• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Old street pics..

John Waynham said:
Hello Ray, I'm new to this forum and on a learning curve.
I lived at the corner of Long Steet and Kyrwicks Lane
1950,s to 60,s and went to Christ Church School.
Head master Mr Crags , and on to Golden Hillock, Moseley Modern then Bordesley Tech. I was familiar with the area up to its demolition.
How can I find the pictures of Kyrwicks Lane, posted by Phil, to which you refer?
Many thanks John.
Click to expand...

Hello, John, good to hear from you. I lived down Long Street from you in Winterdyne Place which had Mrs Spencer's little shop at its entrance. I too went to Christchurch School in the 50s, where Mr Craggs was headmaster, and then to Golden Hillock Secondary Modern in the 60s. I expect you remember Mr Travers the English teacher and Mr Matthews who taught music, both a bit too handy with the cane! You could try entering Kyrwicks Lane in Search to see if those pictures show up.

Regards, Ray T. (Thompson)
 
From the appearance of the well worn stone bottom steps there were a great many lodgers. The other two steps, presumably wooden, of both entrances, seem to have been replaced,
 
Ray T said:
Hello, John, good to hear from you. I lived down Long Street from you in Winterdyne Place which had Mrs Spencer's little shop at its entrance. I too went to Christchurch School in the 50s, where Mr Craggs was headmaster, and then to Golden Hillock Secondary Modern in the 60s. I expect you remember Mr Travers the English teacher and Mr Matthews who taught music, both a bit too handy with the cane! You could try entering Kyrwicks Lane in Search to see if those pictures show up.

Regards, Ray T. (Thompson)
Click to expand...
 
Hello Ray,
I remember Mrs. Spencer's shop well, the fly paper hanging from the gas light ! My childhood friend was Alan Nash, he and his family-mom Lilly sister and dad, lived up the "entry." There was a Brew house, and us kids were banned on monday, wash day. Alan and I both went to Christ Church school, but Alan was a year ahead. We used to race around the block, King st. Main st. And the lane, on our three wheelers.I used to fetch a chip supper from Hickys ?
For granddad when he visited on Fridays. He would give me loose change from his pocket. If there was enouph I would buy the Eagle commic from Gascoigne's the news agent in Montpellier St.
It was not all good but the happy memories dominate.
I hated Golden Hillock school, we had tech drawing in the annex,
The sadistic teacher cained the whole class for dirty hands, some introduction ! My oldest friend Kul became head boy he had praise for the school.
Best regards John
 
Hi John good to know someone else hated Golden Hillock Rd School. Fortunately I passed the exam that led me to Handsworth Tech. from 1952 to 1954.
Whilst that school also had corporal punishment ,as did most in that period, it didn't seem so ingrained and from memory was only practiced by a few sadist degenerates ( may they rot in hell).
Cheers Tim
 
Much of interest in post 5203. Not only have the buildings gone so has some of the street furniture that was to be seen - and used - if those far off days. The pillar fire alarm and the Ford Popular or Prefect car ( I had a friend who rolled his when hitting a deep, large puddle at only 35 mph.) the always looked top heavy. The Oxford Laundry van looks rather like the Morris Commercial ones supplied to the GPO and Royal Mail.
Incidentally I don't see an Oxford Laundry tread, the only reference to the laundry is by the well remembered Member of BHF, Len Copsey. I wonder what else is known by others?

Apr 12, 2009
#7
My brother did laundry deliveries by hand cart for Mr. Cartwright, Coventry Rd near The Swan island who was an agent for the Oxford Laundry at the Yew Tree, The Malt Shovel pub was one of his customers and my brother would take me with him on a single deck Midland Red bus and we put on board a large parcel of washing and took it off at the Malt Shovel and they would usually give us a drink of pop and 6d, we enjoyed the trip!. Len.
 
Hello all,
The building nearest on the left, was the last to go,at its
end it looked about to fall down !
Also it's not Ladypool road, it's down the lane.
Peacocks, Woolworths, the wanderfull ice cream shop -- the cinema, the Olimpia ?
They had the kids minors 6d. on Saturday afternoon,
The Alambra - Flash Gordon - in the mornings, clutching "stale" cakes and buns from Hawleys bakery , we never had it so good !
 
John Waynham said:
Hello all,
The building nearest on the left, was the last to go,at its
end it looked about to fall down !
Also it's not Ladypool road, it's down the lane.
Click to expand...
Hi John, as far as I can see it is the Ladypool Road/Highgate Road junction. Here is the same place today ... traffic lights and lots of trees.
oldmohawk ...:)
Image1.jpg
edited ... changed the pic .... I put the wrong one on ...:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
At first I felt a bit sad to see the pictures of the Highgate /Ladypool Road intersection as it was such a big part of my childhood and teenage growth area. Mom had our greengrocer delivered every week by John Mills. The newsagents next door supplied free ice cream for our street party in Tillingham St only to be fined under The Impure Food Act as it was frozen flavored dried potato , but we thought it lovely, and it was the first ice cream we had tasted. A couple of doors beyond was the shop which I think sold radios and bikes but which was a branch of The London School of Motoring and thanks to them and family friends I got my Driving License first shot ( much to my surprise !).
My best mate Jimmy Godsell and his wonderful family lived a couple of doors further along and so it goes on.
Strangely I feel that what has been done is actually an improvement, maybe seen through the wobbly eyes
of an 80 year old, whoops nearly forgot Miss Thompson my optician from the age of three who's practice was 4 or 5 doors up The Lane past the fish and chip shop.
Good night to all, Cheers Tim.
 
Great memories Tim, I notice with the modern pic in #5208 no one walking, everyone in their cars as I suppose most of us are these days. I presume those boxes on the left will have flowers planted in them and I notice some street furniture on the left to stop lorries cutting the corner.
oldmohawk ...:)
 
phil i bet the people who owned the shops in the 1910 photo could never have imagined what would be sold in their shops today and barely any change either just one upper bay window removed...my sister would know those shops as she lives cotteridge way

lyn
 
Love the light fittings outside W. Jennings and the Post Office. Makes me wonder if Stephens and the Post Office were connected. Or at least the two premises may have once been connected. No other shops have them.

And wonder who the child belongs to - the one playing with something (builders material ?) on the ground near the family butchers ?

Maybe that’s Mr Stephens and Mr Dare to the left. Viv.
 
Trams commenced in 1911, so the date is very close. I notice many of the properties have lost their chimney stacks and the loss of the upper bay window of what was Stephens linen and haberdashery store does spoil the appearance of the terrace. I wonder if that place has been involved in a fire? The bay on the adjacent shop (formerly dairy) seems in good order. I like the three gas lanterns outside the haberdashers and post office. It is also noteworthy how long Birmingham's lamp posts lasted. Here they are at the early part of the 20th. century and were still around at then end of it. (I await a photo of one taken recently:D )
 
Well that’s lovely OM. Mr Stephens must have been an astute businessman. I’d put money on the man to the left with boater is him; dapper, immaculate shirt collar, looks confident. And I expect that’s his wife in the Post Office doorway. Viv.
 
Looking at the row of shops and thinking about the current dismay at the loss of 'High Street shopping' I wonder how many of those started out as just dwellings and were later turned into shops by enterprising occupants.

As we now seem to have a glut of empty shops and a shortage of dwellings maybe it's time to reverse that process.
 
John Waynham said:
Hello Ray,
I remember Mrs. Spencer's shop well, the fly paper hanging from the gas light ! My childhood friend was Alan Nash, he and his family-mom Lilly sister and dad, lived up the "entry." There was a Brew house, and us kids were banned on monday, wash day. Alan and I both went to Christ Church school, but Alan was a year ahead. We used to race around the block, King st. Main st. And the lane, on our three wheelers.I used to fetch a chip supper from Hickys ?
For granddad when he visited on Fridays. He would give me loose change from his pocket. If there was enouph I would buy the Eagle commic from Gascoigne's the news agent in Montpellier St.
It was not all good but the happy memories dominate.
I hated Golden Hillock school, we had tech drawing in the annex,
The sadistic teacher cained the whole class for dirty hands, some introduction ! My oldest friend Kul became head boy he had praise for the school.
Best regards John
Click to expand...

Hello, John,
I've only just seen this post for some reason. The new forum layout hid it from me somehow.
I remember all those things too. You could almost have been describing my own childhood. We lived down the entry with Mrs Spencer's shop at the top. Alan Nash lived there. Lily was my mom's name and I had a sister (later two) and dad, so I wonder if you're confusing me with him there. The brew house was a big feature. I went to Christ Church school too and well remember the fish and chips from Hicky's. The Eagle comic was a favourite of mine, though I'd forgotten the name of Gascoine's in Montpellier St (where I spent hours trainspotting below the bridge). I think I remember Kul at Golden Hillock secondary modern as a very well behaved Asian boy. Some of the sadism dished out by a few teachers will never be forgotten.

Regards, Ray
 
Anyone walking along Anderton Road could not fail to see that massive tall chimney beyond the Marlborough Pub. It just about shows on the edge of an aerial pic dated 1920 and looks taller than any of the other factory chimney in the district. On a 1914 map it is on a building between Montgomery Street and the canal next to a 'Corporation Wharf' and has a canal basin on the site.
andertonrd.jpg
 
Last edited:
Screenshot (240).png Recently found on facebook. Corner of Carrs Lane and Moor Street. Don't remember the view. Was the pub "The Corner"? Cars include Mayflower & Javelin? Survived WW2 but got swept away by 1960's ring road development.
 
Last edited:
Phil

On your photo of Anderton Road , I think the chimney stack on your photo could have quite possibly belonged to Birmingham City Council's refuse destructor works that stood there at one time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top