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Old street pics..

james collins brass founders nr leamington road erdington 1958
 

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church lane/witton lane 1956

To the present day viewer the plethora of cigarette and tobacco advertisements displayed in these two shops would seem over the top. A marked contrast to today where no adverts are allowed and cigarettes are hidden away rather like they were illicit.
 
The junctions of Park Rd, Factory Rd, Benson Rd, Hockley, with the Soho Tavern on the one corner and Wrenson's Corner (grocers) on the other. I wonder if this Wrenson's Corner had any connection to the one at the junctions of Belgrave Rd, Gooch St and Longmoor St in Balsall Heath?
 

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This is a not very often photographed scene, it is taken from the end of Woodcock Street sometime in the early to mid 60's I would guess. On the right we look past the end of Lister St and the Sack of Potatoes public house on to the old Library and drinking fountain at the end of Aston Rd, On the left we can see Aston University when it was still a technical college, this was the area once known as Gosta Green before the planners did away with it.
 

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Hi a previous picture of aston hippodrome reminded me when as kids we would go and see wrestling their .Their was lots of times a good guy and a bad guy sooner or later the bad guy was thrown out of the ring that was it the women went wild kicking him hiting them with there umbrellas and the most damage was with the heel of the shoes it was funny to us but the poor wrestler earned his money. mitchell
 
The junctions of Park Rd, Factory Rd, Benson Rd, Hockley, with the Soho Tavern on the one corner and Wrenson's Corner (grocers) on the other. I wonder if this Wrenson's Corner had any connection to the one at the junctions of Belgrave Rd, Gooch St and Longmoor St in Balsall Heath?

I expect so Phil. There is a Wrensons thread on here by the way. They were well known Birmingham and surrounding areas grocers.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=674
 
I expect so Phil. There is a Wrensons thread on here by the way. They were well known Birmingham and surrounding areas grocers.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=674


Yes Alan I was aware of the Wrensons Chain of grocers and I did know of the thread on the forum, it's just that I didn't think that these two shops were part of that chain, The signage doesn't look right and there is also no sign of the Wrenson Logo. I thought it possible that they might be connected to each other and not part of the larger chain hence them both being named Wrenson's Corner.
 
I should have looked at the pics Phil!
The right hand pic, with the car, certainly does not look like a Wrensons store - too run down in appearance it just seems to have the same name. Maybe that was a ploy? or did people named Wrenson own it?
 
The photo on the left is written in the font I remember from Wrensons shops when I was growing up. The "s" written in that long way.

Janice
 
A 1960 phone book lists lots of Wrensons including one on Park Road (I had to look it up but it crosses the Benson Road and Factory Road) so I think we can assume the one on the left is a "Wrensons" shop. I can't at the moment see the other road listed.

Janice
 
The shop listed as Wrensons Stores Lt was at 418a Park Road, on the corner of Benson Road, and is listed in Kellys till 1969
 
The photo on the left is written in the font I remember from Wrensons shops when I was growing up. The "s" written in that long way.

Janice

I see what you mean about the elongated "S" in the signage, it does look like the shop on Benson Road - Park Road might well have been part of the Wrensons Group
 

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