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Birmingham Films And Videos

After the Richard Trengrouse Tour of Historical Digbeth I found on YouTube I've come up with one by Ben Waddington. It seems to have been filmed in December 2008. Apologies if you've all seen it before but it's new to me. Interestingly he takes a swipe at The Crown's claims re oldest pub etc.

 
Don't know if this has been on before, but wonder if Lynn knows where it was .Full title reads: "B'Ham. Five Weeks Up The Pole?". Hockley, Birmingham. GV Zoom in to John Stokes in a barrel at the top of a pole. CU Stokes as he waves. CU Man on telephone. SV Ditto, camera pans up to shohttps://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44200w Stokes on phone in barrel CU Stokes talking on telephone. CU Man on ground putting tea pot and cup into bucket.https://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44200
 
Astonite Ray Barrett may know as I remember him putting one on with his nan climbing the pole?. Just looked and it is a different one Astonite. Jean.
 
Lovely! I recognised most of the places, but not all....

In the same set of videos was Steampacket, with Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll, Long John Baldry and Brian Auger. I saw them at Aston University (then the CAT) around 1966, and Julie Driscoll on her own at The Elbow Room a while later.

Big Gee
 
Great photos. Many of these I remember as if it was only yesterday! One I can't place is the one of the Stationery Office. Is it Steelhouse Lane? Viv.
 
Can anyone remember the name of the shop in the row by Aston station. The old furniture shop next to Aston Wallpaper House. I had a Saturday job there, but I'm buggered if I can remember the name of it.
 
The bus that is the second slide in the show came as a shock for me, the man on the upper deck looking at, presumably the cameraman is my dad!!!!! I did at the time I first saw it email Mark Norton and he sent me the original picture that he had scanned from a slide which had much better definition.
 
Zambodini said:
Can anyone remember the name of the shop in the row by Aston station. The old furniture shop next to Aston Wallpaper House. I had a Saturday job there, but I'm buggered if I can remember the name of it.
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It was the one in the Rod Stewart youtube clip. In your photo, it was just past the car travelling south. I worked there for a short while in 1965/6 on Saturday mornings

Sorry, I meant to use Astonite's post for the quote
 
Great films, Ragga. 1958 was bang in the middle of the 'first' big post-war rebuild of Brum, and judging by the content of the films I wonder if whoever shot them had some kind of professional interest in the rebuilding. The films have a strange, dream-like quality too. Not a foreign car to be seen, and not a single hard-hat on any of the building-sites! One thing which struck me looking at the films is how hilly the centre of Brum is - something I never realised until I had bad legs and became a bit less mobile. I wonder if I was dropped back in time to 1958 I'd be able to find my way around my home town.

Big Gee
 
Not too many worries about 'elf 'n safety then, was there?
It's a wonder any of us survived but, surprisingly, we did!
Lovely films Ragga.
 
Thank you ragga, my favourite fountain was by the Hall of Memory, in film 1. There were'nt so many huge hoardings around the workings then as there are today.
rosie.
 
The brief glimpse of the steam train at the end of part three is that of the Scot: Kings Own number 46161. Scrapped on the last day of 1963.
 
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G G Jean said:
Thanks Ragga enjoyed that. That chap in the road painting blue lines and the cars inches away from him.
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This event was quite noticeable and brought a wry smile to my face. Today, of course, it would mean numerous warning signs, barriers and probably temporary traffic lights followed by road chaos and rage.

The four videos were very interesting to me: 1958 being four years after my move from Solihull to Devon. It seems to herald the sweeping away of many familiar landmarks in the City. I can't be critical of Birmingham; many towns and cities have also done the same.

Some cities, such as Coventry and Plymouth were so devastated after the bombings of WW2 that there was no option, in the eyes of UK planners, but to rebuild to new designs. This contrasts with some eastern European countries who have rebuilt their historic parts of their devastated cities to look as they had before the destructions.
 
Great films Ragga enjoyed Watching, strange seeing adverts for Woodbines an the old telephone code of Victoria, on some of the signs and biilboards. thanks for sharing, all the best formula t
 
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