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Broad Street

  • Thread starter Thread starter rianne1974
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paul i think everything seemed bigger when we were kids...every time i go down the old end villa street looks much smaller now and yet i remember it as going on forever...

lyn
 
Yes, it was the same with my old school Lyn, seemed really tiny when I went back as an old man, yet when young it seemed massive.
paul
 
same with villa st paul...when i stand at the bottom of nursery road and look up i cant beleive how they fit so many houses in the space...mind you in those days they were all right next to each other..bit like sardines in a can..lol..
 
This is a photo of Broad Street taken in 1953, I believe it is near the junction with Bridge St. Can anybody tell me what the square tower is that can be made out over the roofline. I assume it has some connection with the canal wharf, but can anybody define it better for me?

Phil

8fb0c937.jpg
 
That's where the Hyatt Hotel is now. Gas Street Basin is behind.

Whatever it is, it isn't there now.

Could it be on Gas Street where ITV Central is based now?
 
No Gas Street would be further up Broad St behind the photographer, it looks to me as if the structure was in Bridge St or quite close to it.

Phil
 
That is Broad St close to easy row I think. The building with the columns in the background is still there or was at the time of GE photo's. That could be the tower of Curzon Hall in Suffolk Street on the right a rare sighting if it is. 30s dating maybe. Council house dome in the distance. Maybe the old wharf was behind the buildings on the right still then. Not sure when the water and wharfs were levelled and built on.
 
I agree with you Phil, it seems to be on Bridge St. In the late 1800s about there was the Aetna (or Etna) glasssworks. This could have had ornamental architecture, but am guessing .
 
"Etna Lighting" were electrical contractors in the 60s they had a shop on the corner of Bridge St and Broad St latter to move to a new building at the top of Grosvenor St and Buck St which was then used by N.G.Baileys now demolished. Dek
 
You might already know this, but if not just for info on the Aetna Glassworks:

According to the Centro Midland Metro Phase 1 extensions assessment document dated 16 March 2009 the Aetna Glassworks, established in 1836/37, was still there in 2009 and:

"The Aetna Glassworks was situated to the south of Broad Street, adjacent to Gas Street Basin"

and

"is a locally listed building although even this factory had its furnace dismantled in the 1920s. The glassworks all shared a distinctive feature, the glassworks cones, which would have dominated the skyline in this eastern area of the city. The primary purpose of these distinctive tall, brick-built truncated cones was to provide an updraught for their circular, centrally positioned furnaces, and to provide working space and cover for the glassworkers"

Viv
 
That's interesting Viv. I . Unfortunately I rarely visit Birmingham now, but have no memory of these cones from when I lived there
 
No one seems to have answered the question where on Broad Street the photo was taken. This is the same spot today.
You can see the former Head Office of the Municipal bank in the distance in both pictures

View attachment 69240
 
Mike

I agree with you that it has most likely got a connection with the Glassworks as you can see a tall chimney just adjacent to it. I am at the moment looking through my collection of photos to see if I can catch another glimpse of it. When this photo was taken in 1953 I would be too young to remember it, but I think I can say that whatever it was it was gone by the mid 60's as Bridge st was on a well used route by myself from the Crown in Station St to either the Tow Rope or the Runner.

Phil
 
Looks about right David. Here's a side view of the Municipal Bank for comparison with Phil's phot0 #229. Viv

 
The buildings shown in the photo must have been demolished soon after the date of the photo in 1953 as the building behind the Boulton, Watt and Murdock statute previously used as the Registry Office was built as the City of Birmingham College of Commerce which I attended from September 1960 to December 1961 after which the college moved to the Aston University Campus. From the back of the college we looked out over the West End carpark and I certainly do not remember any building behind like that shown. The West End Cinema still existed in those days.
 
Was the Aetna Glassworks the building behind what is now the Soloman Cutler bar named after one of the founders of Pearce and Cutler (originally founded 1815) who had premises in that area. In which case it was between Bridge Street and Gas Street and would not have appeared in the 1953 photo.
 
Found another reference to the Aetna Glassworks in "Archaeological Investigations Project 2000. Post-Determination & Non-Planning Related projects". It gives the address of Aetna Glassworks as 'Broad Street' (?!). The report says: "there was no trace of any features relating to the glass cone. The putative annealing furnace structure was insufficiently well-preserved to enable a firm interpretation. It was clear that from the archaeological remains, that there were at least two phases of industrial development related to the glassworks. Although substantial remains were encountered, interpretation of the activities and processes that they represented was not entirely clear". Interesting that it claims there were 'substantial remains' Viv
 
I think there is little doubt that the photo was taken just before the corner of Bridge St, and that most of the building in the photo remained until they built the new hotel on the corner in the 70's. In fact I used to use the Rendezvous Cafe that was housed in one of those near the corner of Bridge St until 1968 at least.

But just to add to the problem a little more, this is another photo taken 3 years earlier from more or less the same spot, there is no sign of the tower in this photo, but perhaps that is down to camera angle.

Phil

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Just been reading an article on William Gillinder who was born in England, emigrated to the US and founded a glass factory. In the article it mentions Birmingham glassmakers in the middle of town in the 1850s, one of which it says was "Joseph Green (Etna Glass Works, 42-44 Broad Street)" ........................ of course they might have started life on Broad St, then developed a site off Broad St but nearby. Viv
 
Phil Your photo is of the Bridge Street to Gas Street block, the next block to the one shown in your previous post. Behind Stocks (one of about 14 car showrooms that there were in Broad Street in 1960) were the BBC's Birmingham Studios before they moved to Pebble Mill in early 1960s. The Rum Runner mentioned in a previous post was in this block. The bridge from the Hyett to the ICC would be about where the central lamp post is shown on the photo.
 
Mossg
Yes that is fine now. i agree. pity he didn't turn his camera the other way as well.
Viv
I'm probably a bit thick today, ut where is the air shaft ?
 
Mike, go top left of map, bottom end of Broad St (towards junction with Easy Row) then to right of Broad St, there's 'Tunnel' marked, then 'air shaft' next to it. Sorry, not too good with directions! Viv.
 
There was a school on Bridge St. east side just next to the junction with the old wharf. Could the tower in the photo be part of that. Maybe the old shot of the wharfs was taken from it. This might be the site of an early Cadbury's factory which became the site of a school later if I remember what I have read correctly.
 
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