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Market Hall 1835 - 1963

In Stitchers picture, on the opposite side of High Street is a rare view of Nelson's Passage. That too was to be bombed but it does not seem to be at this point. The two buildings on opposite corners of the passage can be seen on the 1890 OS map with the chamfered corners. New sighting though are the arial crosswalks over the passage between the buildings. A little jem. I seem to have read that the bomb that destroyed the Market Hall was an incendiary and not high explosive...setting the roof on fire. Not sure about that but, since there seems to be no obvious damage across the street, this may be correct. There is a later shot on the Bull Ring thread, I think, that shows the buildings on the opposite side 'gone' and Nelsons Passge wiped out.
 
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Rupert said:
Yes, Phylis Nicklin left Brummies a vast number of pictures from the mid fifties. Looks like a Phillips portable radio going down the hill. We had one...a kind of leatherette finish...same color as that. The ladies in the picture seem to be about late forties/early fifties; so at this point would be possibly over a hundred. I wish that we could have access to all of the Nicklin photo's. Many are still available on various sites but not all.
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hi rupert dont know how many of phylis nicklins photos you have accessed but if you google..EPAPERS.BIRM.AC.UK and click on the the 3rd link..BIRMINGHAM BUILDINGS AND URBAN TOPOGRAPHY there are 446 imgages available..

lyn
 
ok rupert...i know when i first came accorss the nicklin collection 3 years ago we could only view just over 200 images so they must have added more..have not looked at them all yet but i will do later on..

lyn
 
just been on phylis nicklin site and im not even a quarter of the way looking at her images and already there are lots i have never seen before....what a legacy this woman left the city..there is one shot of colmore row taken in 53 that is quite stunning...
 
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HI GUYS
Does anybody recall the downing family of fruit and veg company and stores in the birmingham market
renown for there high class fruit and veg they wa one of the first after the rconstruction of the market hall 1963
have a nice day every body ; astonian ;; alan ;;
 
Hi Astonian.
I work in the wholesale market and remember Billy Downing and his son Tony. We use to serve them in the early 80's.They would buy their Apples and pears from the company I worked for. I still see Tony occasionaly at work.
 
On the thread about the Market Hall there is a photo looking past the debris of the hall through the front arched door. On the other side of High Street you can see the buildings on the corners of Nelson's Passage. The earlier photo shows what was about to occur. Nelson's Passage would be about by the white sign on the right with NB on it.
 
Guess I have to agree with you Rupert. Perhaps it's because we are older, but I like to remember the Bullring as it was before these photos show it, when it had character - with its wonderful Market Hall which was quite magical to a little girl. There was no roof, but what amazing things were sold inside - everything from pets to plants. My sister had her pet rabbit from there, and my dad used to buy little yellow chicks to stock our chicken run. Outside there was the Escapologist trying to get out of his chains with a group of onlookers egging him on. Nelson's statue was nearby. Then there were the flower sellers standing in the gutters with their perfumed baskets of colour. Woolworths was there and the shop had a certain smell from the wooden floors - and they also sold ice cream wafers which were compiled in front of your eyes in a little oblong metal container. Redken's photos are a record of the concreted 60's/70's era and as such are a needed documentation of that time but for me they are no comparison with what went before. Others may argue.
 
Yeah Jayell...no roof and gloriously awfull. Even with the roof it was gloriously awfull...a Roman stadium looking for some place to be and finally clutching the side of the hill. But that's the point; it was not meant to be that and probably was not for most. It was meant to be a place of substance for people to be and this it achieved in spades. No one had to like it but I suspect that we all loved it in our own way and even when a ruin for years, the ruin was missed and always will be. We had real stores on the side of the road and trees and wonderfull open skies and Nelson presiding over it all. You can see above what followed...Nelson presiding over raw concrete for the masses. Anyway I suspect that the latest version is an improvement over the imediate prior...I hope so and perhaps it returns to the hillside open space that we went to on saturdays to jostle with the crowd and get some exercise climbing the hill to New Street with our shopping bags. Yeah, I think the wafer maker had a plunger to push the assemblage out to be handed over on a piece of paper. I'm not old...in my prime I am...miles to go yet.
 
I only remember a very tiny section of the old Market Hall - no roof, a large stall that sold pets on a corner in the Market Hall. I also remember the red painted bombshell which you'd drop pennies into, but nothing else. I have no recollection of the Old Bull Ring other than that, and only because my dad took me there specifically to go to the pet shop. The next memory I have is of the 1960s Bull Ring. At this time I wasn't of an age to appreciate what was good or bad about the design of the buildings. All I knew was that there were serious bargains to be had, such as a wonderful second-hand fur coat in the Rag Market or gorgeous suede platform boots at a stall in the outdoor market (under the steps by Woolworths). It was also a route through to the Silver Blades Ice Rink or the Midland Red Bus Station, and an opportunity to pick up a bag of chips on the way. So to me it was all a bit functional. As far as the markets were concerned it satisfied my main aim which was to grab a bargain (something you couldn't do in the usual shops in New St, Corpn St, High St etc). Getting a bargain must have also been an important factor for many of the shoppers well before my time. But now that it's been transformed into a more upmarket shopping area with Selfridges etc. it's probably lost much of its original appeal. Well my point is I suppose is that it's changed forever. The Bull Ring's been through many re-designs, but in my view it's really simply a reflection of the shifts in retail and shopping patterns over time. Viv.
 
I love hearing the stories about the old Bull Ring..... My Nan worked in the old Market Hall and she use to tell me all about the old town from the comfort of her lovely home in Knowle. My dad has always been a ducker and diver and used to sell anything from a suitcase on the streets around the market in late 50's early 60's until the local bobby chased him away.... where he set up on another corner!!!! Later he became Mr MAN FOR A VAN on Watery Lane, junction with Garrison Lane. We sold out to Halfords eventually. Great stories must be told for us to know Birmingham past and present.
 
vfr.jpeg
From todays newspaper, on the left is what remains of the Old Market Hall and behind it the Bull Ring Centre is emerging. Early 1960s.
 
I have many memories of the old Bullring.

Watching the buses sliding helplessly sideways down the hill on freezing cobbles.
As well as the lady selling 'andy carriers how about that newspaper seller shouting "Spatchermayle" ?
My dad used to take me into the market hall on a saturday to buy me some cockles on a little ceramic dish.
Those vendors selling sets of crockery, "I ent askin' a quid, I ent askin' fifteen bob. Eeyare, ten bob for the set !"

The more you think about it, the more the memories come back.
 
I was always fascinated by the crockery sellers, the way they used to juggle the sets of crockery like a pack of cards. I think most of the crowd was only there hoping to see him drop the plates, but it never happened. Something you don't seem to see these days.

terry
 
That would be the rear entrance then which I don't remember so well as the front entrance probably because whenever I was this side I had my back to it crossing to Queens Drive and New St Station.
 
That was my thoughts as well Paul, I used to love going in there with our Mom.
 
Me too, and if was still the same I would still be going there once a week. As it is, I have been into the city for about fifteen years. I have driven through but have not stopped for any shopping or anything. I know it had to be altered to accomodate all the traffic but I do not like it any longer.
 
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Remember going into the Market Hall in the 50s to the pet shop with my dad. It was on a corner, quite a big shop/stall. Think we usually went to look at the fish but I was very young at the time. Viv.
 
Hi Paul. I think we probably went to the stall to buy fish for our pond in the garden as I don't remember having any fish in the house and we didn't have any other pets. Or maybe it was to keep me entertained! Viv.
 
We also had pets from the Market Hall (probably in the late 40s). I remember my sister having a lovely rabbit, and a mouse. She took the mouse to school one day in her pocket but wasn't able to keep it a secret for long! She got into trouble but luckily we only lived around the corner from our school so she was able to take it back easily. We also kept chickens and I used to love it when Dad came home with a few little baby chicks occasionally. They would be in a little cardboard box with holes in the lid, and they were chirping away when the lid was lifted, and so sweet.

Judy
 
My memory of the Market Hall is buying little dishes of cockles and mussels and splashing vinegar and pepper on them, 3 old pence a dish. Yummy. Eric
 
Hello Cookie,
Our Mom always bought us some around the 45s-50s as well Eric and I still love them today. Years later I used to take our son into the Bull Ring indoor market when he was young and we sat at the fish stall to eat them. Again, years later our son is now friends with that fishmongers granddson and he eats there about once a week and he always brings me some shelfish and jellied eels.
 
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