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Cheston Street Aston

This is the Google view of the locks from Avenue Road bridge and buried somewhere under the buildings on the right, I suppose, are the lockhouses.

Maurice
 

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happy to help maurice..i think it was always going to be a miracle that the lock houses were still standing...shame...and what a very sad story about little john william..

lyn
 
Lyn,

The more time I spend looking, the more I realise it would be almost impossible to get close to the site now without going via the canal or trespassing! Interesting mooch though :-)

Maurice
 
yes maurice i have been looking to see if i can get to the spot..although as we have decided the cottages are no longer there there would be no point to me having a look:(:(
 
Hi Terry
I worked at cresswells as well around that period did you work in the coiling department
As i did it was peice work asd i recall it and there was a huge black board down the front of the
Work shop did you drive a little blue three wheeler alan,
 
Lyn,

I estimate the Lock houses would have stood roughly where I have placed the red spot on the Google view, with Avenue Road bridge in the upper right hand corner & Chester Street in the upper left hand corner. It seems that Crane Care Ltd occupy the building along the top edge, but I have no idea who has the premises where my red spot is. Google Street view of that bit of Chester Street is marred by a long Jeavons truck parked in front of the buildings! Never mind, it's rather academic now.

Maurice
 

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Hi guys
If my memory is correct I cannot get out of my head, that one time in the very early 1950/2/3 period
There was a timber yard fire for some reason or another this was about half way up after passing
Avenue road i think it was some think like rudder and payne timber merchants
By the way Lynn when i mentionioned a previuos thread on chester street
I mentionioned Boxmagnets i worked there as an over head crane driver
And i left there and joined our friends at Tubes back down the road in the foundry
Over head crane driver my oldest brother ron, was working his five year apprenticeship
As an eletrician which he served through and passed he got a wage of about 2 pounds fifty aweekwe was living on the Lichfield road then, and our Nan lived in white house street next to the LLoyed and the chinns
Bexst wishes Alan,,,,,Astonian,,,
 
Alan,

That's interesting and the name Rudder & Payne certainly rings a bell. I would have been in my last school years then and living in Kings Heath.

To finally put the lid on my little query, John BAIZON was christened as John BASING at Odiham parish church on 23 January 1816 to parents John & Jane. Hence the surname.

Maurice
 
I found a reference to Rudders Saw Mill on the 1891 census on the page before the entry for John Baizon.
 
Janice,

Thanks for that - I hadn't had a chance to look yet and as the online newspapers generally finish by 1950, I haven't bothered to check that either. Busy doing a job that I kept putting off & it has to be finished by Sunday!

Maurice
 
Hi maurice
I am trying to recall those big building and i am racking my bird brain at this time of night
But i have to say i am like a dog with a bone i will not let go until i revive the answer
If i got to the very top of of chester street upon the bridge of darthmouth street
Looking down the canal i would see what you are trying to think of
I seem to have seen what you have seen but there was a very high huge glass building
Very high indeed and as long ofsome of the units and it was all glass windows
On every floor that was visual so over the tops of those building out stood this high ground complex
And i think there was different business,s operating on different floors
But to enable to make an entrance to that building you could see from the road
You would have had to walk up and off chester street as you could have done in those days
And walked to the next corner and turned left and walked a little further
Then you would have turned into lordswood road which was a funny road within its self
And you couldhave gained accessed to these units thats the reason i see
And i see myself and if i am not correct i would have said its an extention of the west midlands
Gas board offices before solihull which when they did move i beleive they kept those offices in that huge building
Way back in the fiftys as my eldest sister was moved down to there from solihull
It was there accounts departments and she was one of the staff there that sent out legal documents
Best wishes Maurice nice to see you on line Alan,,,,,Astonian,,,,,
 
Alan,

Thanks for your interest and help. However, if we could get in there, we wouldn't see anything I'm sure. They were most probably demolished well before World War 2 and the BAIZON family either died or moved out well before that. However, tomorrow I'll have a look at the two later censuses (1901 & 1911) to see if there was anyone living in them in those years. It's also most unlikely that anyone bothered to take pictures of them or the locks more than 100 years ago, but it has been interesting trying to imagine what it was like in those days.

As for me, I keep myself busy and then find I've committed myself to doing too many things, but that's a problem we all suffer from. Good to see you about too, Alan, and I'm amazed at your abilty to recall so many Brum things for so many people. Kind regards,

Maurice
 
1911 census lists Mr Phillips and Mr Bourne at the two lock keepers cottages. Rudders and Payne also listed.
 
Thanks, Janice, so at least we know they were still standing then. Had a busy morning so haven't had a chance to look for anything yet!

Maurice
 
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