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Definition of “Brummie”, “Astonian” etc

I was born in 1956 in Bordesley Green. My parents were born in Aston and Balsall Heath back in the 1920's, both sadly gone now. My grt,grt,grt,grt Grandad on my Father's side was born in or by Kingsbury, Warwickshire in 1741. I class myself as a Brummie but i have to admit that i no longer like the city and what it has become. Birmingham has lost it's identity. I think our accent is awful. Try listening to yourself speak on a recorded message. I now live in Marston Green which comes under the umbrella of Solihull. The areas of Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath, Small Heath, Bordesley Green were where my ancestors were living a hundred years ago. I wonder what they would think if they came back now?
 
I am a brummie who had never caught a buzz in her life, neither did my parents or grandparents - at least on my maternal side. My father's mother used to say 'lung' instead of 'long' but I am not sure where that comes from, I cannot remember anyone speaking like that.

As I type this, I am wondering if some accents just develop on their own. My four year old grandson is called James, but he always says Jayams - nobody else says that. He can spell it correctly though, which is half the battle!
 
, Small Heath, Bordesley Green were where my ancestors were living a hundred years ago. I wonder what they would think if they came back now?[/QUOTE]

Hi Steve,

I was born in the Bordesley Green and Small Heath area (Carlton Road) 84 years ago. I daren't tell you what I think of it now as I would probably be locked up. I sympathise with those old Brummies who, for whatever reason, are still there.

Chris Beresford (Old Boy)
 
Old Boy ,well you dont have to feel sorry for me mate, i love it here. Max
 
Hi Shortie

Do you come from the posh end of Brum? Oops sorry there is'nt one. A buzz is a buzz.

What I want to know is when does "Brummie" become "Black country"?

When you hear people try to send-up the Brummie accent most of the time they imitate the Black country twang.

With regard to the Pikelet/Crumpet debate... without a doubt they are called Pikelets.
See the well established thread called "What do you call these?..."

https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29133
 
Phil B said:
Hi Shortie

Do you come from the posh end of Brum? Oops sorry there is'nt one. A buzz is a buzz.

What I want to know is when does "Brummie" become "Black country"?

When you hear people try to send-up the Brummie accent most of the time they imitate the Black country twang.

With regard to the Pikelet/Crumpet debate... without a doubt they are called Pikelets.
See the well established thread called "What do you call these?..."

https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29133
Click to expand...

When he starts talking in Yam Yam instead of sounding like wot I do, mate.....LOL
 
I have lived in many places in Birmingham, owing to the fact my mother had itchy feet (when my dad died she went to America), but mum was born in Monument Road, Ladywood. None of the family have ever said buzz. I am wondering if some of this comes from the fact my gran (who lost both her parents by the age of four) was brought up by her aunt. This aunt was, like my gran, born in Cheltenham, and she only came to Birmingham as an adult. Folk in Cheltenham never say buzz.

I suspect the answer to your other point is that the Birmingham accent is not easy for anyone to imitate - it always sounds false and vaguely unpleasant and very much Black Country. I don't think anyone south of Watford thinks there is a difference - they seem to think Birmingham is BC.
 
I consider my self a Brummie having been born in backhouse 1 back of 22 Alcock Street in the parish of St Martins in the fields. Whem did it change its name? That was when the Bull Ring was the Bull Ring and Midland Red Busses left from the middle of it.
 
Hi Lloyd my old dad always said this for years. I thought he had made it up. Brought back good memories, made my day thanks Anita
 
A true brummy ;
we are human being ; kind and considerate passioate ; love thy neibour ; [ but i dont love mine ]
mix and help people of any problems we are like the story in the bible true christians and if we see some body lying in the gutter
we would not t the other cheek and prend we did not see them and cross over we would stop and pick them up
and try and give first aid we are sincere happy go lucky people thats a true brummy
astonian
 
Oh Astonian

This is a lovely and very generous view of a Brummie. I am sure they are not all like that (I know of some who would not help anyone), but it is really lovely for you to think like this - it shows how proud you are of your home City and love being a Brummie.

Shortie
 
I would like to offer this view of Brummies by William Hutton, Birmingham's 1st local historian, you will know he lived in Birmingham for many years although not born here ( as many famous Brummies wernt ) But he loved Birmingham and its people, and this sentence in the preface to "An History of Birmingham" sums up what he thought, as many of us do , is the True Brummie and people who are the heart of Birmingham. Max
 
Hey Journeyman,
What is a true Brummie is the question asked, and I can but answer it in this way. The Brummie I speak of had ginger hair, a powk on his eye, a tater in the seat of his bags and elbows worn out of his bottle green gansy. He breathed in the smog and dust of the thirties, and rode on the back of a giant carthorse walking around the coal-yard and afterwards felt the gentle velvet lips as it carefully removed half an apple from the flat hand held out with a certain amount of caution. The boy went to the Onion Fair and watched a strong man pick up a horse, he played on the swings in Aston Park and searched the bomb sites for his little mate who’d been ‘Vaporated, according to his dad, when a land mine wiped out a fair lump of his street. Although he searched long and hard, he didn’t see his little mate again, but even today can see his cheeky face that will never grow old like his own. The boy remembers the kindness, and bravery, of ordinary folk during the hard times of the blitz. People digging with bloodied bare hands as they pulled away bricks and rubble to rescue injured people buried alive, and the sad silence as they removed those that weren’t. The boy listened to stories told by his dad of the man leading the band down the Litchfield Road, and when he came to the railway bridge, near Lover’s |Walk, threw his baton so high he caught it on the other side of the bridge and kept marching. Granny White said dad was a fibber because they had to practice it three times before he caught it. These were my Brummies, but you may now think differently about yours because times have changed for the better some would say.. Now my worn out frame is warmed by an Australian sun, but make no mistake, deep inside me there is a little glow of pride and every now and again it slips out from hidden memories to remind me I’m still an ancient Brummie at heart because there is no choice but to be otherwise. Kind regards, David Weaver from the family of Charles, and Alice, Weaver, Coal Merchant. Aston.
 
Someone who was BORN in Brum, Well Yardley at least, lived there 24 yrs, and NOW at age 77yrs still LOVES BRUM! Thats ME, John Crump Oldbrit in Parker,Co USA
 
David your was it father OR granddad uses to deliver coal to my mom in holte rd, I'm sure thinking back mom used to call him Charlie. He used to put his face up to out back window to try and scare us and then give a big grin, he always stopped to have a cup of tea. We still mention him today sometime when we remaniss about the old days, me and my sister Sandra.
 
David what a lovely description of your childhood. When I was a child growing up in Four Oakes our next door neighbours who were like grandparents to me were Edgar and Grace Weaver their son Geoffrey and his wife Irene lived next to them. Geoffrey was an office worker at ICI I think.They were lovely people. I know Weaver is a common name but I just thought I would mention them.
 
Many a young teenager looked maybe to'loose' something at the back of Rackhams, but now at 69 I can't remember what it was I would enjoy losing.

A true brummie to me was being educated in Brum from infants through junior and on to seniors.

I am Roy Gregory, went to Marsh Hill infants and juniors then on to Slade Road until I left at 15 in 1957.
Would love to hear from anyone who maybe remembers me.
 
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Hi shortie
we all know of people whom would not pick people up when they are down and turn the the other cheek today
sadly thats how te human race as become through out the globe regardless of your race creed and colour
and on the subject of being a true brummie we are a very rapid dying breed there ,s not many of us left today ; i;m afraid
given the fact of our early days in this one time industreal climate we had to go through and no health and safety issues
workig in fogge conditions to go nd get to work and work in a very cpold and damp smokie condition
giving the older generations heart complaints and severe lung conditions which no is taking its toll
and on the subject of old rackems ; you should have gone behind the old co/op you would have got doble divies on your little black pass book
i did my number was 23 27 60 but at the end of the day climbing up those back stairs to the hatch it was not worth it
i was better off saving the little orange stamps off the tea packets wich was qucker in our house because we was poor but we alway had pots of tea regular but i put that down to the old lady ; my mothr as she was a member of the jelfs offee houses brigade whom steaming pots was always and constanly never off have a nice day best wishes astonian
 
Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen,
Transporting me back to the late 40s, in Short Heath, (just down the hill to the 78 tram terminus) Edgware Rooad actually, between 12.55 and 1 oclock we heard every weekday the sounds of deep 'steam whistles'. they came across rpoughly or roughly from the Witton area. My Mom and neighbours used to say thats the 1 oclock BULL. Were these to tell the workers that their dinner time had started? OR...WAS THIS BRUMS EQUIVILANT to a cockney born within the sound of Bow Bells. I'm a brummie born within the sound of Kynocks 1 oclock Bull.

My late father-in-Law used to work at the GEC in Witton, But I didn't think to ask him.

Thanks, Roy Gregory
 
That was him and proud I am to admit it. Mind you it could have been my brother for he was Charlie too and might be nearer your age. Kind regards, David.
 
And yes i was tuned into the the good old hp sauces siren at i oclock lunch time mind you it could have been ansells brewery
as they used there deep under ground barrelling storage and cooper making during the was it was used for locals air raid shelter
so may be they kept that in tune for any further war should have broken out ;
but every lunch time you would hear it and both factorys would come outfor lunch and then you would see a army of work force scurring down the lichfield rd either to do abit of shopping at thompsons the butchers or even que up in astons the cake shop at the bottom of our terrace
or the ladies dashing to goldbergs or frenchie or robinsons fruit and veg you would hear the banging of the feet coming along from
ansells banging of the dutch wooden cloggs they had to wear during work hours and there brown overalls tied by string
there used to be one little old man whom when i think back used to be on his own and he was a really old man he must have been living on his own and no wife
or children used to come along in his overalls and cloggs and he used to say do you want a bag of broken biscuits and i would stand by the pillars of concrete at the bottom of the terrace and he would come back out of astons the cake shop and say here you are som i was abut eight years old then
and he would give me a big bag of these biscuits and also he would buy me a comic from across the rd from greens the paper shop next to clarbelles sharra bangs the dandy or beano which ever had a freeby in it and he would also buy my brother one as well or my mate one each
but getting back to the bull it was regular sounding theolder ones would call it the bull lunch time and tea times ending the shift
then there was he stence from ansells and hp sauce in the play grond at upper thomas street play ground
the best part was in the play groung in the winter when all the kids would race out of the class room at break time and get the best and hottest postion on the out side wall of hp sauces factory because it was hot ; but the bull used to deathen you
best wishes astonian
 
My Mom used to travel from Stockland Green every Friday, to Aston Cross, on the 78 tram, to go to Thompsons for the weekly supply of PORK SAUSAGES. I can still taste them now!
Regards Roy Gregory
 
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