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OLD BIRMINGHAM PHOTOS FROM STEVEBHx

| The Underpass tender was approved in Sept 1961 with RM Douglas.

In April 1962 part of Alma Street, between Whitehead Street and Lozells Road, had been closed for 4 months. The shop owners said that what was once a main road had now become a cul-de-sac, and they were loosing business. They were granted a rate reduction for 12 months on the understanding that more business would be attracted in the new estate being built.

So the PO may have survived the actual building of the Underpass ? When did it actually disappear, and did it reappear in another location ?
 
SteveBhx said:
Finally one of the most interesting photos so far I feel, evocative of an age. So where do I start, location - well on the left Regent Place so I am thinking Caroline street (?) then working round, corner shop with its signs, children playing on the Midland Counties milk float, and child with trolley with dog in the road. Something & Lee on the factory at the end but notice all the chimney pots above the factory, telephone poles, gas lamp then all of humanity on the street, moms, dads, children, prams and grans!! Wonderful - never to be seen again .
EDIT: after a big hunt my original location can be discounted - the location of the grocers shop is 107 St Mark's Street (on corner of Regent Place), so the road is St Marks Street Ladywood. thanks to so many people who assisted.

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If I read the plate on the milk float parked behind the 1939 design Ford Prefect as HVP 534 I can offer a more accurate date as being March to July 1948. Birmingham chose to segregate commercial vehicles from private cars when organising registrations and this leads to the occasional anomaly. The 1963 version of the registration, that is, numbers first then letters, started and completed in March of that year.
 
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That’s a Minor, without doubt. All of the clues to tell if it is a Series 2 or a 1000 are invisible, but they sold very few Series 2s as it was a potentially heavy car for the puny and fragile Austin 803cc engine to drag about, especially if full of milk crates or bags of sand! The new in 1956 948cc engine made it into a much better car, and the 1962 1100cc was even better still.

Another detail, different names were used for estate cars, the Austin was called Countryman, the Morris was called Traveller, even in the BMC/Leyland days.
 
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Beg to differ on the 1100 being better John, the crankshaft bearings weren't up to the extra poke and there were many big end failures at first. :(
 
When the RAC rally went through Sutton Park they used to do pre and post rally servicing on local forecourts or car parks The event was held usually at the beginning of November and this "Public " part was on the Sunday of the event, running through Public Parks and stately homes, a midland route may take in Weston Park , Sutton Park and then onto Clumber Park in Nottingham. It was amazing to see Carlos Sainz and full rally support outfit in a car park on an industrial estate having a full service in 15 minutes.

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Some years ago they were filming an apocalypse type movie Broad Street was shut overnight and scattered with rubbish and shots were taken on the site of the part demolished ATV studios called Arena Central. In days gone by I used to work in Alpha Tower on the 9th Floor ( it does sway in a gale), here are a couple of shot of this filming from my viewpoint.

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I worked in Alpha Tower for a while too - for the Dept of Employment, writing Giro cheques for the young people working on government schemes! Not sure what floor, think it might have been the 12th.
 
SteveBhx said:
Some years ago they were filming an apocalypse type movie Broad Street was shut overnight and scattered with rubbish and shots were taken on the site of the part demolished ATV studios called Arena Central. In days gone by I used to work in Alpha Tower on the 9th Floor ( it does sway in a gale), here are a couple of shot of this filming from my viewpoint.

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Ahh yes, Alpha Tower. I worked on the 27th floor for a time in the late eighties. We had a good view of the ICC construction I remember. Fire drills weren’t much fun - it took ages to walk down the fire escapes, and as I’m nervous of heights and lifts, it took me a while to become acclimatised. When my team was banished to the basement I didn’t argue. Attempts were made to persuade me to go onto the roof with the riggers to look at the antennae. I resisted.
 
Enel said:
Ahh yes, Alpha Tower. I worked on the 27th floor for a time in the late eighties. We had a good view of the ICC construction I remember. Fire drills weren’t much fun - it took ages to walk down the fire escapes, and as I’m nervous of heights and lifts, it took me a while to become acclimatised. When my team was banished to the basement I didn’t argue. Attempts were made to persuade me to go onto the roof with the riggers to look at the antennae. I resisted.
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I worked on the 9 still swayed in the wind. Council had a marketing suite on the top floor, amazing view out to the airport and all points around
 
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