Steelhouse lane

[mikejee]

I suspect that it is meant to be here - there are great similarities

 

[Astonian]

HI MIKE ;
Well done ; bang on as usal thats identical i would say so lets see what the others say ;
great mike best wishs astonian;

 

[Vivienne14]

Looking good Mike. There's Freeman Hardy Willis's shoe shop to the right and, I think, Harrison's Opticians to the left. Is the turning to the left Livery Street or is that further down in the distance? Having said all that I don't quite get the right-hand side of the picture. Anyone know what the tower in distance is? Viv.

 

[Shortie]

Harrisons was on the corner of Livery Street Viv, as that was where I used to go, so yes, that is the turning on the right. The tower is a complete mystery. If Freemans is on the corner of Bull Street, the building that advertises Greys is what exactly? I remember going down into Upper Priory from the Gaumont in the 1950's, but can't remember just what was there, although they were old, high buildings, I do know that.

 

[mikejee]

The next building listed in directories about that time going down the street after Upper priory (no 11) is Pickfords

 

[brumgum]

Slightly off the subject some good street scenes here of the junction of Bull Street and Steelhouse Lane
[video=youtube;oxOR0QPq_0c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxOR0QPq_0c[/video]

 

[jennyann]

Here's another photo of Snow Hill/Colmore Row/Steelhouse Lane/Bull Street intersection. Harrison's was on the corner at the time the photo was taken.
I believe the building opposite the Wesleyan & General Insurance Company in Steelhouse Lane, that advertised Grey's, actually was Grey's. Not sure if this was Grey's original store before their store on Bull Street.
https://www.photobydjnorton.com/InnerRingRoadCentral.html

 

[mikejee]

Jennyann
nos 5-6 Steelhouse lane were Greys from 1913 and was additional to the Bull St store. Before 1913 it was Jacobs & co, drapers, so presumably Greys took then over, as there is no Jacobs & Co, drapers listed in 1913

 

[jennyann]

Thanks Mike. Haven't seen much info on Grey's history in Brum. Some people say that the family name was spelled as "Greey". Do you know anything about that?

 

[mikejee]

I have heard it said on the forum, but not had confirmation
Mike

 

[ellbrown]

One of my modern shots of Steelhouse Lane from Colmore Square



Further back in Colmore Square with The Wesleyan on the left (built 1988-91)



The Post & Mail building was where Colmore Plaza is now. Another part of the old Post & Mail round here - the old Printing Works (on Weaman Street) is in the process of being demolished.

 

[Vivienne14]

In many ways Ell's latest photos look to me like an improvement. Filling in the subway area (which was enormous) was a good move. Like others around the City it was cold and draughty, not the sort of place you'd walk alone at night and quite confusing in terms of where to emerge onto street level. Good to see Fountain Court is still there. I quite like the design of that building, not too ostentatious and almost timeless.

This 1906 photo which I attached to post #13 shows an advertisement for "Richards & Co, Reliable for Furniture and Bedsteads" in the place where the Grey's advert appears in later pictures. And there's that unidentified tower again, looming in the distance! Viv.

 

[mikejee]

Viv
Here is a better one of the tower. It appears to be opposite the Gaumont. Also a picture from closer in which shows only the lower portion , but shows it is definitely the corner of upper priory farthest from Snow hill. this seems to be nos 11 & 13. 11 is listed as Pickfords and 13 as the Birmingham Ebeneezer Approved Provident & Building Society . You can see in the photo in metal letters "Ebeneezer Approved Society" above the fascia.

 

[Mickymoo]

Great to see these pics. of Steelhouse Lane,my first job when I left school in 1958 was at Wesleyan & General.I remember the snooker hall on the upper floor of the building with the tower and I used to scurry down Upper Priory
in my lunch hour to the Casino for an hour's jiving !

 

[Vivienne14]

Mickymoo seems odd to have a snooker hall in the Ebenezer building!

Thanks Mike for the info and photos. There was an Ebenezer Chapel in Steelhouse Lane too, which I assume, must have been connected to that building. The London Gazette reported in 1931 on a trustees application for provision of sale regarding the Ebenezer Chapel and all it's connected building/land. Sounds fairly substantial too.



And it had a role in anti-slavery; hosting the anniversary of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in June 1846:



Viv.

 

[ellbrown]

A recent shot of mine of the 1980s Wesleyan




The same building in the 1990s (before the suburban Colmore Circus Queensway was redeveloped into Colmore Square_

 

[ellbrown]

Another then and now of the Colmore Square / Colmore Circus Queensway part of what was Steelhouse Lane. Next to Colmore Row.

The 1990s



1 and 9 Colmore Row a few years ago

 

[Vivienne14]

A recent shot of mine of the 1980s Wesleyan




The same building in the 1990s (before the suburban Colmore Circus Queensway was redeveloped into Colmore Square_

Takes a massive leap of the imagination to visualise it as once looking like this. Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

This is a nice drawing of 136 Steelhouse Lane. It's a drawing from 1874 of John Oakey & Sons factory and warehouse. Viv.

 

[perrybarrpest]

View attachment 74923Steelhouse Lane with Colmore Row in the distance. 1946.

stitcher i am new to this site and also to computers in general so please excuse me if mistakes appear. i was very interested in your picture of steelhouse lane and would love to know where you got it.the shop in view is felix bateman ltd electical wholesalers(you can just make out the wording). felix bateman was my grandfather,s brother but i have failed to find anything about this business except they moved to near curzon street when this shop was earmarked for demolition.as far as i know my relative had by then long lost any interest in the business.does anyone know any more about this company? my name is geoffrey grayson, my mother was the bateman line.my email address is

 

[Old Boy]

GEOFFREY

I cannot help with your query but it is advisable not to enter your email address on an open forum. You are liable to get loads of spam if you do.

Chris Beresford (Old Boy)

 

[perrybarrpest]

chris, thanks for advise, i think i,ve removed detail.i have found some info about the felix bateman shop. it was right opposite newton st. and received bomb damage on april 10th 1941 but was still being used for electrical sales at least until the trams finished.regards, geoff

 

[Rupert]

Mike's photo's seem to be about mid forties or so, or perhaps before and/or after WW2...St.H.Lane was like that for a long time and I do not know what to look for to date. The cars were mostly pre-war and would have also been around into the fifties. The bottom photo seems a bit older to me though. The new buildings make a visual statement, and they are impressive in this respect if cold, but there are no people around. If you were dropped in that location now having not been there since the early fifties...I wonder if there would be something for you to Identify your location. St. Phillips of course on the other side of Snow Hill...but sans that...Hard to believe that metal smelting kilns lined the left hand side of the road looking down St.H. Lane. Before our time.

 

[Wendy]

Steelhouse Lane c1950's thanks to Geoff Dowling.

 

[Vivienne14]

Strange how the 1960s development of Steelhouse Lane and the underpass system at that point left all those buildings to the right 'suspended' - almost like being suspended on an eroding cliff face. And they were effectively enclosed on an island as the new road was built around them. Viv.

 

[Phil]

Vivienne

I could never work out why they put that great gaping hole there, it was nothing but an inconvenience. There was nothing down there except for a pub and a restaurant if I remember correctly.

 

[Vivienne14]

Yes Phil, seemed no real purpose for the 'hole'. Even the steps up to the Gaumont seemed temporary. If you walked through that subway in winter it was cold and characterless, more often than not with a howling gail blowing through it. I remember the China Garden (was that the name?) at the back of Lewis's in the subway - black painted interior, low level seating, real cheap food like curry and chips - but can't remember a pub. Viv.

 

[petewhitemdr1]

the pub was the brown derby, its regulars were an older crowd, went in there in the mid 70s with some mates and were asked to leave after a round of drinks as we didnt fit in.there were also toilets down there, and as i can seem to remember some stalls built into the structure, not a pleasant subway. or under pass as we called them

 

[Vivienne14]

Oh yes, I do remember it Pete. But don't remember ever going in there. Your experience was probably why I never went in there! Viv.

 

[ellbrown]

As Colmore Square was last year - Midland Metro extension behind. Steelhouse Lane forward in the distance.

The Wesleyan on the left. One Colmore Square on the right.