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Balsall Heath.

I lived in St Martins Flats in Dymoke Street. Dymoke Street is actually in Highgate and not Balsall Heath. Went to St Albans School, my my mum and dad were married at St Albans Church and both my brother and myself were christianed there. I was actually born in Vaughton Street, again St Martins Flats, where we lived with my nan and grandad until we were given a flat in Dymoke Street, lived in the area for 11 years, when we moved to Kingshurst, my brother was six months old at the time. Most of my ancestry is in the area, and I've gone back to 1790 so far.

If anyone went to St Albans School in the 50's do they remember any of teachers? Mr Albrook was headmaster, then there was Mrs Morgan, Miss French, Miss Morris, Mr Patridge. The priests at the time were Father Hardy and Father Stock.

Love to hear from anyone who remembers them.
 
I knew a lot of people at St Albans, i also knew people in the flats,i remember Mr Allbrook,Miss Navaverian i am sure that is not spelt correctly,Mr Bates,i went there for a life time one week in 1964,lol we always referred to the area as Balsall Heath,I think somebody
moved the boundary's,
 
hi christina .i lived in conybere street ...my sisters went to st albans school .i went to upper highgate girls school .i remember father harding big fat bloke with rosy cheeks .and father stock was young and quite handsome ,he used to ride a pushbike with a guitar slung on his back...happy days .....
 
hi liz yes it was balsall heath when i lived there then everyone started calling it highgate ...i think balsall heath is now the other side of belgrave road towards sherborne road and that way .its signposted so.. highgate is sort of conybere st and dymock st and so on.
if you wanted to impress someone you told them you lived in highgate lol xxxxxxxchat soon.on hols next week.
 
Sandra,that's how i remember it some people give the place a bad name,so everybody says they live in Highgate,lol there were plenty of decent hard working people in Balsall Heath,have a nice holiday
 
Hi Ted

Your memory must be better than mine, the only memory I have of that section of Edward Rd is a wireless and electrical shop and I think a greengrocers next door. That would be in the mid 50's though, quite some time after when this chaps grandmother packed it in. The shops pretty well thinned out there on that side of the road until they got to Court Rd.

Phil

Phil
 
Dazzyg .my sister barbara went to school at st albans with joan powers ....i remember nellie selling her flowers by the ramp......does your mom remember the old bag lady selling carrier bags / get yer andy carrier shed shout .where did you live in balsall heath we lived in conybere street
 
Hi, my husband and his family lived in balsall heath road, and sherbourne road in the back to back houses! Just wondered if any of you remember them? Their name was Roberts and my hubby is one of eleven children. Thanks Nicki
 
Nicki said:
Hi, my husband and his family lived in balsall heath road, and sherbourne road in the back to back houses! Just wondered if any of you remember them? Their name was Roberts and my hubby is one of eleven children. Thanks Nicki
Click to expand...
Hi Nicki, One of eleven, you can tell they had noTV in those days, I was lucky enough to escape when I was 2, almost
three years of age, but two elder brothers Eddy and Joe lived in that area, Eddy had quite a big family, 7 or 8
children, Joe lived in Longbridge Road, , a lot of people seem to remember the Arnolds, take care now Bernard
 
Hi Bernard, thanks for getting back to me! My husband does know the name arnold and wondered if you have any relatives called David or Richard. My hubby is 62 and went to Mary Street School and Hope Street School. Regards Nicki
 
I recall a family named Roberts in Balsall Heath,but the ones i am thinking of went to Rea St school,and then Hope Street school,Patrick,Danny,Deloiros think i spelt that wrong,
 
Hi Liz, is redmond your maiden name? My husband lived in balsall heath road then sherbourne road, the names were Alan, William, Lesley, Johnny, Eric, Robert, Anthony, Joan ,Kathleen, Linda and Sharon. Do remember them at all?
 
Hi Nicki that is my maiden name,you know if they went to Hope St i am sure our paths must have crossed,their were 7 of us,the names i mentioned are the ones i remember maybe they were cousins,is your husband related to the Kanes, I remember a Kathleen
and Sharon from that way but dont recall the surname,
 
Another article on Balsall Heath, from 1972, containing some interesting titbits
Mike

balsall_heath.gif
 
mikejee said:
Another article on Balsall Heath, from 1972, containing some interesting titbits
Mike
Click to expand...

Very interesting Mike. Let me guess from the prominent picture of the barmaid of the New Inn Moseley Road - Sunday Mercury perchance?
 
Yes Aidan . the date and source is written on the bottom rh corner, As you say, the picture does make it distinctive !
 
Wonderful article Mike, and very true what is says. I used the New Inns before the date of the article. I used to go to the dances on Friday & Saturday nights in the 60's. Good times remembered.

Phil
 
pmc1947 said:
Wonderful article Mike, and very true what is says. I used the New Inns before the date of the article. I used to go to the dances on Friday & Saturday nights in the 60's. Good times remembered.

Phil
Click to expand...
I went there once in 67/78 lots of my friends from school were there,they had a disco upstairs i had left the area by then,it was nice to see my school friends.
 
I used to go in the bar there around that time when I was in the area. quite liked it. Quite lively .
 
Mike

Where you should have been was around the corner in Tindal St at the Old Moseley Arms (Old Mo) if you wanted a quiet pint. If you wanted somewhere lively then it would have the back room of the New Moseley Arms (the Clock) on the corner of Tindal St and Edward Rd.

Phil

BalsallHeathOldMoseleyArmsBalsallHeathTindalStreet.jpg
BalsallHeathMoseleyArms.jpg
 
mikejee said:
I used to go in the bar there around that time when I was in the area. quite liked it. Quite lively .
Click to expand...
Well it was nice i met some friends i hadn't seen for a couple of years,but someone pinched my purse,i had to borrow my bus fare home,3d on the number 8 to five ways,and 3d on one up to Harborne,lol
 
Does anybody remember a pub,The Dolphin, it was on the corner of Vaughton St and Charles Henry St, and was demolished late 50s,
 
I have switched the photos and i'm thinking the photo on the top is possibly the corner of Angelina
St/Vaughton St,which was demolished to build St Martins Flats.On the photo on the top there is a bus stop,number19 run up Vaughton St.The photo on the bottom is William Edward/Vaughton St.what do you think.

In 1938 the Council knocked down the houses and built St. Martin’s Flats.This is what it said on the photo,
40512_1523054847798__jpgcnr_of_vaughton_st_angelina_stJPG.jpeg
152501694760278%7E0.jpg
 
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Elizabeth,

Both Mikejee and myself have wrestled with this one before, the photo I have says it was taken in 1916 but gives no other information.

We could find no other record of a Dog & Duck public house in Highgate other than a mention of it being on Vaughton St on the web page of West Midlands Pubs. I think in the end we narrowed it down to a beer retailer on the corner of Vaughton St and Emily St, but I don't think we were ever certain about it.

Perhaps if Mike reads this he might add something.

Phil
 
Opposite the first photo there was a pub on the corner of Vaughton St and Charles Henry St,The Dolphin,i remember that pub clearly
it was demolished i would say 1959/1960 along with the whole of that side of Vaughton St,they built a small playground area,shops including McGauleys,and the first tower block i had ever seen.
There is a photo on here of that.The Emily was on the corner of Dymoke St and Emily St,i shall keep digging, thankyou
 
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I'm afraid I haven't come up with anything extra since looking at it before. Still, likely something will turn up. Lyn finally got her photo after all. Maybe we will get our identification
Mike
 
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