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Good picture David. Lots of nice memories.

Anthony, There was another sweet shop/newsagent either closer to the Duke of York or perhaps next to the Mews Garage. It was there that I bought my Eagle comic and 2 oz pointed bag of sweets each Friday. Can you recall the name? There was also a 'toy shop' or fancy goods shop near to Serpentine...

Peg Monkey I think this is a great shot. Railway stations (people seem to refer to them as 'train stations' nowadays) are great places to observe others and speculate about their journies. So many possible stories in this photo. All very evocative of the 1950s.

Here are some photos taken at the Quinton Depot before it was demolished.

I wondered if people would find these shots of the old Snow Hill Station of any interest. I think its nice to see how it was when it was still intact. A lot of the photos I have seen are during or after the demolition work.

Astoness and Mikejee. You are both investigative genii. Thanks so much for your input. I have tried to find a photo of the former Sportsman, but with no success. However, it has given me chance to trawl through a whole range of Brum pubs that are no more - some of them really impressive...

Good morning Astoness, You must be a light sleeper! I see what you mean about it having been a pub at some stage. The corner position reinforces that possibility I suppose. When I used to go in to see Grandad at work it was just a large space with ovens and a stone floor. The floor was usually...

I wonder if anyone remembers Cox's bakeries. My Grand-dad worked for them from before WW1 and into the 60's. The bakery he worked at was at the junction of Icknield Port Road and Coplow Street. I am attaching a picture of how it looked. I think it is just open land these days. As children, we...

I can remember going to Drayton Manor when all they had on offer was a roller skating rink, a land train and a poor attempt at a zoo. It still seemed special at the time.

Hello Astonian, I never knew the scrapyard had a name but he certainly must have made a decent profit. Whenever I visited there were always plenty of others scavenging for spare parts. Mind you, in those days you could fix most things on a car if you were halfway practical. On modern cars you...

Valmy (et al), Couldn't resist the urge to post an image of my well-worn Old Dixonian tie.

Sospiri, The connection to the Temperance movement is intriguing. My grandparents were active in the Temperance movement and it has made me wonder whether this was any sort of link leading to my Dad working for Hoods. Given his grammar school background (not that common at the time) it was not...

Astonian/Sospiri/Mikegee I think you all deserve credit for taking this to a conclusion and thanks again for showing such an interest. This was an early part of my Dad's life and he went on to do other things, but the van and the name have stayed in my memory and it is good to give them a home.

Astonian, Thanks. Certainly my recollection was of a very large building, but sometimes childhood memories play tricks, so I was starting to doubt myself. Still, its odd that such a large outfit should have disappeared almost without trace. Sospiri, You make an interesting point about no...

You are spot on. When it was the self-styled international school, I was contacted by the then head teacher who was trying to enlist support (financial mainly) from former pupils. As I told him then, the school that I attended had ceased to exist. I worry that this makes me sound elitist, when I...

I am a traditionalist. There are cars driving round which carry an MG badge, but they are not real MGs. Equally, black with blue may look smart but, for me, this is not the school that I went to. I think I still have my Old Dixonian tie somewhere, though it is too well-used to wear.

Mikejee/Sospiri/Astonian, My thanks to all of you for your help with this. The Edmund Street address ties in best with Astonian's recollections, although that cannot be the place that I visited - I was born after the war. The description of 'general merchants' may fit I suppose, but...

You are right. My uncle died several years ago now. Here is a picture of him in his pomp. He was not somebody to mess with.

Maurice, Thanks. It was there during the 30's, 40's and 50's but seems to have disappeared from all records - presumably taken over and merged with another company.

Astonian, Thanks, you have a good memory and I can sort of see the area you are in. Changing street names does not help and from what I can see the warehouse no longer exists. My Dad worked for Hoods before and after WW2 and I know I went there with him at least once, but it was when I was very...