Blucher Street

[Moseley Bill]

I can't begin to say how thrilled I am at these photos.

I lived at 2/57 until we were moved for the flatted factory to begin building

The second picture shows a lamp post outside the entry to our 'court' and on the map I can help add some numbers


The red marked building is indeed number 57 and if you bear in mind I wasn't born before the bombing but our house, number 2 was at the lower edge of the plan for the yard.
The row of buildings behind our house was obliterated by the blitz and our house was held up from behind by brick buttresses as seen in the second picture


The house outlined in blue was number 5 and belonged to Mrs Bray, whose granddaughter, Susan tended to me and bought me home crying after I tried to ride my trike backwards down the steps in Gough St!

I'm not sure if I can adapt the plan and post it here, I never tried but I will.

I'd like to show you how much of that vast housing area was left in 1950 or so.

 

[Moseley Bill]

This set of pictures my mom took a huge long time ago show our home in the distance because Jimmy and I were building houses out of spare bricks which mom thought more important, Jimmy McFadden was my cousin.


You can see how much of the housing stock was left, our house on the right and Mrs Bray's on the left, the only others I can remember actually living in the place were 'Uncle'Alec and 'Aunty Nell down stairs behind the paling fence just as you got through the entry to the left.

They were moved out to Shard End and we often visited them in the later years.

That is mom's washing on the line in picture 1.

The other two pictures were me, of course, and Robert Lynch playing with 'the box' and my dog Bruce outside number 5, Mrs Bray's step.

Bruce was the best dog in the world, and one night he proved it when I was scratched in bed and called out to mom.

She called him upstairs and he dived into the bed and dragged a huge rat out from under the covers.

I love that dog to this day.


I wont mutilate the map, you can clearly see that nothing of Marshall Street survived

 

[Vivienne14]

Just a little sunshine breaking through an alleyway Blucher Street.

Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Moseley Bill]

I wonder where that alley was Vivienne and when it was taken, not sure I'd believe 1963, we were all out of our bit before the Coronation.

So close to the event in fact that Val and I (my little sis) didn't get a coronation mug or any other souvenir, nobody knew we were coming to the estate but we were allowed to sit in the party and eat jellies and such feeling like the strangers at the feast.

 

[Astoness]

hi bill...just wondering what makes you question that vivs photo taken from the newpaper was 1963...what year was you thinking?...the street was certainly still there and being lived in in 1965 as one of our members states on post 28 of this thread..the alley or entry could be anywhere in the street...no clues except for the lampost situated in the yard

lyn

 

[brummy-lad]

An aerial view of Blucher Street dated 1935.

 

[Astoness]

john which is blucher st and what is the st or road running across the top please....im trying to get my bearings so i can compere with the map on post 31...thanks

lyn

 

[brummy-lad]

john which is blucher st and what is the st or road running across the top please....im trying to get my bearings so i can compere with the map on post 31...thanks

lyn

Hi Lyn, the road across the top is Suffolk Street, the synagogue is on Blucher Street and the street to the left of the synagogue is Severn Street

 

[brummy-lad]

Map turned to match the aerial shot

 

[Moseley Bill]

hi bill...just wondering what makes you question that vivs photo taken from the newpaper was 1963...what year was you thinking?...the street was certainly still there and being lived in in 1965 as one of our members states on post 28 of this thread..the alley or entry could be anywhere in the street...no clues except for the lampost situated in the yard

lyn

Hiya Lyn, yes I know Blucher St was still in occupation up the hill, I even wandered down it during my stupid sessions of playing the wag but I was not so sure about the gas lamps, is all.

Its obviously on a flatter piece than 2/57 too and on consideration the kids seem to be wearing long trousers which does help place the photo at a probably later date.

I sometimes wonder if my dad used the Craven Arms or not, I know he was a lifelong member of the Labour Party and used the Labour club on Bristol St/Horse Fair when we lived there.

He didn't use St Catharine's though very often, so we had to walk along the marshalling yard by the cut to go to St Peter's on Sunday morning.

After Mass we would walk down Broad St and Easy Row and head for the news-stalls outside the station in Hill St so he could pick up the papers from home, the Sunday Post and the Sunday Mail maybe even a comic for me if he had jinglies in his pocket after putting his tanner on the plate at St Pete's.

Then up to Suffolk St and that steep old climb up Gough St home for breakfast.

I hope I haven't upset Viv or you with my query by the way, just my head fills with stuff to jettison at times.

 

[Astoness]

Hiya Lyn, yes I know Blucher St was still in occupation up the hill, I even wandered down it during my stupid sessions of playing the wag but I was not so sure about the gas lamps, is all.

Its obviously on a flatter piece than 2/57 too and on consideration the kids seem to be wearing long trousers which does help place the photo at a probably later date.

I sometimes wonder if my dad used the Craven Arms or not, I know he was a lifelong member of the Labour Party and used the Labour club on Bristol St/Horse Fair when we lived there.

He didn't use St Catharine's though very often, so we had to walk along the marshalling yard by the cut to go to St Peter's on Sunday morning.

After Mass we would walk down Broad St and Easy Row and head for the news-stalls outside the station in Hill St so he could pick up the papers from home, the Sunday Post and the Sunday Mail maybe even a comic for me if he had jinglies in his pocket after putting his tanner on the plate at St Pete's.

Then up to Suffolk St and that steep old climb up Gough St home for breakfast.

I hope I haven't upset Viv or you with my query by the way, just my head fills with stuff to jettison at times.

hi bill absolutely you have not upset us...i just wondered if maybe you knew something we didnt

i am really enjoying reading your memories of this street and your family photos have made a great addition to this thread...carry on posting bill

lyn

 

[Vivienne14]

Not upset Bill. Thank you for your great contributions.