• 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

Harborne Tenants

Aidan

Aidan

master brummie
I see there are already good threads going on the Harborne Railway, Chad Valley Toys and general Harborne memories so I thought I'd start one on Harborne Tenants who built and still manage many of the residential area to the NE of the Village.

To kick things off, and as we are in late April, here is a pic (repro I think) of the May-Day celebrations there in 1910. If I recognise it correctly, the houses are in the lower part of Margaret Grove and would have been built only a few years previous. The dancing would appear to be on the land that is now given over to allotments between Margaret Grove and the Harborne Tenants Tennis Club on Moorpool Avenue
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52...52.46371,-1.951082&spn=0.001588,0.003916&z=18

Through the gap in the building you can see the bare fields of what is now the Harborne Reserve and beyond that although not visible would be the bank that the Harborne Railway passed on top of
 
Myself and my husband rented a house in Carless Avenue (2000/2006) which was part of the Moorpool estate what a wonderful place to live.It is as though time has stood still. Very clean, and a very well looked after Estate. The Tenants of the original Harborne tenants group who are all lovely genuine people, but now a lot of the properties have been sold off so it is a very expensive place to live, and the house we rented was sold for a great deal of money. The Moor-pool estate as you say has still its own tennis courts Drama group Small shop and a good old community spirit which the Harborne tenants strive hard to keep.
 
Thanks Lizy - I didn't perhaps appreciate it at the time but I think you are spot on.

My Gt-Grandparents, Parents & I are all Margaret Grove, My Grandparents: Carless Avenue (20 for a long time then 28), my Grand-Uncle (if there is such a thing): Wentworth Gate, and various other relatives dotted around including Moorpool Avenue. It did seem a shame when they started selling the properties off. I did a paper round around the Carless Avenue area for the Newsagent/shop on The Circle for a bit. I also was a "Milkman's Assistant" or boy as it would have been then with Cliff the co-op man for a couple of years - for some reason I have recurring dreams of delivering milk around High Brow and that circular close in the middle of Carless Avenue (forgotten the name and Google Maps no help) - I put it down to age and alcohol!
 
A few years ago a former Lord Mayor of Birmingham lived on Moorpool estate.

Almost opposite Moorpool Hall.

He was a wonderful Gent by the name of Alderman Garnet Boughton. { not sure of spelling }

Betty.
 
One of my first boyfriends lived on Moorpool Estate in the very early 60s, his name was Robert. I met when I worked at Denbro on the Soho Road.
 
Aidan
Hope i'm not telling you about something you have already seen, but have you seen the short article on Harborne tenants in Carl Chinn's Brum & Brummies no 1 (it is not called no 1 , but is followed by 2,3,4) pp 48-51
Mike
 
Hi Mike - Thanks. I have seen the thread on the forum about the magazine, but now realise that he is the author of many books and a Brummie dictionary! I would like to see the article, I'll have to see if my library speaks Brummie enough to order a copy
 
Anyone interested in Harborne Tenants would find it interesting to visit Harborne Library on the High Street. They have lots of info on the history & development of the estate and also a very good collection of photographs, including many taken while the estate was being built.

best wishes,

Roy
 
I worked at the shop on the circle a couple of years ago, and it was one job not too well payed but i loved it and the customers were so friendly i was sad when i had to leave . As i have said before it was as though time had stood still ,and the customers would just take their time browsing around it really was a lovely atmosphere .
 
Glad to see the various posts about Harborne Tenants. Its owned by a plc now and they want to build on the allotments sadly. We have quite a few ideas of our own though which are on the website under an 'alternative way forward'. Any more pictures or stories would be great.
Rob
 
Aidan said:
Planting of the Willow Tree in early 1960s https://www.harbornetenants.co.uk/moorpool.ra/main/photos-historic.html

Grown a bit since then https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52...CvPMty3voM2hyZ-Rxb0E-w&cbp=12,283.82,,0,-8.47
Click to expand...

Here is a view from the rail line, over the works, towards Margaret Grove & Moorpool Avenue. I am guessing from the lack of obvious Willow Tree and the vehicles that it is late 50s/early 60s - from harbornelife.co.uk

The house over whose washing line we are looking, before the bridge, was there before it all began of course. Current reverse streetview here https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52...CvPMty3voM2hyZ-Rxb0E-w&cbp=12,113.16,,0,13.89

And can't resist adding the Margaret Grove flood picture from www.harbornetenants.co.uk showing the wall of the Works at the end
 

Attachments

  • from the rail line, over the works, towards Margaret Grove & Moorpool Avenue.jpg
    from the rail line, over the works, towards Margaret Grove & Moorpool Avenue.jpg
    177.7 KB · Views: 5
  • Margaret%20Grove%20Flood.jpg
    Margaret%20Grove%20Flood.jpg
    121.3 KB · Views: 5
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top