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Aston Cross

Sorry Geoff, those names don't ring any bells with me. I remember a guy named Ray who ran the place with another guy, could have been his brother. Ray had a gammy arm, wore specs and was a bit thin on top.
 
Patty, I started buying 'Records' from Mrs Bliss in 1948, when I was 16, there was no 'Top of the Pops' then, and you could, once a month buy from her a leaflet that gave you all the words to the latest songs. also in 1950 I started my 'National Service' in the RAF and eventually was posted to an airfield near Hull, David (Dave) Whitfield used to sing in the local pub's at weekends, my mate and I got to know him and occasionally 'baby sat' for him so that his wife could join him for a night out, this was a long time before he became 'Famous', his day lob was 'humping' bags of cement on the docks.
 
hi dave
i can remember mal brooks [ old brookie we called him ]
we used to have a laugh with him and our dave
it certainly brings back memory,s
and roy edwards whom appeared on lunch box with nole gordon
and Barron, yes mr jelf was my grand father of park lane .
many years ago i remember ther was an old lady whom stood in a door way
just along from the aston cross libary she would call out to you asking
I, penny handy carrier bag even when it was raining she would be there
i went to st,mary school with micky overcroft,
and where most schools gave you the small bottle of milk in the mornings
there we had a cup of hot coco and our milk in the afternoons
where other schools they never gave you coco
have a nice day guys best wishes astonian ;;;;;
 
What do you all think of this oil painting by Eric Bottomly GRA of Aston Cross about 1951/2 ???
 
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hi cookie
it,s terrific and priceless ,
any chance it might be for sale
i.ll pay a good price for that
i have got an orinional painting of the bullring and signed
i also buy any think to do with aston because of my connections
have a nice day cookie best wishes astonian;;;
 
Astonian, I bought a 16" x 20" print on line for £20 plus 6 cards 7" x 5" approx ( about £1.20 each), I will sort out e mail address for you, they do full sized signed prints but now your talking £200 plus. They are good quality prints I can vouch for that.They have quite a selection so you will have to scroll about a bit, contact you soon. Eric
 
Astonian you want www.kandles.co.uk, select first web site on page then click on Eric Bottomly GRA, all his prints will be revealed, Aston Cross is about the 3rd one down, select type of print, card, place mats etc.... you want
Any problems please let me know. Eric
PS You can simplly google Eric Bottomly GRA prints and it will direct you there, have a look at his other paintings, the magic!!!!
 
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hi eric
many thanks for your reply look forewarded to hearing from you soon
and i will do a run on the site you have given me
speak soon best wishes astonian ;;
 
Astonian, just realised you may have thought I owned the original (I wish), you are probably talking £10,000 plus, I,m quite happy with my print (it is delivered in a strong carboard tube), brought a suitable frame from my local Wilkinsons to suit. It is also my desk top background on my PC, replacing one of my own paintings.
Eric
 
Just looked back to post 10 Nov 29 2008 by motorman mike, I see he had posted the same pic (painting) of Aston Cross, apparently it was made into a jigsaw, what a coincidence. Eric
 
I think that without doubt that is the finest picture of Aston Cross I have ever seen, be it photograph or painting. I would love to get the jigsaw puzzle but it is presumably out of production now.

Has anyone any ideas?

Chris Beresford (Old Boy)
 
Old boy, the artist is Eric Bottomly GRA (Guild of Railway Artists) and he specialises in (obviously) Railways and city scenes in Oils, you can purchase prints, Greeting cards, place mats etc..... so they may still produce jigsaws. go on to www.kandles.co.uk or google Eric Bottomly GRA prints. I purchased a good quality print 20" x 16" of Aston Cross (as shown on the thread) for £20 and some 7" x 5" greeting cards £1.20 each. Eric
PS see post 38
 
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hi cookie .and dave
first of all .dave i thought i had seen that picture before but i thought
i was imagining things and that there was a jig saw on this forum before
any way dave hope you are well.and thanks for reminding me
cookie , i am after a picture that is showing the junction of rocky lane
in other words if you are on park lane looking down rocky lane
is there any chance you have got one ?. i would really appreciate if you
or any one could provide one for us ? .
have a nice day every-body best wishes astonian ;;;
 
Sorry Astonian, I have very few pics of Aston, and most of them are downloaded from this forum. I did work for a short time at Hercules cycles just after the end of the war, that was in Rocky Lane on the left looking from Aston Cross. I Have attached 2 but I do not think they are what you are after. Eric
 
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hi eric
many thanks for coming back to me
and really appreciate it i have already got the second pic you have down loaded
also of hercules which later became tubes , as every body knows as
[ T,I , LIMITED ] and bazz m, my friend and one time colleage have both
got the tubes and the forge pictures so we do not need them
i was hoping to get a picture of the tea rooms that was on the oppersite
side of the golden cross i have got the golden cross its the tea rooms
i want .
many thanks cookie i will be in touch with you soon again .
have a nice day best wishes astonian ;;
 
hi mike
am i right in thinking that the tram stoped out side
the shop of timpsons or wrensons or may e the shop called maypoles
i know on the corner behind the tram there was a gents clothes shop
and facing ansells [ which eludes me is a pub ] my old man
used to do the releif there forthe gather , like all the other pubs
on the cross i remember when they put them boards up around the front of
the office steps on entrance to the offices
have a nice day mike , best wishes astonian ;;;;
 
Mike, Am I right in thinking I can see a 39 bus going up Park Rd on that last PIc, if so it must be between 1951 and 1953??? Eric
 
Astonian said:
hi cookie .and dave
I am after a picture that is showing the junction of rocky lane
in other words if you are on park lane looking down rocky lane
is there any chance you have got one ?. i would really appreciate if you
or any one could provide one for us ? .best wishes astonian
Click to expand...

Hi Astonian,
This is not quite what you are looking for but if it's Lathams you're looking for then Lathams you've now got! This is a picture posted recently by Ray Griffiths (who else!), from his Aston Pictures Thread. Pity for you that the Midland Red wasn't running late that day!
 
Astonian is the Gents Outfitters you are thinking about BIRDS it was a couple of shops before Aston Cross Library on the Lichfield Road.

I think the pub on the corner of Tower Road/Park Road maybe the Royal Exchange but I do tend to get a blank on that pub although I must have passed it 100s of times.
 
hi dave and sylv,
firstly dave.that will do nicely , because the building you call lathams
was the orininional building owned by the jelfs from before the war and well after
into the early 50,sor the end of the late fortys, four of the brothers officialy own that property one by one they sold it to each one the four involved was henry ,
george , arther , ernie, he was the one whom sold it off lathams whilst he had already got the two chippies and the coffee shop across the rd onpark lane
across the juntion on the lights next to the chemist on the corner
after a while he employed my father to run the chippie they had a fall out
and the chipie he had facing the two shops he sold it off to a little guy
a blonde hair guy is name was cyril
but that will do for me i can see the tea rooms in the distance eventhou you may know its lathams , today i mentioned ellen st school andbeing the page boy to my auntie maud smart marrying bill smart well thats where they met
masud was a young girl and billy walked in and swept her of her feet
from the age of 14 y they got marrid from that so thats where her romance started
dave and sylv you both have made my day ,
by putting up these pics will i will down load and print off to show the rest of my family
dad worked all the releifs for all those pubs along the cross and worked the golden cross along with the dodds family right up until he died in 1948
i never thought i could get a pic of the old tea room i have a couple of the lichfield rd onesbut i would like to get one of the old new cannal street house and shop
i have seen pics of the dog pub which is on the oppersite corner
and the other corner along side is the old fashioned garage i have seen but nobody captuerd the coffee house which was ful of life and entertainmemt
where they used to have there high partys
oh well guys i am waffling off again , its beacause i am estatic over the tea room
dave , sylv, i cannot thank you both enough
best wishes my true friends astonian ;;
 
Hi Folks.

I thing this is the picture you that you can see Birds the gents outfitters, I think it was the last shop to close its doors on Aston Cross.

I lived in sandy Lane and have many memories of Aston Cross and Lichfield Rd.

The ABC Aston Cross Picture House opened in 1913 closed in the Mid 1960's, then leased to an Asia company it was demolished early 1980's after being derelict for many years.

The other one was the Astoria the ATV Studios, and the BRMB Radio.

Iv'e come out of one in the later afternoon and had a pack of chips and went in other for early evening show, you was reasonable safe in them days.

Ray
 
For the purest here is the histroy of the Aston Cross Clock.

Sorry aboutthe quality of the prints but they are copies of copies.

Ray
 
Dave Bath, thanks for putting me right on the name of the pub, but I bet I will have forgotten it again next time I try to put a name to it. Funny isn't how some names just won't stick in the memory, and others you can recall so easily.
 
I lived in Pugh Road from 1961-1970 and remember Nellie Heaths China Shop in Lichfield Road as well as Thompsons the butchers and a little toy shop where Dad would take me to buy the fireworks every November. I went to school first in Alfred Street? then the junior school off Victoria Road. In the 2nd year we were accomodated in the annexe over the shops and chapel in Lichfield Road, I remember having to pass the DER TV rental offices/repair place to get to it.
 
hi lambrettamike
many thanks for down loading this cracking picture of the two shops of grand fathers
and for getting the over head sign in as well
the left side shop was the chippieand the second one was the coffee shop
where the sign was above the two premises was the drive way to go down the big drive to the the big provisions ware housea two storey building
which housed all the provision and silver ware for al there out lets around birmingham
and for all the the do,s at the council house meeting and party,s and for the one time gpo[ post office,] also there was a terrace house , and also a large mechanics garage for there repairs on there vechiles
the other one was a bit back across the rd on the corner of rocky lane
which was bought by lathams for there purposes,s
the clothes shop for men was facing the george pub and virtulaly facing birds the gents out fitters on the lichfield rd this small one next to the george
my grand mother victoria hinton [ jelf ] took my mother and three of my older brothers down along the lichfield to this gents out fitter and bought us a rake of clothes as my mother was poor and the old man never provided for us
when my grand mother died in the early fifties we never seen the grand father in forty years because he did not like my father
the jelfs said he was a gold digger like is mother and he liked is drink
bearing in mind he had a rake of shops around birmingham plus the catuering business and the business in eversham
he had a companion named mrs robinson and a mrs mac
whom ran a couple of shops for him at new cannal st and litchfield rd to name a couple i remember going around these shops and seeing these ladies in is shops
they was not very nice to me ,if my nan had been alive things would have been different and he would not have sold the shops one by one
my mother blamed mrs robinson as the hanger on mrs mac left the house
after grand father sold the house to another well known guy in honeybourne
eversham whom was another land owner and neibourer
she moved up stairs at that coffee house in the pcture with mrs robinson
right up till the end
any way mike i cannot thank you enough for this spectactular picture
i will down load it and get my som to blow it larger
and then i will take it to my brothers and sister in brum to show them
many many thanks mike best wishes astonian ;;
 
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