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Balsall Heath.

Hi Peter

Sorry but I have no other photos of Hick St, but I will keep my eye open for some more. By the way it is not a good idea to post your email address on the open forum.

Birksee,

You must have lived quite close to the Blockley's. Barry who lives in Spain now posted on this forum a couple of times last year, but I don't think he has been on lately. By the way I have some photos of Mary St if you would like to see them.

Phil
 
Hi Sandra,

When I said I had a few photos of Mary St, I meant the street itself and not the school. I do have the one photo I can show you of the school but it is in 1941 the day after it was bombed.

Phil

BalsallHeathMaryStSchool1941BombDamage.jpg
 
Well Sandra i used to work at that coal yard i worked on the bags of coal and i used to stitch the tops ,got a hole 5 bob a day but it was money in my pocket ,this was a fill in job when i wasn't working at the bullring selling flowers or scrounging scrap metal ,busy little bugger but that was the times i think .
 
Well Sandra i used to work at that coal yard i worked on the bags of coal and i used to stitch the tops ,got a hole 5 bob a day but it was money in my pocket ,this was a fill in job when i wasn't working at the bullring selling flowers or scrounging scrap metal ,busy little bugger but that was the times i think .

[no time to die too much to do ]
 
Hi Phil I will take any pics i can i don't have any at all ,By the way do you remember the bookies that was at the top of hick street i thought it took over the cafe NEWBOLDS was the bookies name he had a son Trevor i think his name was .
 
Hi Sandra didn't get your email did you get my email address ok ?????
 
Phil said:
Here you are Peter, you will remember Fred's café on the corner of Hick St & Conybere St then.

Hi
Just found this site, I remember the building as it's where I went to put on my dads illegal bets in the 50's.
I lived at 4/8 ( 4 back of 8) Hick St ( Highgate Place to give it its posh name) from 1950 to the early 60's
I went to Chandos Rd school and onto Waverley Grammar at Camp Hill.
When I met my wife in the 70's I found out she was at Chandos at the same time and lived on Stratford Place so Brmingham is a small place.

Terry
Click to expand...
 
Hi Terry

Welcome to the forum, yes I'm sure that Carl Chinn mentions Fred's café in one of his books as where one of his dads runners used to collect bets.

Phil
 
hi terry blue.i lived by the bookies billy newbold he was called big fat bellied bloke i can also remember it as a cafe.do you remember any of the people who lived in hick street ...like the sleet family ..old mrs harris ..mrs timms shop owens shop...kenny elliot ray higgins...the buckleys ...the old wellington pub ..and hope chapel on the corner....
 
As I remember there was a family called Newbold if they are the same ones, who lived 3 doors down from us. Ray Higgins lived opposite to us - he was a few years older than me but he took me to my first Blues game and I've been a bluenose ever since. The adult with us on that first time was another friends dad, I think the name was Jarvis and he owned the fish and chip shop on the corner by Frank St - we used to get free penny bags of bits as we called them.
I used to look forward to Wednesdays as my mom collected the groceries from mrs timms and me, my brother and 2 sisters would get our 3d allowance of sweets for the week.
My surname is Smith and there were a few Smiths in the area including a very large family at the top of our yard.
My mom and dad would have the occasional drink in the Wellington but my main contact with the pub was using their main wall to the right of the pub as our goals when playing football in the street.
As kids I remember going to both the cinemas in the area at weekends because I think the Triangle had the kids matinee in the morning and the Alhambra in the afternoon.
 
HI TERRY MY MAIDEN NAME WAS LEAKE AND WE LIVED JUST ROUND THE CORNER FROM THE CAFE /BOOKIES IN CONYBERE ST .I REMEMBER RAY HIGGINS .WHAT A CHARACTER HE WAS BUT HE WAS VERY PROTECTIVE OF ME. . DID YOU KNOW BRENDA MCBRIDE .I KNEW THE JARVISs LOVED THEIR FISH AND CHIPS .WE USED TO GET A PENNYWORTH OF"SCRIBBLES "AS WE CALLED THEM WITH LOADS OF SALT AND VINEGAR.I USED TO GO TO THE CINEMAS AS WELL MY OLDER SISTER WAS A MONITOR AT THE ALHAMBRA AND USED TO SNEAK US INTHE FIRE EXIT.LOL.IF YOU KNEW HIGGINS YOU MIGHT OF KNOWN MICHAEL BUCKLEY HE WENT INTO THE ARMY...AND KENNY ELLIOT WE ALL USED TO HANG AROUND WITH EACH OTHER .....DID YOU KNOW THE SLEET FAMILY THEY LIVED NEXT DOOR UP FROM MRS TIMMS SHOP.WE USED TO CALL MRS TIMMS ...TIMOTHY TIGHT .... COS SHED NEVER GIVE YOU A TINY BIT OVER THE WEIGHT YOU ASKED FOR. GOOD OLD DAYS THOUGH...
 
hello chris:angel i had relations living in clevedon rd. ; dymoke st.; emily st.; darwin st.; upper highgate st. 1890 to 1940 i am interested in any old street photos for these roads. names of family were briscoe ; harward ; bullock & whichello. i hope yoy can help many thanks john
my e mail is , jakwat@hotmail.com
 
I too was born in Balsall Heath on March 19th 1930, 7back of 8 Hick Street, I joined the escape committee early on
and left for the green fields of Yardley Wood in 1932, cheers Bernard By the way my neice Pauline is taking me the Bash she lived in the area as a child for many years and is quite knowledgeable on the area, come and talk to her.
 
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Hi there,
Does anyone know where Orchard Terrace, Balsall heath would have been on a modern day map or infact does anyone have any pictures of the terrace please? My father in law was born there back in 1942. Kind thanks
 
Hi elle-jay

There was a Orchard Rd off Belgrave Rd that was mentioned on the forum the other day, there were also a few terraces nearby. None of those were called Orchard Terrace as far as I am aware. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Phil
 
Orchard terace is in red (4 houses). The road to the far right is moseley rd, the road to the bottom, sherborne rd, and the road across the top Belgrave rd
mike

map_c_1913_orchard_terrace~0.jpg
 
Hey Mike well done, its good when it takes someone who was born outside Brum to tell a local about his own town. Its a terrace I had never heard of, the trouble is half of these terraces the names were never used and the postal addresses were 1 back of 45 or something to that effect. So over the years the names fell out of use.

I lived a 1 Ruben Place, Inkerman St but I always knew at 1/144 Inkerman St until I moved out, so where was Orchard Terrace then Mike was it of Sherbourne Rd. because I know that Orchard rd was the rear entrance to a lot of houses but I can't say I recall any terraces off it.

Phil
 
In an lot of cases the use of the terrace name disappeared a long time ago. I have quite often had awful troublw finding one, as it has disappeared , to be replaced by xtz court, or back of even before 1920 (which is the forst year the electoral roll is really useful). Surprisingly this Orchard terrace was listed on the electoral roll (though likely not by those who lived there) as late as 1955.
Mike
 
elle-jay

Just to add a little to Mike's excellent work (as usual). Here is another map that may give you a little more idea of the location of Orchard Terrace. I have marked it with a red x on this 1950's map. I wouldn't hold our much hope of finding a photo of the Terrace though. I say that not to discourage you but in the knowledge that every time I say it someone surely comes up with one within a couple of days. Good luck in your search.

Phil
 
Hi Robert, your post has brought back so many memories, I lived at 120 Clifton Road which was attached to the Pickling works, we were the Palmer family, do you remember Mrs Jones who was opposite the Picking factory who handed the business over to Mrs Rollonson?
 
Hi all my name is Sarah O'Donovan and i am here on behalf of my dad Kevin ODonovan,
His parents were James (jimmy) and Catherine (Kathy) O'Donovan. When married they lived in Balshall Heath Road and then moved to Gooch Street, then in late 50's Shawbury Grove. My dad was Kevin O'Donovan and had 3 younger siblings, Mary, Jimmy and Doreen. I know that Jim Snr was a reg at most pubs down that way, and that the old Pig and Whistle on Bissel St is now called the Catherine O'Donovan (my nans name) Anyone know about this!!!! any info would be so appreciated. I love this whole thread brings back many memories for my dad, dont stop!! x
 
Hi Sarah

Sorry about the late reply, but its the first time I have seen your post. Are you sure of the name "Pig & Whistle" because the only name that the Catherine O' Donovan had previously as far as I am aware was the Beehive Inn. To be quite honest I am hard put to remember a pub in Birmingham called the Pig & Whistle" would it have been a local nickname?

Phil

HighgateBisselStTheBeehive.jpg
 
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