Balsall Heath.

[catherine]

Hi Jill,
Yes, I certainly do remember Dennis and his lovely irish wife, Mary. I remember the girls too,from seeing them at mass, though they were a little older than me and went to a different school, I think. I went to St, Johns and they possibly went to St. Catherines. I don't recall your grandfather, but I'll ask my mum if she does. But I certainly recall going to Henns with her. I seem to recall the potatoes being in what seemed almost like a cattle pen type thing with wooden sides. I can also remember bunches of sage at Christmas to make stuffing. And always a friendly welcome from Dennis and Mary. My mum enjoyed going there. Where did they go when the shop went?
I can't recall Pamela Bates. What number did she live at? Aside from my mum who has been there since '55 we've got a friend in the road who has lived there all her life and goes back further than we do. I bet she will remember your cousin.
Nice to hear from you.
Catherine

 

[Phil]

please could you tell me when the photo was taken of the pub in the picture ballsall heath thanks .pmc.

harley

I am sorry, I have no idea. It looks to be late fifties early sixties, but looks can be deceiving. Was there any special reason?

Phil

 

[christy]

hi mikegee, what brillant photo,s of highgate, the more the merry,i to have a few , still have not got the nack to put them on the site yet, & read fellow brum,s story,s it,s great stuff, more photo,s please,,cheero,, christy

 

[Christina]

Hi all

I was born on St Martins Flats in 1947, Vaughton Street. Some said it was Balsall Heath but we said Highgate, boundry ran into one another. When I was 9 we moved into the Dymome Street side of St Martins.

Went to St Albans School. My mum and dad were married in the Church and myself and my brother were baptised there. I attended Sunday School in what we called the tin-tac hut at the side.

Was at St Albans in the time of Father Peel, Father Hardy and Father Stock. Teachers I remember were Headmaster Mr Albrook, Mrs Williams, Miss Bant, Mrs Phillips.

Left the school when I was 10 as we moved, but still visited as my nan and granddad still lived on the flats, this was up until I was 20.

So many happy memories of my childhood there, with finishing trips on the old chara's (coaches to those of you not as old as me), the party for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

If any one wants any old photo's of the area I'm sure I can find a few and scan them in.

My nan and granddad were Elsie and Allen Redding, one of the first to move onto the flats. Mum and dad were Elsie and Walter Jobbins. Someone may remember them.

Christina

 

[Astonian]

Why Did They Re Change TheName Of Ballsall Heath
In The Late Sixties And Reclas It As Moseley . Was It Because Of The Stigma Of The Name Balsall Hath And TheTarnished Red Light District Or Was B,ham Over Hauling Its Boundrys Due To The Council Elections , Or Did They Think The Name Of MoseleySounded Posher

 

[christy]

christina,,please can you scan a few photo,s of highgate , st martin,s flat,s area,s. with all the pic,s we all have we to should make a booklet & our storie,s too,[maybe] u are only around the corner from me, tile cross,me i have a arial photo of st martin,s flats & all of highgate in [1961], as i am quiet new to the computer & only learning to type i will learn to scan, i have some great photo,s of highgate too. all the best ,, christy

 

[mikejee]

Christy
These are for you as you asked for more pictures of the area. 2 of cox street west, one of shops and bank in balsall heath road and one of clevedon road. Hope you like.

Mike

 

[walshy]

christina my mom went to the sunday school in the tin tac hut ,she was born in 1946 her name is hazel wright did you know her?

 

[christy]

FANTASTIC,PICTURE,S,mikejee, i,ll have too tell me how u get them on the screen, as i keep asking the kid,s what to do ,still i am getting there slowly, don,t photo,s bring it all back, the street,s,car,s house,s the people, brillant stuff, the more the merry & many thank,s,, christy

 

[the silver fox]

Mike, these pictures are very interesting as they show the developing dereliction prior to demolition. The picture of the corner of Clevedon Road and Cox Street West shows Bob Cutler's betting shop which was originally in the pokey little shop a few doors away, which was set up when betting shops were legalised.
The Gooch Street pictures are marvellous showing the last days of the building that housed the Triangle and then a little further along just past Woolworths, warmly remembered by others for it's creeking floorboards. Woolies ran through to Conybere Street and was a useful short cut.

 

[the silver fox]

Hi Astonian.
Balsall Heath was never called Moseley, although the boundary with Highgate (named after the old toll gate on the high ground of Moseley Road near Belgrave Road) became somewhat merged.
The 'Red Light District' was in fact mainly in Edgbaston, Varna Road, Princess Road and Alexandra Road, as the River Rea is the boundary. Edgbastonians were no doubt glad to shed the reputation of that little area. One of the old 'tabloids' of the day described Varna Road as 'The Vilest Street in England'

 

[Pomgolian]

I have a whole lot of pic's of that area, because as I said I lived in Dymoke St. As there would be too many to put on this thread, if any of you would like some copies IM me your email Addy and I will send them to you.

Here's an example
Our Church St Albans and Dad's local The Prince of Wales


Emily St another of Dad's locals and Our Park Highgate and the Rowton House



Pom

 

[christy]

HI,EVERYONE,, BRILL PHOTO,S, ilived facing highgate park,& in 1975,the camera,s rolled in & they where filming the b,ham [drama GANSGTER,S] WE JUST SAT THERE WATCHING IT being made,a month later it was on tele.HELP FOR INFO OF A DRAMA MADE IN ST,MARTIN,S FLAT MADE [1977-8] MY PARENT,S WATCHED IT, DOSE ANYBODY KNOW, CAN WE GET THE RADIO-TIME,S OR TV TIME,S ON LINE SO I CAN LOOK AT THE 70,S T,V PROGRAMME,S ,GIVE US A SHOUT IF YOU KNOW MANY THANK,S CHRISTY

 

[chas]

hi there , i would love any pics you may have i am ...
charlie.

 

[Pomgolian]

Hi folks I will share any pic's I have as I said . However
PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THIS THREAD
please send it to me by IM (private Message). This is only for your own computer safety....

NB. Chas as a site Moderator I have edited yours from your last post, however I have saved it from your IM to me.

Pom

 

[christy]

hello charlie, great photo,s people have, i don,t know how to scan yet charlie, ill wait for the kid,s to come of holiday this week, i say kid,s there all touching 30,,o,k see u soon,, christy

 

[Phil]

A few more snaps of the Balsall Heath and Highate Area.

1. Shovelbottoms first motorbike shop on the junction of Ladypool Rd and Taunton Rd.

2. Co-op shops in Balsall Heath Rd, next to the black patch.

3. Chandos Road, Highgate in between the school and the park.

4. St Albans Conybere St.

5. A fun street sign.

Phil

 

[Pomgolian]

Phil that pic' of Chandos Road is one I haven't got, so thanx for posting it. The amount of times I walked along that bit of street from Dymoke St on my way to school, because 'The Special School George Auden Mosley Rd' was in the same grounds as Chandos Road school and we went through what we called the back gate.

Pom

 

[christy]

great picture,s phil,,well done, when rea, st was closed in 1970, we all had to go to chandos, for 12, month,s to finish off our schooling, there not many photo,s of rea,st out there, thank,s christy

 

[Phil]

For anybody looking for photo's of Balsall Heath & Highgate can I recommend

A book by Sutton Publishing called Balsall Heath and Highgate Past and Present from Alan Hemming and Val Hart it sells at £11.99. ISBN No 0-7509-2917-0. The good news is you should be able to get a pre owned copy from Amazon for as little as £1.50. plus postage if you hurry.

It has many photo's that I have never seen before.

Phil

 

[christy]

phil, nice one, do u order that book on line or is there a book shop? some where, as u know phil i am still the new kid on the block,[learning], have u got the old copy of the same name,1996, ISBN O75240680 9,COMPILED BY marian-baxter & peter-drake,it,s good too,, thank,s phil,, christy

 

[christy]

HI YA PHIL, just look on there book site,it,s down to £1.34, now & they sell it at the british library,s, dose that mean local as well, i took alook inside this book, it,s look,s great,,well done.. christy

 

[malta]

I have a whole lot of pic's of that area, because as I said I lived in Dymoke St. As there would be too many to put on this thread, if any of you would like some copies IM me your email Addy and I will send them to you.

Here's an example
Our Church St Albans and Dad's local The Prince of Wales
View attachment 15205 View attachment 15206

Emily St another of Dad's locals and Our Park Highgate and the Rowton House
View attachment 15207 View attachment 15208


Pom

Hi Pom my husband thought that the Prince of Wales pub wason the corner of Stanhope st and Angelina St,on the opposite corner was a veg shop we kids called 'Dirty Dolly's where we would buy toffee apples and pop sold by the cupful [there would be stains from previous customers] but we were not fussy as kids Health and Safety would have a field day today.A neighbour of my husbands family would leave his pony and cart ouside the Prince of Wales while he was inside he was called Snowy Melling, and he used to sell salad and veg on a barrow outside the Triangle Cinema in Conybere St. do you remember any of this? Malta.

 

[Phil]

phil, nice one, do u order that book on line or is there a book shop? some where, as u know phil i am still the new kid on the block,[learning], have u got the old copy of the same name,1996, ISBN O75240680 9,COMPILED BY marian-baxter & peter-drake,it,s good too,, thank,s phil,, christy

Christy

Go to Amazon and buy the book online, as you say you can get pre-owned copies quite cheap. I would think that with postage it would be less than a fiver, and they get delivered in 2-3 days at the most in the UK.

Phil

 

[catherine]

Hi Jill,
I asked my mum about your grandfather and she can just about recall him being in the shop. I asked her too about Pamela Bates (sorry, I inadvertently referred to her as your cousin in my earlier reply) and she remembers her and Mrs Bates (Pamela's mother)- it strikes me as funny how they all seemed to refer to each other as Mrs So and So! It seems so formal. It was lovely to hear from your cousin, Mary, but sad to hear that her parents have both died. Did you say that you lived in Balsall Heath too?

 

[christy]

TO POM & MALTA,IT,S BRILL LOOKING AT YOUR PIC,S,I AM WAITING FOR MY KID,S TO COME OFF THERE TRIP,S, SO THEY CAN SHOW ME,MALTA WHAT IS i m is that a thread to put my e,mail on,, u know i am not much, good on this,please help,thank,s also did u know margaret,welch from dymoke st, she moved to austrila in the early 60,s, have u herd any think,,all the best,,christy

 

[Pomgolian]

Just been rereading some of the last few posts.... I too was born in 1947 and I also went to Sunday school in the Tin-Tac hut, I remember doing colouring in pictures there and getting the 'Text' every Sunday. I remember the big 'Parades' we had walking with those big 'Banners' around the streets on Palm Sundays and other anniversaries.... I stopped going for a while and Father Peel came to see my Mom to ask why. When Mom said she was not really sure as my brother and sister like going, he asked me .
My reply was that "cus the Nuns changed I wasn't being 'Put Up' and was still in the 'Babbies class'. Seems because I was very small for my age every time a new nun took over the class she thought I was only 5 or under, when in fact by this time I was 7 and about to start Brownies at the Mosley Rd pack.

By the way if you put Dymoke, or Vaughton in the search box at the top of the page you will find other threads about the area. There's one about Dr Wand, did any of you new members go to him?

Pom

 

[malta]

malta
I do sometimes make a mistake, however I am right with this one....
I sat on those steps many times with a Vimto and Crisps while Dad played the piano before Sunday dinnertime.

Well he was almost right, however he most have been thinking of
The Princess of Wales!
Click to read View attachment 15282

There was also a Prince of Wales on Mosley Rd


View attachment 15281
Pom

Thanks for that info Pom. Regards Malta.

 

[Jill]

Hi Jill,
I asked my mum about your grandfather and she can just about recall him being in the shop. I asked her too about Pamela Bates (sorry, I inadvertently referred to her as your cousin in my earlier reply) and she remembers her and Mrs Bates (Pamela's mother)- it strikes me as funny how they all seemed to refer to each other as Mrs So and So! It seems so formal. It was lovely to hear from your cousin, Mary, but sad to hear that her parents have both died. Did you say that you lived in Balsall Heath too?

Hi Catherine,
Yes, I lived in Longmore Street by Dr. Deary's surgery (I have probably incorrectly spelled his name) and the Chocolate Box sweet shop. I went to Mary Street School and Hope Street. Your memories of Balsall Heath are very clear and accurate - I enjoyed reading your post. Many thanks for asking your mom. I wonder what happened to Pamela Bates and her mother?
Jill.

 

[Christina]

Vimto and a packet of crisps with the blue bag! How I remember it, loved the stuff.

I remember Dr Wand. Those times you went to the doctors, and they always seem so old, and you had your medicine from the lady in the what they now call the pharmacy. Remember the thick pink pencillin medicine.

Does anyone remember Winnie Birch in Vaughton Street? I saw tv for the first time in her back room, and shortly after we had a tv. Muffin the Mule, Picture Book, Rag, Tag and Bobtail, Bill and Ben, and not forgetting the biggest talking spotty dog you ever did see in the Woodentops. My granddad thought they could see him and called Sylvia Peters his girlfriend.

In the flat we lived with my nan and granddad were were the only people to have a tv for coronation day and we had so many people in the flat to watch it was bursting. The we had the party in the square.

The nuns at St Albans always terrfied me. Father Hardy was my favourite at the church, he always wore that big hat and they all wore those long black flowing gowns.

Went from St Albans School one day to Wickstead Park, had to go to church first, then we all boared the chara and went off, had a red and white spotted dress especially.

Does anyone remember Carol Summerfield, she lived in Lombard Street, Terry Grey, Douglas Golding, Lynda Ralph, and all those who were born in 1947 and went to St Albans?

Isn't it amazing how things come flooding back when you hear from brummies who remember it all the same as you, and trigger it.

Such happy days.

Chris