• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Bow Street, Horsefair

rowan

rowan

Born a Brummie
In 1911 Horace Herbert and family were living at 29 Bow St.
(thanks to Lloyd for that info)

In 1925 Horace was residing at 10 back of 26 Bristol Street (he died in April that year)

Has anyone a map of this area please? :)
 
Rowan
I attach map showing 29 Bow St in blue and no 26 Bristol st in red. You can see the entry just below no 26 going into the court behind. I'm pretty certain of these identifications. No idea which was no 10 in the court though.
Mike

no_26_Bristol_st_29_Bow_st_c_1910.jpg
 
Bow Street, looking towards Windmill St
this is a photo of the building I first started work at in 1961, this photo is from 1956 but G.W.Stokes shopfitters took over the old clothing factory not long after and I worked for them for 18 years. Incredibly the building survived and is still there to this day and the only old building surrounded by modern construction inc the Sentinel tower and a new development right next door. and I've often wondered how this happened.

My workshop was on the top floor and right opposite the Catholic school, if we had no work to do we used to make paper planes and launch them out the window, all the kids on the top floor used to start watching and waving until the teacher pulled down the blinds! when the school and church were demolished we had a panoramic view right across townbow1956.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here is another photo showing Bow St looking towards Irving St. The Stokes building is on the right and the Catholic school on the left, this is exactly how I remember it was in 1961, the building on the far right was originally a pub. Just out of sight at the far end of the photo was Little Bow street, a wonderful short street with steps down to Bristol StBow st.jpg
 
Last edited:
izzy i have a couple more photos of bow st if you would like to see them i am happy to post them ?

lyn
 
Here is a current Google Earth pic of Bow St, I expect the new buildings may be completed now. The Stokes building looks very overshadowed by all the other modern buildings, those new apartments are actually joined on to itspace.jpg
 
Last edited:
izzy eckerslike said:
Here is another photo showing Bow St looking towards Irving St. The Stokes building is on the right and the Catholic school on the left, this is exactly how I remember it was in 1961, the building on the far right was originally a pub. Just out of sight at the far end of the photo was Little Bow street, a wonderful short stView attachment 148397reet with steps down to Bristol St
Click to expand...
I worked around the corner at A T Gittins in Irving st, later demolished to build the 'Night Out'. I remember the the 'new' catholic church being built in 1963/4

Great pictures by the way.
 
Fantastic photo's Lyn,
even more exiting for me is you can see on one photo the lettering ' G.W.Stokes' shopfitters and their lorry parked outside!, I may well have been in the building when that photo was taken! it also shows what was once a pub on the corner and also the first photo I've seen that shows the top of the steps to Little Bow St
 
Last edited:
thought you would like the one showing the name stokes izzy...i agree it certainly looks like there was a pub on that corner with bow st...wonder if anyone can help us with that.will see what i can find out

lyn
 
Hello Bob,

Stokes used to do all of Gittins repairs, decorating etc. I remember burning off the paint on the windows outside and painting it a Maroon colour, you must have been there then! We used to do the decorating etc at one of their houses as well. I remember going many times to the family house in Somerset road when they first bought it and years after. This must have been Gittins Son? I don't recall any old members of the Gittins family

When we were doing the offices inside as we kept telling the girls jokes and Mr Gittins told us off for distracting them :joy:

I seem to remember another premises of theirs in Aston I think?
 
There must be info on that pub Lyn, I remember the older workmates mentioned it was a bit rough inside.
Seeing the photo of Stokes with the lorry outside reminded me of one of it's drivers called Ted, he must have been an alcoholic and when taking us to a job loaded up with steps & ladders he used to stop, run in a pub and have a quick half and then drive on. He used to tootle along really slow and hold up the traffic but I don't recall he got caught.
 
Last edited:
athough taken well before your time izzy the pub was then called the wheatsheaf..not sure if it was called that in your day..i am also moving this thread from misc snaps to the streets section of the forum..

lyn

Horsefair Wheatsheaf Bow St Horsefair.jpg
 
Last edited:
izzy eckerslike said:
Hello Bob,

Stokes used to do all of Gittins repairs, decorating etc. I remember burning off the paint on the windows outside and painting it a Maroon colour, you must have been there then! We used to do the decorating etc at one of their houses as well. I remember going many times to the family house in Somerset road when they first bought it and years after. This must have been Gittins Son? I don't recall any old members of the Gittins family

When we were doing the offices inside as we kept telling the girls jokes and Mr Gittins told us off for distracting them :joy:

I seem to remember another premises of theirs in Aston I think?
Click to expand...
Barry and John Gittins were in charge when i was there.

I also worked at there other site: U.M.E.D.S. (Universal, Magneto, Electrical and Diesel services), they were on Aston road north at the junction of Avenue road.
 
An interesting thread, a lot of facts in a short space of time.
There must be a sound reason why that building has survived, good to see it still there amongst the newer structures.
There is more here and a late 19th. century map.

Bow Street- Brick Warehouse

Hi, Just joined the Forum!. I work at Keane Brands at 6-10 Bow Street B1 1DW and we are trying to find out more about our building and the land directly around. The building is a 4 floor brick warehouse and one of very few surviving pre 60s buildings in this area. It is just down from the...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Hello Lyn,
I never saw the Wheatsheaf building when it was a pub, that's strange name for a pub in the middle of the city. The link that Radiorails posted sounds to me like it's the Stokes building which must have been taken over by Keane Brands after Stokes moved to Droitwich long after I had left.
I can remember the interior vividly, the worn wooden steps leading to the first flooor, an old clocking in machine at the bottom. wide stone steps up to each floor and toilets on one floor only. What would have been the Ladies toilet was presumably a room at the top floor which Stokes had turned into a paint stores. Parts of all the floors were like concrete with sections of Parquet wood blocks like you would find in a weaving mill, to prevent vibration from machinery I presume
 
Last edited:
The name "Wheatsheaf" was not uncommon, it seems, for inner city pubs in Birmingham. I understand there was one on Dudley Road/junct. Icknield Port Road until demolition in 2009 and another in Suffolk Street, which closed in 1960 and another in Latimer Street.
 
I didn't get a chance to go in that pub but just down Windmill street and round the corner was the El Sombrero cafe right next to the Catholic school on Bristol St, if we had no work at Stokes and the 'gaffer' was out we used to sneak out by jumping out of the loading door on the first floor and go play on the Pinball machines :cool: then one of us would sneak back in and lower a short ladder for the rest of us
Horse Fair El Sombrero 1961 .jpgEl Sombrero Cafe.jpg
 
I worked in Bow Street at Boulton & Paul a small branch of B & P who if I remember correctly were involved in aircraft manufacture or parts - this would be in 1954 I only worked there for a few months.
 
sylviasayers said:
I worked in Bow Street at Boulton & Paul a small branch of B & P who if I remember correctly were involved in aircraft manufacture or parts - this would be in 1954 I only worked there for a few months.
Click to expand...

Can you remember which end of the street it was? it's a very short street so I wonder which building it might have been
 
According to the 1055 Kellys the branch of Boulton Paul there were Wire netting manufacturers, though other parts were aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturers.. the numbering and maps do not make it clear to me definitely where the firm was
 
Looking at Google today, on the corner of Bow Street and Windmill street is a new development called Axium, which is going to create 304 new apartments. Where is the space for that number? Where will all the residents park their cars? Utter madness! The traffic at Smallbrook Ringway is already a daily nightmare- imagine what it will be like in the future. What is wrong with Birmingham's planners?! Rant over!
 
Alf Rogers said:
Looking at Google today, on the corner of Bow Street and Windmill street is a new development called Axium, which is going to create 304 new apartments. Where is the space for that number? Where will all the residents park their cars? Utter madness! The traffic at Smallbrook Ringway is already a daily nightmare- imagine what it will be like in the future. What is wrong with Birmingham's planners?! Rant over!
Click to expand...
Who said they'll be driving cars?
 
Bob Johnson said:
Who said they'll be driving cars?
Click to expand...
Can you be sure they won't all be driving cars? It's the unknown factor. Planning should be all about planning for every eventuality. You can be damn sure the planners haven't considered the impact on transport and congestion in the locality.
 
Alf Rogers said:
Can you be sure they won't all be driving cars? It's the unknown factor. Planning should be all about planning for every eventuality. You can be damn sure the planners haven't considered the impact on transport and congestion in the locality.
Click to expand...
Car transport is frowned upon in Birmingham. We have too many cars in the city and Birmingham planners take a positive view towards developers who build houses without any provision for car parking. If a new development is within easy walking distance of public transport, shops and other amenities then provision for the motor car on new developments will be severely restricted or banned.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top