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Gosta green

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anvil man said:
I attended Gosta Green Technical Collage around 1959/60 when one day it became a university! Whilst there I can just about recall visiting, I think, Gosta green cinema which was converted into a BBC studio to show Percy Thrower and his latest gardening techniques, complete with green house.
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Yes that's correct it was the old Delicia Cinema that at one time held wrestling matches and then the BBC. It's still exists now but i'm not sure what it's used for..

https://www.pebblemill.org/blog/delicia-picture-house-cutting-from-gail-herbert/

There were plans for the College/University to be built before the war and they had begun to clear land but my family never had to move from Aston Road until 1955.
 
Hello, I don`t remember a food factory but I understood that "our bomb " in Digby St. was a couple of doors down from us. It dropped on a sort of coal yard come allsorts place. I do remember the crater it left this giant hole and there were bits of chickens every where.

This unfortunately is one memory I don`t seem able to erase. I also remember that because we could not return to our house we spent several days wrapped in eiderdowns sat on the curb in Legge st. We slept in a public shelter.

No wonder that sometimes I am a bit strange.

Thanks for all the links I can now catch up on.

Betty
 
Coming into Gosta Green looking up Coleshill Street with the Gaiety on the left and Gaskell and Chambers on the right by John Ball Photographer..
Coleshill Street Gosta Green.jpg
 
Coleshill Street is now split in half, ever since Aston University had their first phase Student Accommodation built. You either have to walk around onto Jennens Road, or through the Lakeside area towards James Watt Queensway.
 
brHumgum said:
Mal,my Dad informs me it was a top notch cinema, sadly i don't recall it..View attachment 87522View attachment 87523View attachment 87524

The Gaiety...
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Here's another view of the Gaiety later know as the ABC Coleshill Street, on the corner of Gem Street.
It's showing its last -or almost last- ever film presentation "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys".
The release date according to my day-by-day film diary in 1969 is 23 November 1969.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15265773@N05/2624166513/in/photolist-4ZTxhe-4ZTxQH-5sPR8D-5urbqE-5uQPA3-5x85hn-68DFT9-6qirVS

You will see by the roadworks signs that Coleshill Street has by then become the property of Aston University.
 
I lived in Aston Rd until 1938,any one knowledge of Tom Mix the cowboy appearing at the Fire Station,pre war.
 
kembar said:
I lived in Aston Rd until 1938,any one knowledge of Tom Mix the cowboy appearing at the Fire Station,pre war.
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Tom Mix was in Germany in 1938 touring with Circus Belli, I don't think he ever visited the UK did he?
 
I came across this interesting archaeological study while looking for information on the Gosta Green area c1850.

The study by Paul Collins, of Birmingham Archaeology at the University of Birmingham covers dates between about 1731 to 1956 and an area reaching from Aston Street north, Coleshill Street South and James Watt Queensway west.

It is a very detailed study with the history of the development of the area demonstrated with relevant old and modern maps, giving listed building information and some photographic plates of Laurence street & Ryder street houses and Bishop Ryder church.

Quote "In the years 1889 to 1891 Lawrence street and Ryder street were two of the three roads that were the site of the Birmingham Corporations first council houses. Ruder street had 22 four bedroom "cottages" with communal yards but indoor toilets, in Lawrence Street there were 82 similar houses built at right angles to the road, around court yards"

Its interesting to see how the area developed over the years prior to the Aston University campus being built on the land.

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.u...502-1/dissemination/pdf/birmingh2-28480_1.pdf

Louisa
 
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Re: Interesting Historical Study of Gosta Green prior to the Aston University buildin

Thanks for the link Louisa I will check it out when I have more time, my g.grandfather had a pub The Dog & Duck, at 40 Sheep Street, in 1861 - Sheep Street is now part of the Aston University Campus.
 
Market in front of the Sacks of Potatoes, Gosta Green (from Aston University website). But the pub frontage looks considerably changed, to such an extent that it could almost be a different pub. Was it re-built ? Viv.

image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
Hi Vivienne, I think the older photo was taken in the 1880's and the pub that we know of to day was built in the 1890's, I'm sure I have read somewhere.
 
With most of Gosta Green having been redeveloped over the years there are few landmarks left to help identify the buildings in this drawing from the London Illustrated News. As with many of these drawings we have to allow some artistic licence, but I can’t identify anything.

Viv.

64D66D25-8249-4233-9F6F-089CC69A442B.jpeg
 
According to the 1862 Corporation directory. Thomas Gillman, druggist, tea dealer, and oil and colourman , was at 54 Aston St. The building (possibly not the original ) is shown on the map c1889 below in red. So presumably the view is looking down Aston St

map c1889 showing where , earlier Thomas gillman's shop at no 54 #Aston St was.jpg
 
I went to 'Aston University' when it was Birmingham College of Advanced Technology. Many of our lectures at Central Tech in Suffolk St. Then, somewhere between the ex cinema and the Sack of Potatoes was a tailor who, as was the custom, sat on a table tailoring. I dont think we ever went into the S o P. Our pub was the Troc ie about half way between Gosta Green and Suffolk St. Incidentally I got a Diploma in Technology. For what I suppose was snobbish reasons it got converted to a B Sc.
 
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