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    Station Street Birmingham

    Yes, there was. I never went inside, but looked at the window display. There is always a market and a fascination for such things. There are also lots of fakes originating from Eastern Europe.
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    Emigration from Birmingham

    My g. greataunt born 1851 Dudley emigrated to New South Wales age 35 with husband and children in 1886. She has many descendants there. No one else in the family went to Australia, but it certainly worked out for them. Before her marriage she had been a domestic servant, it must have been an...
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    Lancaster makers of cameras

    J. Lancaster and Son, optician and camera maker, of Irving Street, Birmingham. Made wooden view cameras, among them several cameras for smaller plate formats. The 1/4-plate Instantograph was one of the better known. A very special model was the Gem Apparatus of 1880, a camera with twelve...
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    1881 Census Aston Union Workhouse" Gravelly Hill Erdington

    I wonder if having his father die of tuberculosis might be a reason for changing his name before emigration? Attitudes to this disease were very different then and it was often seen as shameful.
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    Electric Cinema Tatler Cinema Station Street

    Back to 1909, Jean Stanton suggests in her brief history online: A Box of Chocolates, The Cabbage and Making Plate Glass https://savetheelectriccinema.com/a-brief-history/ I guess that the films mentioned were documentary shorts? 650 films were made in Britain in 1909 and mostly documentaries...
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    Electric Cinema Tatler Cinema Station Street

    Last film, I think may be The Taste of Things (French: La Passion de Dodin Bouffant directed by Trần Anh Hùng starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clm7nnyx2d5o There is another film poster to the left - but we can't see this.
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    Electric Cinema Tatler Cinema Station Street

    Welcome to the forum, Brian! The first film to be shown at The Electric Theatre as it was known, was silent with piano accompaniment. I don't know what the film was or if anyone took a note, but if you have access to a good library or the BFI Wikipedia gives some sources: The Era, Film Gossip...
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    Emma Jane Worboise author

    Apparently the 'perversion' is Tractarianism - the Anglo-Catholic Tracts for the Times which energised the early stages of the Oxford Movement. She has an entry in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography which explains. Thanks for posting about this author. I've never heard of her, but there...
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    Masons pop factory Smethwick

    I looked for the introduction of the slogan 'Fizziness is our bizziness' but no joy so far! November 1963 this slogan used in the Birmingham Mail. Can you confirm that this is a screw stopper rather than a crown cap or screw on lid.
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    Historic England Archive

    Historic England has over 7000 images relating to Birmingham. These may be used for non-commercial purposes with attribution. https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/results/?filteroption=images&search=Birmingham&searchType=HE+Archive+New Images can be embedded- but not I think on...
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    Hagley Road

    King's Head junction of Hagley Road and Lordswood Road is closed perhaps permanently. [Picture from Geograph 2016 Creative Commons]. There used to be a Beer Keller and bands used the venue in the 1960s...
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    The Woodman New Canal Street

    First visit to The Woodman after reopening. The restoration is nicely done. The back yard contained a surprise.
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    Illegal Boxing Matches

    Interesting that these fights are both in the same time period. In Harborne B'ham Maney is taken before the Tipton Police (Magistrates) court and Royal before West Bromwich - both outside Birmingham. But perhaps people thought that they could escape across county lines? Interesting.
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    Illegal Boxing Matches

    There's a wide coverage of prize fighting in the Birmingham and Black Country papers. But often bouts took place in a field or rural location. If the police did interfere Breach of the Peace was the offence. Published: Saturday 26 September 1885 Newspaper: Harborne Herald British Newspaper...
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    Articles: The Iron Room, Birmingham Libraries. Recent Articles

    I was a child when the Rotunda was built, I've always thought it an iconic building. It does need maintenance though as it looks neglected. The apartment rental company ceased operations last August. I've been inside only once a few years ago. The views are spectacular from the upper floors. I...
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    Aston Hall

    I wholeheartedly agree!
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    Kynochs

    Kynoch's at Witton is now completely demolished. Only the restored gatehouses remain. I think the company name still exists and ammunition produced at other sites? Thanks for your interesting post, Brian. Lads in Smethwick at school were stupid enough to do this in the 1970s! Derek
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    Aston Hall

    Rust in pieces!
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    Aston Hall

    BCC said in 2021 that 'Forward Together' was independently commissioned as part of a new television series. But no details of the cost - I do hope that the TV company paid for the work. But Birmingham was in a financially different place in 2021...
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