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City Centre Photographs

Thanks Maggs & Paul, if no-one disagrees we will accept it as that.
 
Yes I'd agree it's the Chamberlain memorial fountain.
Now, a question. I've always thought that when that area was remodelled, the fountain was moved - turned slightly from its original facing direction. Anyone know? It would seem a lot of effort for a small distance, but it was all shrouded with temporary panelling while the area was redeveloped.
A couple of photos of the complete fountain as was, with the old library or the university in the background would prove or disprove my theory.
 
Well Stitcher, I can't think of another fountain that looks like that in Brum. Perhaps someone else will have some other ideas.
 
LLOYD,it appears to be facing the same way on this old postcard as it does today.Moss
 

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Ah, thanks mossg, now I see it. The tower still faces the same way but the 'clover leaf' shaped pool has been replaced by a smaller one, and a larger one closest to the art gallery.
See better in this aerial view:[url]https://g.co/maps/hj2rh[/URL]
 
Maggs, mossg and Lloyd, thank you all for sorting that out but do not go away because there is bound to be more. A lot of these seem to be book pages but have no writing on them or page numbers.
 
This has to be one of my favourite places in the city centre, I went to the Library a lot as a child, and loved sitting there in the sun, as I got a bit older, I would go window shopping in town, and often would hang around this area and sit on the steps of the art gallery, with student and hippy looking boys and girls, who seemed so grown up and sophisticated, to a 14yr old,
 
dd.jpegMy expertise on these things tells me this is High Street, I hope.
I am sorry I have no date again.
 
Yes the southern end of High Street, with canvas sheeted market stalls in the Bull Ring in the distance and Spiceal Street beyond that. Early to mid 50s by the look of the cars.
 
Was the stretch of road between High Street and Spiceal Street still part of High Street i.e the road beyond the High Street sign in the photo? For example, this map doesn't seem to label that stretch of road. In other words where does High Street end and Spiceal Street begin? Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1330965982.213928.jpg
 
I never knew Spiceal Street and wondered where it was when I first saw the name on here. I knew Jamaica Row as starting at the front of St. Martins and must have been under the wrong impression all these years. Should have paid more attention to street names. My understanding is that High St. bends down and becomes the Bull Ring at some point but then again I might have had this wrong all the time too.
 
Thanks Rupert. That must be it. I expect that stretch sometimes gets overlooked and maybe goes back to the time when it was (maybe?) part of The Market Cross. Since it's been redeveloped many times and yet again in recent years, who knows what it's called now! Viv.

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Viv

High Street ran from Moor St up to Albert St and then back from Bull St to Bell St (the Market Hall) then it became Spiceal St Down to Edgbaston St.

Phil
 
Great picture!

I used to love Hudson's bookshop - and Day's Shoes, used to get my Start-rite shoes from there as a child.
 
I spent my formative years in Hudson's; luckily I had a friend working there (nicknamed Hardastle - an oblique reference to Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse); she got me books at a discount. Coincidentally, the car outside is a Riley RM - I had a 1947 one in the 70s which I bought from the playwrite Howard Barker
 
You know I can't place Hudson's now but just looking up at my bookshelf I might have bought some of the books that I have there. Did they sell technical books?...I have an 18th edition Machinery's Handbook and a couple of hydraulics books. I thought the bookstore stamp might be in them but no. Machinery's...88/-. Hmmm. If they ever drop the metric system and go back to proper unit's....
 
Hudson's eventually had three shops as I remember, the original as in the picture, one at Gosta Green and one at University at Edgbaston.
Just down the Road from the main shop, near the corner of New Street there was another great bookshop, Cornish's. Cornish's has been mentioned in recent biography of the artist Burne Jones. He regularly went there and his friend William Morris bought a copy of Malory's Morte D'Arthur there
 
Ok. thanks jenny. I thought that the shop was near Burlington Passge that I used. Seems to me that there was another store there also where I bought my slide rule and drawing instruments. I splurged on a Faber Castell...state of the art then...kindling now I think.
 
evening all, i used to get all my electronic books from Hudsons in Burlington passage ,in the early 70's.

shardeen
 
Bull Ring 1936
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