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High Street Erdington

Taylors also had shops in Potters Hill, probably until the late 1950s, and one in King's Heath. For those interested there's a thread here about the Potters Hill shop :

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/taylors-of-potters-hill.26


I remember Taylors in Erdington High Street very well having worked in a Saturday job across the road for a few years. When it became Owen Owen I sometimes went in their cafe with friends after school, but didn't often buy anything. Previously as Taylors the clothes were perhaps a little outdated and what we'd call 'frumpy'. I wonder if this feeling continued as I didn't shop there when it became Owen Owen, preferred Chelsea Girl down towards Six Ways - more fashionable and exciting. And CG was much cheaper !

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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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The rebuilding of W.M.Taylors in the 1960s and its takeover by Owen Owen in the 1970s. Must have been a sad, but predicted, end for Taylors.
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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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The Woolworths site, the cottages were 'at the back of Easy Row'. What happened to Easy Row ? Was it once behind, and absorbed into, the later High Street development ? I've not seen Easy Row labelled on a map. Does anyone have one please?

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For info Woolworths was at 153 -157 High Street.

Thanks go to LadyPenelope who posted this view of the cottage(s) on another thread. The building gives a clearer impression of the building as virtually derelict in parts.

For some reason, the person in front of the building looks 'official' to me. (I wondered if it was the vicar - St Barnabas, premises belonging to the church? or a surveyor even ?) Or could this person have lived there ? At first I doubted it given the building's condition. But then I noticed the left-hand side looks in better condition and has 'arranged' curtains at the window. Someone may have, in fact, still occupied the building.

It looks like a large cottage, or was it two cottages (one derelict) ? I see multiple chimneys.

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Vivienne14 said:
The Woolworths site, the cottages were 'at the back of Easy Row'. What happened to Easy Row ? Was it once behind, and absorbed into, the later High Street development ? I've not seen Easy Row labelled on a map. Does anyone have one please?

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viv the caption on post 370.. does it say easy row was opposite the national school on the high st..is the national school marked on a map..like you i have never heard of an easy row in erdington or have i confused myself :D

lyn
 
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I suggested the need for a map so we could look at the area marked blue. Woolwoorths (now B&M) was on the corner of Barnabas Road and High Street. So assumed Easy Row must have been on that site somewhere.
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easy row certainly existed in 1894 ..i put in easy row erdington in the newspaper archives and plenty of snippets turned up one snippet mentions no 4 easy row and another no 17 easy row high st erdington

lyn
 
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It seems to sometimes have 'High Street' added after the name Easy Row. I wondered if it was a passageway leading off High Street.

This (last paragraph) may/may not be connected to the cottage but, in any case it adds to Erdington history. A tollgate board was found in an ancient house behind Easy Row pre-WW! during its demolition. The house owned by George Machin was a soup kitchen. (Maybe we could check Machin's address). The board was given to Canon F S Swindell. Wonder why it was given to the vicar? Why was the board at the house in the first place ?



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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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Vivienne14 said:
It seems to sometimes have 'High Street' added after the name Easy Row. I wondered if it was a passageway leading off High Street.

This (last paragraph) may/may not be connected to the cottage but, in any case it adds to Erdington history. A tollgate board was found in an ancient house behind Easy Row pre-WW! during its demolition. The house owned by George Machin was a soup kitchen. (Maybe we could check Machin's address). The board was given to Canon F S Swindell. Wonder why it was given to the vicar? Why was the board at the house in the first place ?



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Source: British Newspaper Archive
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according to the 1901 census george henry machin lived at no 165 high st erdington..occupation registrar of births marriages and deaths
 
A problem is that High Street Erdington would not appear in the Birmingham Kelly’s until it became part of Birmingham in around 1910.

It seems most likely that it was behind the premises in High Street and accessed by a passageway, and just a few cottages. Although it may have been to insufficient to name on the OS 1880’s map the structures should be drawn.
 
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