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Bob, it’s the GWR, not the Midland!

70s/80s BBC would have viewed anything about Birmingham as a sop to “northern” licence payers, and keeping a copy of such things as a total irrelevance. “Regional” considerations amounted to creating outposts like Pebble Mill from which the patronising concept of “local” programmes was...

Not certain about Bush, but Ferguson was one of those brands that were swept up into the Thorn EMI Group of companies. A reminiscence, if I may: In the late 1980s the firm I worked for and a Thorn company were involved in a joint venture, and I received an invitation from them to a day out at...

No wonder the drays were always going like the clappers on the way back to the brewery! My Dad used to say that he couldn’t see the economics of the offy, he reckoned that the brewery spent about ten years’ profit on external painting, which was done every five years. My Mum was a good...

I would not “Dare” to cross swords with any of the contributors to this thread, but would say that the way a beer drinks is very much to do with the way it is kept. Growing up in a Butler’s offy in the 1950s, I well remember my Mum’s battles with wooden casks of mild or bitter. The basic problem...

Post #67, can we assume that “Caggy” Stevens was left handed?

The picture of the pork butcher’s shop raises the question why pork only? Was this consequent upon religious needs, pork possibly needing to have been kept away from other meats to avoid breaking the rules, or was it that the multiple uses and products made from pork meat required skills not...

But beautifully lined!

You’n’me both, boy!

Eric, ’ow’s yer back? We have fitted carpet upstairs, probably have had that since the 1980s at least, and when my folks moved, in about 1970, the new house was carpeted fully. I must say that I do prefer the laminated wood flooring to a fitted carpet in the living/dining room. Two of my aunts...

We have wooden laminate floors which were installed about 15 years ago. The fitted carpets are now laid in the garage, keeping the Bentley warm. When we bought the house in 1974 it had the normal Wimpey’s plastic tiled floors, and we started married life with a square of carpet and a second...

1920s Ford TT 1ton truck loaded with beer crates. The larger capacity commercial version of the Ford Model T, it was cheap to buy, as rugged as could be hoped for and easy to drive for those who had not encountered motor vehicles before. Sorry I can’t help with the motorbike. (Or the horse and...

5486 E is a Staffordshire registration from late 1957, or early 1958. Quite close to my Vauxhall Victor which was 3908 E. The subject car is a Hillman Minx, I could offer a comparison, but I’m sure that you wouldn’t be interested, let’s just say that the Hillman, accidents apart, would have...

That’s a great bit of apprentice trickery! Shades of the brass magnet, or a long stand at the stores window. I wonder if he caught on? What do you reckon the chap in the picture was doing? He doesn’t seem to be making anything with his left hand apparently holding the business end off the...

#1978 Certainly a fly press from a scan of what comes up if you Google it. I can’t quite get what the operator is doing, though. Maybe he is changing the tool, or doing some maintenance like oiling or adjusting shims ready for a day’s pressing out small parts or badges or in the jewellery...

I wonder how many visitors to Brum sat, with their A to Z on their lap, in Barford Street, trying to find a premises in Bradford Street?

#1980 It’s a Humber Hawk Mk VI or VIA estate car, 1954 - 57, there does not seem to have been a Super Snipe estate car, you might have thought that the extra power from the 4.2 litre six cylinder engine would have been useful. UVP is a Birmingham CBC commercial registration, March to May 1957.

Just a leg-pull, it’s a coupé version of the Rekord, which looks like a Kadett.

I would like to go on the Rekord about that Opel, like it says on the boot lid.

DDP - Reading August 1947 to June 1948. DOP - Birmingham December 1937 to Jan 1938. However, Birmingham reserved special indices for commercial vehicles and this is not one of them. So I reckon it’s a 1947/8 lorry, but no idea what. Better to date from the “peep-toe” shoes, early 50s I think...