Summer Lane

[Astoness]

yes dave i remember you sending that photo...i must see if i still have it...if not would you be able to send it to me again please..as you say its nice to see its not been demolished..

lyn

 

[Lady Penelope]

I too used to travel on the 5a/7 regularly and thought the Crocodile works was something to do with crocodiles. Oh, how I loved that journey. We used to get off at Asylum Road and there was a joke shop near there. Mom didn't like it and wouldn't let us linger to see everything in the window.

 

[adap2it]

Yes, that is Pearsons. Not all of it course but it is nice to see that is been demolished. I few years ago I sent you a picture of me and a fellow Paddington St friend, sitting on Pearsons loading dock.

Dave A

Should have read nice that it hasn't been demolished. There was a large home with a big garden, between Pearsons and the Crocodile Works. There were all kinds of stories going around about who lived there...it always looked a bit out of place as there were no other homes on that side of Porchester St, just factories...

Dave A

 

[Astoness]

dave that sound a bit spooky to me lol...now i am wondering who lived there ha ha...

hi pen..as i lived in paddington st mom used to walk me to alma st school and i can remember asking her if that is where the crocodiles lived

 

[Lady Penelope]

Hi Lyn, Parker's family lived in Paddington Street but long before your time!

 

[Old Boy]

Hi All,
The Crocodile Works was actually Ralph Martindale & Co Ltd. If I remember right they made Machettes and similar items.
Old Boy

 

[marie moore]

are you from summer lane, because my mom daisy Hamblin married my dad Arthur moss , his mom was lilly moss and I was brought up in porchester street just off summer lane by the crocodile works.
maybe we are some relation, been trying to to track down the family history.
my dad went to upper Thomas street school and lived on Clifton rd, aston. my mom lived by summer lane police station, 7 bk of 268 summer lane.
thanks for your time
Jason moss

 

[marie moore]

hi what number porcheste street i lived at number 83 porchester st from 1956 t0 1968

 

[chrissy17]

hello amanda i am a little confused...the pic viv posted on post 583 is definately the settlement corner of summer lane/tower st..below is vivs photo and another one to compere..below those is a map showing where colmore terrace was which was at gt hampton row near to the corner with new john st west..i could of course be wrong but for the sake of history i am happy to be corrected..i do have a photo of colmore terrace

all the best

lyn

View attachment 109941 View attachment 109942

 

[chrissy17]

Hi, Thank you for posting the photo's of the houses in Summer Lane, my Great Great Grandfather Joseph Stevens lived at 320 Summer Lane for about 30 years, That is one of the houses show in your photo. Chriss17

 

[ellbrown]

This building on Summer Lane is now being used by The Big Issue. Next door to Centro House.





Some details above.







It looked like a bus or tram depot. But was it used as an ambulance depot also?

 

[Astoness]

ell i am pretty sure that it was the MEB generating station built on the site of the old hospital.

lyn

 

[OuterCircleBus]

I'm sure this building was the frontage of the power station which stood on the site between Summer Lane and the canal. You can see it in this aerial photograph taken in 1937. Look to the left about half way up. The chimneys for the boilers are on the left and the cooling towers are on the land now occupied by the Centro building. You can see the gable end of this part of the building with a white outline across the top of the gable.
As it would have been built by the Corporation it would have had a marked similarity to the bus garages built between the wars.
Just in case you missed it, Livery Street, Snow Hill and Snow Hill Station are on the right!

 

[ellbrown]

ell i am pretty sure that it was the MEB generating station built on the site of the old hospital.

lyn

It is locally listed Grade B by the council. With this in the description "MEB Stores and Depot".

Hard to find out any information about the building online. Looks Victorian or Edwardian to me.

 

[Astoness]

some info here ell
https://website.lineone.net/~glb1/birmingham/meb/history.htm

 

[ellbrown]

I just found that one Lyn.

Also this one https://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org/2013/10/16/powering-forward/

Built 1906 to 1913.

 

[horsencart]

The nearest this building came to be related to transport was/is that next door are offices that where used by W.M.P.T.E. and at the moment N.X.W.M use the offices. and of course the buses have passed this building for many years

 

[ellbrown]

You mean Centro / Network West Midlands / Transport for the West Midlands (West Midlands Combined Authority).

 

[Amanda Skipp]

This is a good book to read about the Settlement and it's history some nice photographs and plenty of info well worth a read

https://birminghamsettlement.org.uk/history.htm

Sadly that link is now dead I have however got the book already! Think it was published by Brewin Books so a Google search should locate it if anyone else wants a copy!!

 

[Amanda Skipp]

these shops were at the bottom of the lane..constitution hill end...it was at one time thought they may be saved but they were demolished a few years back...happy to say that at least i can say i went into a couple of shops down summer lane...

I too visited the newsagent on several occasions when I worked next door. Very sad day when those buildings got demolished, although looking at the subsidence it was probably a miracle they survived as long as they did!

 

[Amanda Skipp]

hello amanda i am a little confused...the pic viv posted on post 583 is definately the settlement corner of summer lane/tower st..below is vivs photo and another one to compere..below those is a map showing where colmore terrace was which was at gt hampton row near to the corner with new john st west..i could of course be wrong but for the sake of history i am happy to be corrected..i do have a photo of colmore terrace

all the best

lyn

View attachment 109941 View attachment 109942

Hi Lyn
What I actually meant was that there was no "1899 Settlement Building" as such. The Settlement started in Colmore Terrace which was built much earlier. I can only apologise for my poor English that caused the confusion, and also for the delay in responding - for some reason I wasn't informed of new thread posts!
Amanda

 

[Astoness]

hi amanda yes i understood in the end as said in post 620...that was a nice bit of info from you that i didnt know..cheers

lyn

 

[Astoness]

hi folks can anyone recall there being a butchers called turners on the lane..no exact date but could be in the 50s or 60s...ps think they had more than 1 shop..

lyn

 

[oldMohawk]

13 Photobucket images that are missing from this thread but some PB images have been permanently deleted so not recoverable. The post numbers are above each image. They are Coppermine using multi upload.
Post#295

Post#296

Post#297

Post#298

Post#299

Post#300

Post#302

Post#304

Post#308

Post#324

Post#326

Post#356

Post#427

 

[Vivienne14]

Now copied to their original posts, all of Astonesses photos recovered by Oldmohawk in post #654. Thanks Phil and Lyn. Great photos! Viv.

 

[oldMohawk]

Thanks Viv, there was a PB pic in #293 but it was just an 'emoticon', perhaps you can delete the PB pic and drop a forum smiley there. The colour pic in post#427 is a view of Summer Lane just how I remember it ... with Midland Red buses running ...

 

[Astoness]

many thanks OM and viv for a great joint effort in replacing the PB photos on this thread...i shall certainly not be using them again...

lyn x

 

[Celia Dillworth]

Oughton Road Sparkhill d day party

 

[Stitcher]

 

[Pedrocut]

From Illustrated London News 1909, showing Summer Lane Electricity Station...