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Old street pics..

A few photos of Rocky Lane, no not the one in Aston. The one at Perry Barr, these photos were all taken around the start of the last century and the end of the previous one. I think the first one may be from the Shoothill Collection
 

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A few photos of Rocky Lane, no not the one in Aston. The one at Perry Barr, these photos were all taken around the start of the last century and the end of the previous one. I think the first one may be from the Shoothill Collection

That's amazing to think it was like that!
Whereabouts in the lane was the Old Manor House - do you know?
 
That's amazing to think it was like that!
Whereabouts in the lane was the Old Manor House - do you know?


I think it was around the junction of Tower Hill and Rocky Lane. I think this would be more or less the same view today,
 

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That's right Phil, as below

map_c_1903_showing_manor_house2C_rocky_lane_hamstead.jpg
 
Whilst strolling through the Shoothill collection I came across this, what looks to be temporary structure for Birmingham's Winter Gardens. Now the proposed winter gardens were to be built on Old Square. The thing is there are certain similarities with this photos and that of the photo that Dennis posted. So if there could be one well constructed temporary building on Old Square then why not another at a later (or earlier) date?
 

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Yes Phil...I saw that and my flabber was well and truly gasted too!! Corporation Street...? Venice? Compare and contrast....no clue as to what that photo represents in Brum History terms...or the temporary structures in an Old Square.....maybe Chinny might know?

CIMG2059.JPG
 
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Phil
The winter gardens project was originally to comprise a pavilion and a hotel "on the corner of Corporation St & Upper Priory". Support was not as good as expecteed and only the pavillion was built as planned, and opened in 1890. With mixed fortunes it was various things , including an ice rink, but became unused and in 1894, during demolition was blown down by the wind. It would seem that the site was to the north of the square between Upper Priory and Corporation St.


Birm_post_21_4_1890__idea_of_wintergarden.jpg


Birm_post_262C22C1894_winter_gardens_demise.jpg
 
Possibly the winter gardens as built were as the one story building in the first picture, and the othe rpicture was a mock up in front of where the hotel was supposed to be ?
 
The Sacred Concerts in the banner in the first photo would be the attempt to get round the Lords Day lot, with the promoter preaching presumably from what it says
 
Well that was a great piece of detective work you two...hadn't a clue....fascinating tale, and it explains the Venetian connection perfectly...so, am I right to surmise that this is where they built the Stork Hotel in the end?
 
Mike & Dennis,

I've often come across mention of The Winter Gardens on Old Square / Upper Priory but never confirmation of it being built. What you say makes sense as I have never seen a building that looks like the proposed Winter Garden drawing in this selection of Images. Though I do believe that the building in the postcard could be the pavilion you mention which was later converted to shops & offices. Mind you if they had built what looks like a wonderful building the cretins in charge would have only demolished it in the 60's along with most of that end of Corporation St and Old Square.
 

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Fabulous pics Phil....So, I was on the wrong side of the Street with the Stork!! ...the building was obviously finished in great style, and renovated after the great hurricane mentioned in mike's cutting.....it was on the corner next to Harry Parkes' sports shop....and I've added some words from Victorian Buildings of Birmingham by Roy Thornton...to go with his pics you posted...and the same building when it was the Wesleyan & General....and Cranes Pianos...nice to see half of it still going!

Nos 131-51. This site was the subject of what seems to have been an ambitious application, made in 1890,
for an exhibition hall, hotel and three shops, made by J.P. Sharp & Co. Kelly's Directory of 1892 refers to
Birmingham Exhibition Hall, Winter Gardens & County Hotel Ltd, but, by 1896 this had become County
Buildings and Wesleyan & General Assurance Society. In addition, there were several shops. In 1895
Ewen Harper submitted an application for alterations on behalf of the Society, which became the
owner of the property. Later the Society moved to new premises in Steelhouse Lane, designed by
Harper. For many years, before it was demolished, the building bore a large sign proclaiming 'Crane's Pianos'.

Nos 153-61. If I were asked to name my favourite of all the original buildings in the street I think
this would be the one, which may be a little unfair to those I cannot remember and for which I have
found no photographs. It was the subject of two applications, both made by Crouch & Butler on
behalf of A.R. Dean. The first, in 1896, was for warehouse and offices and the second, submitted in 1897,
was for business premises. The premises were occupied by Dean's, Furniture Manufacturers, and a vegetarian
restaurant.

Many years later, after he retired, Harry Parkes, the Aston Villa footballer, had a shop in the building.
The offices are known as Murdoch Chambers and Pitman Chambers. The building is Grade II* listed,
four storeys high, plus two attics, and faced with purple-red bricks and buff terracotta, and its colour is an
important feature of the building.




harry parkes.jpg Corporation Street  Snow scene.jpg s 1900s.jpg Corporation St Harry Parkes now copy.jpg
 
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Dennis

What I think is it was on the other side of Old Square to the Lewis's building and was replaced in the 60's by The Bell & Nicolson Building as shown in this photo by John Ball.
 

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I would agree with you Phil. My conclusions come from the 1892 directory below for old square, where the numbering is going anticlockwise, winter gardens - Upper Priory - Minories

old_square_kellys_1892.jpg
 
I can see clearly now..! Thanks lads....And I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this fascinating building....but to change tack a bit.....saw this cracker last week of Digbeth in 1908 on the picture Forum, and it showed the edge of that quaint sounding old Hostelry, The Horse and Groom...featured a while ago on another Thread...which I am still to find a decent picture of....?

Digbeth 1908.jpg
On the Left edge - that ornate Tudor styled boozer....

More old info on it...provided mostly by Phil and mike anyway...and a few pics...plus the original thread link...


Digbeth  1949.jpg Bonsers 3 copy.jpg Horse and Groom text.jpgHorse and Groom Map 1889 copy.jpg

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=29832&page=7&highlight=Deritend+Digbeth
 
nice pics there dennis..the horse and groom is a new one to me...will keep my eyes open for a better pic for you..

lyn
 
Hi Phil,
Many tnasnks for that revival to my brain the reason I asked was because a member on here whom does not come so ofter
And may I add is a cousin to me her name is janenews and she is on face. Book but I am not and some time ago and I myself do not want to go on face book
But I happened to get to see her on face book from some one else the other night and she is doing our family thread on the held as she is my cousin
Her mother was Irene held and I think it was her father whom had this particular coffee shop and it was a large picture of father christmas
On a huge slay with lights and she asked members if they knew where this coffee shop was and there was loads of people saying its in Aston
A lot said nechells and mostly saying Aston cross. Well it was neither of them it was traveling down park street from the vine and was turning into
Wainwright street Aston and back up to the Lichfield rd at the bottom of park street directly was a big steel forging company
And at the top of the building and along side of the foundry was this forge and partners coffee shop was ajoing it
And it had steps going up into it the coffee shop on the arrival of the sleigh reaching there and turning into wainwright street
You will see if you call it up people on the steps and it was my mother and my father standing behind her on the left of the steps
Whztching father Christmas and the sleigh and a copper holding back the traffic or kids for jumping on
The other person was her own mother and her fathers shop but sadly she was not born in those days and her father died
And her mother remarried to an farther smith which I know nothink about smith
But the lady wanted to know what road it was and where ablkut it was. So I was wondering whether or not if you or Lynn are on fa e book do me a turn and
Go on face book when if ever you do to inform her of where it was she is buildind a catologue of all 35 shops around they had

It was definitely wainwright street by the vine off Lichfield rd it came down Victoria red and crossed across over to park street and down up wainwright street
All us kids from our terrace was taken in by the great Matty radios shop there was twenty of us kids all wainting patiently
When he came up he called us out of the back of the shop my other cousins the marsden val, sheila, and Christine lived ten doors from the. Vine
In park street but also on that week the on the sunday in the Sunday mercury it was photographed mom seen it
And called us into the little larder area and showed us the picture and said there is herself and dad and her mother she was excited about it
So Jane never knew her father nor any other shopps they had
It will be highly appreciated if any of you guys could do that for meebest wishes Alan,, Astonian,,,
 
Hi Carolina
I did not know that as I would never use face book myself so I will have to search out her address she sent me afew years ago
I think my daughter uses face book if I recall she tracked some one of my family area years ago I do not know if she is still on there
If she can try that way it would be great does it not work like this site then Carolina so if she asked to friend her and tell her whom she island that she his my daughter
May be that will work ,thanks carol best wishes Alan,,,,,,
 
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