Corner of Albert Road, Kings Heath

[flossiefoster]

My great grandfather, John Gossage (born 1862) married Eliza Burton and lived at No 4 Albert Road, Kings Heath which was a provisions shop with an off licence. There is a large piece of open ground on Alcester Road South between the corner of Albert Road and Howard Road. It has been open grassland for a long time and is now fenced off to make a children's play area. When my great grandfather lived at No 4, he kept a cow on that piece of grass. Does anyone know anything about that piece of land? Just across the Alcester Road there is the same width of grass all the way down past the houses and school all the way to what I think is Highfield Road except for the house on the corner of Highfield Road which is now in the way. Does anyone have any idea what the piece of land was on the corner of Albert Road. Would it have been "common land"? Obviously, if he kept a cow there it must have been fenced off but was it owned privately or by the City? Any ideas?

 

[devonjim]

My great grandfather, John Gossage (born 1862) married Eliza Burton and lived at No 4 Albert Road, Kings Heath which was a provisions shop with an off licence. There is a large piece of open ground on Alcester Road South between the corner of Albert Road and Howard Road. It has been open grassland for a long time and is now fenced off to make a children's play area. When my great grandfather lived at No 4, he kept a cow on that piece of grass. Does anyone know anything about that piece of land? Just across the Alcester Road there is the same width of grass all the way down past the houses and school all the way to what I think is Highfield Road except for the house on the corner of Highfield Road which is now in the way. Does anyone have any idea what the piece of land was on the corner of Albert Road. Would it have been "common land"? Obviously, if he kept a cow there it must have been fenced off but was it owned privately or by the City? Any ideas?

Surprised to find that on 1910 map there was a row of houses on Alcester Rd between Albert Rd and Howard Rd. ie Where Children's play area is now.

 

[MWS]

Yes. this is the 1913 map with houses which appear to be on the 1937 map also...

 

[MWS]

Open land across the Alcester Road and a little bit of land behind the Alcester Road houses. I wouldn't have thought it would have been common land (wherever it was) because I don't think you would have been able to fence it off.

 

[mikejee]

No 113 Alcester road south, between Howard and Albert road , is listed in Kellys till the 1940 edition, but is absent in the 1943 edition. Could there have been bomb damage?

 

[flossiefoster]

Thank you, devonjim, MWS, mikejee. What a surprise. I did wonder why such a large piece of ground stretched back from the Alcester Road when nearly every inch has been built upon. That probably ties in though with what happened in 1912. It was then that John Gossage must have suffered some personal blows in that first his wife, Eliza, died from breast cancer and then his mother died later in the year. Of course, there must have been rumblings of a war to come and in 1915 he took a farm tenancy at Monkspath in Shirley (opposite what was a large house called The Regency or The Priory - my late father called it both names). He knew nothing about farming but had kept a cow on that piece of ground so perhaps it had been decided that houses should be built on it and he decided that he would move. We know that he had four sons (2 daughters) and was worried about the older ones being called up to fight so took the tenancy and moved everyone lock stock and barrel to the farm. About 1965 my grandfather, Frank, decided to retire and gave up the tenancy - he was 70 years old then. So, it looks as though the land may have been vacant before 1910. Do we know what happened to the houses? Could it be they were bombed in the 2nd world war?
How odd. Thank you for the two posts above. I now wonder if there had been a slice of land either to the side of No 4 or at the bottom of the garden for him to keep a cow because it seems that it wouldn't have been possible on the rest of the land if there were houses there. Alternatively, perhaps as he was married on 1st August 1882 I wonder if he had the cow earlier than 1910 so that when the houses werer built and his wife had died, he decided to move away. As always with the great discussions here, I go away with more to think about than I started but I am so grateful for your help.

 

[devonjim]

Thank you, devonjim, MWS, mikejee. What a surprise. I did wonder why such a large piece of ground stretched back from the Alcester Road when nearly every inch has been built upon. That probably ties in though with what happened in 1912. It was then that John Gossage must have suffered some personal blows in that first his wife, Eliza, died from breast cancer and then his mother died later in the year. Of course, there must have been rumblings of a war to come and in 1915 he took a farm tenancy at Monkspath in Shirley (opposite what was a large house called The Regency or The Priory - my late father called it both names). He knew nothing about farming but had kept a cow on that piece of ground so perhaps it had been decided that houses should be built on it and he decided that he would move. We know that he had four sons (2 daughters) and was worried about the older ones being called up to fight so took the tenancy and moved everyone lock stock and barrel to the farm. About 1965 my grandfather, Frank, decided to retire and gave up the tenancy - he was 70 years old then. So, it looks as though the land may have been vacant before 1910. Do we know what happened to the houses? Could it be they were bombed in the 2nd world war?
How odd. Thank you for the two posts above. I now wonder if there had been a slice of land either to the side of No 4 or at the bottom of the garden for him to keep a cow because it seems that it wouldn't have been possible on the rest of the land if there were houses there. Alternatively, perhaps as he was married on 1st August 1882 I wonder if he had the cow earlier than 1910 so that when the houses werer built and his wife had died, he decided to move away. As always with the great discussions here, I go away with more to think about than I started but I am so grateful for your help.

In rural surroundings quite possible to keep a cow in a shed/barn. Not sure if B'ham bye-laws would allow it!
During war remember pigs in Tyseley.

 

[mikejee]

I think I must take my suggestion back about bomb damage as no 113 is listed on the electoral rolls in 1955, and , according to Kellys , that would still have been in the same position (ie no renumbering) , even though no numbers between the two roads are listed in Kellys

 

[MWS]

We know that he had four sons (2 daughters) and was worried about the older ones being called up to fight so took the tenancy and moved everyone lock stock and barrel to the farm. About 1965 my grandfather, Frank, decided to retire and gave up the tenancy - he was 70 years old then. So, it looks as though the land may have been vacant before 1910.

Possibly 6 sons and 3 daughters for John and Eliza, a son and a daughter died young.

 

[flossiefoster]

In rural surroundings quite possible to keep a cow in a shed/barn. Not sure if B'ham bye-laws would allow it!
During war remember pigs in Tyseley.

Well, he did because my grandfather told me that he remembered it too but I don't know how old he was at the time.

Possibly 6 sons and 3 daughters for John and Eliza, a son and a daughter died young.

Yes they lost Amy as a baby and then Ernest died of meningitis when he was 6 years old.

 

[Grea]

I was a milkman in the 60s and Albert road was part of my round. I remember the patch of land and also remember an unadopted service road that ran between that patch of land and the rear of the houses in Albert road. It would have been the perfect place to keep a cow. Perhaps the land was where Howard Road and the sorting office now stands

 

[flossiefoster]

I was a milkman in the 60s and Albert road was part of my round. I remember the patch of land and also remember an unadopted service road that ran between that patch of land and the rear of the houses in Albert road. It would have been the perfect place to keep a cow. Perhaps the land was where Howard Road and the sorting office now stands

Well done, Grea. Now why didn't I think of that? You could be right that it was opposite the back of the house. Thank you for that.

 

[flossiefoster]

I have just checked the 1891 Census. John Gossage and his wife Eliza with 4 children were living at 73 Middleton Road so I think that Grea may be right thinking that the piece of ground where John kept his cow must have been on the other side of Howard Road where the Telephone Exchange now sits. In the 1901 Census they are at 4 Albert Road with 8 children (including Ernest at the age of 4 before he contracted meningitis and died) so it makes the prospect of keeping a cow on the piece of ground that would have been roughly at the bottom of the garden at No 4. Thank you for your help everyone.

 

[pjmburns]

I was a milkman in the 60s and Albert road was part of my round. I remember the patch of land and also remember an unadopted service road that ran between that patch of land and the rear of the houses in Albert road. It would have been the perfect place to keep a cow. Perhaps the land was where Howard Road and the sorting office now stands

Isn't the sorting office on the opposite side of Howard Road? Or have I misunderstood where you mean?

 

[flossiefoster]

No, you are right pmjburns. The sorting office or telephone exchange could have been a piece of land where my great grandfather, John Gossage (born 1862) kept a cow. That stretch of grass that is now a children's playround had houses on it so it couldn't have been there. My brother-in-law and his wife used to live in one of the "new in 1970s" houses in Howard Road opposite the telephone exchange. It is possible, I suppose, that the piece of ground my great grandfather used to keep his cow could be where the exchange (or adjacent houses) now stand. It was certainly prior to 1915 because that is when he uprooted the whole familly and moved to Monkspath to tenant a farmhouse with 98 acres which must have been a very daunting prospect.