Old street pics..

[Charlie]

I hated working at SR! Place and people OK but my job was soooooo boring (just copy typing really). One lunchtime I walked up to Warstone Lane and got another job at Toye Kenning and Spencer, a little more money and I loved the job!
Those were the days, when you could do that #sigh#.
I've been back to the Clifden since Lyn. Don't tell Don...whoops, too late!

 

[carolina]

Charlie I was also a copy typist this would be around 1962ish

 

[lynne webb]

Charlie, I remember the historical tour and the suspect liquid was in the back yard of the Woodman, dont seem 2 years ago though. Lyn, I thought the Pelican building was something to do with Pens, probably wrong.
Lynne.

 

[Wendy]

The Pelican works was an electro plating company I love the pelican and am so pleased it is still there.
Some pictures here https://www.flickr.com/photos/drewfield/3501531887/

 

[Astoness]

Charlie, I remember the historical tour and the suspect liquid was in the back yard of the Woodman, dont seem 2 years ago though. Lyn, I thought the Pelican building was something to do with Pens, probably wrong.
Lynne.

lynne it was on may 15th 2010....

 

[Charlie]

Crikey Lyn., were does the time go? I think that historical tour was incomplete and it must be time to resurrect it and see what changes have come about (i.e. have they put a new ale on)!?
Carolina, I was at Swallow Raincoats a bit before you, around 1958. The canteen was the best part I thought.

 

[Phil]

Having come to the end of Great Hampton Street we are now at Hockley Hill, there have been a few changes here over the years.

 

[Phil]

A few more of Hockley Hill

 

[Phil]

and a final few. I tought I would add a couple showing the new flyover built in 1967. I remember walking along the whole length of it one night and not being passed by one car or bus. I don't think that would be possible now.

 

[carolina]

Phil great again - my old ground - Thanks

 

[Pete Ex Pat]

Thanks Phil. Great to see the old place from time gone bye, used to see these shots most days of the week as I went to school at Icknield Street School . Left easter 1960.

These were my Good old days !!!!!

Regards Ex Pat Pete

 

[edcartermo]

Really enjoyed that trip along Constitution Hill, Phil, so thanks. Photo no. 1 #698 bring back the greatest personal pleasure for me however as 32 Hockley Hill was where I began my working life

as an apprentice copperplate hand-engraver.

In 1913 Fitter, Forbes & Co were listed in Kelly's as gold chain mnfs and shared premises with Joseph Gloster, silversmiths. By 1940 the Acme shared with them and Fitter, Forbes were diamond mounters. When I arrived in

1960 the Acme occupied the whole building with the exception of C&H Gauges having a ground floor workshop at the rear. The top floor at that time was the artist's room which benefited from the wonderful natural light

given by the skylights. A halfdozen artists sat there designing letterheadings, greeting cards and so on that would later, on customer's approval, be largely hand cut onto steel dies foe diestamping. The 'artist's garrett'

feel was further enhanced by the heavy roofbeams and the castiron stove which I was expected to keep stoked up.

The Acme relocated to Mucklow Hill to make way for the 'improvements' in 1963, where it later was to make the dies for the world's first self-adhesive stamps for Sierra Leone.

 

[carolina]

Charlie, I wonder if the same people worked there. Miss Lingard - Personnel. I worked for a lady called Jean who was to do with all the sales reps. Her boss was worked in London and used to come down about once a fortnight. It was a long office and at the back of it was Penfold?? I know they used to have golf days. I loved the workers playtime in the morning and afternoon for 1 hour which was played through the factory and offices. My friends worked just by the post office on Hockley Hill at a firm which made cardboard boxes. We used to walk up Key Hill together to get to work. All we used to talk about was waiting for Friday so we could go to the Plaza on the night. Happy memories.

 

[alanfisher202]

Was ACME a process engraving firm the name seems to ring a bell with me,I worked in Livery Street at a process engraving firm Ace Engravers.

 

[edcartermo]

Alan, by 'process' do you refer to photomechanical engraving? The Acme certainly adopted photo techniques after their move to Mucklow Hill. I left in 1965 after my appreniceship, by then they were

getting involved in many forms such as 'powderless etching', as I remember.

 

[carolina]

Is this the same ACME

https://acmewhistles.co.uk/xcart/pages.php?pageid=14

 

[edcartermo]

No, Carolina. The Acme Engraving Co were designers and engravers of copperplate printed invitation cards, diestamped letterheadings, greeting cards, various embossing dies, even dies for printing beermats and

embossing raised lettering on foil milktops. They also made dies for the iridescent printing process whereby fine lines embossed on coloured printed foil created that once very popular iridescent effect on

greeting cards etc.

 

[roverman]

Hi Phil, thanks for posting the pictures, particularly No.1 in post 699.When I came out of the RAF in 1950 I got a job with Civic Radio as a Radio mechanic (they had several shops throughout Birmingham) the head office was either in Easy Row or Paradise Street,but the one in Hockley is of interest to me because when I got married in Feb 1951 I asked if it would be possible to rent the rooms above that shop which at the time were being used for storage, I was told that I could if I was prepared to renovate the rooms at my own expense. So I took new wife along to get her approval as she stepped through the door and with an immediate about turn said "No thanks,not on your life".I must admit it was a bit run down. Regards Reg

 

[alanfisher202]

Alan, by 'process' do you refer to photomechanical engraving? The Acme certainly adopted photo techniques after their move to Mucklow Hill. I left in 1965 after my appreniceship, by then they were

getting involved in many forms such as 'powderless etching', as I remember.

The Image using a negative (used to be glass) would be transfered onto a light sensitive plate either copper or zinc plate then etched,you are right we also went into powderless etching with pre coated metals

 

[edcartermo]

Alan, I've been trying to remember the name of a printing/engraving company that used to occupy a building sandwiched between the canal and Water Street on Ludgate Hill. Do you

remember the name? It's not there in Kellys 1940 edition.

 

[mikejee]

in the 1946 kellys there is a V. Siviter Smith & Co in about the right place

 

[edcartermo]

Thanks for that, Mike. It may be them but it somehow does not match what I seem to remember. Back in the 1960s I did visit the company I have in mind and the name Siviter Smith

as I say doesn't chime. But then, perhaps my memory is not what it was! Siviter Smith is a name I do remember from back then and I have just been doing a bit of directory browsing myself:

in 1915 they occupied no 10 Siviter House. In 1940 they were Siviter Smith (London) and were at no. 17 Ludgate Hill.

 

[alanfisher202]

The company I worked for was Ace Engravers 65 Livery Street on the corner of Water Street the canal ran at the side of the building,the building was bombed during the war so perhaps that is why it did not appear in 1940s Kellys.
Ace Engravers was part of C&E Laytons (Main Office London)

 

[Charlie]

Charlie, I wonder if the same people worked there. Miss Lingard - Personnel. I worked for a lady called Jean who was to do with all the sales reps. Her boss was worked in London and used to come down about once a fortnight. It was a long office and at the back of it was Penfold?? I know they used to have golf days. I loved the workers playtime in the morning and afternoon for 1 hour which was played through the factory and offices. My friends worked just by the post office on Hockley Hill at a firm which made cardboard boxes. We used to walk up Key Hill together to get to work. All we used to talk about was waiting for Friday so we could go to the Plaza on the night. Happy memories.

I wish I could remember more of my time at SR Carolina, but all I remember is the joy of Fridays (and I used to go to The Plaza as well). I can't even remember the name of the girl I sat next to in the office.
I DO remember the supervisor was 'avin' it away with one of the managers and they both regularly disappeared down to the basement!

 

[Astonian]

hi lynn ;
yes you have imazeing pict collection you must have accumilated for years alot of them i have seen on this forum over the years
since i have been on this forum site you must have thousands tucked away my girl ;
still keep reproducing them we love it and we will soon get back all the pics that was high jacked ;
have a nice day best wishers astonian ;;

 

[Astoness]

thanks alan ...i am hoping to get a few more pics posted in the near future...

have a good day

lyn

 

[carolina]

Charlie, when I was there it was the switchboard operator having it away with a manager - wonder if it was the same manager. I remember the Directors name from London it was Mr Crouch. He always stayed at the Grand Hotel on Colmore Row.

 

[Phil]

Right I think it's time we moved on up Soho Hill. It's all hills around here isn't it?

 

[Phil]

Following up quickley with the next five images.

 

[Phil]

And here we have the last five in this set of Soho Hill before moving on to Soho Rd