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Street furniture

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
  • Start date Start date
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This is outside the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, but could be seen in Birmingham.
The Broads Manufacturing Company Ltd., historically based in London (later with a foundry in Hanwell), produced a range of cast-iron inspection hole covers and gratings under the brand name “Silent Knight”, so-called to emphasise their quiet, non-rocking operation on roads and pavements.
Silent Knight covers were widely installed across the UK—including cities like Birmingham and Wolverhampton

(Historic England also occasionally refers to notable manhole covers as “surviving examples of industrial street furniture” when listing or assessing older streetscapes.)










  • Silent Knight covers were widely installed across the UK—including cities like Birmingham and Wolverhampton







  • Silent Knight covers were widely installed across the UK—including cities like Birmingham and Wolverhampton
 
Another item of street furniture you don't see anymore is the cast iron barrier situated outside the school entrance to stop us running on to the road.. A bollard either side & painted silver, they were an unappreciated work of art by us kids back then. Unfortunately, I can't find any photos to post.
 
Banjo said:
Another item of street furniture you don't see anymore is the cast iron barrier situated outside the school entrance to stop us running on to the road.. A bollard either side & painted silver, they were an unappreciated work of art by us kids back then. Unfortunately, I can't find any photos to post.
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I liked the iron balustrades? on bus stops. A bit like seas side promenade railings. The bus stops signs used to be round. There used to be a gentlemen's urinal in Coventry painted green. It was known as the Green Man did Brum have them. It was in the middle of a big junction without an island. Also the glass cobbles they had above Gentlemens' conveniences. As featured in Carry On Screaming. I used to try and tap dance on them and I was told to come away!
 
Yes Banjo, I remember them. Seem to remember they were made of something similar to scaffolding poles. We had outdoor/playground climbing frames that were made of pretty well the same type of poles at Kingsthorne Junior School in the 1950s. Very sturdy things.
 
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Does anyone remember the fire alarms on street corners. Bright red posts with a box on the top, It has a glass panel which you could break to summon the fire brigade. There was one close to where I lived in Saltley in the 1950's, I think it was on the corner of St. Saviours rd. and Hall Rd. They disappeared as home phones became more common in the 1960's.
 
jonnyonespot said:
Does anyone remember the fire alarms on street corners. Bright red posts with a box on the top, It has a glass panel which you could break to summon the fire brigade. There was one close to where I lived in Saltley in the 1950's, I think it was on the corner of St. Saviours rd. and Hall Rd. They disappeared as home phones became more common in the 1960's.
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In 1948 there was one in Mayfield Rd near it's junction with Tyseley Lane.
 
I've moved the present day pollution monitoring discussion to the General Discussion section here :

superdad3

Thread 'Pollution monitoring'

Pollution Monitors:
I noticed a small solar panel on lamp post on the other side of the road a week or so ago attached to a metal cylinder [in Moseley]. Neighbour said it was a pollution monitor. Noticed since many more in the area. Perhaps temporary? More important - why is BCC monitoring pollution and what do they intend to do about it? Or is it just another cosmetic exercise?
  • Appreciate
 
jonnyonespot said:
Does anyone remember the fire alarms on street corners. Bright red posts with a box on the top, It has a glass panel which you could break to summon the fire brigade. There was one close to where I lived in Saltley in the 1950's, I think it was on the corner of St. Saviours rd. and Hall Rd. They disappeared as home phones became more common in the 1960's.
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I don't remember those but there use to be a brick structure at the top of our street, facing down the middle of the road, built on to a factory wall on the the street which ours ended up in, if you know what I mean. A T junction, with 2 holes for rifles in it from WW2, I forget the name of them, kids used to play hide and seek in it, and it had hose pipe on the wall inside with FIRE in red capitals on white, which wouldn't have reached very far, in a red 'sheath'? and there used to be a loud hailer high so as the kids didn't get hold of it. We had a fire bell at school which a kid broke the glass set it off and got expelled for it. There was a brass hand bell next to it when we had fire duty and a teacher would ring it.
 
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