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Dents on Lichfield Road

sylviasayers

master brummie
Dents - and Hairdressers

I remember the name Dents, but thats all.

Two hairdressers I recall in the 1950s and 60s were Gloria Dawn which coming from Aston Cross was before Victoria Road, and the other was
one belonging to Mavis Cox which was next door or almost next door to the Domestic Furniture Shop. Mavis's mother had a small general shop on the Lichfield Road almost opposite to Mattys electrical shop (later I think Rumbelows)
 
Shops

I remember Dents being a car sales showroom on the corner of Church Lane and Aston Hall Rd., they later took the old tram depot at Witton. This would be early to middle sixties.
 
Dents

Hi R. Aston, you have jogged my memory, I recall at small Dents garage/
filling station directly opposite Aston Parish Church, one of my wedding photos shows this quite clearly, this was 1957 so clearly Dents prospered to be able to move to the old tram depot.
 
You guys jogged my memory too! I've just looked at my wedding pics and there it is - Dent's Garage right behind the Daimler, Aug 21, 1965.
 
Dents Lichfield Road

The Dents store on Lichfield Road belonged to Fred Dent and his wife, it was next door to Robinsons the greengrocer (Bert & Lill) I worked for them as a schoolboy from 1952 till 1954, I was there when the last tram went through.
Dents garage at Witton belonged to Fred's brother.

midlandsafc :lol:
 
Reading this posting also reminded me of a few things local to Dents. I too remember Mavis Cox's hairdressing shop in fact I met Mavis many years later and she had a florists (or worked there not sure which) on the college road. It is still there today and I used to pass this on my way to visit mum.

I lived across the road from Cox's and my mums best friend was Joyce Pritchard who lived next door to Cox's or thereabouts. I have a photo of the two of them sitting in a local pub.

Finally I wonder if the person who remembers Robinsons also remembers the small tobbaconists just across the alley from Robinsons. It was called Diggers although it changed names twice while I was living on Lichfield road. Further along was a shop called Thornley's which sold paint. It was up this side entry next to Thornleys my mums house was situated.
 
Re: Shops

Teddy Dent had a garage opposite Aston Church when I was a kid in the thirties. I used to be on the back of my father's coal lorry and Teddy would give me a shout as we drove past. regards, David.
 
I used to work with Joyce's daughter Barbara at Mavis's hairdressers. I used to do Mrs Cox's hair for years, and Mavis worked at the florists, she lives in Los Angelos now Rodeo Drive, I still keep in touch with her. Still as glamorous as ever
 
Peter said Peter Dent owned the garage and he knew him very well. There was a showroom in Witton and I think they moved to Aston Hall road?. Jean.
 
HI VAL
Just been reading your thread and i se you lived next door to old coxie ; i dare say i would rember you as i lived on the other side of the rd
as i lived next door to astons the cake shop and dents the people you are onabout was next door to the robinsons fruit and veg
then there was the terrace and there was diggers thorleys and wettons the sweet shp facing the houses
which any of you remember goldbergs the clothes shop with the over head cable runing around the shop from one counter to another
where you purhased your items and the money would race above you head to the corner office and your change would come back the same way if old coxie left a crate of her milk bottles out side any sunday after noon when she was closed we would get abottle each and take it back in the morning to get a penny sweet some times she would cotton on and tell us to vanmuse meaning to get out of the shop and we did not get a penny sweet it was good in those good ol days on lichfield rd
last week end my oldest brother died and we are going to bury him on wednesday and another old friend from lichfield rd whom when we was kids
and all grew up on lichfield rd and from the yard rayjarrett is a very od friend from the years still kept in touch with uson a regular basis
he got married and his wife and his self never lost touch i do notknow you would remember him but he his coming to the funeral
as he was my brother long life friend from the lichfield rd since the thirtys and through right up until today ;
i dare say there is alot of familys we could relate to the oldcobbler wom was a few doors from you shacked up with my aunt ivy
for donkeys years harold llloyed was his name his shop was at the gulley just passed your house do you remember frenchies
the other side of dents hard warehe gave old robbo competion with his fruit and veg my younger brother dave was his sons freind and they worked at buttons around in portland st
its a pity we do not have more people from the lichfield rd on here especialy our end there are hundreds of names i wouldlike to make contact with
from our end but its of no avail any way have your self a nice day i myself are off to hoggs lane northfield for a mooch on the car boot
and tommorrow i will be at the belfry selling my wares best wishes Astonian
 
I used to have a school mate Frank Paget of Queens Road, I believe he went to work for Dents when he left Aston Hall Rd school in the 1940's, I lost touch with him when I joined the RAF in 1948. Eric
 
View attachment 68919

Freddie Dents is the shop on the extreme lefthand side.

I remember the area well I lived at 4 Sandy lane.

I remember the swet shop during and after the war we used to buy a block of chocalate that was difficult to eat because of it's size and we used buy sugar coated sweets in shape of a fish.

Do you remember the name of the pub a couple of doors away from Dents I think it was called the The Gunmakers Arm but I may be wrong.

Ray
HI VAL
Just been reading your thread and i se you lived next door to old coxie ; i dare say i would rember you as i lived on the other side of the rd
as i lived next door to astons the cake shop and dents the people you are onabout was next door to the robinsons fruit and veg
then there was the terrace and there was diggers thorleys and wettons the sweet shp facing the houses
which any of you remember goldbergs the clothes shop with the over head cable runing around the shop from one counter to another
where you purhased your items and the money would race above you head to the corner office and your change would come back the same way if old coxie left a crate of her milk bottles out side any sunday after noon when she was closed we would get abottle each and take it back in the morning to get a penny sweet some times she would cotton on and tell us to vanmuse meaning to get out of the shop and we did not get a penny sweet it was good in those good ol days on lichfield rd
last week end my oldest brother died and we are going to bury him on wednesday and another old friend from lichfield rd whom when we was kids
and all grew up on lichfield rd and from the yard rayjarrett is a very od friend from the years still kept in touch with uson a regular basis
he got married and his wife and his self never lost touch i do notknow you would remember him but he his coming to the funeral
as he was my brother long life friend from the lichfield rd since the thirtys and through right up until today ;
i dare say there is alot of familys we could relate to the oldcobbler wom was a few doors from you shacked up with my aunt ivy
for donkeys years harold llloyed was his name his shop was at the gulley just passed your house do you remember frenchies
the other side of dents hard warehe gave old robbo competion with his fruit and veg my younger brother dave was his sons freind and they worked at buttons around in portland st
its a pity we do not have more people from the lichfield rd on here especialy our end there are hundreds of names i wouldlike to make contact with
from our end but its of no avail any way have your self a nice day i myself are off to hoggs lane northfield for a mooch on the car boot
and tommorrow i will be at the belfry selling my wares best wishes Astonian
 
Hi ray
yes it sure was the gun makers arms and we would get a big bottle of ginger beer from there on friday and saturday nights in a dark brown bottle and take the jug to the ut door and get the ale for the old man
if he was not working the pubs on any of the pubs around aston cross or indeed running the chippyfor grand dad jelfs chippy where you could eat in he had the coffee shop next door on park lane nd an old senior cousin to me by the name of barry phelps ran the coffee department for him cousin barry lives in spainnow in retirement
he was from ford street hockley facing the bus garage and his brother bryan and aunie winn and uncle harry phelps
have a nice week end best wishes astonian
 
Hello Alan the Gun Makers Arms that I know is in Bath St and still trading was there more than one? Dek
 
i dek
i know there is more than one of the gun makers arms
it was the gun barrells and it ws an akinson house there is somepic of this pub what i done about four years ago
but when jim took over and bought the rights from the houghtons i dont think they gave him every think ;
it would have been abot four years or may be t hree years i know i did do an article on it
i know there as been alot of materials that seem to have got l ost some where on other subjects but i put it down to the predecers
and may be jim did not received them ; but it was a very early issue when i joined that i mentioned it and named it
it was the gun barrells next top old frenchie and it was a big house pub inred tile all round
best wishes alan ; astonian
 
Hello Alan the Gun Makers Arms that I know is in Bath St and still trading was there more than one? Dek

hi dek..yes there is more than one gunmakers arms..here is the one in gerard st lozells and its still trading...

lyn
 
G G Jean, yes he had a sister and I think her name was Margeret, I know both her and her Husband both died some years ago. Eric
 
dek its got some lovely tiling inside this listed building...another one designed by lister lea..same as the bartons arms...

lyn
 
Hey Astonian, do you remember when that tram tipped over near the bend at Dent's Garage and Aston Church. It came down the hill which I think was called Aston Hall Road and if my memory serves me correctly someone was killed. Late thirties I reckon. Regards, David.
 
Astonian, further to that there was a man who didn't go down the air raid shelter during a raid right next to Dent's garage and a bomb dropped and blew him across the road into a tree in Aston Church Yard? Regards, David.
 
Hi All,

I do not know about dents on Lichfield Road. They are bloody great potholes.

Sorry I could not resist it.

Old Boy
 
HI OLD BOY
Yes old fred had the od lot of pots you name it he had got it he certainly competed wih the big broom
on the aston rd north ; [ aston cross ] if you remember them with there giant big broom hanging up
on there building out side there premises ; i wonder if any body got hold of that bigbroom and kept it
and got it in there possession today ;
dek many thanks for the pic of the guns and i certainly remember the tram turning over at cucko bridge on the turn table
where they cranked the tracks around to turn back to the city
i dont surpose you would recall the tram conductor from nechells whom lived next to the pub
on nechells park rd facing the baths whom used to work the trams and the first trolley busses he used to wear face powder and lippie and earings we as kids called him nancy bill people used to laugh at him he used to do the lichfield rd runto the city
this was in the fortys and fiftys he was a very nice chap nobody found it offencice in them days
when we was ids we ued to stand by the bus stop to just wait and see him on the platform as we lived across the rd from claribelles coaches
garage they only had three charabangs as we called them in those days and as i went to sunday school at dyson hall
the sunday school oganised a day trip to the country up the clen hills the old chara could hardly make it up those hills in those days
it was the first time we had ever seen the country side as kids those old charabangs used to smoke abit when chugging along
old well those were the days my friend the good old slow pace of life
compared with todays pace of life i say
have yourself a good day and enjoy it as for today tommorrow its history and as the old saying goes its tommorrow fish and chip news papers
best wishes Astonian
 
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