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high st..erdington

Is this the same site as the co op today. as I remember the old co op store, where the palace picture house was next door :)
 
I can't place this in Erdington High Street. This wouldn't be the later site of Owen Owen would it? Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
I can't place this in Erdington High Street. This wouldn't be the later site of Owen Owen would it? Viv.
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I remember Owen and Owen being towards Six way. going towards 6 ways on the left side of the High Street, that was in the 70's There were some nice shops along the High Street then
 
My maternal grandmother woreked at the original Boots shop, where she was in chgarge of the library at the elevated top of the store. I had 2 other Aunts worked there. My Mother would take us shopping in Erdington - 1960 - 1972. A lot of my clothes came from the Army & Navy Stores (tough but cheap and long lasting, a bit like me I suppose!), and other items from Owen Owen or Wilton Market. I remember Erdington being every bit a rival for Sutton Parade, but in recent years both have suffered from the dreaded 'developers' and changes in retailers.
 
My late Wife Doreen worked at Littlewoods in the High St Erdington branch early 70's, I remember she had to attend a days training at the City centre branch in 1971 to learn about the new decimal currency later she worked Part time at a butchers (Dewhursts?? maybe ??) up the precinct off the High St near the Co-op. Eric
 
I spent or mis-spent all my youth in the Village and as far as I can remember it was never called the Wilton cinema, it was the ABC Picture house.
 
I remember there was a large car park behind the coop, because i parked there when picking my Wife up from the butchers in the precinct where she worked . Also in the precinct was a shop that sold therma clothing ( cannot remember the name), also I remember a large toy shop, was it Barnaby's , plus a solicitors who my daughter used when arranging a mortgage, it all slowly coming back to me, this was in the 60's and 70's. We lived in Erdington from 63 to 85 Eric
 
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I have a photo of the Erdington Picture House which was where Wilton Market is now. Owen Owen's was W>M. Taylors for many years before O and O came.
 
Anthony Chew's book showa the same photograph of the Erdington co-op, and says it was branch no 10, and opened in 1936. The 1937 Kellys shows the co-op at 76 High St, but there is also a branch there (presumably the predecessor) in 1935, so this is not proof.
 
I have lived in Erdington all my life. I used to go to the Palace pictures in the early 70's to the saturday morning minors club, it cost the old shilling at first, and I am sure it was in the spot where the bookies is and Dorothy Perkins is now,there is also a stationery shop and Chemist These are in buildings that are a little bit more modern.
I may be wrong There was a co op at this time where the new co op is today, But I dont recall it actually being a supermarket as such, I can remember going in there around 1975 when a school friend had a job there, and the shop seemed more like a dated Littlewoods store, and old fashioned . I think not long after this, everything was knocked down to make way for improvements.
 
Here's a good picture that may help.
You can see the co-op on the left by the gent on the bike. It looks like the same building that Lyn posted in post#1 and you can also see the Palace Cinema on the left just in front of truck.

View attachment 70535


Chocks
 

Great photo there, as already said you had the co op, thenthe ABC Palace: James Debney was the assistant Manager. The Palace ball room,had been shut down for years, I was told it had the most magnificent ornate plasterwork on the ceilings.

Mac Fisheries, the Roebuck pub then the National school andthe church. The was then another pub, but cannot rememebr its name. Taylors, which was reopened by Des O’Conner (still have theautograph).

On the right was the Swan Pub, then the picture house,subsequently turned in to a car show room; think it was Colmore depot. The boththe Swan and the Picture house were demolished to make way for Wilton Market.

We had Littlewoods (great coffee bar) and Woolworths. Mymother worked in Woolworths, left school at 14. The army and navy stores, a funeraldirector, think it was Hazels…. The mothers club, and somewhere near was a shoeshop with an Xray machine.

I am sure others can fill in the gaps
 
Yes thats it, was it on the corner of High Street and Church Road; quite a big place?
 
chocks2 said:
Here's a good picture that may help.
You can see the co-op on the left by the gent on the bike. It looks like the same building that Lyn posted in post#1 and you can also see the Palace Cinema on the left just in front of truck.

View attachment 70535


Chocks
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thanks chocks...nice pic and i think confirm that the caption on my pic is correct...thats good cos i dont like posting wrong captions...

lyn
 
Having a second look at Lyn's photo of the Erdington Co-op store dated l935. I can't really remember it looking like the photo but I can see a steep roof edge from an adjoining store which was at one time Davey's Furniture store
as shown in a photo just posted by chocks2. Also, you can see the roof of the Palace Cinema, Just seen the new post as well. Wish we had more photos of the Co-op. I have looked at loads of photos of Erdington and there are none of the Co-op to be seen. Something like the Old Roebuck inn and the National School just not many photos available.
 
Nice photo Chocks. I wish the Co-op still looked like that.
The White fronted building on the left with the ladder up it is the only building in that photo still standing today.
 
Dolcis shoe shop somewhere near Hazels , and I think Hearns furniture shop underneath the Carlton/Mothers.

I worked as a Saturday girl in Woolies 1957/58.

Wrestling in Barnabas market on Saturdays.

My sister has always shopped in Co-op but is hoping that the plans to build a Sainsburys where Colliers is now(Sutton New Road) go ahead.

I had my wedding reception at the Acorn in 1961.

Morturn the Palace had a 'sprung' dancefloor',magic.

I think that all that we have been discussing on this thread has been said before in the past,somewhere on the forum.
 
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At Six ways as you went up the high street there was a paper shop on the left,Green and Hargraves and they used to deal in special cigarettes called Black Russian and Continental.At the top of the high street the co-op used to have a group playing maybe Tuesday evening,you could go and have a dance at no cost in the 60's.Further down the road used to be a record shop,you could listen in booths before buying.It changed to a coffee shop called The Grill Inn,sold hamburgers in the evenings.I worked in the evenings there.
 
cookie273uk said:
My late Wife Doreen worked at Littlewoods in the High St Erdington branch early 70's, I remember she had to attend a days training at the City centre branch in 1971 to learn about the new decimal currency later she worked Part time at a butchers (Dewhursts?? maybe ??) up the precinct off the High St near the Co-op. Eric
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I worked at Littlewoods 1958-1966 on the site now is new look store, Hildy
cookie273uk said:
My late Wife Doreen worked at Littlewoods in the High St Erdington branch early 70's, I remember she had to attend a days training at the City centre branch in 1971 to learn about the new decimal currency later she worked Part time at a butchers (Dewhursts?? maybe ??) up the precinct off the High St near the Co-op. Eric
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i worked at littlewoods 1958-1966 the new look store is there now happy memories. Hildy
 
I was born on Mere Road Erdington and I think my mum worked at Littlewoods too. It would be before I was born though so I imagine late fifties early sixties. She also worked at the Launderette on Slade Road with her sister.
 
when i was about 5 mom took us to woolies Erdington....As usual, i wandered off.:( so mom went to the police station to tell them and found me sitting there eating biscuits and drinking tea.:grinning: well done B.C.P.
 
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