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Birchfield Road Perry Barr

My M/in Law lived in Calder Tower on the 13 th floor from 1959-67 and we got married across the road in the Church in 1963
 
mikejee said:
Viv
If the bus was specially for the council officials, then they must have brought their kids, as there seem to be chilfdren looking out of the front left on the top deck
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The service extra were put into service during peak hours to cope with workers leaving work at
 
Astoness said:
cracking shot of birchfield road..looking towards aston lane..can make out the old crown and cushion on the left..the birchfield cinema on the right and the library next to it..the church you can see in aston lane is still there and so are the houses to the left of it but the houses to the right of the church have now gone.


Image below retrieved by Oldmohawk
View attachment 115909
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GREAT picture.....I worked at Bakers on the left while in school and was a Technical Apprentice at Brooke Tool Automation after school just down the road (out of the picture) on the right.
Thank you!
 
Point of interest or sadness the Birchfield underpass is being demolished to make way for the Commonwealth games which I believe is in 2022. Perry Barr railway station is supposedly being ungraded to international standard. The site were the City of Birmingham University was housed has been completely demolished and also the ground opposite has been cleared.
They are building the Commonwealth village there.
Have been trying to remember what the polytechnic name was on that site before becoming a University.
 
It was, of course, the Birchfield Road Schools before they were demolished and the College was built.
I can't remember what it was originally called - North Birmingham Polytechnic maybe? It then became part of the University of Central England (now called Birmingham City University).
 
I was there in 1992 when it was called Birmingham Polytechnic. While I was there it then became the University of Central England.

The original Birmingham Polytechnic was on the campus of Aston University Gosta Green. I had a spell there too.
 
The university of Central England for quite a few years had nursing training on site.
I am not sure if it was their headquarters, but I do remember some Nurse Tutor visiting a student nurse on the unit I worked on, and I vaguely remembered that he was from the UCE.I'm being vague tutors rarely visited the coal face lol
 
Does anyone know the year when the small estate that includes Bragg Road and the western end of The Broadway was built?
On old (1913) OS maps there seems to be a house called 'Birchfields' off Birchfield Road that appears would have been demolished to make way for Bragg Road / The Broadway. Does anyone know anything about the history of that house and when it was demolished.
Many thanks
 
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?
[/QUOTE
There was a sweet shop , my brother and I used to buy my Nan the offcuts of chocolate which was cut from big slabs by hand, the smell was amazing, we’d go on our way to our nan’s for Sunday tea. was amazing in there as a kid, and a little old lady served us and it was dark in there with the outside awning keeping the sweets in the window cool.
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i have managed to get some photos of the chaos going on at perry barr today and will post them later on but all the shops from the subway (which is closed off) to the alleyway of the old crown and cushion has been demolished in the last few days in total 10 shops have gone including what used to be the little crown and cushion pub leaving only 5 shops and the bank which will be next...so sad as these buildings were very old...for now here is a street view of the shops demolished up to where the alley way is to the left of that where it says united shipping is what was the old crown and cushion..


www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
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Astoness said:
i have managed to get some photos of the chaos going on at perry barr today and will post them later on but all the shops from the subway (which is closed off) to the alleyway of the old crown and cushion has been demolished in the last few days in total 10 shops have gone including what used to be the little crown and cushion pub leaving only 5 shops and the bank which will be next...so sad as these buildings were very old...for now here is a street view of the shops demolishe up to where the alley way is to the left of that where it says united shipping is what was the old crown and cushion..


www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
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Such a shame that SO much history has been so quickly dashed!
 
Diane1947 said:
Point of interest or sadness the Birchfield underpass is being demolished to make way for the Commonwealth games which I believe is in 2022. Perry Barr railway station is supposedly being ungraded to international standard. The site were the City of Birmingham University was housed has been completely demolished and also the ground opposite has been cleared.
They are building the Commonwealth village there.
Have been trying to remember what the polytechnic name was on that site before becoming a University.
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When it first opened it was Aston Technical College, transferred from Whitehead Road. I was studying HND Electrical Engineering there up to 1965 and my certificate says Aston Technical College.
 
Astoness said:
i have managed to get some photos of the chaos going on at perry barr today and will post them later on but all the shops from the subway (which is closed off) to the alleyway of the old crown and cushion has been demolished in the last few days in total 10 shops have gone including what used to be the little crown and cushion pub leaving only 5 shops and the bank which will be next...so sad as these buildings were very old...for now here is a street view of the shops demolished up to where the alley way is to the left of that where it says united shipping is what was the old crown and cushion..


www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
Click to expand...

It had got quite run down along there so, to be fair, it will probably look much better when it's all finished.
I knew those shops in the 50s and 60s so well, my mother worked at Wilkes haberdashery before she was married and knew many of the shop owners. I knew one of the men who worked in Dodds as Uncle Rex.
 
Astoness said:
i have managed to get some photos of the chaos going on at perry barr today and will post them later on but all the shops from the subway (which is closed off) to the alleyway of the old crown and cushion has been demolished in the last few days in total 10 shops have gone including what used to be the little crown and cushion pub leaving only 5 shops and the bank which will be next...so sad as these buildings were very old...for now here is a street view of the shops demolished up to where the alley way is to the left of that where it says united shipping is what was the old crown and cushion..


www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
Click to expand...
I didn't realise they were demolishing the shops too.

I lived in the area for a few years in the late 80's & early 90's and drank in the little Crown & Cusion a few times (never in the big one). There was a shop I used a lot that sold baking 'mis-shapes' - not quite round cobs, wonky loaves & cakes - was it to do with Braggs, or Bakers Dozen? And I used the little library as well.

The tower block I lived in was demolished a few years ago. I bet I'd hard placed to see anything familiar now.
 
JudiM said:
I didn't realise they were demolishing the shops too.

I lived in the area for a few years in the late 80's & early 90's and drank in the little Crown & Cusion a few times (never in the big one). There was a shop I used a lot that sold baking 'mis-shapes' - not quite round cobs, wonky loaves & cakes - was it to do with Braggs, or Bakers Dozen? And I used the little library as well.

The tower block I lived in was demolished a few years ago. I bet I'd hard placed to see anything familiar now.
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Yes, there was definitely a 'bargain' bakery shop in that block but I can't remember the name either!
 
Richarddye said:
Such a shame that SO much history has been so quickly dash
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JudiM said:
I didn't realise they were demolishing the shops too.

I lived in the area for a few years in the late 80's & early 90's and drank in the little Crown & Cusion a few times (never in the big one). There was a shop I used a lot that sold baking 'mis-shapes' - not quite round cobs, wonky loaves & cakes - was it to do with Braggs, or Bakers Dozen? And I used the little library as well.

The tower block I lived in was demolished a few years ago. I bet I'd hard placed to see anything familiar now.
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judi it was greggs bargain bakery and was still there up until about 4 years ago...my dad used to jump the bus from newtown every week to shop there..the library has been gone for many years possibly 15 years and the land lain empty and overgrown ever since however work is now going on...really annoyed me to see that library destroyed but over the years i have got used to it...i think the shops either side of the train station will also go as the station is also getting a make over..

lyn
 
Astoness said:
judi it was greggs bargain bakery and was still there up until about 4 years ago...my dad used to jump the bus from newtown every week to shop there..the library has been gone for many years possibly 15 years and the land lain empty and overgrown ever since however work is now going on...really annoyed me to see that library destroyed but over the years i have got used to it...i think the shops either side of the train station will also go as the station is also getting a make over..

lyn
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I thought it was Greggs (or Braggs as it was called back then) but wasn't 100% certain.

Shame about the library. Though it was small, I much preferred it to the Central Library in Town, which I playground dark, dingy & soulless.

That station is well overdue for a makeover! It would be a shame if the shops go too, but not having been to the are for some years, I don't know what condition the buildings are in.
 
Yes I loved the Perry Barr library too. We were taken with Birchfield Road Juniors and shown how to use the card index in the little drawers to look up books.

Remember the reading room on the left hand side of the corridor as you went inside? Usually just men in there, some of them having a doze!
 
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hi judi yes with most of them already gone it looks like the rest of shops and bank will be going...age of the shops i would guess at 1850 ish...however the shops either side of the train station would be no great loss now built in the 1960s.70s and in a right old state

lyn
 
Astoness said:
hi judi yes with most of them already gone it looks like the rest of shops and bank will be going...age of the shops i would guess at 1850 ish...however the shops either side of the train station would be no great loss now built in the 1960s.70s and in a right old state

lyn
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I just remember shabby concrete!
 
Banjo said:
In 1959 I lived 28 Birchfield Road right opposite Mansfield Rd (marked red). It was a big View attachment 99951Georgian type house and must have belonged to someone of note back in the day.
Does anyone remember Harry Bastable's shop? He was a speedway rider in the 40s/50s? and owned the motorcycle shop on Birchfield Rd. I bought a BSA A7 & Sidecar from him in 1963, for £55. Apologies regarding photo position as I can't get the hang of inserting them.
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I wrote this 6 years ago but have since discovered that this house was once known as Mansfield House. When I lived there in 1959 it had been split into two. I lived with a Family in 28A and presumably the timber merchant was 28B Birchfield Road. I made an image from memory of what it sort of looked like at that time. I would really appreciate any info from the Forum on this house as I can't find anything myself online. P.S Finally got the hang of photo positioning.

Mansfield House - 28A Birchfield Rd copy.jpg1959 Birchfield Road.jpg
 
shame the house has gone banjo...i take it you have but just in case we have an extensive thread for birchfield road with many photos..never know one may just show your house..link below

lyn

Birchfield Road Perry Barr

could any one out there please help me find out the history of my shop ? i run the hairdressers on birchfield road perry barr opposite one stop called indigo blue. a few days ago i was looking at old photos of perry barr and saw one of the row of shops which mine is in the middle. i couldn't...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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