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Erdington and Sutton High Streets
- Thread starter davidfowler
- Start date
tresario
master brummie
Isnt it amazing that I wasnt even born when the Erdington picture was taken, yet I can tell you exactly where on the High Street I think it is!
The line of trees on the left is St Barnabas church and cemetery.. So the lady crossing front of picture would be outside Boots the chemist, which is now the pound shop!..
It's only when I see these pictures and read all the lovely memories I get really 'homesick' for Birmingham.
Bernie
The line of trees on the left is St Barnabas church and cemetery.. So the lady crossing front of picture would be outside Boots the chemist, which is now the pound shop!..
It's only when I see these pictures and read all the lovely memories I get really 'homesick' for Birmingham.
Bernie
W
Wendy
Guest
Thanks Mike, well at least the building is still there.
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
I Thought exactly the same, but look again, boots store ( Poundland) which had not been built then, is farther down from Littlewoods opposite Woolworths.
Boots then was more or less in the same place the new one is now.
tresario
master brummie
Littlewoods when I was a kid was opposite the Roebuck pub, My mom used to send me up to get her cheese !
So is the other choice, looking the other way to down by the swimming baths and block buster video??
I thought that building at the very top of the picture was opposite gardeners next to the Acorn pub??
So I,m still guessing??
So is the other choice, looking the other way to down by the swimming baths and block buster video??
I thought that building at the very top of the picture was opposite gardeners next to the Acorn pub??
So I,m still guessing??
It was Lloyd's, wasn't it? Kept my account there for many, many years after I had moved away.
I remember one or two faces from there in the 1950s and the name of the then manager, Mr. Sharper.
Chris.
M
mike-g
Guest
Lloyds on one corner HSBC on the other, both now recycled.
Lloyds was the one on the far corner, on the opposite side of Midlland Drive(?).
I suppose the other one, HSBC, was the Midland Bank in those days. Yes, looking at David's photo again, it says it's the London & Midland Bank, in other words the Midland, which some of us remember, in an earlier guise.
(Irrelevant footnote: Wikipedia tells us that the Midland, now largely forgotten, was "by 1934 the largest deposit bank in the world". Blimey!)
I like the "before and after", Astonite - keep them coming!
Chris
I suppose the other one, HSBC, was the Midland Bank in those days. Yes, looking at David's photo again, it says it's the London & Midland Bank, in other words the Midland, which some of us remember, in an earlier guise.
(Irrelevant footnote: Wikipedia tells us that the Midland, now largely forgotten, was "by 1934 the largest deposit bank in the world". Blimey!)
I like the "before and after", Astonite - keep them coming!
Chris
Last edited:
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
David: I had not seen the Erdington High Street photo from this angle before.
Where Poundland is now used to be a Ladies Outfitters back in the early l950's. For a while I can remember a small fruit shop there. Mom used to hassle the server man because he had boxes of lovely apples at the front of the store but he took your apple order out of some box you couldn't see....not the same quality at all.
When the National School was demolished Hearn's Furniture store took part of the site and the rest became the Precinct. In the early l950's I used to take my brother to Sunday School at the at the National School. We had the whole High Street to ourselves on Sunday afternoons, only Meesons Sweet shop at the Six Ways end was open. We got into minor mischief at times.They used to have a lot of small boxes in an open shed behind the Ladies shop and we used to go and sort out some of them especially the boxes that nylons came in. Boots was down further on the other side as mentioned. You can just see the rooftop of Woolworths on this photo. The shop called Bernard Peters was quite a large fruit shop. Mom used to take me in there often. I was about five or so and that's when I first saw Eskimo Frozen peas. Not in packet but you could by them loose. A whole new concept. It was awful being small in those crowds with shopping bags hitting you in the face on Saturdays when the High Street had throngs of people in it. Also, most people got married on a Saturday and it was
fun to watch the weddings coming and going and seeing all the pretty confetti at Erdington Parish Church. Now banned, of course.The Acorn pub was nicely placed for the male guests and they would all congregate in there and in the yard at the back on Church Lane.
Our treat would be to go into Dick's Coffee Shop on the same side as Littlewoods and
have an orange squash and one fancy cake. They had a tea room upstairs with
waitress service and downstairs they sold coffee and coffee beans.
Where Poundland is now used to be a Ladies Outfitters back in the early l950's. For a while I can remember a small fruit shop there. Mom used to hassle the server man because he had boxes of lovely apples at the front of the store but he took your apple order out of some box you couldn't see....not the same quality at all.
When the National School was demolished Hearn's Furniture store took part of the site and the rest became the Precinct. In the early l950's I used to take my brother to Sunday School at the at the National School. We had the whole High Street to ourselves on Sunday afternoons, only Meesons Sweet shop at the Six Ways end was open. We got into minor mischief at times.They used to have a lot of small boxes in an open shed behind the Ladies shop and we used to go and sort out some of them especially the boxes that nylons came in. Boots was down further on the other side as mentioned. You can just see the rooftop of Woolworths on this photo. The shop called Bernard Peters was quite a large fruit shop. Mom used to take me in there often. I was about five or so and that's when I first saw Eskimo Frozen peas. Not in packet but you could by them loose. A whole new concept. It was awful being small in those crowds with shopping bags hitting you in the face on Saturdays when the High Street had throngs of people in it. Also, most people got married on a Saturday and it was
fun to watch the weddings coming and going and seeing all the pretty confetti at Erdington Parish Church. Now banned, of course.The Acorn pub was nicely placed for the male guests and they would all congregate in there and in the yard at the back on Church Lane.
Our treat would be to go into Dick's Coffee Shop on the same side as Littlewoods and
have an orange squash and one fancy cake. They had a tea room upstairs with
waitress service and downstairs they sold coffee and coffee beans.
davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
Pictures of the Green in Erdington village are very popular. For me it's quite significant in that when we lived in Tyburn Road my Dad bought me a boxer dog. We always used to shop at Darralls the butchers, always seen on these postcards, for cow's cheek for the dog. He had it raw but if my Mom thought he was a bit under the weather she'd gently stew it. I can still smell it - yugh!
C
Carol Watts
Guest
Great pictures of Erdington, brings back so many memories. I was born in the slums of Nechells but live most of my life in Erdington (now Kingstanding). My parents were born in Ireland and moved to Erdington when they were toddlers, there is a big population of Irish in the area. Both families lived either end of Erdington high street and ma and pa went to the Abbey school, they met at The Abbey Saturday night dance. I have listened to many stories of Old Ireland and Erdington. Spent many Saturdays and Holidays walking down the high street with Grandma.
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Hi Carol: Thanks for posting your story. There certainly were many Irish families in Birmingham and in Erdington, where I lived. Many of the Irish children attended The Abbey School and we Protestants rarely got to meet them as, of course, they attended The Abbey Church also. We certainly met Irish women in many different jobs. I remember the clippie's on the buses in particular. Many of them were very good looking ladies.
You may have already read Carl Chinn's book about the Irish in Birmingham. Here is a link to it and also you can probably get it at the local library. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Gener...EM_ID=19243&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=10277
You may have already read Carl Chinn's book about the Irish in Birmingham. Here is a link to it and also you can probably get it at the local library. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Gener...EM_ID=19243&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=10277
Alf
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Freckles the Film was made in 1960
I lost my Driving licence here in 1979. Never did get it back
C
Carol Watts
Guest
Jennyann
My ma worked at the Cinema in the High Street, my dad used to wait for her to finish before walking her home. Needless to say the pubs were shut when she finished and he was normally tiddled when he collected her!
He drank a lot in the Queens, he lived in Summer road and New street, yes at the same time as my nan had 2 house's to keep her big family in!! My granma was a tough old stick who ruled the house with an iron fist, she had too with such a big family to look after and feed.
My ma's family lived at the back of the greengrocers in Woodcote road, they moved there temporally because the house next door had been bombed, they lived there 40 years!!
We walked a lot to High street with my gran and she always spent twopence on sweets for us. The old market was brill so too was Woolworth.We had to say our prays when we stopped with her before bed and a meal. She was a marvelous cook and her Sunday dinners were magic. She also made wedding cakes and made our Holy Communion dress's...........happy days.
My ma worked at the Cinema in the High Street, my dad used to wait for her to finish before walking her home. Needless to say the pubs were shut when she finished and he was normally tiddled when he collected her!
He drank a lot in the Queens, he lived in Summer road and New street, yes at the same time as my nan had 2 house's to keep her big family in!! My granma was a tough old stick who ruled the house with an iron fist, she had too with such a big family to look after and feed.
My ma's family lived at the back of the greengrocers in Woodcote road, they moved there temporally because the house next door had been bombed, they lived there 40 years!!
We walked a lot to High street with my gran and she always spent twopence on sweets for us. The old market was brill so too was Woolworth.We had to say our prays when we stopped with her before bed and a meal. She was a marvelous cook and her Sunday dinners were magic. She also made wedding cakes and made our Holy Communion dress's...........happy days.
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Carol, such lovely memories especially of your Grandmother being a great cook and also a great seamstress. Your Dad as you have described him sounded like many men who lived around Erdington, Irish or no. There were some pretty high spirited characters and it wasn't always the Irish men who fought after the pubs turned out. I had an Irish boyfriend years ago and he was a great chap. Thanks for posting.
W
Wendy
Guest
Apparently the fights after the pubs closed were a normal occurrence even in the villages. I suppose it was one of those things after a few drinks and because they were so anesthetized they rarely suffered a serious injury. Thanks for the memories Carol!
davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Hi David: Have never seen this postcard pic before. That's a great shot down the
High Street. The Acorn looks great in this picture. The replacement building is forgettable to me. You can just see the spire of the Methodist Church on the corner
of Newman Road. Went a few times to events and it was a really nice church inside
and out. Pulled down and I believe it was Barclay's Bank complete with escalator
appeared in it's place. There were two W.M. Taylor's shops on the same side as the Acorn, one was a hardware store and the other further down on that side was
a small Department store which I used to love shopping in.
Where Burton's is on the pic there was the Billiard Hall above. There was another great shop called Stanley James with an impressive shop front. Went in there mostly to look for ties and hankies for my Dad's birthdays.
High Street. The Acorn looks great in this picture. The replacement building is forgettable to me. You can just see the spire of the Methodist Church on the corner
of Newman Road. Went a few times to events and it was a really nice church inside
and out. Pulled down and I believe it was Barclay's Bank complete with escalator
appeared in it's place. There were two W.M. Taylor's shops on the same side as the Acorn, one was a hardware store and the other further down on that side was
a small Department store which I used to love shopping in.
Where Burton's is on the pic there was the Billiard Hall above. There was another great shop called Stanley James with an impressive shop front. Went in there mostly to look for ties and hankies for my Dad's birthdays.
davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
Hi JennyAnn
I can remember going to a small chemists down from the Acorn towards 6 Ways to buy perfume and stuff for my Mom for Christmas in the 50s. It's one of those memories fixed in my mind. Can't think why 'though.
I can remember going to a small chemists down from the Acorn towards 6 Ways to buy perfume and stuff for my Mom for Christmas in the 50s. It's one of those memories fixed in my mind. Can't think why 'though.
jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Hi David: That shop you mentioned in your post I have referred to here a long time ago. The shop was called Norton's and they sold perfume and
specialty high end makeup, creams, lotions, etc. There wasn't a store like this one anywhere in Erdington. I used to go there when I came home for a visit. I loved that shop. It was a bit of a jumble which made it more interesting. Thanks for the reminder.
specialty high end makeup, creams, lotions, etc. There wasn't a store like this one anywhere in Erdington. I used to go there when I came home for a visit. I loved that shop. It was a bit of a jumble which made it more interesting. Thanks for the reminder.
davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
JennyAnn, fancy you remembering the shop. You're right, it was a bit of a jumble. I can remember going through the doors and the smell as if it was yesterday.
C
Carol Watts
Guest
The High street is now full of cheap pound shops and young single mothers pushing prams.
W
Wendy
Guest
I'm afraid thats pretty general for most towns now Carol!
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
Thank God for Pound shops. The way things are going they'll be the only place I'll be able to afford.
coopbill7
very old brummie
Carol.young married mothers also push prams
Hi Lloyd thank you for getting back to me that picture is great but i used to live just through that bridge on the left number 45 many thanks ricco hope somone can get me an old picture of my old house..