• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Formans Rd, Sparkhill.

Sparkhill Boy

Sparkhill Boy

master brummie
Running between Stratford Rd and Reddings Lane.
1945, Lucas's factory was at the top on the left and took up a large section of the road. Opposite was "the Rec" (recreation ground) where it was necessary to climb the spiked fence if you wanted to play outside office hours. Once got hooked up on the spikes and had to be rescued by the security men from Lucas's. A trip to hospital for stiches and then a lashing from mother.
The 36 bus passed the house and stopped outside the little paper shop. From about the age of 4 I was able to get on the bus and ride as far as the police station at the top of Sparkhill Park, at that point I was removed from the bus and fed cake by the police until mum or dad arrived.
I had lots of fun living there for 17 years, including being in the choir of St Edmunds church in Reddings Lane.
Would love to hear from anyone that may have been there between 1945/62 I lived at no 204. No 202 were the Deakins and no 206 were the Beals.
 
Sparkhill Boy:

I wasn't far from you, living at 215 Knowle Road from 1942 until 1950. I spent many hours catching newts and getting into harmless trouble at the Burbary Brickworks and then getting into real trouble when I got home with my shoes covered in red clay!

As regards Lucas, my mother worked the evening shifts for several years inspecting bakelite components.

Maurice
 
Hello Sospiri. I recall the brickworks but mainly we played at the tip about half way down Formans Rd. There was a sweet shop on the corner of the track going through the allotments to the council tip. The shop was run by my Gran. The tip was where I broke my arm, another hospital trip. You can imagine what happened to me on return from hospital.
 
I seen to recall that Knowle Rd ran in paralell to Solihull Rd, is that correct.I had cousins in Solihull Rd, Barbara and Iris Hood. Would love to know where they are now.
 
Yes, parallel and in between Solihull Road and Bromyard Road. At the Stratford Road end of Solihull Road was the Spingfield Cinema, which reopened for a short time after the war as a cinema and last time I looked it was a furniture store, and the Springfield Ballroom - not sure what became of that. Henry Goodall and his Band were playing there at the end of WW2.

Between Knowle Road and Bromyard Road was the River Cole and the allotments - had fun trying to dam the river a few times!

A bomb wiped out numbers 213 to 205 Knowle Road and we had a bombsite to play on as well! The houses were rebuilt long after I left the area. During the war, the Springfield Cinema was used to store sugar. A large air raid shelter was built on the triangle of land in front of it and I think it was in 1948 that it was demolished with a heavy ball suspended by a chain from a crane - more fun! Nowadays it would have all been cordoned off with a quarter of a mile exclusion zone and umpteen police cars, but then we just stood and watched!

Maurice
 
Hya all My dad was born at 127 Formans rd (125?). His name was stanley smart.
However, his family continued to live there until not so long ago as he had two sisters who remained spinsters. I have been researching the family and my dads grandfather who was william smart a policeman originated from Caln in Wiltshire.
My mother told me how she met my dad.
He had some greyhound dogs as a young man, and his mother was a dressmaker.
One day my mom had to go to the house with her mother (lillian haden) as she wanted a new dress made.
My dad asked my mom if she would like to see his dogs and that was it. She married him at 18 years of age and they had a long and happy marriage plus 6 children.
 
Thanks Len, that looks as though it's directly opposite the "Rec". I used to get access through huge roller doors somewhere further down the road. I was not allowed into the main factory but use to spend time with the men from packing.
 
Hello Smithy. Was 125 one of the houses that were called the "Long Gardens?" I lived further up Formans Rd at 204, on the corner of Runnymead Rd.
Nice story about your mom and dad.
There was a greyhound track I think in Hall Green, my mom used to work there on the Tote. Perhaps your dad used to run the dogs there too.
 
Hi

156 Formans road outside the Bus Stop. Following the death
of my Grandad in 1955 my Nan finally finished up there.
Often Dad who owned the house lived there whilst he was
buying and selling houses. I stayed there on many occasions
and worked closely by Hills precion Diecasting and Lucas
Formans road (Plastics and Diecasting.)
Sadly it all got a bit to much for Nan and in 1974 she left
to live with her Eldest son in Yardley near the Old Post Office.
Many I night I would walk home from town 1/2 in the Morning.
It was alway's erie going over that huge bridge at the bottom in
the pitch black.
We lived next to the outdoor so beer and fags were alway's
around Mrs Linnequor I think ran it,
Another lady ran the opposite corner shop groceries I thing.
Opposite the Factory was a large Newspaper shop. The owner
I remember had a red Face.

Happy day's

Mike Jenks
 
Mike. Was 156 somewhere near the off-licence on the corner on Leominster Rd? It could have changed hands of course, I was there 1945/1962.
 
Sparkhill Boy:

Just noticed your post #7 about your mother being a tote operator at Hall Green. My mother was too, for quite a number of years. She also did the same at Kings Heath because their meetings happened to be on different days. The only fellow tote operator that I remember her mentioning was a Mrs Bridge who had a son a few months older than me. There were others, but 50+ years ago is a long time and memory fades!

I also noticed you live(d) in Dorset - so did I for about 40 years, mainly the Bournemouth/Poole area, but near Sturminster Newton for the last couple of years before I moved out to Crete! Small world.

Maurice
 
Hi

Yes on the corner of Leominster road. We were about 3 doors down.
Opposite it was wasteland. I think there was some sought of disater
there back in the 20/30s

Mike Jenks
 
Yes Mike I remember it, outside the bus stop and opposite the factory gates, great siting. We lived a few doors down from there. The shopkeepers name was Harry Edmunds.
My mom worked there part-time for a while.
 
To those that are interested you can take a virtual walk along Formans Rd and in thee area by going to www.google.co.uk and clicking on maps. Zoom into Birmingham and find the road. Drag the orange man from the zoom control to where you would like to start and roam at will.
 
And following on from posting #5, here's three for Sparkhill Boy, both just inside Solihull Road! The two modern ones are courtesy of Google, the 1914 one of the Springfield Cinema courtesy of the Acocks Green History site. If anyone has a 1940s one of the Springfield Ballroom I'd love to see it. It now appears to be a banqueting suite called "Grand Occasions". The cinema was empty when the Google van drove by and appears, by signage, to have been recently vacated by "World of Pine".

Maurice
 
Sparkhill Boy said:
Running between Stratford Rd and Reddings Lane.
1945, Lucas's factory was at the top on the left and took up a large section of the road. Opposite was "the Rec" (recreation ground) where it was necessary to climb the spiked fence if you wanted to play outside office hours. Once got hooked up on the spikes and had to be rescued by the security men from Lucas's. A trip to hospital for stiches and then a lashing from mother.
The 36 bus passed the house and stopped outside the little paper shop. From about the age of 4 I was able to get on the bus and ride as far as the police station at the top of Sparkhill Park, at that point I was removed from the bus and fed cake by the police until mum or dad arrived.
I had lots of fun living there for 17 years, including being in the choir of St Edmunds church in Reddings Lane.
Would love to hear from anyone that may have been there between 1945/62 I lived at no 204. No 202 were the Deakins and no 206 were the Beals.
Click to expand...
I believe my Mom lived in Formans road till she got married in 1956. The family name was Allden, (Eric, and Violet) and there was 7 kids. Doreen, Fred, June, Eileen (My Mom), Angela, Margaret, and Sylvia.
 
I lived just round the corner in Matlock rd1952/62. went to the cubs in the hut next to ST Edmunds. Had great times in the rec remeber the derilict nursury.
 
After being de-mobbed at the end of ww2, my step brother purchased a house in Reddings lane with his wife. The house is opposite the park a short distance from Foremans Rd. They had three children who attended the school on the coirner of York Rd and Russel Rd then two of them went to Mosely Grammer. Those three are now married with their own families and my step brother still lives at the same address although his dear wife died a few years ago. My step brother is 89 now and he still goes into Touchwood on the bus to do his shopping.
 
My aunt and uncle, Jack and Betty Milton lived at 236 Formans Rd.After Jack died Betty left to live with her daughter Janice and later passed away.
 
i worked at the old woolworths which had there loading bbay in formans road
it was changed to barnardos when i was manager there
it was a second hand furniture shop
i remember not so many years ago in formans road a barber shop tried to have topless staff didn t last long
 
Sparkhill Boy said:
Mike. Was 156 somewhere near the off-licence on the corner on Leominster Rd? It could have changed hands of course, I was there 1945/1962.
Click to expand...
A lady who comes into the shop I work in, in Cornwall used to run that off licence. I don't know her name, but her Daughter Irene remembers it well.
 
Hi

Im not sure but Mrs Linekar sounds familiar. I spent hous in
there gettings fags and Sherry for Nan. On and off spent
around 15 years there. I can still here the 36 pulling up
and the bell of the conductor. The stop was right outside
my bedroom. In the early years we had the outside toilet
freezing in the Winter but dad got a grant for a bathroom
and kitchen extension. The tin lizzy was gone.
unfortunately I spent years in London Nans sister lived
a few doors away from an outdoor in ealing. So i may have
mixed up the names.

Mike Jenks
 
when i first started work i used to go to a cafe in Formans rd just down from Stratford rd on the left to get thr breakfasts for the men i worked with one of them was Roy Eadie he lived at No 111 Knowle rd and his mum and dad lived in Thornhill rd then later on another friend lived in Knowle rd before moving to Hall Green, while the cafe onwer was doing the order i would be sitting down to a sausage egg and bacon sandwhich with a mug of coffee yum yum.
 
frederick said:
when i first started work i used to go to a cafe in Formans rd just down from Stratford rd on the left to get the breakfasts for the men i worked with one of them was Roy Eadie he lived at No 111 Knowle rd and his mum and dad lived in Thornhill rd then later on another friend lived in Knowle rd before moving to Hall Green, while the cafe onwer was doing the order i would be sitting down to a sausage egg and bacon sandwhich with a mug of coffee yum yum.
Click to expand...
 
when i first started work i used to go to a cafe in Formans rd just down from Stratford rd on the left to get the breakfasts for the men i worked with one of them was Roy Eadie he lived at No 111 Knowle rd and his mum and dad lived in Thornhill rd then later on another friend lived in Knowle rd before moving to Hall Green, while the cafe owner was doing the order i would be sitting down to a sausage egg and bacon sandwhich with a mug of coffee yum yum.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top