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Birchfield Road Perry Barr

A Sparks said:
Those flats were demolished some years ago now. I do remember them but not sure about the parking, I suspect not though, not so many people had cars when they were built in the 60's - perhaps someone else will know?
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i knew someone who lived in them pretty sure there was parking at the back..not many cars about when they were built but i bet it got a bit crowded as the years went by
 
A Sparks said:
Those flats were demolished some years ago now. I do remember them but not sure about the parking, I suspect not though, not so many people had cars when they were built in the 60's - perhaps someone else will know?
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Do you know by chance why they were demolished? Does not seen like they lasted very long!
 
As far as I remember there were no specific car parks for these flats. I had to visit a number of the flats up to 1992 as part of my job and often parked in nearby side roads to avoid the wrath of residents
 
I would say it is, yes.
The first picture shows my old junior school Birchfield Road in the background.
I believe the tram terminal was by the row of shops just past where the railway line goes underneath, the second photo shows the same pub on the right, The Crown and Cushion (the small Victorian one, not the big 1930s pub on the other side of the road, at the junction of Birchfield and Wellington Roads).
 
My great great grandfather was Richard Hooper Allen who was a master jeweller in Birmingham jewellery quarter. He and his wife Hilda Allen lived at 'Lansdown' or 'Lansdowne' 231 Birchfield Road Handsworth in the early 20th century. I understand the houses in Birchfield Road were large detached Victorian houses. Lansdown I know had a coach house / garage attached. Could you tell me when these houses in Birchfield Road were demolished? I understand a fly-over road was built where they originally stood. Do you know if there are any photographs in any archives of the large Victorian houses that once stood in Birchfield Road?
 
There is a good thread covering Birchfield Road, it may be of help.

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
 
Steelewilson said:
My great great grandfather was Richard Hooper Allen who was a master jeweller in Birmingham jewellery quarter. He and his wife Hilda Allen lived at 'Lansdown' or 'Lansdowne' 231 Birchfield Road Handsworth in the early 20th century. I understand the houses in Birchfield Road were large detached Victorian houses. Lansdown I know had a coach house / garage attached. Could you tell me when these houses in Birchfield Road were demolished? I understand a fly-over road was built where they originally stood. Do you know if there are any photographs in any archives of the large Victorian houses that once stood in Birchfield Road?
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The fly-over has now been demolished in a weekend in February 2021. It was 50 years old. So I think the houses on the site must have gone before then.
 
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Stokkie said:
The fly-over has now been demolished in a weekend in February 2021. It was 50 years old. So I think the houses on the site must have gone before then.
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Thank you Derek. I am still astonished as to why so many structures and building are demolished at 50 years old! Is that because that forward thinking/planning at the time was not good or that the quality of the construction necessitated that? In either case that is extremely wasteful and expensive.
 
Richard Dye said:
Thank you Derek. I am still astonished as to why so many structures and building are demolished at 50 years old! Is that because that forward thinking/planning at the time was not good or that the quality of the construction necessitated that? In either case that is extremely wasteful and expensive.
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Richard.
The car increasingly dominated the planners' 'vision' if one can call it that 50 years ago. The pedestrian underpasses became dangerous. Often the concrete structures were either not properly finished or not maintained. John Maiden's Central Library was intended to be clad in limestone or marble, but was left as raw concrete. An old work colleague wept when the Perry Barr fly-over was demolished, but I guess this was the end of the Perry Barr she had known since a child. Houses are planned for the site. Other than the Rotunda and some Catholic churches the modernist Brutalist Birmingham phase isn't generally loved. Lots of high structures are being constructed in the city centre, will they last more than 50 years? Derek
 
Steelewilson said:
My great great grandfather was Richard Hooper Allen who was a master jeweller in Birmingham jewellery quarter. He and his wife Hilda Allen lived at 'Lansdown' or 'Lansdowne' 231 Birchfield Road Handsworth in the early 20th century. I understand the houses in Birchfield Road were large detached Victorian houses. Lansdown I know had a coach house / garage attached. Could you tell me when these houses in Birchfield Road were demolished? I understand a fly-over road was built where they originally stood. Do you know if there are any photographs in any archives of the large Victorian houses that once stood in Birchfield Road?
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Maps showing #231 and an aerial view of the houses, very much enlarged and hence poor resolution unfortunately.
 

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Stokkie said:
Richard.
The car increasingly dominated the planners' 'vision' if one can call it that 50 years ago. The pedestrian underpasses became dangerous. Often the concrete structures were either not properly finished or not maintained. John Maiden's Central Library was intended to be clad in limestone or marble, but was left as raw concrete. An old work colleague wept when the Perry Barr fly-over was demolished, but I guess this was the end of the Perry Barr she had known since a child. Houses are planned for the site. Other than the Rotunda and some Catholic churches the modernist Brutalist Birmingham phase isn't generally loved. Lots of high structures are being constructed in the city centre, will they last more than 50 years? Derek
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Thank you again Derek! What is so shameful and it is shameful is that that there are other places to look to clear their vision and my observation is they just will not consider other developments proving successful! Traffic movement and structures in the US while great have been standing and more functional is really severe weather particularly in the Northern States.
Having said that every few years we get a strong storm in the Mississippi Delta and everything floods and gets rebuilt. I am serving on a Board with an attorney colleague who worked on the financing of the most recent rebuild in the Delta, I suggested to him “why don’t they work with Dutch, they know how to handle water” he smiled and said (paraphrasing) that would take their power away! Is seems like that is what it is really all about!
 
Steelewilson said:
My great great grandfather was Richard Hooper Allen who was a master jeweller in Birmingham jewellery quarter. He and his wife Hilda Allen lived at 'Lansdown' or 'Lansdowne' 231 Birchfield Road Handsworth in the early 20th century. I understand the houses in Birchfield Road were large detached Victorian houses. Lansdown I know had a coach house / garage attached. Could you tell me when these houses in Birchfield Road were demolished? I understand a fly-over road was built where they originally stood. Do you know if there are any photographs in any archives of the large Victorian houses that once stood in Birchfield Road?
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gut feeling but i think no 231 is one of the houses that lay back in photo 2 below. or may even be on photo 1..note the curved road and the tram heading towards trinity road which looking at the map is about right...just a guess but these houses are certainly not there now and they do look rather grand and also look detached..just a pity this can not be confirmed at the moment but here is a map which shows the bend in the road as seen in photo 2thumbnail (55).jpeg

lyn

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Using the brilliant nls website it appears No. 231 would have been between the 2 blocks of flats/apartments known as Penshurst Avenue.
 

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Two threads about Birchfield Road have been merged, there may now be previously unseen posts in this thread.
 
brummy-lad said:
Using the brilliant nls website it appears No. 231 would have been between the 2 blocks of flats/apartments known as Penshurst Avenue.
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yes thanks john..thats about where i would put 231...bet they were wonderful houses with large front gardens

lyn
 
brummy-lad said:
Yes Lyn and plenty of garden too, so much garden that they were able to build the flats and put a road in to access them. Looks like the houses that the gardens backed on to are still there though (Earlsbury Gardens).
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yes just edited my post adding about the large front gardens john...sad the houses were demolished but as we all know if they are in the way thats it...

lyn
 
A Sparks said:
The flats which were supposed to be the Commonwealth Games village are still standing empty!

www.bbc.co.uk

Birmingham Perry Barr athletes' village flats still empty

Birmingham Perry Barr athletes' village flats still empty
www.bbc.co.uk
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easy to shift the blame on other things but the fact remains that it was never used as the athletes village as proposed and yet it still lies empty when people like my daughters friend who is a single mom and works hard for the NHS has been shunted from hostel to hostel for 5 years..i just dont understand it at all

lyn
 
The link explains why they are not occupied. the council AND WHOEVER ELSE STANDS TO PROFIT i strying to get too much for them, so people cannot get a mortgage . They should be rented out to those who need them. AND No further housing should be permitted to be built unless it is either for rent at a reasonable rent or to be sold at an affordable price.
 
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