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Re: St Peter's Chapel, St Peter's Place Wes, The history of the gradual offical recognition of the Roman Catholic Church in England at the end of the 18th century is very interesting to me (although I am more of a free thinker myself). The following is nicked from Wikipaedia, but it doesn't...

Presswork in 1919 is very different from today, although big machines were being developed very raidly then. I would guess that a lot of the workload would be spinoffs from the WW1 war effort, as it would have taken some time to tool up for new projects. Peter

Hi Sandra, Can't help you much, and you don't give any dates, but when I was tiny, before WW2, I can remember my Mum's mum had two or three lodgers, one of whom was a Mr Musson. This would have been around 1938-1940, lodging at 57 Grasmere Road, Handsworth, and I think he must have worked...

500miles, Yes, there was the Witton Baptist Chapel in Moor Lane, mentioned in early directories such as 1921, but not in 1939, when I was getting old enough to tour around on my scooter. I vaguely remember noticing a very small chapel-like building in Moor Lane, which I imagine by then would...

Thanks. Mike for the picture of the Kinver tram. These wonderful vehicle travelled all round the Black Country to take parties to Kinver. Not the seaside, but a short stretch was nrxt to the canal bank. The line closed in 1930, and I first got there 19 years later when you could still see where...

That little film is a very impressive piece, really a pleasure to watch, with no jerks and jumps. I have my computer always mute, because I appreciate peace and quiet, so I can't comment on the sound track, although I imagine it would be a sensible one in that case. It's fascinting how gentle...

PMC, Thanks for your nice pics of Northfield and Moseley. Although I've been around Birmingham for 75 years, I must admit it wasn't until this year that I got to Northfield village, and the church (and the pub of course, which wasn't at all bad). Coming from the North of Brum I never had reason...

Sorry to keep on about steam trams, but Rupert is right about the original layout at the Old Square, which was adequate when the Bham Aston Tramway started as the sole user on 26 December 1882. But later routes to Perry Barr (opened 25.11.1884), Lozells (01.10.1885), and Saltley (24.11.1885)...

Lloyd - that pic of Leicester Clock Tower with a BMMO standard rings a distant bell in my memory. When I was tiny we had a book, rather like the old GWR 'Holiday Haunts' which listed places Midland Red would take you to, with drawingsd. One of those I'm sure was that very drawing but without the...

The tram on the left in the Old Square picture is almost certainly the back of a steam tram, operating on a regular service to Saltley, Perry Barr or Lozells, or possibly to Witton via Six Ways, from 1884/5 until 1907. They unloaderd at this point before pulling forward and turning twice right...

Yes, Jennyann, that is a good site, as are quite a few other school sites some of the Old Girls and Boys' Associations do a good one too. I obviously never went to school there, but being at KEGS Aston, we collaborated once a year in a sixth-form play which was always staged at Rose Hill Road...

PMC, that picture is a cracker. You're quite right, it's taken from Colmore Row, in front of Snow Hill Station, and Steelhouse Lane goes off to the left in the background. Although tghe photo has been heavily touched up, it is recognisable as showing one of the first 20 cars built new for...

Just over a year ago I dropped in the Cock at Rubery for a quick one after getting a bus to Gannow, and before catching another on the old 71 tram route along the Bristol Road to Town. I had special memories of that tram route as I travelled on the last 71 outwards from Navigation Street to...

Astonite, I did appeciate those views of old Erdington, especially the two of Stockland Green tram terminus, though I think you can see the overhead poles, carrying on down the centre resrervation of a newly opened Streetly Road, so the main terminus would have been over the dip at Short Heath...

We stayed there for a night last year after a do at the Barn - an easy journey on the 7 bus, just a seven minute walk along Loveday Street. It's a lovely pub and Rose is a wonderful hostess. Here are some pics I took. Peter

My distant memories of Loxton Street School are that it was superbly designed and built. I am sure the hardwood floor was never replaced or even sanded - just re-vanished. [Yes, I think the name of the stuff was 'Bournseal' as opposed to 'Ronseal', which may still be around]. It just lasted...

On the Perry Barr topic, now that I've seen the pic of the FEDD with that destination on the blind I have recalled that it was used occasionally on the 118s. They used to turn on the empty land opposite the old Christchurch, later a timber merchants - in other words in front of what is now the...

Yep, they keep getting better every time. Thanks Mike for that wonderful pic of a 44 tram and an ADC double-decker bus. At least it had pneumatic tyres by then, but it seems to have been suffering from dehydration. It must have been on the 1A route, as The Outer Circle route 11 and its early...

David Harvey in his "Nostalgic Look at Birmingham Trams, Vol 2", page 53 gives the full details to that picture: The City of Birmingham Tramways Co Ltd opened the new electric tramway along the Pershore Road on 20 May as far as a temporary terminus just short of Fordhouse Lane, while the rest of...

I do remember the gentleman, as I was a student at the Art School in Margaret Street for five years, and he was almost always there. But I was around 20 at the time, so I'm afraid didn't really notice older people. I do remember two wide boys started to sell 'magic' dolls. One did the talking...