I ran away from home a lot during the 60's & usually ended up at Steelhouse Lane waiting for my parents to collect meHere's a photo of Steelhouse Lane about 1959.
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.
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And it had a role in anti-slavery; hosting the anniversary of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in June 1846:
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Viv.
Hi Sue, I have just been reading the Steelhouse Lane thread and came across your post. We have been in contact before re Gopsal Street and The Eagle and Ball pub. It made my day when I saw your post. I started temping just after I got married, 1969, for the SOS Temping Agency based in the Rotunda. One of my contracts was at the Birmingham Post & Mail. It was a great place to work, lovely friendly staff and enjoyable work. I was there for about six months. What I would like to ask you, is do you remember my dad at all? He had a kiosk, papers, sweets, magazines etc. He was based outside a Law firm, on the corner of Steelhouse Lane. He used to park his car outside the Gaumont, with permission of course. He was there for about twenty years. I realise this is a long shot but I couldn’t resist asking you. Kind regards, SueI started work in January 1967 at a solicitors office in Fountain Court, Steelhouse lane. I worked there for about 5 years. As I was the Office Junior I had to deliver and pick up documents from both the Law Court and the County Court so I walked many times up Newton Street to the courts in Corporation Street.
On the opposite side of Fountain Court was the Barrister's Chambers. Mr Jenkins, the caretaker, lived at the top of the building in a small flat.
The Birmingham Post and Mail building was next door to us on one side and the General Hospital on the other. At least both the buildings of Fountain Court and the old General at still standing!
Thank you for replying Sue. I think you would have remembered him, a very pleasant man and he had a bright blue hut. I knew it would be a long shot but felt I had to ask. I remember most of the places you speak about. Wasn’t the sixties a great era. By coincidence dad used to work for Preedys in the afternoon. He would finish his stint in town at eleven am, home for breakfast, or should I say brunch, then off again to Aston ( I think) to deliver stuff for Preedy’s. A hard working man.Sue
I have to say I cannot remember your dad, although I seem to remember there was a newspaper seller somewhere there, but remember there used to be a lot of newspaper sellers around the city. I used to have to go to the Post Office, over road to get the franking machine filled. Then there was the Bank (Lloyds I think) and also Cranes music shop where I would by my LP's sometimes. Further down was Prana, their cafe upstairs sold the most delicious baked apples with cream! I still have a small ornament of a frog I bought from Prana, must have been about 50 years ago now. At the front of Fountain Court, the first shop on the right was a wonderful place that sold sandwiches and amazing hot sausage rolls. On the left was a small tobacconist, it might have been Preedy's. All they sold were cigarettes. On the corner of Fountain Court and Whittall Street was a dry cleaners. I used to drop my Wrangler jeans off in the morning and they would have them ready for my the same day.
My father was a copper n Brum for 30 years, with Steelhouse Lane being his HQ. He was promoted to Inspector in 1946 and became the resident inspector of the Perry Barr Police Station until his retirement. He narrowly escaped a bomb directly hitting the Steelhouse Lane HQ in WWII where several policemen were killed. I spent 12 years in the Perry Barr station, until I was 18. Great memories.
My Dad was a mounted policeman for 30 years and often would patrol out of Steelhouse Lane police station, not Dad's horse's favourite station, due to the cobbled streets in that area, especially when wet. Dad's horse Trigger slipped and went down with Dad's styrup trapped between the horse and Dad's ankle, resulting in s snapped ankle bone. I remember Dad saying they took him over to the Accident hospital, and the Irish Sister asked Dad if his boots were his or part of his uniform; when informed part of the uniform, she took a scalpel and ran it down the line of stitching and opened his boot to allow removal.
I remember a pub behind the police station and my brother's bachelor party 45 years ago at 'Time Gentleman call. we went into the back room and continued on drinking once the bar door was shut.' Dad, still a policeman, was amazed that the publican would allow this when virtually next door to a cop shop
Would this be Digbeth plice station. I remember being told by someone I worked with, who was the son of a publican, that you could always get a lock in, with police at the pub behind thereI remember a pub behind the police station and my brother's bachelor party 45 years ago at 'Time Gentleman call. we went into the back room and continued on drinking once the bar door was shut.' Dad, still a policeman, was amazed that the publican would allow this when virtually next door to a cop shop
In 1960, before I left school, I worked part time at No 120 which was the Lincoln Jeffries gun shop.Below are two views of part of Steelhouse lane from opposite directions. The first from sometime before the late 1950s is looking down the street towards the Gaumont from no 119.
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In the second, from the opposite direction , houses from 124 have been demolished, and only 119 to 123 remain, so was after 1951 (see map below) and before 1954, as maps of 1954 show all these near buildings replaced . On the map (1951) 119-123 are in red
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The company I used to work for Lincoln Jeffries had an acccount with us , I happened to tell a rep of ours that I'd got an air pistol , he didn't appear that interested too be honest . L Jeffries by this time were in Summer Lane, we were in Hospital St anyway one Friday late Morning he asked me to do a bit of looking around for an item for LJ and hes said here take these for you trouble two full boxes of .22 pellets bucksheeIn 1960, before I left school, I worked part time at No 120 which was the Lincoln Jeffries gun shop.