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Bromford Lane

davidfowler

davidfowler

Exiled Brummie
During a visit my uncle, who is 80 this year, started to tell me the names of a few neighbours from the area in which I was born. Several of my family members also lived there from the 1920s through to the 1960s. I told him it was great that he could remember these names and he responded by asking for a sheet of paper as he could write down everyone he remembered, including which numbers they lived in.
I've made this into a PDF file and include it here. Apologies for some spellings but as a good genealogist (!) I've transcribed it as he wrote it.
The area is the triangle of houses south of the Navigation Inn - now a Chinese Restaurant on the Tyburn Rd. Most of my lot lived on the Bromford Lane bit opposite the Valor Sports field.
It would be interesting if anyone has connections to any of these families.
 
Well done David, thanks to your uncle for a great piece of information.
 
I can't remember any of the families' who lived around Bromford Lane, but I can remember that some of the first bombs that fell on Birmingham fell on some houses in Bromford Lane. The bombers were aiming at the Dunlop factory.
 
Hi Vintage,
Yes my parents told me of the time that the bombs fell on the Valour field, immediately opposite our houses. My Dad's parents had to move around the corner to Wheelwright Road for some time due to the damage to their house. Here's a picture of some of the row in 1958.
 
davidfowler said:
Hi Vintage,
Yes my parents told me of the time that the bombs fell on the Valour field, immediately opposite our houses. My Dad's parents had to move around the corner to Wheelwright Road for some time due to the damage to their house. Here's a picture of some of the row in 1958.
Click to expand...
Hi David,
Re: Bromford Lane ....... nice picture.

I can remember - in the 1940's - when on leave from the Royal Navy - having a few pints in the "Navi" (The Navigation pub) with my Dad and also "The Green Man" (known to all the locals as " the Lad in the lane ").

I used to have an Aunt and Uncle who lived in St.Dominics road.
 
davidfowler said:
Hi Vintage,
Yes my parents told me of the time that the bombs fell on the Valour field, immediately opposite our houses. My Dad's parents had to move around the corner to Wheelwright Road for some time due to the damage to their house. Here's a picture of some of the row in 1958.
Click to expand...
Thats Brilliant David, what memories. I went in that shop a few times mate
 
The picture of the houses and shop came from my uncle. He's sent me quite a few old pics of Brum he took from various newspapers and magazines. Problem is he always seems to have cut them out so destroying other interesting thigs on the back! I've told him that if he's got any more to send the whole paper then I can scan more things. Hope he remembers.
 
David, it always amazed me how many houses and the shop were on that small triangle of land, now they have been demolished the site seems even smaller.
 
Hi Sylvia
Last Christmas we took my Uncle who lived there as well as the rest of us and we took pictures of where we both felt was our back gardens. It was quite sad and as you say the whole space seems smaller now!
 
I remember the baseball triangle on the corner of Bromford Lane/Drews Lane?, the Valor had a baseball team and there was league around about Brum, during WW2 American troops played there, my Dad worked at Valor in WW2. Len.
 
Hi Len
I was born in 1946 in 163 Bromford Lane and lived there until 1953 when we moved around the corner to Tyburn Road. In the 50s I used to go over to the Valour on a Sunday to watch the football (and have a kick-about). Can't remember the baseball but maybe that was too early for me? Do you remember any of the names I included in the first post?
 
The baseball came along in the mid 1960's. I worked at the Valor from 1961 to 1969 and played for the football and cricket teams. The Valor groundsman lived in the row of houses opposite on Bromford lane. His name was Bob Hill and his son Colin also played for the Valor football team and the baseball team. As a matter of interest Dave, I also played for the BGTS Ist Team from 1958 to 1960 when EC Lunn ran the team. We won the HMS Birmingham Shield which was very special for me because my dad had won it in 1931-2 with Loxton Street School, from Duddeston. Anyway, I digress, to get back to our Erdington backgrounds, you were mates with my brother Chris (I remember your Dad had a Standard Vanguard - our Dad had a Hercules cycle). Great memories!
 
davidfowler said:
Hi Len
I was born in 1946 in 163 Bromford Lane and lived there until 1953 when we moved around the corner to Tyburn Road. In the 50s I used to go over to the Valour on a Sunday to watch the football (and have a kick-about). Can't remember the baseball but maybe that was too early for me? Do you remember any of the names I included in the first post?
Click to expand...
David, My only connection to the Bromford/Tyburn Rd area was my Dad working at the Valor company as a Skilled Sheetmetal Worker, it was circa 1939/ 1943 i was 11yrs to 14yrs young taking his dinner to him which would be stew in a crock basin and a cloth tied over the top and i would travel on the No 11, Outer Circle bus from by The Swan, Yardley were we lived. Len.
 
Johnny, thanks for that! Fancy you remembering my Dad's car! Also you played for BGTS a few years earlier than me. AND it seems that Chris went to Erdington Hall like me. Where were you living then?
 
Hi Dave
We lived in Bromford Crescent. My recollection is that you were one of Chris's pals. By the way, he was at BGTS 1957-1962 I think (he passed his 11 plus at Erdington Hall). Reading some of the other threads on BGTS, I have to say it did nothing for me educationally. I was all at sea from day one and until now I thought it was all down to me. Anyway, I found my way in life and am a very lucky man with a wonderful wife, three fabulous kids and five precious grandchildren. So I wouldn't change anything.
This site is great isn't it. I'll be posting a few tales of BGTS on the other thread later. Meanwhile, talking about Erdington Hall. Do you remember Mr Farr who used to play Liszt's Liebestraum No 3 EVERY morning before assembly? (he had an Austin 8) and Mrs Weller who would have given any of the BGTS lot a run for their money in the "let's bash the kids" department?
 
Hi Johnny, I was at BGTS from 1957 to 1964. I'm afraid my memories of Erdington Hall only revolve around Georgina Redding and Margaret Coley (spelling?). I took Georgina ice skating a couple of times but it sadly came to nothing. I'm sure her Dad had 2 butchers shops, one on the corner of Bromford Lane and Erdington Hall Road and the other on Flaxley Road Stetchford. If I remember right, Georgina was tall and dark haired and Margaret was blonde. Wonder if either are out there reading this forum? Ahhh.
 
Are there any more photos of those old cottages on the triangle out there ?
My family lived there for many years. Pitcher and Onions.
regards
Amanda
 
Hi Dave, Reddings was on the opposite side of Bromford Lane just below a little wooden building used by a Church organisation. There was a fish & chip shop on the corner of Bromford Lane & Erdington Hall Rd. I don't recall Georgina or Margaret but I did have a crush on a pretty dark haired girl with lovely blue eyes called Christine Stevens. So much so that when she announced in class one day that her pet rabbit had produced babies, I volunteered to take one off her hands immediately just so that I could walk her home from school that afternoon. I hid the rabbit behind the sofa when I got home but it was of course discovered. After suitable chastisement, I was allowed to keep it and we called it "Blossom". I got to kiss Chrisitine Stevens later that summer when we cast in the leading roles in the school play. I was a sea captain and she was my girl and I we did the deed before I sailed off - to Hawaii I think it was. At the tender age of 12, we never got round to dating ... and then off I went to BGTS!
 
Johnny, thanks for putting me right on Reddings butchers. Fancy you "doing it" when only 12. The kids of today would be proud of you!
Amanda, sorry the only other pictures I have are my Mom & Dad and Nan and Grandad in our back gardens - 161, 181 and 183.
 
a s wood said:
Are there any more photos of those old cottages on the triangle out there ?
My family lived there for many years. Pitcher and Onions.
regards
Amanda
Click to expand...

Hi again Amanda, I put this up a couple of years ago. My Uncle told me the names he could remember, probably from about the 50s. Apologies if any are misspelt!
 
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