Hello Im a new member. I lived at 2 Melbourne Terrace Bridge Street West from about 1952 until 1961 or so. There were I think ten houses in the terrace, all the toilets at far end and a brew house as well. Coming out of the terrace turning to the left in a few yards there was the Queens Head pub. A little further on there was the Lucas factory. Turning to the right there was a small grocer shop which sold everything, another terrace and a school - the name of which I forget. I used to attend play centre at the school on some evenings. I remember just a little celebrating the coronation all crowding into one house that had a television. I remember the Queen visiting the Lucas factory and a great mass of us gathering outside to wave flags. My worst memory is seeing the death of a little girl who ran out into the road from the terrace and was run over by a corporation bus which was coming down Bridge Street I think to collect workers from Lucas' - a terrible event. I went to school in Handsworth to St Francis school. We moved from Hockley to Burlington Street in Aston in about 1961 and I lived there until I left home in 1966. I have fond memories of some of those who lived in the terrace - the Wilkins family (the father had some kind of factory and the house was always full of assembly work) the Traynors (who moved baack to Scotland) and the Overys. Mixed in with memories of cold and some hardship I have such good memories of days in Bridge Street West.
Hi Michael,
I lived the other end of Bridge St West right next door to St Saviour's church. There was a narrow alleyway just before the church called 'Cottage Row.' Going down, there were outside toilets and then five small houses on either side with a 'brew house' at the end. I was born there at no 3 in 1946 and the family moved to a brand new council estate called 'Ley Hill Farm' in Northfield in 1954.
Although I would be only 7 or 8 at the time, I remember that tragic accident when the little toddler was killed. After that, our parents then drummed it into us that if we played in the 'horse road' as it was known back then, we would be kept in from playing for the rest of the week.
There was also the death of an 11 year old boy called Frankie Thacker who lived up our end. He went with another boy and his father on a fishing trip to some canal in the countryside. They must have got bored and so went off exploring. Sadly, when crossing back and forth across the various locks, Frankie fell in and drowned.
The school you're thinking of if it was towards the Lucas factory was Burbury St Junior Infants. I went there from Jan 1951 until we left in 1954. It later became a secondary school and was renamed the 'Harry Lucas School'.
Similar to you, I remember the 1953 coronation because my father actually managed to buy a TV so that friends and family could watch it. The screen was about 9" square ! Until the novelty wore off, we would buy a bag of rocks (sweets) and watch anything.......including a really boring progamme called 'The Brains Trust' !
I've got DVD's in black and white of Andy Pandy, The Flowerpot Men, and The Woodentops. When I try to show them to my young grand children, they're bewildered that anyone would want to watch such rubbish, and they keep asking what has gone wrong with the colour.
Regards.....Trevor.