astoness 's, which isn't in this one.

Royal Mint Icknield Street hockley.JPG


Also, intruigingly, it's not the same as this one posted by @Vivienne14 either. My head is spinning!Cafe unknown date.jpeg
 
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In all 3 images, there is a vehicle in the way of the place where the front of the bus would be, so it might be hiding from us. My mom definitely remembers the clock, she said it was because of it that Sydney had the business opportunity to sell the tea.
 
The Bundy Clock, if there was one, would definitely been on the opposite side of Icknield Street opposite the Royal Mint PH. There was a Bundy Clock situated on the bridge by Monument Lane railway station which is in the same direction as shown by the number 8 bus. There would not have be two clocks in such a short distance of one another in the same direction of travel.
 
Radiorails said:
The Bundy Clock, if there was one, would definitely been on the opposite side of Icknield Street opposite the Royal Mint PH. There was a Bundy Clock situated on the bridge by Monument Lane railway station which is in the same direction as shown by the number 8 bus. There would not have be two clocks in such a short distance of one another in the same direction of travel.
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Hi Radiorails, as you say, there was a Bundy clock on the anti clockwise route at the Monument Rd railway bridge, but that is the opposite way to the previous photos of the clockwise bus outside the cafe. Was there a Bundy clock on both sides of Monument Rd?
 
Radiorails said:
The Bundy Clock, if there was one, would definitely been on the opposite side of Icknield Street opposite the Royal Mint PH. There was a Bundy Clock situated on the bridge by Monument Lane railway station which is in the same direction as shown by the number 8 bus. There would not have be two clocks in such a short distance of one another in the same direction of travel.
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Apologies Radiorails, I've just looked up the Inner circle book and you are right about the direction of the No8 bus and the Bundy clock on Monument Rd railway bridge. Do you know if there was a clock on the opposite side (anti clockwise).
 
Wow that's amazing! What book is that?

My mom says it was 'dining rooms' because there was also a room upstairs, not sure if it was open all the time or was like a 'function room' type thing.

Also, I thought the window was bricked up in that photo, but seeing a higher res one, it looks like it might be reflections in the glass - could you have a squint at it in the book please?

Other things I note that are different between the 3 photos - pub signage has changed, a road sign installed and the bus stop has been moved. They must have been taken some time apart.
 
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Tuppenny Rice said:
Wow that's amazing! What book is that?

My mom says it was 'dining rooms' because there was also a room upstairs, not sure if it was open all the time or was like a 'function room' type thing.

Also, I thought the window was bricked up in that photo, but seeing a higher res one, it looks like it might be reflections in the glass - could you have a squint at it in the book please?

Other things I note that are different between the 3 photos - pub signage has changed, a road sign installed and the bus stop has been moved. They must have been taken some time apart.
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The book I have is this one s-l1.jpg Unfortunately, the photo is no clearer in the book.
Also, this is a photo of the Volcano cafe which was on the other corner of Hingestion St. Incidently, when I first came to Birmingham in 1952, I lived in the flat above the valeting shop, next door to that cafe.

Icknield St Hingestion St - Volcano Cafe.jpg
 
Wow, the Vulcano looks quite innocent, but @Astonian describes it as a hotbed of gang activity and the gaffer was shot! Perhaps he's the geezer up the ladder! Did you go in either?
 
just spoken to a friend who can absolutely confirm that there was a bundy clock at the bus stop by the cafe...he worked in the jewellery quarter from 67 to 68 and got the bus home from this stop every day..a long time ago but he said not all bundys were free standing..some were hard against the wall of a building to save space on the pavements..
 
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I cannot say for certain that was a Bundy Clock opposite the Royal Mint pub. The period mentioned was much later than the period that I knew Lyn. I knew the Inner Circe well between 1959 and early 1954 so that it what I remember and is the era of the photograph. The fitment on the wall looks rather like a vending machine and I don't recall BCT having any free standing Bundy clocks. Maybe your in friends time clocks were changed and the PTE was coming into the picture.
However I stand by my previous post and that was referring to the Bundy clock in Monument Road and it would be highly unusual for another clock to be located, on the same bus route, in just a small distance away.
 
Tuppenny Rice said:
On a circular bus route am I right in thinking the two clocks could theoretically be anywhere on the route? They didn't need to be opposite one another, or even near one another?
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Correct.
On the 8 route there were four such clocks it seems. The one mentioned before, at Monument Road and in the same direction another in Saltley at Adderley Road. In the opposite direction there was one near Highgate Road garage, Sparkbrook and another in Nursery Road, Hockley which it appears to have been moved nearer to Hockley bus garage.at a later date - probably due to demolitions.
BCT was very conscious of noise made by buses and crews and sited their clocks as far away as possible to avoid this to alleviate any complaints. The Monument Road clock was re-sited a few yards away following complaints that were made.
Most bus drivers would be glad to stretch their legs and the provision of a resting point with clock would be appreciated. In wet or cold weather I guess they would keep to the saloon of the bus.
Drivers will confirm or correct this of course. ;)
The bus stop, by the Royal Mint pub, would seem to be a most unlikely place for a Bundy Clock: the pavement is far too narrow and not ideal for a 'quick fag' or natter.
However, Lyn's friend may well remember demolitions, re-building and re-siting of clocks. but that is a different era.
 
Apologies if I am continuing this debate on too long. I must agree with with Radiorails in that having a clock at Monument Rd station and Icknield St (a matter of about three stops) is too close. The text on these two photos suggests that there are two clocks opposite each other on the Monument Rd bridge.
Monument Rd Bundy clock 1.jpgMonument Rd Bundy clock 2.jpgmap.jpg
This is not to discount peoples memories because as it's been said, perhaps over time they may have been re-positioned due to demolition schemes. Definitely two opposite at Adderley St, Saltly.
 
That is the same wall taken from a different direction. If our late comrade, ASTONIAN, was still here he would tell us all about the wall as he used to look at the trains below - well documented by him and others I believe in an earlier post.
 
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Radiorails said:
That is the same wall taken from a different direction. If our late comrade, ASTONIAN, was still here he would tell us all about the wall as he used to look at the trains below - well documented by him and others I believe in an earlier post.
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Hi Radiorails, the text says otherwise. The one photo says Icknield Square & Leach St is in the background which suggests that the bus is heading for Spring Hill. The other photo mentions the Post Office which suggests that a bus would be heading for Hagley Rd. You have to CHECK THE MAP. Unless the book text is wrong, it means that there were two clocks at Monument Rd bridge.
 
i have had this message off brookfields lad that confirms there was indeed a bundy clock at the stop next to the mint pub...

Hello, there was a 'Bundy' clock outside the café mentioned on Icknield street. My dad drove the number 8 bus in the fifties. As a youngster I would wait at the bus stop by the Mint pub for a driver (hopefully my dad) to 'clock on'. After the bus driver had 'clocked on' he would press the key into my arm, this left an ink mark, like a tattoo.
I'm sure the clock was by the kerb. I don't recall the clock being wall mounted between the café and the pub. I could be wrong about the exact position, after all it was over sixty five years ago when I last had my arm stamped.
 
I worked at Coventry Rd Garage 1969 - 1973 firstly as a conductor then as a driver. They only operated Daimler Fleetline CRG6 buses when I came out driving but they were still two man operated. I drove both 53 - 54 Stechford & 58 - 60 Boundry (nicknamed "the monkeys" by Stechford crews) and remember "pegging" the Bundy clocks at each terminus: Stechford,Shirestone Rd,Cranes Park Rd and Arden Oak ( later moved further out to a layby on Coventry Rd). It's funny how many kids wanted their hands stamped. I used to pinch a minute at Cranes Park (could get away with that) in the hope I would catch a 58 at the Wheatsheaf where we could "ride tandem" into town. When I left I had to hand back my key. Only thing I have left now are my badges.


After checking this post I see that it's still on the Icknield st thread. Don't know how thats hapened as I thought I had posted on the "Bundy clocks around Birmingham" thread as Lyn had copied my Bundy clock conversations from Icknield st to that thread. Could someone please remove.
 
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OK this is becoming an unhealthy obsession. [Posted on this thread because about the Icknield Street clock and outside Sidney's]

In general we know:
The freestanding clocks were taller by at least a head than a person
They could be facing the pavement or the road.

Looking at the 3 photos of Icknield Street, I tried to put them in date order (using changes to signage, a Ford Cortina etc!)
The bus stop was moved further away from the pub in what seems to be the latest photo (the one with two men outside the pub door, and no bus, which probably dates to 1962-65).
We have two versions of this photo, one is from a newspaper. I zoomed in on both...

What looks like a man waiting for the bus has strange features, ie extremely tall, and feet embedded in the pavement! He looks a lot less like a man in one version, ie his head is weird.
See what you think. If he is Mr Bundy, he is in a very inconvenient position.

Bundy1?.jpgBundy2?.jpeg
 
had another word with my friend who said after using the bundy clocks the drivers had to run a few yards up to the bus stop so i think the bundy was a tad further down..maybe its obscured by the van in your second photo..think we have also decided the bundy was not attached to a wall...the main thing is we know for certain there was one at that stop..if do find any other photos of this part of icknield st i will post them

lyn
 
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