Charlie Worralls

[motorman-mike]

Did anyone out there use Charlie Worralls Corner Shop? Hard to believe that this was the corner of Maypole Lane and Westfield Avenue opposite Daisey Farm Park. His Penny Tray (1d) for kids was legendry (well, with my kids anyway) being the upturned lid off a traditional square biscuit tin. In the summer he did home made ice lolls - one good suck and you only had a stick of clear ice left! On the opposite side of Westfield Avenue was a large cast iron street name plate informing you of two other avenues off Westfield, (Courtway and Insull). It put was there in the 1930's when that side of Maypole Lane was in Hollywood and a part of Bromsgrove Rural Council Area. Amazingly the nameplate is still there. I recall originally the Brum side of Maypole Lane was blessed with several gas lamps but Bromsgrove had just a few small concrete electric lamps well spaced out over on their side.

 

[BernardR]

Hi Mike - I thought that that side of Maypole Lane still was in Bromsgrove District Council?

My Dad grew up first in Prince of Wales then in Peterbrook Road - one of the cottages at the top with large 'coach' doors.

Can't recall the shop but then we walked or drove down Prince of Wales Lane to my Nan's. Sometimes we would cut across the fields that now form Grafton Road etc.

 

[motorman-mike]

No Bernie, Westfield Avenue side is now in Brum except for a short stretch from the Prince up to the Maypole side of the Electric Sub Station where the boundary goes off across the fields and skirts the built up area round to the Alcester Road where it doubles back to the Maypole and off down Druids Heath (A-Z page 106). So there are two Hollywoods now, B'ham B14 and Worcs B47 although B47 is classed as a Birmingham postal district.

 

[BernardR]

Ah well the stories that Hobbie [Arthur(?)] Hobday used to tell me of drunks being shifted from one side of Hollywood Road to the other no longer happens - how times change.