Cope's pearl buttons Villa St Lozells.

[afzal]

Hi all,

I live in lozells at the moment and love seeing these old photos and reading up on stories from people who used to live in the area in the past. It gives me a great insight into what life in lozells was like for the previous generations of lozells residents.
I now live where I believe the button factory used to be. There is houses developed on the land
Would love to see more photos of villa Street. Thank you

 

[mikejee]

Welcome to the forum Afzal if you put villa street in the search box at the top of the page, there is a whole thread devoted to villa st

 

[afzal]

Thanks I will take a look. I came across this image on the forum and wanted to know if anyone knows what the building on the right of the image was? Opposite the copes pearl button factory.

Thank you

 

[Astoness]

welcome to the forum afal the factory opposite copes pearl buttons was southalls weighing machines..the newish built houses named pearl place and button close are of course dedicated to copes pearl button factory that was on that site for over 100 years...... in that photo you posted further down from copes on the left i can just make out children playing outside where i lived one of them is more than likely my sister

lyn

 

[afzal]

Thanks Lyn I'm so fascinated by the history of lozells.

Where Southalls factory was it is now a park called George's Park I don't know when the site was demolished to make way for the open space.

I am the treasurer of Friends of George's Park and I'm just trying to gather some history on the park.

There's lots of threads I've come across re villa st which refer to photos but for some reason I can't see tbe pictures maybe because the threads are old and photos have been removed automatically? I'd be grateful if anyone can send me any photos directly or share with me some threads where I can find tbe photos.

Also I'm a life long resident of lozells if anyone wants to come and have a walk around lozells I would be more than happy to accommodate and be your tour guide

 

[Astoness]

hi afzal ...click on the link below to take you to the villa st thread (i lived at 118 from 58 to 72) where photos have been posted of the street before demo start reading from post 1 so that you dont miss anything...there is also one of the vine inn and the villa tavern which was next to southalls factory until demo in the 1960s...any photos posted prior to sept 2011 may not be visible as the forum was hacked and we lost everything...however since then we have made great strides to replace many lost photos..most of villa street had been demolished by the mid 80s..thanks for the offer of a tour afzal but myself and and friend who grew up in brougham st has been researching the area for over 12 years now so we know the history pretty well by now and we do visit the area quite often to keep up with any changes. basically georges park is built on land once occupied by the houses and back gardens of villa st and brougham st..i am also posting you a link to a great map site i have already set it for villa st so just move the blue dot and the map will fade in and out to show what was there then and now...hope this is of help any problems get back to me.....lyn

Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Villa Street Lozells

hi all. i used to live in villa street hockley between 1958 till 1971 and i am desprately looking for any photos of the old vine pub or photos of the houses ect in villa street. can anyone out there help.

birminghamhistory.co.uk

 

[afzal]

That's great thank you I will be sure to have a good read of the thread.

Just a couple of questions I have, do you know what is the date of the old map on the overlay?

Also In the attached photo I can see a couple of pump looking items by the angel pub, do you know what these were?

 

[Astoness]

they look like keep left or right road signs to me...the date of the overlay maps are 1888 to 1913

lyn

 

[Eric Gibson]

Where was the Angel Lynn? Not being a pub goer I don't recall it, I also don't recall the scales factory being Southalls did it have a previous name?

 

[Astoness]

hi eric hope you are all well...the angel is on the corner of george st and wills st..still standing but not as a pub..southall and smiths which was a very large building was there before ww2... the factory took hit in the bombings of that area and 1 person was killed..before southalls was built there was houses on the same ground

lyn

 

[Eric Gibson]

Ah! now you have reminded me Lyn I knew it as Southall and Smith, do you remember the man who lived next door to Watsons, he drove a truck for the glass company Pearce and Cutler and it was parked outside the house most evenings ready for him to make an early start next day.
He had his load fall off one morning turning the corner into Nursery Road, reckoned the kids had untied the ropes in the night.

 

[Astoness]

Ah! now you have reminded me Lyn I knew it as Southall and Smith, do you remember the man who lived next door to Watsons, he drove a truck for the glass company Pearce and Cutler and it was parked outside the house most evenings ready for him to make an early start next day.
He had his load fall off one morning turning the corner into Nursery Road, reckoned the kids had untied the ropes in the night.

sorry eric i dont recall the man who lived next to watsons..what a thing to happen to his load...bet he was not best pleased

lyn

 

[afzal]

Thanks so much for the insight. I've learnt a lot about the history of where I live.

 

[Astoness]

Thanks so much for the insight. I've learnt a lot about the history of where I live.

always happy to help afzal...hope you enjoy the forum there is plenty of history about lozells on here

lyn

 

[afzal]

Hi all,

Could you please shed some light on what part of villa street this is and approximately when would this picture have been taken?

Thank you once again for all your help.

 

[A Sparks]

Looks like a church spire in the far distance?

 

[Astoness]

Hi all,

Could you please shed some light on what part of villa street this is and approximately when would this picture have been taken?

Thank you once again for all your help.
View attachment 157513

photo taken round about the 1920s 30s at a guess..taken from nursery road looking up villa st...my house at 118 was on the right just past the second pillar with the white top..the white wall jutting out on the left was the vine inn pub..below is street view of todays view

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

lyn

 

[brummy-lad]

photo taken round about the 1920s 30s at a guess..taken from nursery road looking up villa st...my house at 118 was on the right just past the second pillar with the white top..the white wall jutting out on the left was the vine inn pub..below is street view of todays view

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

lyn

Those houses on the right hand side certainly looked like up-market properties Lyn. Any idea what the church spire would be in the distance?

 

[Astoness]

Those houses on the right hand side certainly looked like up-market properties Lyn. Any idea what the church spire would be in the distance?

hi john you couldnt be further from the truth however they may have been ok when they were first built...houses built about 1850 and most in very poor condition by the time i lived in the street..we were probably the only house in the street that had an inside toilet and bath and that was only because the landlord at some point built a kitchen and bathroom extention onto our house..we still used the outside lavvy as well...having said that we had the happiest of childhoods living in villa st...over the past 12 years i have looked at this photo many times and have decided that what looks like a church spire is an imperfection on the photo...the only church it may have been is the wesleyan chapel corner of george st and lozells road and that did not have a spire..some may know that it was at this chapel that aston villa football club was formed

lyn

 

[brummy-lad]

hi john you couldnt be further from the truth however they may have been ok when they were first built...houses built about 1850 and most in very poor condition by the time i lived in the street..we were probably the only house in the street that had an inside toilet and bath and that was only because the landlord at some point built a kitchen and bathroom extention onto our house..we still used the outside lavvy as well...having said that we had the happiest of childhoods living in villa st...over the past 12 years i have looked at this photo many times and have decided that what looks like a church spire is an imperfection on the photo...the only church it may have been is the wesleyan chapel corner of george st and lozells road and that did not have a spire..some may know that it was at this chapel that aston villa football club was formed

lyn

Lyn, I wrack my brain to remember any trees growing around Parliament Street, the only ones I remember are those in Sutton Street by The Retreat (and Aston Park of course). When I see old street pics with trees in the garden I mistakingly associate them with up-market properties. I can't remember any growing in the confines of Burlington Street School either. I do know that conkers were like hen's teeth and can't imagine where we got them from.