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Malvern Street

F

flossiefoster

master brummie
I wonder if I could ask a question, please. I have tried to find the right thread and forum but still am not sure that I have found it so please forgive me if I have got it wrong.
My great, great grandfather, John Gossage born 1837 in one of the court houses in Bradford Street, moved with his family further and further out of the centre of Birmingham and later on lived in Malvern Street in Balsall Heath with his parents. They used to take in a lodger/boarder from Moseley Art School. Later on I believe that they lived in White Street.

The only knowledge I have of Balsall Heath is the route that the No 50 used to take 40 years ago when I lived on Alcester Road South - just after the big island by the Maypole.
What sort of roads were Malvern and White Streets? Were they the usual streets lined with terraced houses with very poor families living there?
 
flossiefoster said:
I wonder if I could ask a question, please. I have tried to find the right thread and forum but still am not sure that I have found it so please forgive me if I have got it wrong.
My great, great grandfather, John Gossage born 1837 in one of the court houses in Bradford Street, moved with his family further and further out of the centre of Birmingham and later on lived in Malvern Street in Balsall Heath with his parents. They used to take in a lodger/boarder from Moseley Art School. Later on I believe that they lived in White Street.

The only knowledge I have of Balsall Heath is the route that the No 50 used to take 40 years ago when I lived on Alcester Road South - just after the big island by the Maypole.
What sort of roads were Malvern and White Streets? Were they the usual streets lined with terraced houses with very poor families living there?
Click to expand...
There is the Balsall Heath History Society link http://balsallheathhistory.co.uk/
I was born in Balsall Heath and found this society very helpful when I did my research.
 
Below are two maps. the larger scale one shows Malverb ST c 1886, You can see that the houses are not back to backs, but larger. White st did not appear to exist at the time of this map. The smaller scale map of c 1902 shows White St. Again the houses are not back to backs. Both streets are off Clifton Road, The photo from is taken not far from the end of Malvern St looking at the school, which appears on the 1902 map, and shows some of the houses there.
I have moved these posts to a new thread titled Malvern St

map c 1902 showing White St.jpgmap c 1886 malvern st.jpgclifton road school sparkbrook.jpeg
 
A 1938 aerial view of Malvern Street marked with blue line. It runs from Clifton Street to Brunswick Street. A steam train on the railway track blowing off steam ... they would probably have heard that in Malvern Street. Looking at washing hanging on clothes lines in the back gardens suggests it was 'washing day' when every housewife did the washing on the same day ... :)
Malvern Street 1938.jpg
image source 'britainfromabove' click or touch image to enlarge
 
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oldMohawk said:
A 1938 aerial view of Malvern Street marked with blue line. It runs from Clifton Street to Brunswick Street. A steam train on the railway track blowing off steam ... they would probably have heard that in Malvern Street. Looking at washing hanging on clothes lines in the back gardens suggests it was 'washing day' when every housewife did the washing on the same day ... :)
View attachment 174017
image source 'britainfromabove' click or touch image to enlarge
Click to expand...
Yes, I remember when Mondays were washing days then Tuesday was for ironing etc.... or Wednesday if the washing was still drying on the clothes horse around the fire. Thank you for your help Covroad, Mikejee and oldMohawk. The maps and photos are super and show the houses had gardens too, not just back yards. Thanks again
 
hi flossie....i have these 2 photos of malvern street...hope they are of interest...the 2nd photo shows most houses boarded up ready for demo...sorry i dont have any of white st

lyn

Balsall Heath Malvern St (2).jpgBalsall Heath Malvern St.jpg
 
flossiefoster said:
I forgot to ask. Are the houses still there in Malvern and White Streets?
Click to expand...
An aerial view taken just after WW2 shows that White Street (marked) had been heavily bombed in the blitz. Malvern Street visible near top by the railway.
White_St_1946.jpg
image from 'britainfromabove' click to enlarge and scroll or save it
 
Oh, Lyn don't they look sad but must have been sturdy little houses when first built - they stood the test of time even if the look sick in those photos. I presume that White Street was probably similar to Malvern St. Thank you so much for find them, I'm very grateful. That was really what I expected to see (if not in such a pitiful state). Imagine all those doorsteps scrubbed until they were white!
 
Yes, they would be now but still have done well to stand the test of time. I see that the rest of the area, particularly on the right, is now industrial and a train line weaving its way between the houses and the yards. Thank you for looking that out for me.
 
oldMohawk said:
A 1938 aerial view of Malvern Street marked with blue line. It runs from Clifton Street to Brunswick Street. A steam train on the railway track blowing off steam ... they would probably have heard that in Malvern Street. Looking at washing hanging on clothes lines in the back gardens suggests it was 'washing day' when every housewife did the washing on the same day ... :)
View attachment 174017
image source 'britainfromabove' click or touch image to enlarge
Click to expand...
Thank you, Old Mohawk for that. I can see though that the did have back gardens (of varying lengths) which must have been a comfort considering how densely populated those streets are. But I suppose that was their community and from what I hear from other people, the families were very close to each other and looked out for each other.
 
flossiefoster said:
Oh, Lyn don't they look sad but must have been sturdy little houses when first built - they stood the test of time even if the look sick in those photos. I presume that White Street was probably similar to Malvern St. Thank you so much for find them, I'm very grateful. That was really what I expected to see (if not in such a pitiful state). Imagine all those doorsteps scrubbed until they were white!
Click to expand...
hi flossie and yes i would think white st was very similar in design...i always find it sad to see photos like that because looking at the houses i reckon they look in good enough condition to save and modernise as so many were but sadly the powers that be decided otherwise..and of course most folk had a lot of pride in their little houses...

lyn
 
Astoness said:
hi flossie and yes i would think white st was very similar in design...i always find it sad to see photos like that because looking at the houses i reckon they look in good enough condition to save and modernise as so many were but sadly the powers that be decided otherwise..and of course most folk had a lot of pride in their little houses...

lyn
Click to expand...
Yes Lyn, when I have watched Homes under the Hammer I have seen houses that had holes in the roof, bulging walls and damp coming from the roof and rising out of the ground but they are always turned around with anything between £10 and £50,000 depending on the person who takes them on. I imagine that if the streets weren't surrounded by industrial units and a railway line, they would still be attractive to first-time buyers or even the homeless. Unfortunately, they have been left to rot with no intervention to stop the rot so they have come to the point where it would need wholemeal renovations to every house in the street and with every street being updated and that would cost a fortune. It's a terrible shame because that lack of care or foresight has prevented so many people having homes of their own. I expect when they were built they all had landlords and the rentman would go around once a week to collect his dues. It's such a shame.
 
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