David Weaver
gone but not forgotten
Does anyone know anything about the street urchins who guarded the cars of Aston Villa supporters, for home games, around the surrounding streets? I'm talking both pre and after the war. Regards, David.
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Street Urchins
- Thread starter David Weaver
- Start date
hi there
the street urchins was from church lane aston and they lived aty the bottom of church laneit was a big old victorian house where the main kids lived
the house had three steps up into the house i can picture the house now but i cannot remember there names nor the particular house number
as a kid i got to know them as i lived up the rd on lichfield rd when you strolled down church lane the lane took a slight bend and there was a batch of high built houses of about four
these was built different from the rest of church lane there was a house facing a rd wich for the love of money i cannot just think of its name
i can remember a news agent on the corner and i know this named street as been mentioned on this forum a long time ago
but when you crossed over the rd in church lane there was big bay windows sticking out well down that rd facing within a copuple of yards there was a great big open terrace type yard wide open and the yard was full of these urchins and they used to be out early morning patrollowing up and down church lane waiting for the punters to come to the match they all had there own territory of sections whom was so called protecting the foot ball fans cars it did not matter what team was playing the fagon i called him was a big kid with a bigish family lived in that big house he was the gang leader some would wait all afternoon whilst the others popped back in the house and kept gaurd in case the owner came back early
and they was doing it for the old tanner 6 d pence in the one old bay of houses the lady used to display toffee apples for 1 d pence to passers bye and she would display a couple of trays in her front windows hoping the kids coming to the match with there dad to buy one for them in those days there was army of foot ball fans marching down church lane
it must have been thousands this is in johnny dixons dayd early 1900s best wishes Astonian
the street urchins was from church lane aston and they lived aty the bottom of church laneit was a big old victorian house where the main kids lived
the house had three steps up into the house i can picture the house now but i cannot remember there names nor the particular house number
as a kid i got to know them as i lived up the rd on lichfield rd when you strolled down church lane the lane took a slight bend and there was a batch of high built houses of about four
these was built different from the rest of church lane there was a house facing a rd wich for the love of money i cannot just think of its name
i can remember a news agent on the corner and i know this named street as been mentioned on this forum a long time ago
but when you crossed over the rd in church lane there was big bay windows sticking out well down that rd facing within a copuple of yards there was a great big open terrace type yard wide open and the yard was full of these urchins and they used to be out early morning patrollowing up and down church lane waiting for the punters to come to the match they all had there own territory of sections whom was so called protecting the foot ball fans cars it did not matter what team was playing the fagon i called him was a big kid with a bigish family lived in that big house he was the gang leader some would wait all afternoon whilst the others popped back in the house and kept gaurd in case the owner came back early
and they was doing it for the old tanner 6 d pence in the one old bay of houses the lady used to display toffee apples for 1 d pence to passers bye and she would display a couple of trays in her front windows hoping the kids coming to the match with there dad to buy one for them in those days there was army of foot ball fans marching down church lane
it must have been thousands this is in johnny dixons dayd early 1900s best wishes Astonian
David Weaver
gone but not forgotten
Hello Astonian what a great picture you've painted. I'm now standing in Church Lane again. In the 30's there was Bains's bakery near the curve in that road you speak of. Bee Bee the barber was near there he had an African Grey Parrot in a cage in the shop which was a bit scary as I remember it. Wally Brannigan was a barber on the other side of the road but he came a bit later. There was a faggot and peas shop and a fish and chip shop. Still in Church Lane at the top of Gladstone Street was Charlie Drinkwaters Butchery and on the corner opposite was Spencers grocery. He used to sell us kids broken biscuits cheaply and one day he'd run out so I offered to break a few for him to sell to me. I can still hear him laughing. Kind regards and many thanks for your trouble. Regards, David.
HI DAVID
Many thanmks for your reply and i just want to say a big thank you for filling in my missing peices of what i just could not think off
at the time and it was gladstone streeet was the rd i just could not think of with all those people i could not think of and the coal yard was at the top of church lane and that was isleys coal yard where they lent you a little barrow to take coal home if you did not have a pushchair for a shilling deposit they was related to my grand parents
and my mothers family the jelfsbecause one of the sibblings of jelf had married into one of there family
getting back to gladstone street i used to know one or two people down gladfstone street just down from the shop and the one was named pritchardsfamily
whom i courted but she died at a very early age sadly enough when we was both very young lovers
thanks david best wishes Astonian
Many thanmks for your reply and i just want to say a big thank you for filling in my missing peices of what i just could not think off
at the time and it was gladstone streeet was the rd i just could not think of with all those people i could not think of and the coal yard was at the top of church lane and that was isleys coal yard where they lent you a little barrow to take coal home if you did not have a pushchair for a shilling deposit they was related to my grand parents
and my mothers family the jelfsbecause one of the sibblings of jelf had married into one of there family
getting back to gladstone street i used to know one or two people down gladfstone street just down from the shop and the one was named pritchardsfamily
whom i courted but she died at a very early age sadly enough when we was both very young lovers
thanks david best wishes Astonian
paul stacey
master brummie
I wonder what happened to those wonderful days Lynn when it was the same all over Birmingham, lovelly people I went to Ilmington Road school Weoley Castle and a lady used to sell toffee apples for 1d as well near the school, when just about 10 or 11 I fell over and hurt myself and about 3 or 4 ladies came out to help me would'nt happen now.
paul
paul
David Weaver
gone but not forgotten
Hello Astonian, we knew the Insleys well because our coalyard was Gladstone Street on the left about halfway down. Opposite was a little shop owned by Carrie Wainwright. I also remember the Pritchard family as the lived very close to us. You most probably saw a little scruff hanging around when you were courting, namely me. Do you remember Mrs Pickering the woman with one leg and a single crutch. She always wore black but covered with an apron made from a patoto sack that had been washed a thousand times. Spotless it was. A German plane swooped low and tried to machine gun her but the story went she beat it up Gladstone Street and escaped. I must admit I didn't believe it but it gave us a good laugh. She used to give me boiled sweets and was a favourite of mine so I made her a character in many of my stories. Those little coal barrows I remember well because because mom and Granny white used to shovel coal into them while dad was out selling coal from his horse and cart . We kids used to stand on the back step agging them to come and cook us something to eat. Spoilt bratts I reckon when I think about it. Regards David.