Station Street Birmingham

[Vivienne14]

Just found another thread about Coldicutt Brothers. It gives their address as Station Street Mews. Station Street Mews refers only to the Coldicutt building. Makes sense as 'mews' in the past would refer to stables. Horses for the business were stabled on the first floor ! A more detailed discussion is on the thread link below. Copying the first post from that thread for reference below.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/coldicutt-bros-carriages-station-street.53937.

 

[Richard Dye]

At present it is not the council who control Birmingham but "commissioners"

And what is the basis for their decision, one way or another?

 

[Richard Dye]

Just found another thread about Coldicutt Brothers. It gives their address as Station Street Mews. Copying the first post on that thread for reference here. Station Street Mews refers only to the Coldicutt building. Makes sense as 'mews' in the past would refer to stables. Horses for the business were stabled on the first floor ! A more detailed discussion is on the thread link below.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/coldicutt-bros-carriages-station-street.53937.

View attachment 206775View attachment 206777

Wonderful drawings! The level of effort and skill/workmanship to do all of that by hand is incredible…..I doubt you could find someone with the skills to do that say circa 1950’s. Today is would be all CAD based.

 

[devonjim]

Wonderful drawings! The level of effort and skill/workmanship to do all of that by hand is incredible…..I doubt you could find someone with the skills to do that say circa 1950’s. Today is would be all CAD based.

My wife worked in a studio that did this type of work "by hand" until around 1970.

 

[Richard Dye]

My wife worked in a studio that did this type of work "by hand" until around 1970.

Yes, that kind of work, we called “rendering” was still done by hand into the mid 70’s when CAD systems began take over. That’s another skill along with modeling that has gone by the wayside or given way to technology.

 

[devonjim]

Yes, that kind of work, we called “rendering” was still done by hand into the mid 70’s when CAD systems began take over. That’s another skill along with modeling that has gone by the wayside or given way to technology.

She's not familiar with the "rendering" term. "Artist's impression" or "exploded view" depending on if architectural or engineering

 

[Richard Dye]

She's not familiar with the "rendering" term. "Artist's impression" or "exploded view" depending on if architectural or engineering

Would agree with that! The term rendering relates to the drawing showing the people/horses etc, artists impression. Mid 1970’s or a little later would be the end of that technology, replaced by CAD because it was faster, easy to modify and less expensive.

 

[Vivienne14]

The gap we can see on the map in Geoffs post #20, between Jordans/Station/Market Hotel and CF Marlows building, was filled in 1912/13 with the building of the Repertory Theatre. The only differences externally today appear to be the porch running along the front at street level has gone, and the entrance doors may have been altered.

Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Vivienne14]

The Electric Theatre (opened 1909) on Station Street was, I think, built on or developed from the former Birmingham Pantechnicon site (as labelled on the insurance plan in post #20). In 1937 the Theatre underwent remodelling and reopened as the Tatler News Theatre.

At one point the 1909 Electric building became almost derelict and was, in more recent times, rescued with a major renovation. Listing by Historic England was declined in 2024.

Originally, the interior was an attractive entertainment hall with a capacity of 376. It had red plush tip-up seats and machines of the latest Edison type (enabling brilliantly steady pictures and a throw of about 55 ft).

It's gone through a number of name changes since the Electric Cinema including: The Select, Tatler News Theatre (this name is still visible on the rear wall in Hinckley Street), the Jacey, the Classic and the Tivoli. In 1993 it returned to the name the Electric Cinema.

The image below shows it as the Tatler News Theatre (right), next left is a ghost sign for C.F.Marlow's premises (by this time part-occupied by Elite Valet Services (named as Asnew Cleaners Ltd, liquidated in 1943). Next left of the former Marlow's premises is the Repertory Theatre adjoining the Market/Jordans/Station Hotel just in view.

 

[Vivienne14]

Opposite the Crown and outside the station (alongside the entrance to the Fish Sidings - red dot) there seems to have been a small bar. (Map - thanks to mikejee who posted it on another thread). A extracted and enlarged image shows the bar offering 'Whitbread Extra Stout' in the window. Today there's a passenger entrance on that corner with Hill Street. In the past, the passenger entrance would have been by the parked tram and canopy further down Station Street (yellow dot).

Modern-day Streetview attached for ref.

 

[devonjim]

in late 50's/early60's the fish sidings had become red star parcels, certainly no bar, the entrance to the station platforms was still by the yellow dot, it aligned with the footbridge over the platforms, I frequented the rep, struggled with the lack of leg room, needed an end of row seat, or even the usherettes seat for real comfort, we often met in the Market Hotel and a Chinese restaurant, was it called Lieng Nam?

 

[Vivienne14]

The Lieng Nam would have been on the ground floor of Shaftesbury Hotel/House, I think, at #53-55 Station Street, next door to the Crown Jim. Looks like part of the ground floor was a shop too.

The business next door to the Shaftesbury shown boarded up on the photo below was once (early 1900s) Buck and Hickman's showrooms at #55 Station Street. Note, the caption on the photo is misleading. To clarify, Lieng Kam wasn't next door to the Jacey/Electric, the cinema was two doors further along Station Street.

This photo shows a building on the extreme right, which is probably on that part of Station Street which crosses the Hill Street junction by The Crown and leads to tne Victoria Inn on John Bright Street. Any ideas of what building it was ? Was it where the red marker is on the modern Streetview?

A few businesses on that stretch of Station Street, I think, were Charles Hewson, possibly the Vulcan Cycle Co and the Colmore Depot ?

 

[Vivienne14]

The Shaftesbury Hotel/House/Building was at #59 - #61 Station Street. The whole building operated as an hotel until c1924. At this time, the property was being advertised for sale, suggesting it coukd continue as an hotel or was suitable for conversion into smaller units. From this point forward, the hotel started to be referred to as "Shaftesbury Buildings" or "Shaftesbury House". And addresses appear in adverts quoting, more frequently, either #59 or #61 Station Street. This suggests, and adverts bear this out, that the hotel was subsequently made into smaller business units. A timeline is below and sample adverts are attached.




Shaftesbury Hotel
1890
1916

Shaftesbury Temperance Hotel
1891
1893
1924

Shaftesbury Buildings
1939
1951
1957

Shaftesbury House
1961

#61 Station Street
1927 Universal Radio College
1961 Exhibition Office 15 Shaftesbury Buidings
1964 John Howell and Co Incorporated Business Agents
1969 Auto Appliance Co
1980 The Athenian Greek Restaurant


#59 Station Street
1973 Mr Liangs Mandarin Musical Restaurant
1988 Mumtaz Tandoori Restaurant
1998 Shah's Restaurant