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Gosta Green Through Duddeston

Phil
You say you thought the Lawrence street houses would have made good places for students. A lot of the students, already rather tired of bland concrete blocks, thought the same, and there was a big campaign at the university for that to be done, but, as you say, it didn't fit the councils blasted earth policy
Mike
 
Mike

I didn't know that, but it makes good sense doesn't it. Sorrowfully Birmingham Council is not renowned for its common sense.

Phil
 
I don't know if anybody recognises these buildings. One is of the exterior of the Union Glass Works Dartmouth St. This was one of the businesses owned by Sir Benjamin Stone MP for East Birmingham, ex Councilor for Duddeston and first Lord Mayor of Sutton Coldfield who was born in Aston. He also became a renowned photographer and is responsible for the two photo's posted here.

He owned many businesses in the poorer areas of Birmingham, another in the Nechells Vauxhall area was the Union Paper Mill in Landor Street. Amazing what you can make off the backs of the working class.These photo's were taken in 1895 so I don't suppose anybody recognises them on this photo, but by 1903 the glassworks as owned by Sir Benjamin were gone, and if I have done my detective work correctly were now The Victoria Glass works between 68 and 108 Dartmouth St and went under the name of James Stevens & Sons Ltd.

I suppose by then Sir Benjamin thought that industry was beneath his station and he had sold out.

Phil.

NechellsUnionGlassWorksDartmouthSt1895.jpg


NechellsDartmouthStUnionGlassWorks.jpg
 
Pmc, I don't doubt that conditions of life and work were pretty meagre for these workers but what would they have been doing if these factories were not around.
By the way, any idea where about in Dartmouth Street the street scene is.
 
Rupert

I don't protest the fact that the upper classes and gentry lived off the backs of the working class, more the conditions they made them work under and the meagre wages they paid them. Not all the Gentry were philanthropists.

I am not sure about this, but if the Union Glass works became the Victoria Glass works as I suspect, then it was located on the West side (town side) of the street between Heneage St and Lister St. At that location I would assume that it backed on to the canal.

Phil
 
It seems to me that the photo may have been a posed shot. I wonder if the group in front of the factory? doorway were the principals that you write about. They do seem to be well dressed. Pretty smokey place in those days.
 
Rupert

There is a chance that they were members of Sir Benjamin's family, but he would have been behind the camera. He did sometimes pose members of his family in the shot, in this one of The Mill Pool at Park Mills taken in 1896 his son Roland is standing on the bank.

You can see St Clements vicarage in the background. The pool has now been filled in and in its place now stands Mount Pleasant Recreation Ground.

Phil

NechellsMountPleasant-1.jpg
 
The picture at Park Mills must have been taken by the sluice gate then and the road in the background is Stanley. The 1890 survey does not show as many houses on the east side of the road so the ones there in the picture must have been fairly new then. Hard to think of them as ever being new. Still, a far cry from the back to backs. This helps to bring the map to life.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...d=10085&ox=2094&oy=3116&zm=1&czm=1&x=75&y=183
 
This is Kelly's 1904
here is Lister st
128 Tombs John, dining rms
126 Pingo Thomas Walter,
furniture broker
Clifford Chas.jun.coaldlr
112 lies Albert S. organ bldr
no Evans J. & C. H. & Co.
Limited, maltsters
108 Hill Chas. Edwd. beer ret
Stevens James &Son,glass ****
manufacturers (Victoria
Glass works). See advt.
opposite glass manufrs
This would be between Great Lister Street and Heneage Street on the town side.
 
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I think the union and victoria works were separate. See map 1890 (union red, victoria green) In the 1896 kellys the union works are called stone, fawdry and stone at no 4. and victoria works is stevens james and son. In the 1904 edition no 4 is blank.
mike

map c1889 showing southern end of dartmouth st with victoria and Union glassworks marked.jpg
 
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Mike

You are of course quite right.

This as usual is the result of assumtion and not enough information, because the 1903 Kelly's gives no indication of Union Glassworks and States that Holbrooks ran from Ashted Row to Heneage St and I knew from my own memory this was true. On spotting Victoria Glassworks I latched on to that.

I did say I was not sure, and I think in future until I am it best to keep quiet and not leap to conclusions as this might misguide others, Thanks for pointing out my error.

Phil
 
Phil
I don't think there's any need to keep quiet. It was a very reasonable assumption. I wouldn't have expected two glassworks so close together, and expected to merely confirm your work. M ore ideas the merrier.
GER22VAN That's a great advert. It's good to know what sort of products they produced. I wonder what the Union works produced. Tried google, but didn't come up with anything, perhaps not surprisingly
mike
 
mikejee. Only found this one so far. Glass Manufacturers no advert.
Hateley James & Co. (flint), Chester
street, Dartmouth street
 
Here's a photo looking down Neachells Parkway taken in the early to mid sixties, taken looking towards what would have been Great Lister St, where St Matthews Church still remains the only reminder of bygone days.

Although to those who lived in the area around the same time as myself. this is all new. The photographer comments that all the flats to the left of the church have now gone. I will have to qualify that by saying that I don't know from my own experience how true that is, but if it is we shouldn't worry too much its only another example of Birmingham Council doing what it is good at. "Wasting the Ratepayers money".

Phil

NechellsParkway-1.jpg
 
Can't see them on the latest GE shots. Must be true.
I thought that the four taller towers were the ones that are there now but they do not seem to be so. This must be second generation with as you say only the church remaining from the old days. The old shops that we were looking at on Gt. Lister street must have still been in place when this photo was taken, further round the corner of Nechells Pkwy.
 
Rupert

As you say if those shops were still standing when the photo was taken they would be well out of the frame. Somewhere to the front of those building to the right of the church.

I cant make out what they are. I thought by this time all the old buildings had been cleared and replaced by Duddeston Manor Rd complete with maisonettes on the Great Lister St side and a park on the other.

Phil
 
Check out page 62 post 619 This shows the Parkway turning towards Ashted Row junction with Dartmouth Street. The tower block on the left did not last too long before it was demolished.
 
Here's a better view over the roof of St Mathews Church. Showing all the flats that were demolished. Just think of all the money that was wasted.

In all the years I lived in Nechells although I knew Rev Thomas (that was his name wasn't it?). I knew him from the pubs when he came round with his collection tin on his bike , what a great old man he was. I never in all that time stepped inside his church. I was just looking at the second photo, and thought well at least something of substance of old Nechells was saved from the hammer.

Phil

NechellsAerialViewoverStMathews-1.jpg
 
Phil. I did not know the vicar but the school of Saint Mathews was to do with the church ( I don't know how they explained it in the correct terms.)
We used to have the Harvest Festival there about this time of year or was it September ? Two great photographs ( after my time .)
 
Thanks for those 2 St. Matthew photos.... I really need to get to see this church when I can get to Birmingham. Georgie
 
Ernie

How come I don't see you playing outside the school with the other kids on this delightful drawing of St Mathews when it still had its spire and went by the name of St Matthews in the Wilderness because it stood in the middle of nowhere all on its own.

Phil

StMatthewsintheWilderness.jpg
 
Phil. What a lovely sketch, I wonder if the building in the foreground is Saint Matthews school ?
Phil I know I am knocking on a bit now but I am not that old ( Although sometimes I feel it.)
 
Daft me, that's why there are so many kids about in the scene.
It would be lovely to have a date to the sketch. My Aunt and Uncle and my Great Aunt and Uncle were married in the church.
 
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