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Birchfield Road Perry Barr

I am beginning to hate iPads with predictive text, I was halfway through writing ...What a superb picture, picture two is as an awareness of British cars, but also note thr range which shows the growing affluence and eventually led to all those buses in Pic 3 not being needed for a few years, superb pictures
Bob
 
Walsallie said:
Does anyone remember the shop just before the railway bridge, opposite Dodds ironmongers where it supplied hot Vimto in thick glasses with a straw. ver so dingy inside ?
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Hi Walsallie, The first two pics below show the shops directly opposite Dodds and the third pic show shops north of the station towards the greyhound track entrance
oldmohawk
1_Millwards.JPG
1959BirchfieldRd.JPG
PerryBarrN.jpg
(images from the library of Birmingham)
 
I seem to remember there was a sweet shop in the block opposite Dodds?
Can't remember if they did hot Vimto though.

Re Wallsallie's mention of the Clarkes shoe shop - would it have been on the corner of the block that used to exist between Aston Lane and the Library, before they widened Birchfield Road for the underpass?
 
oldMohawk said:
Hi Bob, you can't hate an iPad !
What I do is to type it in 'Notes', check it for errors, then copy and paste it in my post.
oldmohawk
Sent from my iPad ... :)
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You can take the predictive txt off in settings but to be honest I usually find it quite useful, it certainly teaches you to check your post before posting or to edit with ease :)
 
A Sparks said:
I seem to remember there was a sweet shop in the block opposite Dodds?
Can't remember if they did hot Vimto though.

Re Wallsallie's mention of the Clarkes shoe shop - would it have been on the corner of the block that used to exist between Aston Lane and the Library, before they widened Birchfield Road for the underpass?
Click to expand...

At the risk of being proved wrong (again...!) Clarkes' was indeed the shoe shop on the corner of Aston Lane and Birchfield Road. It sticks in my mind because even when I was at primary school I had outsize plates, and Clarkes was the only local place that catered. I remember one of the assistants was called Sylvia, and a member of the congregation at All Souls Witton, Wenlock Road.

G
 
In 1955 n0 335-7 Birchfield Road (corner of aston Lane & Birchfield Road) was England's smart shoes Ltd.
 
Thought so Mike. My aunt worked there and my shoes as a very young child came from there. Viv.
 
Well, I said I was taking a risk and I was wrong again....oh well. England's it was, of course. But I am stretching my memory back more than 60 years. Time for nice lie-down, I think.

G
 
Very often some shoe shops almost branded themselves as Clarkes, even though they were not Clarkes, so it might be the one you were thinking of
 
Walsallie said:
The yard at the back of Wilkins Chemist was a warehouse for the chemist shops all over Birmingham owned by Mr A D Norton. There were 39 branches to be stocked from here and above the retail shop. An old carpenter named Mr. Medlam also had a workshop in this yard so there was a lot of traffic up and down in the 50s and 60sMr. Norton's chauffeur used to drive the Bentley up Crown Avenue, what a feat that was as there was a stone half pillar on each side. Mr. Lockley was very careful and never marked it. The old man used to arrive in a star boater and blazer with a fag in his mouth and ash dropping off all over the warehouse floor. Wonder it never all went up in flames. It was taken over by R Weston Chemists from Sheffield.
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Before I went to school Mom bought a two wheeled wicker shopping trolley from somewhere at the back of Crown Avenue. I wonder if your Mr. Medlam made it ? I used to ride in it on the daily shopping trip to Perry Barr. Think I had to walk back though
 
The only image I know of which shows the shoe shop on the corner in Birchfield Road. I do not know the date but notice the pedestrian crossings are not zebra crossings and the cars would also probably help to date it. The image is not very clear but the name on the shop appears to be 'Englands'.
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Hi Walsallie, I remember that little cafe near the railway station, when I was at Aston Commercial we used to go to Holford Drive (I think) for sports and on the way home we used to visit that little cafe for our weekly Vimto. It was very dingy inside but we loved our Vimto. Never heard anyone mention it since.
 
The two banks on Birchfield Rd.
Barclays on the corner of Aston Lane.
Barclays.JPG

Municipal on the corner of The Broadway.
Municipal.JPG
 
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Still there and still recognisable Lyn. Although the ground floor frontage seems to have been rebuilt/refaced. Now a TSB. Viv.
 

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thanks viv and phil...i should have known really as i pass there often enough...must keep my eyes open more
 
There was a Lloyd's Bank between The Broadway and Bragg Road. I don't know when it opened, but it closed maybe 25 years ago. It was my bank, and everything was moved to the Witton branch next to the main gates of IMI on Brookvale Road.

G
 
oldMohawk said:
The only image I know of which shows the shoe shop on the corner in Birchfield Road. I do not know the date but notice the pedestrian crossings are not zebra crossings and the cars would also probably help to date it. The image is not very clear but the name on the shop appears to be 'Englands'.
View attachment 109939
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Been trying to date this the Zebra crossing was trialled at a 100 sites in 1949 and became statute law in 1951. The car outside the Barclays Bank is a Standard Vanguard Mk1, no rear wheel cover introduced in 1948. All the other cars are1946 onwards, so possibly the picture is 1949. Onwards, can anyone pull up any reg nod?
Bob
 
Big Gee said:
At the risk of being proved wrong (again...!) Clarkes' was indeed the shoe shop on the corner of Aston Lane and Birchfield Road. It sticks in my mind because even when I was at primary school I had outsize plates, and Clarkes was the only local place that catered. I remember one of the assistants was called Sylvia, and a member of the congregation at All Souls Witton, Wenlock Road.

Big Gee, "Sylvia" I believe was Sylvia Southall from All Souls. Regards. willey
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Big Gee said:
There was a Lloyd's Bank between The Broadway and Bragg Road. I don't know when it opened, but it closed maybe 25 years ago. It was my bank, and everything was moved to the Witton branch next to the main gates of IMI on Brookvale Road.
G
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Lloyd's Bank can be seen in the second pic in post#487 behind the bus stop.
 
Post 458 shows the number 3 tram, the 3x ran from Witton into town. If trams travelled along Aston Lane maybe 3 was on its way to Villa Park?
 
Big Gee said:
There was a Lloyd's Bank between The Broadway and Bragg Road. I don't know when it opened, but it closed maybe 25 years ago. It was my bank, and everything was moved to the Witton branch next to the main gates of IMI on Brookvale Road.

G
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Yes, the Lloyds was my bank too - my parents open a savings account for me as a child - not sure if I've still got it?!
 
Onceabrummie said:
Been trying to date this the Zebra crossing was trialled at a 100 sites in 1949 and became statute law in 1951. The car outside the Barclays Bank is a Standard Vanguard Mk1, no rear wheel cover introduced in 1948. All the other cars are1946 onwards, so possibly the picture is 1949. Onwards, can anyone pull up any reg nod?
Bob
Click to expand...

The car bottom left in the picture appears to be a Ford Mk1 either Cortina or more likely Zephyr, they weren't launched until 1951 so it has to be after that, my first thoughts when the picture was posted was mid 50s.

Ps. the car next to it is a Ford 100E Anglia/Prefect, the were launched in 1953.
 
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