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Stitcher - what a depressing comparison pictures those are. Yet again another wonderful building was torn down in the name of progress. Thank you for showing us.

Judy
 
Judy39, some of the old buildings were truly magnificent werent they. What short sightedness to knock them down willy nilly. Can you imagine if the old city center was still there, pedestrianised and perhaps slightly modified in places with a decent ring road and ample access to car parking. I think more people would visit to see that, than come into town to see the Selfridge monstrosity.
Colmore Row looking from The Town Hall in 1898 and 1971
 

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The old Christ Church was about to be knocked down in 1898. It was possibly abandoned when that photo was taken. None of us ever saw it of couse. There were shops around that corner for all of our years. This would be one of the buildings that I personally would not have missed. I think it's design was hideous and had become out of place in it's location. One of the best photo's of it on here.
The street lamps were beautiful though. I wonder if the older photo was taken by the same person who took the photo of the old Bridge Street coal wharf on the canal section. Maybe these old photo's were also taken as a last chance to record before demolition, similar to some later day ones on here.
 
Did anyone spot the drinking fountain outside the Old Christ Church now at the pigeon park ( Saint Phillips Church Yard ) in Temple Row? I do hope that they restore it as it would be a great loss to Birmingham's Historic past.
 
Rupert and Ger22van, of course there were many bueatiful buildings in past times and unfortunately Bham City Council has never been top of the class for preservation or retoration.
 
Stratford Road Camp Hill, King Edwards V1 Grammar School 1885. Did you know that this was the site of a one day skirmish with Prince Ruperts forces in 1643. It was built as a grammar School in 1883. In the second photo taken 1971, the school is visibly larger. This is because the giirls school was added in 1893. In 1956-58 the schools at Camp Hill moved to Vicarage Road Kings Heath. The building was then renamed and used as Bordesley Teachers Training College.
 

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Corporation Street in the 1930's and how traffic free it is. Lewis's are having a Sale and how about those fashionable hats the ladies are wearing on the right.
 

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What a superbe shot. Rode those tramlines many times past Lewis's and out through Ashted Row. Wonderful to see the rolldown shades over the shop windows. Just back a bit would be Martineau Street on the right and Cherry Street on the left. This is the area of the old Crooked Lane that led down to the first Cadbury's factory and the old well by Dale End.
 
Corperation St and The Grand Theatre 1885.
 

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Thought it would be a change to get out of the City centre. How about a tram ride to Sparkbrook for a bit of skating?
 

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Mike,
the only trams I remember riding on were on the Bristol road to the Lickys, but I do remember the rink in Walford road. Lovely pictures.
 
Rupert said:
What a superbe shot. Rode those tramlines many times past Lewis's and out through Ashted Row. Wonderful to see the rolldown shades over the shop windows. Just back a bit would be Martineau Street on the right and Cherry Street on the left. This is the area of the old Crooked Lane that led down to the first Cadbury's factory and the old well by Dale End.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention Martineau Street Rupert, I had this one lined up so here it is.
 

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Just off to the left by the second tram would be the entrance to Union Passage to New Street and down by the first tram on the right were the remains of the old Crooked Lane I think. Never knew that at the time. Wonderful shot.
 
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Here you are Rupert, Crooked Lane looking down towards Martineau St in about 1937.

Phil

City Crooked Lane from Union Passage towards Martineau St 1937.jpg
 
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First sighting of the old lane in the flesh. Wonderfull. I believe that this was sort of part of Cherry Street and ran down presumably in a crooked fashion to Dale End by the Welch Cross and the old well. When Martineau Street was put in most of this dissapeared but there was still an elbow of it remaining and I think that this photo captures it. Simply great. I think that the 1890 survey map shows this. I am stunned, you have made my day.
 
Here is the 1890 map ref. for those interested. You can hold down ctrl and use your wheel to zoom in. From the elbow of Crooked lane can be seen what looks like a passage way to the back door of a bank. I believe that there was a public well in this area; gone by 1890 but maybe this passage is where the pathway to it used to be. Brits seem to hold rights of way in tact for the most part.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...=10098&ox=1992&oy=1375&zm=1&czm=1&x=282&y=161

It looks like Union Passage cut across Crooked Lane and ran to Bull Street at one time possibly.
 
Crooked lane is a little clearer on this earlier map dated 1875 Titled "Birmingham Improvement Scheme". The "Proposed new road " marked in yellow will eventually be Corporation St . The second new road (Martineau St) is in green. Cherry St -Union St is in red, Crooked lane is dark blue, and Little Cherry St is light blue. It can be seen that little cherry st changes to crooked lane at union passage
mike


crooked_lane_1875A~0.jpg
 
'ello, 'ello, 'ello wot's all this 'ere then? That's right, it's Steelhouse Lane seen well before trams along this, the last tram route in Birmingham, had been withdrawn.
 

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Three different but nevertheless nostalgic views.

The first one is of a gas lamp cleaner / lighter in Lancaster Circus this was taken as late as 1968.

The next is Gas St Basin in 1952, before anyone ever thought of tarting it up, when a different type of citizen strolled the towpaths of the canal system.

The last one is the Horse Fair early last century. I thought Charlie Chaplin was in Hollywood by then.

Phil

City Lancaster Circus Lamplighter 1968 .jpgCity Gas St Basin 1952 .jpgCity Horsefair (3).jpg
 
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phil, nice pictures. I remember the gas lamp man doing the lamps in Oakhill Crescent when I was a child.
 
Meanwhile back in Corporation Street it's the mid 1970's. On the corner of New Street and Stephensons Place the Midland Bank has yet to be taken over by the Chinese HSBC and for Stitcher a queue of FX4 taxis' await fares on the rank.
 

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I was looking for myself in the queue of cabs, then I remembered I only worked nights.
 
Two views of St Martins. 1890 and the second is in 1971 after the area was spoilt with concrete.
 

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Out in the leafy suburbs and it's 1960's Hall Green at the Robin Hood Island when the mock Tudor house in the backgound was a Police Station - not the Chinese Restaurant that it is now.
 

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Mike

We had a meal there boxing day 1977 (I think), when it was called the Blue Lamp. 24 of us I think, we were a mixed bunch, men, women and children. I paid the bill and the total for 3 course meals, bottles of wine and other assorted drinks for the evening came to a very reasonable £120. They didn't last that long in business, and to be honest at that rate I don't wonder.

Phil
 
New Street, looking from The Town Hall.1895 and again in 1971. I must say it looked rather busier in 1895.
 

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The 1895 shot is the Birmingham of my childhood. Oh not with the horse drawn busses and the old church but if you just put 60s busses on there and some cars no one would notice much difference. We have seen similar shots before of this very place but they are always interesting in some way.
 
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