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Lozells Road, Shops, Pubs, Businesses etc

A rather damp murky Lozells Road with a tram passing the Co-Op. James & Neale premises have replaced the picture house.
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postie said:
In most of these pictures, I can't get over how clean the streets are!! It comes from a time when people were proud of their City. (long forgotten days I'm afraid ).. :worried:
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Jim, these photos were taken in times that we had plenty of road sweepers of the human kind because labour was cheap. In their wisdom the Council changed over to mechanical motorised sweepers because they worked out cheaper again because they covered more streets in a day than the human version could in a fortnight. Now we have precious few human road sweepers and even less mechanical ones which are in the main contracted in.
 
Phil said:
Jim, these photos were taken in times that we had plenty of road sweepers of the human kind because labour was cheap. In their wisdom the Council changed over to mechanical motorised sweepers because they worked out cheaper again because they covered more streets in a day than the human version could in a fortnight. Now we have precious few human road sweepers and even less mechanical ones which are in the main contracted in.
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and.......No one takes pride in their part of the road; unlike the days when ladies would sweep the gutter outside their house, and polish the doorsteps with Mansion or Cardinal. My how my city has gone down.
 
Gerry Cannell said:
and.......No one takes pride in their part of the road; unlike the days when ladies would sweep the gutter outside their house, and polish the doorsteps with Mansion or Cardinal. My how my city has gone down.
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Hi Gerry,

You're not kidding mate, I feel so sad when I have to work in and around that area to think how people worked, looked after their properties and each other. Like you say mansion / cardinal was the order of the day as was sweeping the gutters and scrubbing the hallways & front door steps. There's nothing wrong with pride, it's just that nobody seems to give a damn these days. I used to love living in Lozells & Handsworth when I was a "young un" and yes I do admit it, I miss those happy times but things change and it certainly hasn't been for the better sadly.

Lozellian.
 
LOZELLIAN said:
Hi Gerry,

You're not kidding mate, I feel so sad when I have to work in and around that area to think how people worked, looked after their properties and each other. Like you say mansion / cardinal was the order of the day as was sweeping the gutters and scrubbing the hallways & front door steps. There's nothing wrong with pride, it's just that nobody seems to give a damn these days. I used to love living in Lozells & Handsworth when I was a "young un" and yes I do admit it, I miss those happy times but things change and it certainly hasn't been for the better sadly.

Lozellian.
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Hi mate, yes it has changed, but then they tell me that this is progress, and that I am a dinosaur..... well maybe that's so, but I still say Birmingham was a great place back in the fifties (yes, I am old, 79 years old) but to be able to remember when a bus would stop and pick you up mid-stop, and the Parky would put the fear of God in you if you gave him some cheek, when we got up at some un-Godly hour to deliver the morning papers before getting ready for school, and you helped the milkman (Wacaden's) on his electric cart, and.....Woah!! But I am going off subject. Give me the old days please. Ha-ha.
 
Gerry Cannell said:
Hi mate, yes it has changed, but then they tell me that this is progress, and that I am a dinosaur..... well maybe that's so, but I still say Birmingham was a great place back in the fifties (yes, I am old, 79 years old) but to be able to remember when a bus would stop and pick you up mid-stop, and the Parky would put the fear of God in you if you gave him some cheek, when we got up at some un-Godly hour to deliver the morning papers before getting ready for school, and you helped the milkman (Wacaden's) on his electric cart, and.....Woah!! But I am going off subject. Give me the old days please. Ha-ha.
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Hello again Gerry,

I couldn't agree more, I'm 67 (young for a dinosaur) but, what you say is very true. I remember our Milkman when I was a "young un" from Wills Street. His name was Bert & he delivered his milk by horse & cart.

Park keepers that's another story I remember going to Aston Park for a game of football with my mates, when we came upon this lovely piece of cultivated grass, so we set up the goal posts & started to play only to be rudely interrupted by the parkie who told us we were playing on the bowling green and we got kicked off ha ha.

Lozellian.
 
LOZELLIAN said:
Hello again Gerry,

I couldn't agree more, I'm 67 (young for a dinosaur) but, what you say is very true. I remember our Milkman when I was a "young un" from Wills Street. His name was Bert & he delivered his milk by horse & cart.

Park keepers that's another story I remember going to Aston Park for a game of football with my mates, when we came upon this lovely piece of cultivated grass, so we set up the goal posts & started to play only to be rudely interrupted by the parkie who told us we were playing on the bowling green and we got kicked off ha ha.

Lozellian.
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Happy Days matey.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Lozells Road, sorry no date for this one. Viv.
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Gerry Cannell said:
and.......No one takes pride in their part of the road; unlike the days when ladies would sweep the gutter outside their house, and polish the doorsteps with Mansion or Cardinal. My how my city has gone d
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Radiorails said:
Besides, people did not eat lots of confectionery and take-away foods then and usually the only food that was eaten on the hoof was fish and chips.
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Yummy Fish and chips, yes I remember fish and chips, golden batter on the outside and white as colegate cod on the inside, Yes take me down fish and chips memory lane any day :) with vinegar and salt, Mmmm! :) and wrapped in newspaper! I always struggled to digest the newspaper though!
 
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LOZELLIAN said:
Hi Gerry,

You're not kidding mate, I feel so sad when I have to work in and around that area to think how people worked, looked after their properties and each other. Like you say mansion / cardinal was the order of the day as was sweeping the gutters and scrubbing the hallways & front door steps. There's nothing wrong with pride, it's just that nobody seems to give a damn these days. I used to love living in Lozells & Handsworth when I was a "young un" and yes I do admit it, I miss those happy times but things change and it certainly hasn't been for the better sadly.

Lozellian.
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bit off topic but i think i will forgive myself as this is such a great photo depicting pride on the streets...taken nearly opposite my old house in villa st i have forgotten the ladies name now but my brother knows it..if only such pride was around in certain areas nowadays..ps i dont think i would have argued with this lady who looks like she is not impressed with the photographer and maybe shouted "get down yer own end" at him lol

lyn

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Astoness said:
bit off topic but i think i will forgive myself as this is such a great photo depicting pride on the streets...taken nearly opposite my old house in villa st i have forgotten the ladies name now but my brother knows it..if only such pride was around in certain areas nowadays..ps i dont think i would have argued with this lady who looks like she is not impressed with the photographer and maybe shouted "get down yer own end" at him lol

lyn

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Brilliant photograph, just as I remember the way we were. Even though people had very little, they had a PRIDE in what they had. And they say we have progressed.....REALLY?
 
Jules65 said:
There was a bike shop on the corner of Lozells Road and Berners Street opposite from Villa Cross. I cannot think of the name? I may be a little out on the location. time does play tricks
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Cowdrils is the bike shop...…….I got my first new bike from there, a Phillips with straight handlebars
 
maxwell bullivant said:
Crowder and Browns were a petrol station/garge on Lozells road, just before Mayfield rd as you travel from Villa Cross. I know that in the 1960s one of the owners either Crowder Or Brown lived on North or West Drive, very posh area in those days. I will look up the exact address of the garage for you.

It seems from what you say there could have been a jinks on the place cus i remember a man who lived in my St was blown up and killed when he was drilling into a petrol delivery tanker which was still full of fumes this was in the late 1950s. Max
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Exactly, right next to the ESSO repair station
 
Kathsutton46 said:
This reply is for Jules65's Avatar I believe the bike shop was situated on the corner of Lozells Road and Barker Street, which was opposite from the Villa Cross, NOT Berners Street. The bike shop may have been called Cowdrills.
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It was Cowdrills…..Got my first new bike from them.
 
Richarddye said:
It was...…...
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Hiya Mayfield,

I think you're right there mate, the record shop was diagonally opposite the old Midland Bank (corner of Wheeler Street & Lozells Road), if I remember right it was run by a rather smart woman who used to wear glasses but, I think it was called "Rendezvous". I could be wrong though because a few years have passed by since then.

Lozellian (Mac).
 
Big Gee said:
Hi Jackie,

I forgot to mention in my last post that my friend told me that the Robinson family had another shop on Lozells Rd closer to Six Ways. So I guess that the shop you ask about was very likely Robinson's, but can't be sure.

G
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I am married to Tim Robinson of 'Robinson's of Burberry Street' to differentiate them from the other Robinson's business. I will post some more information soon!
 
Astoness said:
bit off topic but i think i will forgive myself as this is such a great photo depicting pride on the streets...taken nearly opposite my old house in villa st i have forgotten the ladies name now but my brother knows it..if only such pride was around in certain areas nowadays..ps i dont think i would have argued with this lady who looks like she is not impressed with the photographer and maybe shouted "get down yer own end" at him lol

lyn

View attachment 134158
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I Wonder if she is the Nora batty proto type
 
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