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19th century Aston

J

jillchape

proper brummie kid
Hello
Does anyone have any information/photos on the following streets in Aston in 1840s to 1870s - researching a couple of families who lived at these addresses:
282 Watery Lane (Bordesley House); 335 Coventry Rd, Aston; 80 Nechells Park Rd, Aston; 96 Ashfred Row, Aston
Thanks for any help, Jill
 
jillchape said:
Hello
Does anyone have any information/photos on the following streets in Aston in 1840s to 1870s - researching a couple of families who lived at these addresses:
282 Watery Lane (Bordesley House); 335 Coventry Rd, Aston; 80 Nechells Park Rd, Aston; 96 Ashfred Row, Aston
Thanks for any help, Jill
Click to expand...
Hi Jill I see that in 1868 A Ebenezer Robins lived at 282 Watery Lane

Also from 1912 to 1925 Horatio George Turner lived at 335 Coventry road, as did a lot of the turners,
In 1868 John Lewis lived at 80 Nechells Park Road Aston, Can't find anything for 96 Ashfred Row, Aston.

I hope that will be some help to you. Eric
 
Jillchape Although all the roads were in the borough of Aston at that time they became part of B,ham in the early 1900s I know of all the roads except Ashfred Row( never ever heard of this one) I am wondering if this should be Ashted Row if so there is a lot of imfo and photos of this area on the "Gosta Green through Duddeston" thread.Dek
 
I agree that it should be Ashted Row. I've never come across Ashfred on anything from my Aston lot but it would be so easy to transcribe from Ashted.

Jill
 
Yes, I agree it is Ashted Row, had another look. Also does anyone know if Bordesley House which was 335 Coventry Road, is the Bordesley House that the Birmingham Housing Ass. now ownes?
Jill
 
Googling got me this. Right building name but wrong building number. Maybe there is more than one office for them. Is it Bordesley House that interests you or the address at 335 Coventry Road?

Family Housing Association (Birmingham) Ltd
Bordesley House
44/46 Coventry Road
Birmingham
B10 0RX

Googling Bordesley House comes up with the same postcode. It looks to be on the same side as and near to Bowyer Street. Googling 335 Coventry Road puts the location on the same side as and near to Green Lane. Hope this helps in some way.
Regards.
Jill
 
Looking at another source the Bordesley House that Miss Darke went back to after her marriage to Ebenezer Robbins or (Robins). on this document says Watery Lane Aston, does that give any clue. Ebenezer was the biggest Land Agent in Birmingham in the 1840/1850/60/died 1870. Loads of info. on his business in Birmingham Archives, but nothing on his private life and I could not find anything on his home.
This is proving to be the hardest part of my research so far into Miss Darke. I really do need her life before she started the Asylum in 1866.
Thanks for all the help so far.
Jill
 
With regard to the initial request and later answers, it should be noted that between 1884 and 1888 the numbering of Coventry road was altered from consequtive (1,2,3,4..) to 2,4,6,8.. on north side and 1,3,5,7... on south side. No 335 coventry road pre 1884 was between Grange road and muntz st. I think (but am not 100% certain) that it corresponded to no 382 from 1888 onwards. It certainly was only a building or so away. In 1872 no 335 was named Heathfield house
Mike
 
Don't know if you have checked out FamilySearch.org but if you put just the surname and Birmingham into the relevant fields you get a lot of Darkes come up. Not sure now about the location after readin the number alterations.

Jill
 
Hi Stars
I Have just read your thread on the aston streets yes its ashted row and i just want to say that your relatives lived at 96 asheted row in the late 1800s
well that is a coincidence because my mother and her parents and family lived in 96 as well only in the early 1900s
and it was a large property very large they also was wealthy then later moved to another property just up the rd into number i new cannal st called digbeth
which was another large property which took in boarders just like they did at number 96 but sadly i do not have any pictures of neither of the two propertys
only of good old days memories and a very good vivid pictures of the house and shop combine i just can se the steam up windows and the lovey aroma of the tea hearn burning and al the good cooking and the big parties that was held there with people and relatives from abroad and a lot of top people wih in the city
Asheted row number 96 also was a big property for boarders as well so your lot must have been wealthy as well to own a big property like in asheted row
best wishes astonian
 
Dear astonian,
Very interesting, infact it is not my relations it a Miss Darke, who started an asylum in Knowle Solihull, that only close in 1992. I am writing the history of it. Now you say it was a large house, I wonder if she had a small asylum at no 96 before she moved to Knowle.
Do you know what type of property 80 Nechells Park Road would have been? I understand that Miss Darke might have had a school for Young Ladies there.
Jill
 
Don't know if this is any help. No 80 nechells park road is marked in red on the map, next to the Weslyan chapel and near to the junction with what was then George St, but later (as in 1889 map) became Trevor St. It seems to be a fairly large house compared to some around it. The occupants of no 80 from directories are below. it is listed as a school for a short time, but not under the name Darke
1855 Mrs Perks, private residence
1858 William perks , clerk
1862 John Lewis , timekeeper
1867-8 not listed
1872-3 Mrs Jane gibson. ladies school
1876 Biddle , haberdashers

nechells_park_rd_c_1889_no_80.JPG
 
HI JILLCHAPE
Yes it was a very large property and it had boarders as i say itwas in the early 190s i havenot got a picture of the house but i do beleive i have a list of a couple of boarders names staying there at the timre my mother was only a child when she was living there with my grand parents named jelf from aston the coffee house people
through out birmingham so i will be looking throughmy files later this evening on my comput,so i will try and recall this one and see what appears
also jill its sounds amazing but a incoincenced that the follow to your request about nechells park rd this morning i have just seen mikes follow on information for you
for a possibility of your request for nechells which i do not have but the suggestion of a incoinccence being that my mothers aunty is a perks whom was of some standing
in the early years of wealth and lived in edgbaston whom was also bussiness people strange i say
but how ever i am hoping mike will read this thread and i can asked him if there was any christyian names for the miss perks and clarify my records to see if it was any relative to my mother as one of the perks family was a dancer along with my grand mother and my own mother whom was stage dancers so what was the school or what type
thanks jill for you staring this thread on the forum i wait with baited breath for more info
have a nice day jill best wishes astonian
 
Many thanks very interesting. Astonian,
How are you on Watery Lane Aston. No 282, which should be also Bordesley House, I think a very large property, owned by Ebenezer Robins or Robbins, the biggest Land Agent in Birmingham.
This is all very interesting as I don't know Aston at all.
Jill
 
Jill Watery Lane is now in the district of Bordesley it is off the Coventry Rd I am sure there is a thread on Watery Lane it was discussed about 9 monthe ago you may find it by going to the search box (top of the page r/h corner)type in Watery lane and see what comes up. Dek
 
hi jill
just trying to flash back in time and if i am rightly thinking because i am trying to go from memory as i do not used any old references boks or map on any think
like most of our forum members and i really think it was on the corner of watery lane or just yards frtom the todays corner and it was painted in a dark brown colour
and it was as you say a reasonable tall building and at the time i thought of the postion of this office for a property agents was abit of track and near to the coventry rd end
considering the agents spaced around the digbeth and colmre row area which was at one time the hub of accountants and agents especaly that side of watery lane
even thou it was a busy section of tansport that was going back and forth into the city
i know we still have alot of the old names of land owners are still operating through the family traditions today that was around in robbins time of day
there is some really old guys operating such as woods family lionel whom i knew in is hay day he ended up as birmingham city finnace officier for the entire city
there are one in harborne whom used to trade above the midlad hotel on colmore years ago still trading but yed robbins was on watery lane end close to coventry rd
i think it was in the seventys that building was let to some housing asscotion for a period of time then they stated to redevelop that part ofwatery lane then it was let tp
indivisuals bussines but they never stayed long there for reasons as the trade dwingled slowly but yes i can remember the building
and as i had said to myself at the time what a name for land owners it was not a name sounding to goodi thoughjt may be some thiink with a sting to it
take care jill astonian
 
Jill

Below are the listings for 96 Ashted row from 1855.
1855 John Ellis, brass cock founder
1858 James Tolley, home of, engraver, lithographer & printer of Midland Passage, 71 High St
1862 James Ovens, auctioneer
1867-8 Claude Young, commercial school
1872-76 Charles Wright. Seems to be private residence
1878-80 James Knight. Seems to be private residence
1882 not listed


The 1889 map below shows what I am pretty sure is no 96 in red (there is a slight chance it is the house to the right of the red house, but I don’t think it likely). Willis st is the street going down to the left of centre

96_ashted_row_c_1889.JPG
 
hi jillshape
the little hoiuse school as mike put up way back in the 1800s in nechells was a school
where they taught stage tapp dancinging and it was the grand mother of edith perks
and kate perks and there grand daughter gaynor i think it was thats being the grand daughter
grand mother perks lived to be a ripe old age i am not sure when or where she died
it could have been beaufort rd edbaston or in sefton rd edgbaston by the ressovir ballroom dancing
i remember seeing her once when i was a little kid with my mother when she was visting her
and only the other day why she visted her edith was my grand motheres sister
she was realy old in age and wheel chair bound and thats how my grand mother and my mother
and kay perksbecame stage dancers for a dance trop call harry leiviene whom done the stage hall
circuit way back then and in the very early 1900s
on the subject as what mike put about the change of bordeley house
and the name change it was on the corner to where the bye pass is now on hat island
our previous member mentioned the family association taking over well that was yards from your robbins
the association was a bit of an industreal premises converted to offices
but at the time of day on seeing this association moveing in was because bordesley building was a rumn down property and in need of repair and the cost of renovating would have been heavvy but beleive me robbins was there with and old sign stuck in the upper floor windows and as i can not remeber the precise name of the junction it was only a little snip of a side entrants and if mike said it was grange rd then take it as gospelbut rest assued robbins was there best wishes astonian
 
Hi.. Miked,
Many thanks, do you have a steet plan that shows Heathfield House, I could then see how big the houses were.
Do you also know how rich a paper stainer would have been. They had servants. HIs son became one in London, but he was a manager so hard to tell how good the job was.
Was there a paper mill or dyers around the Coventry Road in Aston area?
Jill
 
Thank you so much, that really give me an idea.
Do you have any other photos, of Nechells or even of Bordesley House Watery Lane, or around Heathfield House Coventry Road.
If I need a photo (as above) who has the copy right?
Mary, Maureen and myself (we are jointly writing the book) say a big thank-you.
 
Jill these photos are on the"Gosta Green through Duddeston" thread I reposted them for you there is a huge amount of information and photos of the area on there. As for copyright please ask Postie for the correct info as my knowledge is not good on this subject. Dek
 
Jill
Attached is a map c 1889 showing Heathfield house, on which the house is named. The road comin g off coventry road to the left is Grange Road

mike

Coventry_rd_c_1889_Heathfield_house_no_335.JPG
 
Many thanks, all this is a great help. Have you got Bordesley House Watery Lane on an old street map?
Later on when we get around to doing the pictures in the book, we will be wanting street maps or even better street scenes of the roads Miss Darke lived in.
Many thanks again
Jill
 
Bordesley House is complicated. No 282 was around the junction of Watery Lane with Lower Dartmouth St, on the east side of the road. I can find no refernece to iy being called Bordesley House (though that doesn't mean it was not called that, just that it is not recorded in thedirectories I have). In 1872 it is not listed. In 1868 and before this is the house of Ebenezer Robins, and is to the immediate south of the junction. In 1876 and after it is recorded as to the north of the junction as a cabinet makers, and after as a coffee house. I have marked the pre and post 1872 positions respectively in red and blue.
Mike

282_watery_lane_c_1889_no_282_possibilities.jpg
 
Hi.. Mike,
Thanks, but the colours have not come out on the street plan.
It was Ebenezer Robins I was interested in as he married Miss Darke at the age of 80 in 1870, just before he died, she was about 45, he had never been maried before. I bet the family were 'gutted', with all his money, him being the biggest Land Agent Birmingham!!
Jill
 
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