• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

300 High St Harborne

N

Nick Phillips

N S P
300 High St Harborne.
My grandfather Charles Phillips born 17/2/1864 in Winchcombe. His first born also Charles E Phillips born 18/3/1889 Cheltenham. By 1892 they were living in Birmingham.
Around 1911 Charles E Phillips was living in at 298 High St Harborne his father my grand father was living at 300 High Harborne.
My father Eric Phillips was born at 300 High St 29/06/1914, on his birth certificate it states Charles was a florist.
Both the Charles seem to be working together. Charles E died in action in 1917 Belgium.

I have spent years looking for a photo of the shop at 300 High St, I wonder if anyone may have a copy of something I've been unable to find.

Nick S Phillips ‍♂️
 
I suspect the building(s) you’re looking for Nick are where the Royalty Cinema is today. Could Mikejee please provide a map of 300 High Street. Thanks. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I suspect the building(s) you’re looking for Nick are where the Royalty Cinema is today. Could Mikejee please provide a map of 300 High Street. Thanks. Viv.
Click to expand...
Viv, many thanks for your reply, I have spent a lot of time walking up and down High St trying to work out where 300 High St was.
My Grand father Charles Phillips was at one stage summoned to Court regarding the number of hours some of his staff were working in 1914, so I expect it was not one man ( person ) business.
I have an old A-Z cost 6/-s but does not show any door numbers, if Mikejee would have a map with door numbers I would be overjoyed.

Many thanks
Nick S Phillips ‍♂️
 
mike could you tell me the name of the pub that was at no 310 please...if i have an old photo of that it may just also show no 300

lyn
 
mikejee said:
It was the Vine Inn
Click to expand...

thanks mike i have a photo of the rear of the vine and a lovely head on one of the front of the pub dated 1966 but sadly does not show no 300...i take it the pub has gone now looked a nice building

lyn
 
Mikejee, Viv & Lyn, I've spent years trying to work out where 300 & 298 High St was.

My father couldn't remember where it was, I wish he was still around so I could show him.
I was born at 26 Coralie St Brookfields B18, long gone but I sometimes visit I can still see it in my head.

Many thanks for your efforts

Nick S Phillips ‍♂️ .
 
Last edited:
Lyn
I think you have the same photo I have of the vine. It says on the caption that it was demolished and rebuilt in 1988
 
This is the Vine Inn. Is the building at the extreme left #300 ? From “Harborne through Time” by Beryl Beavis. The Vine was originally built in the 1830s but has obviously gone through several reincarnations making it very difficult to line it up with the present-day Vine.. Viv

FA4AEA36-8535-4925-BD0F-DC1263702A0C.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Nick Phillips said:
Mikejee, Viv & Lyn, I've spent years trying to work out where 300 & 298 High St was.

My father couldn't remember where it was, I wish he was still around so I could show him.
I was born at Coralie St Brookfields long gone but I sometimes visit I can still see it in my head.

Many thanks for your efforts

Nick S Phillips ‍♂ .
Click to expand...

well at least you now know where the shop was nick...dont give up on an old photo turning up....as i always say they are out there somewhere

lyn
 
Astoness said:
well at least you now know where the shop was nick...dont give up on an old photo turning up....as i always say they are out there somewhere

lyn
Click to expand...
Lyn, I've already said that I've spent a long time trying to work out where 298 & 300 High St were, with so much new building work over the years and I have not found a map that was any help.
I agree with you "don't give up". Doing the family tree I found you could not depend on ages been correct, spelling all over the place but the joy when you find something you have been searching for years makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks
Nick S Phillips ‍♂️ .
 
hi nick well at least mikes maps and his street view hes posted means that at least you can now go and stand on the spot where the shop was...all the best

lyn
 
Vivienne14 said:
This is the Vine Inn. Is the building at the extreme left #300 ? From “Harborne through Time” by Beryl Beavis? The Vine was originally built in the 1830s but has obviously gone through several reincarnations making it very difficult to line it up with the present-day Vine.. Viv

View attachment 151040
Click to expand...
Viv. that photo is 1965, and the very tiny bit of the building you can see on the extreme left is the Royalty
 
Decided #300 can’t be the building at the extreme edge of photo in post #12 as the Royalty is just visible next to it. Oh well .... Viv.
 
Dave Riley said:
I don't know if it will help however here is a picture of 302 Harborne High Street......


View attachment 151041
Click to expand...

Dave, thanks for the photo. If I understand correctly 300 High St would be to the left of this photo do you think I'm correct ?
I'm a little take back that this photo was taken in 1971. I thought It had long been demolished but if you look at the photo you can see a mini which if my memory is correct was first launched in 1959ish.

I would have thought my father would have remembered this. But he never spoke much of his family history.
Where did you find this photo?
Do you know any more of this area?

Thanks

Nick S Phillips ‍♂️
 
If you look at the photo on post 5, the Vine is no 310, and there is a single-story structure/wall to the left of it. I think that is what is shown on the photo in post 19. To the left of the wall is another building and to the left of that is the Royalty. So the building on the very edge of the photo in post 19 should really be labelled 302, not the main part of the photo, which would (I would think) be no 304 (or possibly 306). Happy Harry's is unfortunately too small an operation to be included in the directories
 
Nick Phillips said:
Dave, thanks for the photo. If I understand correctly 300 High St would be to the left of this photo do you think I'm correct ?
I'm a little take back that this photo was taken in 1971. I thought It had long been demolished but if you look at the photo you can see a mini which if my memory is correct was first launched in 1959ish.

I would have thought my father would have remembered this. But he never spoke much of his family history.
Where did you find this photo?
Do you know any more of this area?

Thanks

Nick S Phillips ‍♂
Click to expand...


Nick, the picture I posted was sent to me a few years ago. I believe it was from a pictorial history book of Harborne. Unfortunately there are many such books published so can't give an actual source, perhaps someone may be able to enlighten us on this. I have often found inaccuracies in some publications so the number 302 in the text below the picture should only be assumed however from the map Mike has provided I think it to be correct.

Numbering of Harborne High Street begins from the left of the photo so 300 would be to the left of the photo, however the wall to the left of the picture looks like part of the cinema to me. I wonder if the photo is not of the original buildings in the that location? or maybe Happy Harry's is 302 and the yard through the gateway is 300?
 
i have quite a few old photos of the high st taken when nicks shop would have been around which would give an idea of what it looked liked then... the numbers are on some but not others which would take some working out as to if nicks shop was actually showing

lyn
 
I have a couple of questions that I’m unclear about. Was an access road opened up alongside the Vine after the Royalty was built or when the Vine was rebuilt in the 1980s ? And was the Vine built on exactly the same footprint as the old Vine that was demolished ? The new Vine seems to have a much longer frontage to me. So was the new Vine extended on the left to cut across where the low wall was. Or maybe the Vine just appears longer in the redesign. I can’t fully work it out from maps.

For the record here’s another photo c1950s of the Vine (pre 1980s re-building) originally posted by Caroline on the Harborne thread. It still shows the low wall to the left. Also attaching a view of the rebuilt Vine for comparison

Viv.

6D8FE002-C96F-4F35-9D3F-4C5E4B8F2949.jpeg

7D002F69-004D-4565-8F30-DF1A6A2EE84F.jpeg
 
Last edited:
shame as i have a photo of boyes butchers at 348...not close enough but getting closer

lyn
 
I hope this may help, maybe the premises in question is the shop to the far left of the photo with the cinema in the background. It shows The Vine Inn in the middle and also what would be Happy Harry's gates on the left. There is no signage on Happy Harry's so I would presume this photo was taken well before he occupied the premises. I can't see any clues as to a date when this was taken but seems very early.

Just noticed this picture has already been post in another thread titled "Vine Inn Harborne" by Lyn, (Astoness). Credit must go to her for the discovery of this photo.

The-Vine-Inn-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks Dave, but that photo was posted on post 12 and it is a later time than the shop was there, as the Regency can just (in part) be seen on the very far left
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top