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  1. J

    Warstone Lane - catacombs

    Anyone know the dates of these tombs/church/cemetery?
  2. J

    Warstone Lane - catacombs

    Fascinating, I've never heard of this place, let alone seen it! It's like a semi-amphitheatre of the dead!
  3. J

    Drunkerds

    I think it may well be, as you say ''in our blood'' - even the Roman's complained about the 'binge-drinking' habits of the Brits....it didn't much change with the coming of the Saxons, if anything, it became worse! There are many references from 'abroad' as to the excessive drinking of the...
  4. J

    Mooch

    Post-script: I had a pronounced sense of guilt at the destruction of my Grandad's top-hat; or rather, following-on from my father's discovery of the foul deed....so, when many, many years later, and after the death of my father, I met an elderly gentleman who, it turned out, had been a 'hatter'...
  5. J

    Mooch

    Christmas mooching.....a little story! Once upon a time, just before Christmas, a small grubby boy (no prizes for guessing who!) decided to have a 'mooch' in the top shelf of his parent's wardrobe: The wardrobe was so high that I had to balance a small foot-stool upon a chair to reach the top...
  6. J

    Drunkerds

    I take your point Bernard, but if we stopped everything that people abused, we wouldn't have much of anything. My only regret is that I can't find a decent 'pint' near to where I live. :(
  7. J

    Drunkerds

    Somewhat off-topic but, an old colleague of mine once showed me an ancient newspaper report of the death of her great grandfather.....he was a renowned 'tippler'. He was eventually convinced by his doctor to give up the booze and live a more abstemious life, if he was to survive. However, the...
  8. J

    Street furniture

    Ian, you've just won a pint of beer for me! :) Ta!
  9. J

    Science Museum Newhall Street

    Does anyone know what happened to all the exhibits from the Science Museum? I wasn't aware the place had closed until just a few months ago....how was this ever allowed to happen? Birmingham being the 'workshop of Britain and, Britain being the 'workshop of the world'! Are there plans...
  10. J

    ''Dirty Rascal!''

    Thanks David! It says it may be much older than the English Civil War...up to a millenium even! How're you doin'?
  11. J

    ''Dirty Rascal!''

    I was watching some lambs playing in the field today...they were jumping onto a hay bale, and pushing each other off it. It reminded me of playing 'King of the Castle' : ''I'm the King of the castle and you're a dirty rascal: a thief, a vagabond and a traitor prepare to meet thy maker!'' Does...
  12. J

    Jazz Clubs

    The 'Factory' down Gas Street Basin, was the cooooooolest place ever for modern jazz!
  13. J

    Crest for Erdington

    Hello....is there anyone out there?????
  14. J

    Explosions 1950s And 60s

    Ed, try this link: https://www.macearchive.org/Media.html?Title=4890# There was another site, which appears to have disappeared, to be replaced by our own discussion...it's a mystery to me how these things work! I recall that the Black Country Bugle once did a full article on the event.
  15. J

    Explosions 1950s And 60s

    There were two explosions, both in West Bromwich; one during the late 1950's at a tube-works (?) when its boiler blew-up and another, during January of 1962, at Friar Park, when a lorry carrying chemicals (as mentioned above) exploded and caused much devastation. I heard both explosions, and was...
  16. J

    Old Age

    Re' 'plate cameras' - back in the 'Dark Ages' when I was at a college of photography, we trained on 'Gandolphi' large format cameras: quarter, half and full-plates. They were beautifully made in wood and brass and were indeed beautiful pieces of 'furniture' in their own right. We not only had to...
  17. J

    Things you said when you was a kid

    It's a terrible shame that the word 'bugger' is now seen as overtly sexual.....everyone, high or low, used it in one form or another. Apparently it was once quite a favourite of the Queen Mother! I can remember it being regarded as a very mild form of swearing, less so even than saying...
  18. J

    a good book

    dav....yes it's a fascinating book and highly recommended.
  19. J

    two and a kick

    Yes, I'm fifty-eight and remember 3d chips too......I used to collect returnable bottles for my chips and for a visit to the cinema. You'd need a hell of a lot of bottles to do it these days!
  20. J

    Dating photo

    Yes, it appears to be resting on some form of pad; you certainly wouldn't want to be wearing it when you went swimming! I recall seeing one almost three times that size: it was a larger than usual pocket-watch, attached mid-way to a multi-linked bright metal brace...a bit like what archers wear...
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