• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Cafe Gerrard St/Alma St junction

Banjo

Banjo

master brummie
I'm sure I'm not dreaming but, I saw a photo a while back of the old closed down cafe on the junction of Gerrard St & Alma St. I'm sure I commented that when we were kids, to make the traffic lights change, we used to kick the embossed lighthouse on the door of that traffic light regulator that is also shown on the photo. I've searched the Forum but can't find it. Has anyone on the Forum got this photo? Here is a photo that is on the Forum taken from the same position but when demolition was in progress.
Alma St - Gerrard St junction copy.jpg
 
Was it this one?

Gerrard Street

There is a picture here on post 20 taken from Clifford Street. https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9829&highlight=furnace&page=2
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
RobT said:
Was it this one?

Gerrard Street

There is a picture here on post 20 taken from Clifford Street. https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9829&highlight=furnace&page=2
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
Click to expand...
Hi Rob, much appreciated but unfortunately it's not. I believe that photo is the corner of Gerrard St & Berners St. The cafe on the corner of Alma St & Gerrard St closed down in the 50s and was boarded up even though the chap who ran it still lived there.
 
Astoness said:
is this the one banjo

lyn

View attachment 163177
Click to expand...
Thank you Lyn but, again no. Is that the corner of Gerrard St & William St? The photo I refer to has exactly the same viewpoint but, the corner of Gerrard St & Alma St always had a set of traffic lights, hence my original comment about kicking the regulator. Here is a long shot of that ex-cafe, but again I think it's when they were altering the road layout for the building of the Six Ways underpass. The traffic light posts are still in situ. I'm now thinking that perhaps I've seen it on another Old Birmingham website.
cafe on corner of Alma St - Gerrard St from New St.jpg
 
While looking through the various Birmingham websites looking for that aforementioned photo (which I still haven't found), I came across this photo. This is the cafe which was run by the late Astonian's great uncle Henry Jelf. The lady in this photo must be his wife Beatrice. Also in this photo is that control box we used to kick to change the traffic lights. Meanwhile I carry on searching.:oops:
Snapshot 1 Jelfs corner cafe.jpg
 
Last edited:
Was it the Reliance Cafe, 38 Gerrard Street (run by Mrs Edith Collins in 1939) ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top