Alfred and Charles Streets Smethwick, Birmingham

[Steelewilson]

Hello

I'm a newbie and just joined the Birmingham History Forum, so not quite sure yet how it works and experimenting how to use it. Any advise and tips will be very welcome! My main interest is Alfred Street, Charles Street, and Brewery Streets which I understand technically are in Smethwick. Also St James Street, St James Church and Green Lane Handsworth. My great, great grandparent's John and Mary Ann RANDON formerly BRANT and Charles and Emma BEESLEY formerly WELLS lived with their large families in these streets during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I visited the areas last year to find these streets. I hailed a taxi and asked to be taken to Alfred and Charles Streets and much to my disappointment, ended up on an industrial estate where these two streets were signposted. Can anyone tell me when these streets were demolished? Does anyone have any old photographs of these streets they would like to share? I have in my possession a lovely old photograph circa 1907 of my great grandfather and his two sons standing outside what looks like a tobacconist and /or jug and bottle. it's on the corner of Charles Street (which shows the street sign on the wall) and I think Alfred Street. Above the door is a sign Fredk Smiths Aston Model Ales & Stout. My great great grandmother Mary Ann Randon and her daughter (my great grandmother Agnes Ellen Beesley formerly Randon, ran this business. My great grandfather George Frederick Beesley was an iron moulder, possibly in the Richmond ironworks which was owned by Samuel Downing. The Randon family married into the Downing family. Both the Randon and Beesley families were closely associated with St James Church, St James Road, Handsworth and most of them were baptised, married and are buried there. They have no gravestones, and I have been trying to find out if there is a graveyard map indicating where people are buried. I have inquired at Birmingham library but they do not hold such a document. I have tried contacting St James Church without success. If anyone can help me with any of my inquiries and research or have any information or photographs of the aforementioned RANDON or BEESLEY families I would very much appreciate hearing from you. I do have some photographs of these families if anyone is interested.

Steelewilson

 

[mikejee]

Below are maps from the mid 1880s and c1913 showing no 49 Alfred St. Number 49 is listed as an off licence run by Mary Ann Randon from the 1892 till the 1905 directory , by George F. Beesley in the 1908 Directory, but as Frederick George Beesley in the 1910 and 1912 editions. In the 1913 editions, it is again listed as Mrs Mary Ann Randon, and in the 1915 edition by Mrs Agnes Beesley. But by 1921 it is in the hands of a Leonard Paveley.. Previously in 1890 Mary Ann is running a coffee shop in Downing St. , and previous to that there is a Sarah ann Randon , dressmaker in Bearwood hill. It should be noted that year is publication date and may refer to year before .

 

[Steelewilson]

Hello

Thank you so much for your prompt and very informative reply which I really appreciate and found very helpful. Should you have any further information on these streets, I would much appreciate to receive it. Would you know where the Richmond iron works was, or the nearest iron works where maybe my great grandfather George Frederick Beesley may have worked?
Once again, thank you very much for your help.

Donald