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Stratford Road
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farmerdave
master brummie
Regarding first photo in #205; originally what was Sparkhill Congregational Church in the background and now a curry centre. At least the main structure of the church has been maintained. Travelling just past College Road on the Stratford Road, travelling towards town, there was a parade of shops on the left that started with a newsagent and finished with the Municipal Bank. Was it called Springfield Parade and do we have any photos (old or new)? Thanks. Dave.
ellbrown
ell brown on Flickr
If you mean Hall Green Parade. The shops are still there. Mostly Asian restaurants, takeaways and small supermarkets now. Plus pharmacies.
On the two petrol station sites: near Hall Green Station is now a Tesco Express, Greggs, Barnardo's and a barber shop. A new petrol station recently opened on the other site derelict for a decade, Apple Green with a Costa.
On the two petrol station sites: near Hall Green Station is now a Tesco Express, Greggs, Barnardo's and a barber shop. A new petrol station recently opened on the other site derelict for a decade, Apple Green with a Costa.
farmerdave
master brummie
Thanks Phil. Those are the ones I was referring to. In your photograph they run from Springfield Road almost to College Road. A Birmingham Municipal Bank was situated where Lloyds Bank is seen now. I held my first (paltry) savings there. Dave.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Dave,
I lived in Knowle Road, just a hundred yards or so away, for the whole of the 1940s, and attended College Road Infants and Juniors, yet can only ever remember entering one of those shops once and I can't even remember what it sold! Did one of them sell newspapers? As a young boy, I regarded that row of shops as being of no interest at all and my memory of the Stratford Road shops was mainly in the shops on the opposite side between that point and Formans Road. I can remember a Wimbush shop that sold my favourite cream buns (not real cream), a Wrensons, a gardening shop (Woollards or some such name), a decorating shop (possibly Decorwall), a drysalters (they don't exist anywhere these days), Hedges (pharmacist) and almost at Formans Road, a British Restaurant. Was there a clinic on the opposite side on the bend at Springfield Road?
On the opposite side, just before Oakwood Road (possibly on the corner) was a greengrocers that we used a lot. And that's about my memories of the shops at that age. I still find most shopping really boring!
Maurice
Maurice
I lived in Knowle Road, just a hundred yards or so away, for the whole of the 1940s, and attended College Road Infants and Juniors, yet can only ever remember entering one of those shops once and I can't even remember what it sold! Did one of them sell newspapers? As a young boy, I regarded that row of shops as being of no interest at all and my memory of the Stratford Road shops was mainly in the shops on the opposite side between that point and Formans Road. I can remember a Wimbush shop that sold my favourite cream buns (not real cream), a Wrensons, a gardening shop (Woollards or some such name), a decorating shop (possibly Decorwall), a drysalters (they don't exist anywhere these days), Hedges (pharmacist) and almost at Formans Road, a British Restaurant. Was there a clinic on the opposite side on the bend at Springfield Road?
On the opposite side, just before Oakwood Road (possibly on the corner) was a greengrocers that we used a lot. And that's about my memories of the shops at that age. I still find most shopping really boring!
Maurice
Maurice
Alexander Rawlins
knowlegable brummie
Alexander Rawlins
knowlegable brummie
Hi Tim
I know this is an old post but I hope you are still on the Forum? Just wondering if you remember a Mr Horace Harward who lived at 40 Tillingham STreet. His wife, Bertha, had sadly passed away in 1943. They had a daughter, Dorothy, who lived with her father until he passed away in 1963.
Long shot, I know, but I would love to hear if you have any memories. Dorothy died in 2008 and was my first cousin twice removed.
Best wishes
ALexander
Radiorails
master brummie
Route 17 was from High Street. Car 653 would only be a few years old, if the date suggested is correct, but would remain in service until system closure in 1953.
devonjim
master brummie
I still remember going to that clinic for dental treatment some seventy years ago! Gas mask ugh!Dave,
. Was there a clinic on the opposite side on the bend at Springfield Road?
Maurice
Maurice
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Jim,
I can't recollect any treatment there, but I think my mother collected that gorgeous baby orange juice from there. When it came to dental treatment I was sent to the dentist on the corner of Howard Road & Alcester Road, Kings Heath for two extractions. By then gas was out of fashion and injections were in and I must have been about 17. I didn't see any dental nurse and he already had the hypodermic, apparently full, sitting on his tool chest. I've always been a mistrusting soul where these sort of things are concerned & I like to see the hypodermic filled.
He proceeded to jab it painfully into my gum and then said ""Your gum should be numb in a minute". I felt no effect and was beginning to think he had injected water into my gum to make a quick buck, and complained. "You'll be fine", he said, and proceeded to extract the first tooth, accompanied by a scream and a few expletives from me. I got up and walked out and that put me off dentists for the best part of twenty years, by which time the state of my teeth was not good. A friend introduced me to a dentist, who lived in the same road as myself in Bournemouth, and who agreed to give me valium.
An injection was administered in my arm, I must have gone out like a light, and the next thing I knew was his voice saying "If you feel OK, you can go home now". My reaction was, "Aren't you going to do them today then?", to which he replied, "I've finshed - three out and filled six". My eldest son was waiting outside with the car to drive me a hundred yards home and put me to bed. Instead I had no after effects and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV!
To anyone reading this who has a fear of dentists, fear not, modern dentistry is excellent and painless - at worst a slight discomfort sometimes. My dentist here in Crete has now retired and I am treated by his son, also a dentist. No problems.
Sorry for going a bit off topic, but things have changed somewhat since the early 1950s! ;-)
Maurice
I can't recollect any treatment there, but I think my mother collected that gorgeous baby orange juice from there. When it came to dental treatment I was sent to the dentist on the corner of Howard Road & Alcester Road, Kings Heath for two extractions. By then gas was out of fashion and injections were in and I must have been about 17. I didn't see any dental nurse and he already had the hypodermic, apparently full, sitting on his tool chest. I've always been a mistrusting soul where these sort of things are concerned & I like to see the hypodermic filled.
He proceeded to jab it painfully into my gum and then said ""Your gum should be numb in a minute". I felt no effect and was beginning to think he had injected water into my gum to make a quick buck, and complained. "You'll be fine", he said, and proceeded to extract the first tooth, accompanied by a scream and a few expletives from me. I got up and walked out and that put me off dentists for the best part of twenty years, by which time the state of my teeth was not good. A friend introduced me to a dentist, who lived in the same road as myself in Bournemouth, and who agreed to give me valium.
An injection was administered in my arm, I must have gone out like a light, and the next thing I knew was his voice saying "If you feel OK, you can go home now". My reaction was, "Aren't you going to do them today then?", to which he replied, "I've finshed - three out and filled six". My eldest son was waiting outside with the car to drive me a hundred yards home and put me to bed. Instead I had no after effects and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV!
To anyone reading this who has a fear of dentists, fear not, modern dentistry is excellent and painless - at worst a slight discomfort sometimes. My dentist here in Crete has now retired and I am treated by his son, also a dentist. No problems.
Sorry for going a bit off topic, but things have changed somewhat since the early 1950s! ;-)
Maurice
Radiorails
master brummie
Somewhere on BHF is my tale about being almost drowned at Sparkhill baths. I was eight at the time. I won't go over that again but I will comment, as I believe I did before, that it seems that it was almost impossible to learn to swim at the baths. You were given a lifebouy, to which was attached a rope. You floated to a point roughly centre of the bath and well meaning ladies pulled you, with the aid of the rope, to the side. During that movement you were expected to move your arms in a manner which should have taught you to swim. However, the speed at which you were hauled to the side gave little opportunity for any meaningful arm movements. I never learned to swim.Me too with the swimming, Lyn. If you couldn't swim after six lessons, you didn't have to go again. What better incentive than that to avoid something you didn't like.
Maurice
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Alan,
My six lessons were at Sparkhill Baths too, the prime aim appearing to be to let one of the school bullies push you under in the hope that you would flap your arms in the approved manner, as dictated by the master in charge standing at the side "on dry land", and thus learn to swim. I was eleven at the time and I think that this only enforced my hatred of my school years. Ever since I was 24, most of my life has been spent within 15 minutes of the sea and have had a paddle in it perhaps at the most, half a dozen times. Best way to avoid drowning is to stay away from deep water!
Maurice
My six lessons were at Sparkhill Baths too, the prime aim appearing to be to let one of the school bullies push you under in the hope that you would flap your arms in the approved manner, as dictated by the master in charge standing at the side "on dry land", and thus learn to swim. I was eleven at the time and I think that this only enforced my hatred of my school years. Ever since I was 24, most of my life has been spent within 15 minutes of the sea and have had a paddle in it perhaps at the most, half a dozen times. Best way to avoid drowning is to stay away from deep water!
Maurice
Radiorails
master brummie
Despite being unable to swim spent many hours as a youngster, cycling along canal paths. As I am here on the Forum it will be reasoned that I had the good fortune not to fall off the bike and go into the 'cut'. 
Since the end of my years in the RAF, I have always lived a short distance from the sea. Apart from an occasional paddle I keep the sea at viewing distance. When my children were young I told my wife "go to the beach(s) weekdays, don't expect me to be there on Sundays or days off". It worked well and of course there soon came a time when the children were old enough to get themselves there.
As Sparkhill is situated on Stratford Road I guess we are not too far into thread drift.
Since the end of my years in the RAF, I have always lived a short distance from the sea. Apart from an occasional paddle I keep the sea at viewing distance. When my children were young I told my wife "go to the beach(s) weekdays, don't expect me to be there on Sundays or days off". It worked well and of course there soon came a time when the children were old enough to get themselves there.
As Sparkhill is situated on Stratford Road I guess we are not too far into thread drift.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Stratford Road by the Robin Hood Cinema c1950. I try to date photos by looking at cinemas and see what film was showing. There was a film 'Samson and Delilah' on release c1950 but zooming in and looking closely at the letters on the cinema it shows on my screen as 'Sansom' ... does anyone else see it like that?
That man on the right is carrying his bowls in one of those special cases and maybe going to play on the bowling green of a local pub.
That man on the right is carrying his bowls in one of those special cases and maybe going to play on the bowling green of a local pub.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Never a good photo from the Birmingham papers but this is from the Argus of July 1966, about Hall Green Bowling Club.
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sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Phil,
It definitely comes up as SANSOM, but these letters were changed by staff on a weekly basis. Was the member of staff dyslexic, or just plain clumsy and didn't bother to check his handiwork? Can't find a film title other than Samson & Delilah in that era.
Maurice
It definitely comes up as SANSOM, but these letters were changed by staff on a weekly basis. Was the member of staff dyslexic, or just plain clumsy and didn't bother to check his handiwork? Can't find a film title other than Samson & Delilah in that era.
Maurice
So sorry Alexander but I'm unable to help. I feel a bit ashamed that I was ( still am ) so self centered that I have no knowledge of someone to whom I lived relatively close to for 23 years.
In my defense my wife calls me Mr. Haverchat as I readily talk to anyone I meet but I never become involved.
Yours Regretfully Tim.
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Probably heading for the bowling green at the Bulls Head just past the cinema, I think it's still there today (at least it was last time I was in there), one of the few pubs to still retain a bowling green
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OuterCircleBus
master brummie
The building on the corner of York Road (opposite the church) was Barclays Bank, the first house in York Road, next to the bank was called Bank House. After the bank closed the bank building was occupied by "Midland Music" which was a music instrument shop. Originally Midland Music had been further along Stratford Road opposite Cubley Road and was a record shop. I think the bank building became offices after Midland Music left.I also got some photos of Yorkmead Primary School when I was walking up York Road.
There used to be a music shop then later something called seeBay (didn't last long) at that corner. I don't remember it being a bank.
Lloyds Bank close to Hall Green Station closed down within the last few years. So there is no banks left on Hall Green Parade. Even the post office closed down! Was Cole Bank Post Office (it had moved from the other side of the road - that one is now a hairdressers, but post box still outside).
By the way I've never understood the term "Yorkmead", to me it was always York Road School - Miss Dunton was the Head Teacher when I was there in the 1950s - she was the best head teacher in the world!
OuterCircleBus
master brummie
The Odeon Shirley was actually demolished, and replaced by the supermarket building that now stands on the site. The Midland (now HSBC) bank on the corner was incorporated into the new supermarket building.