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City Centre Photographs

Hi Davidgrain,

Thanks for this information. I just have this abiding memory of walking up the steps into the market and my mum standing at a seafood stall eating cockles and whelks out of a little cardboard container, with the vinegar bottle on the counter.
 
The cockles, in my time - just after WW2 ended - were in a small white dish. There were bottles of vinegar and condiments.
The fish side was on the left when entering from the Bull Ring. The roof was removed courtesy of the Luftwaffe.
 
quite correct bullring boy the bomb collection box is mentioned a lot on the forum...should also be photos of the market hall minus its roof

lyn
 
I guess I'm going to write about something which has been covered many times before, but there was an old lady in the Bull Ring who sold large paper bags to put your shopping in and used to cry out "'andy carria, 'andy carria!" I think she sat under the statue of Nelson. Does anyone know who she was?
 
I certainly remember paper shopping bag sellers and match sellers too. How on earth my mom could carry two or three of those paper shopping bags with string handles without them cutting her fingers off was a miracle.

I also recall those little white plates for shellfish too.
 
I wonder if those bags were more "environmentally friendly" than the plastic we have today, but you're quite right Morturn, the string handles used to cut into your fingers!
 
Bullring boy,

I'm sure the identity of the "andy carrier" lady has been discussed and solved some years ago on BHF, but you might have to dig a bit deeper! :)

Maurice :cool:
 
bullring boy said:
I wonder if those bags were more "environmentally friendly" than the plastic we have today, but you're quite right Morturn, the string handles used to cut into your fingers!
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Interesting that, I always thought they were too. I thought paper breaks down reasonably quickly. It does in my compost bin anyway. There was a lady on the radio recently who claimed to be an expert and said that plastic bags had a lower environmental impact overall than paper bags. However, she did not qualify or quantify her argument. So, I will stick with paper when I can.
 
When she was saying that, I would guess she was trying to incorporate water use , which I gather is quite large in paper production, and the effect of bleaching chemicals. , which would assume that the bags were whiter and not bleached (which really is not necessary for paper bags). I would be very dubious about her claims.
 
Absolutely, it maybe the amount of energy and chemicals that is involved in the paper industry. I feel she most likely did know her stuff, but when you do not qualify why, it leaves a vacuum for all sorts of misconceptions
 
Thanks to Robt and his expertise in improving photographs, I have at long last found the photos I took
demo2-1.jpgdemo-3-1.jpgdemo4-1.jpgook with my all new singing/dancing camera which proved I am no photographer. They were all on the Smallbrook Ringway area during construction taken in 1957/8. The lad stood by the pedestrians sign is not me, but my friend Malcolm (Mac) Newall, used to live Holly Lane and was at that time a trainee architect, after I got married we lost touch, but you will notice the smart grey suit, with full back to the jacket, knuckle length with stitched lapels and sewn pockets, 18inch trouser bottoms with outside seams, white shirt, cutaway collar and Windsor knot. We thought we were the cats whiskers. The old chap in the cap I do not know.

Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
Thanks to Robt and his expertise in improving photographs, I have at long last found the photos I took
View attachment 149205View attachment 149206View attachment 149207ook with my all new singing/dancing camera which proved I am no photographer. They were all on the Smallbrook Ringway area during construction taken in 1957/8. The lad stood by the pedestrians sign is not me, but my friend Malcolm (Mac) Newall, used to live Holly Lane and was at that time a trainee architect, after I got married we lost touch, but you will notice the smart grey suit, with full back to the jacket, knuckle length with stitched lapels and sewn pockets, 18inch trouser bottoms with outside seams, white shirt, cutaway collar and Windsor knot. We thought we were the cats whiskers. The old chap in the cap I do not know.

Bob
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What a great set of pics. Thanks for posting them. Parts of the old town I have never seen before.
 
Astoness said:
great photos bob...do you have anymore to post...thanks

lyn
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No I am afraid that was it, you are talking to the man who photographed a flamboyance of Flamingoes at Epcott to find that when developed, much to the amusement of my children,,,,,,the picture showed just one!!!

Bob
 
It is only seeing photos like this during this year that I realise that Worcester Street had such a row of gabled houses lining the street. Another bit of architecture that we have lost.
 
Bob Davis said:
View attachment 149205View attachment 149206View attachment 149207
Bob
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The top photo is Hill Street, with the underpass to Hurst Street, Smallbrook Ringway (as it was first named) going over the top. The building on lrgs was the first part of the rebuilt Smallbrook Street to be constructed, and sat (empty) until the adjoining blocks were erected. I wondered if there were staircases in the legs to access the offices (well I was quite young then!)
The second view is, I think, Dudley Street with Smallbrook Ringway bridge over, taken from Edgbaston Street.
The third must be the demolition of buildings in Bell Street, with the aforementioned shops in Worcester Street stretching up towards New Street. They tapered in depth, lessening as they came from New Street, the one at this end must have only been one room deep on each floor!
 
I have to admit, for the first time in my life I am embarrassed by all your appreciations for three terrible photos, I hope Robt will share the appreciations with me, he cleaned them up. Again thank you all but DavidGrain could you enlarge on the Worcester Street gabled houses. Where they over shops, are there any frontage pictures of them?
Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
I have to admit, for the first time in my life I am embarrassed by all your appreciations for three terrible photos, I hope Robt will share the appreciations with me, he cleaned them up. Again thank you all but DavidGrain could you enlarge on the Worcester Street gabled houses. Where they over shops, are there any frontage pictures of them?
Bob
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Have found this photo on the Internet of Worcester Street. The entrance to New Street Station via Queens Drive is on the left and the shops stretched up to New Street. I remember a Midland Red office in these shops. I once got a Midland Red bus, I think the X99 to Nottingham from here. I would date this picture to the 1950s from the Austin A40 Somerset.
1602946746541.png
 
A somewhat different City Centre pic below shows the gabled buildings ...
oldMohawk said:
Worcester Street had taken a battering the night before in 1940 with heavy bomb damage on shops on the right side of the street but that wasn't going to stop folks going up to New Street as they casually stepped over the debris and fire hoses. (restored post)
index.php

shoothill
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