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Gosta Green Through Duddeston

Hi Col

I'm pretty sure that the churchyard is still the original size, but I think the only way that you are going to know for sure is way is to contact the church itself. Why don't you try emailing this address,

bill@astonnechellscofe.org.uk

I think they charge £19 for a record search but you only want to know if any of the burials were ever moved and reburied, I don't think they will make a charge for answering that. I'm sure father Thomas would have told you anything you wanted to know had you bought him a pint.

Just one other thing, the wall may have been rebuilt on the same foundations when it was reduced in height.

Phil
 
I walked past this church every day of the week almost, from about 1946-1953.
The wall has always been a fairly low one as in the photos, the railings were probably removed for the war effort.
3 images 1893, 1896, and 1946, between the first two it looks like the property on the right had been added.
The churchyard has always been the same size as far as I am aware.
The buiding you see on the left in the first pic is St. Mathews School.
 
Another two photos of St.Mathews.
The house in the second one I have coloured yellow would have been in Godwin Street.
The last five images were all taken from the book SALTLEY DUDDESTON and NECHELLS,by MARIA TWIST, in the IMAGES OF ENGLAND series.
 
My latest find, this fantastic aerial view of Nechells centring around the new Tower Bocks built in the 50's. You can still see parts of the old Great Francis St & Bloomsbury St and even Oliver St. Melvina Road isn't even finished yet it looks like it has been laid out but is still waiting to be surfaced.

Loxton St School is still standing and waiting for the demolition hammer and the new maisonettes between what was to become Melvina Rd & Little Hall Rd are just being built. The site of the new community centre is still waiting to be cleared.

Phil

NechellsAerialView-1.jpg
 
John,

Now you know I'm not going to mind, I think that is absolutely fantastic. It's a pity you were not around when I was drinking. You could have made me a photo map so I would have been able to find my way back home.

Phil
 
Phil, You would have needed to carry a torch around with you, unless you did an all night stop-over and it was getting light when you came out.
 
Phil what a Brilliant photo what year would you say it was i,m guessing 1956

John you appear to have named em all the only other one i can see is Francis St just see the end running into Lupin St great job. Dek
 
Dek

As Queens Tower was completed and opened in 1954 I would guess you would be about right. Queens Tower is the one in the middle of the block of 3 and was the first Tower Block in Birmingham.

To be precise the street John failed to indicate was Little Francis St. It was only Francis St until it crossed over Lupin St.

Phil
 
Yes I would say that the steel framework we could see taking shape on the first Tower Block we could see from the playground in 1953.
 
Dek

Little Francis St is still there today only it is now called Little Francis Grove.

John

I always took a flashlight with me when I went out drinking, so I could follow the kerb on my hands and knees as I made my way home.

Amanda

Where do you want to focus in on, what parts of Nechells were important to you. I may have a photo you never know.

Ernie

I knew you would remember the Tower Blocks being built, you remember the Pyramids being built as well don't you?

Phil
 
I knew you would remember the Tower Blocks being built, you remember the Pyramids being built as well don't you?


What Street were they on????
 
Phil that factory complex between Bloomsbury and Scholfield i vaguely remember was it one company? I have the picture of a large chimney in my minds eye in that area. Dek
 
I can remember as a student being taken round one of the 'big three' blocks while it was being built. I think it was June 1954, but I could be a year out either way. I certainly recall standing on the top of one of the blocks and looking round on that fine sunny day. I also knew Loxton Street Street School quite well, as my dad was a teacher there from 1933 until about 1955, when he moved to Queensbridge School in Kings Heath shortly after.
Peter
 
Thanks John that help me greatly i know the names of the Towers but the only one i ever get right in position sense is South Tower. Dek
 
GER22VAN said:
Phil. Sorry I have heard of the Pyramids but not sure what they are.
Click to expand...

Ernie

Never believe what you read in history books, Queens, High,South & Home towers were built on the site of Khufu, Khafre & Menkaure's pyramids and also The Great Sphinx. Which were originally in Nechells but Birmingham Council along with Herbert Manzoni with their usual dislike of anything old decided they needed to be cleared away and some Tower Blocks erected.

So they got a gang of navvy's in and had them demolished. Now the Egyptians with a bit more common sense than us Brummies knew that old buildings become tourist attractions decided to buy them and ship them out to Giza.

Phil
 
Another aerial view of Nechells, this one is dated 1966 and I particularly like this one because it shows so many of my haunts at that time.

You can pick out The Ashted Hamlet, The Adelaide, The Tom Thumb and you can also pick out the Railway Club and my house close by in Inkerman St.

It probably won't mean a lot to most people but it one of my favourite photos of Nechells, all I need now is one of Francis St.

Phil

NechellsAerialView.jpg
 
Another great photo Phil i,ve also found our house. one thing that caught my eye is when you enlarge the photo it shows a large chimney at the top end of Norththumberland St do you remember this??i new we had one close by but could not place it i seem to think it was at the top of Spooner St but i feel now i was wrong. Dek
 
Dek

Yes I can see the stack in question, I too have no idea. I can't remember any industry in Northumberland St that would warrant such a stack. The only thing I can think of is, would it be the stack for the boiler house at the Co-op Dairy?

Phil
 
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