Hi CVB1,
I was only six or seven years old at the time, so my memory is a little hazy. I can't even remember what number Kyrwicks Lane we lived at, but it was right next door to Hawleys Bakery (where my Dad worked as an accountant). Don't remember Hickeys Fish Shop either, but I probably knew it (always was fond of my stomach!). I loved living in Sparkbrook, and was always causing my Mom anxiety by "living on the streets". We used to play on what we called "bomb sites" (aka "bomb pecks"?), which were probably just vacant blocks awaiting redevelopment (this was the mid-1950s). I attended two local primary schools: Chandos Road and Church Road. Mom hated it there and got quite ill over it (can't imagine why!), so we moved on to a semi-detached in the more "genteel" Yardley after a year or two.