• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Taylors of Potters Hill

S

sylviasayers

master brummie
On a photo page showing Potters Hill, chemiss, greengrocers etc., the
author said these were probably the most important shops in Potters Hill.
Has he forgotten Taylors, there were two large shops the first on the right
hand side going up from Park Lane, was quite a large department store
on two floors, the top floor sold clothes, and I can remember as a child having a winter coat and matching hat from there - and my mother hadn't
got quite enough clothing coupons but was allowed to buy it anyway.

On the ground floor they sold items like cosmetics, costume jewellery and
countless other items.

Diagonally across was another Taylors store which sold china, glassware,
saucepans and other kitchen and hardware items. I vaguely recall in
later years one or even both became car showrooms.
 
Aston Autos

Sylvia, did the bigger of these two shops become Aston Autos in Latter years?
 
Rod,

I don't know whether the car showrooms were Aston Autos, perhaps our
good friend JKC can help here, he is such a mine of information.

In their heyday both Taylors were extremely popular and people came from miles around to shop there. I was dragged up there most Saturday
afternoons by my mother and much older sisters when they were buying
things for their "bottom drawers".
 
Important Shops

The most important shop to me was the house that jack built, a fantastic playground for a kid back then. As for Potters Hill well the greengrocers was the best shop, not because of the spuds!! it was the dried peas he sold loose, very cheaply......AMMO for me Pea Shooter :lol:

The Aston Autos shop is the place I bought my first Motorbike, I got my dad to go sign the HP agreement, and I bought a Honda 50.. it cost under £100 cash but with delivery and building plus the interest payments it went well over that initial price. My dad was an avid Biker through the war years riding Brough Superiors and Royal Enfield's. He mocked me wickedly for riding that brightly painted Japanese machine with all mod cons!! and "whyever did I need indicators on a bike" he said, " wats wrong with using your bloody arm, like I had to" :oops:
 
The chemist in Potters Hill was Saunders. My cousin Victor Biddle worked there as a boy and they packed their own 'Saunders Snuff'. He went in the navy as a medic during the war then on his return qualified as a chemist and took over the shop until they were ousted by the redevelopment. He moved from there to Villa Cross and had the chemists there with his wife who was also a chemist until they retired. E.
 
An old lady I met a few months ago was telling me some tales of old Aston and told me that in the mid 1930's she couldn't remember the exact
year a night watchman at Taylors disturbed two burglars trying to break into the safe, and whilst trying to stop them he was murdered, they were
brought to trial and found guilty one by the name of Betts was hung but the other by the name of Ridley escaped the hangmans noose.

I haven't been able to check the story out but have no reason to doubt her word.
 
Hung In Brum

Victor Betts was hung on 3rd January 1931 Birmingham. This is the only reference I can find so far.
 
W M Taylors Potters Hill, Do i remember that shop - I say do i remember that shop. I certainly do. I remember the haberdasher counter, and Miss Clarke(?) used to preside over that one. She used to wear a high collar made of lace .. my mum seemed to think it was due to her getting burned in earlier years. But my mum would get my hair ribbons from there.

Also i remember, one day one of the neighbours stopped to whisper to my mum that Taylors had some muslin, and i remember mum, getting her coat on sharpish and headed for Taylors, to buy a few yards (this was when all materials where on clothes coupon points) and muslin was not included in the rationing, anyway she made it into net curtains, dyed a shade of gold or pink (whichever dye she could buy)

At Christmas they used to have Father Christmas and all of us kids would be waiting outside the store early on the Saturday Morning, it was always a Saturday. I think (with hindsight) Santa would be one of the Taylor Brothers, and he would arrive on a lorry decked up like a sleigh ... and before he went into the store (never can remember how he got from that 'sleigh' into the store) he would throw handsful of coins, which we would all make a mad dive for. And a few fights would be break out, ahh that's how he managed to divert our attention - while he got off the sleigh.

And i also remember that my dad used to talk about Ridley and Betts the two villains who waylaid the old chap employed by Taylors. It seems that he used to take the cash takings to the bank on an old handcart, at the same time every week, and they watched this and decided to follow him, it seems that they attacked him in Bartons Bank. But my dad also told me that Betts was the one who actually attacked the old chap. But that because they were both in on it, there was petition got up to try to get Betts off. I seem to remember that my dad said that nobody would sign it.

Incidentally there was also a W M Taylors in Erdington 'Village' (High Street)

And i remember that little sweet shop next door to the Bartons Arms, but cannot remember the name of it. We didn't go in very often, because when i was a kid, it was sweet rationing, and generally when the sweet shops got their sweets quota, they were inclined to only serve the local regulars. And my local sweet shop was 'Hoopers' in Tower Road.

Oh Happy Days, scabies, nits, ricketts

Luv Dot
 
I just had a flash of memory, the car firm that moved into Taylors was Austins of Aston. I was living in Potters Hill from 1952 until 1956. Eric
 
I phoned my mom today for Mothers day and we got talking about the forum and I mentioned Taylors in Potters Hill. She laughed and told me that when I was young, she had a bad bout of the flu and a bad cough. Dad tok my older brother and me to Taylors and came home with a CARVING SET!! as a pick-me-up present. Mom said "I know I've got a bad throat, but what am I supposed to do with this? CUT IT!!"
She said "I'm looking at that set now.....it's hanging on the wall".
So I learned something that I didn't know today, from my mom.....again.
 
Potters Hill

reply to Dorothy.I remember the little sweet shop by the Bartons.We always went in there for our sweets when we visited our Nan and Grand-dad in Barton Street.It was run by a man named John,don't know his surname,and as you said about rationing we were always able to get what we wanted as we used to go in there most days.;)
 
I bought my first car from Raymond Charles ( B'ham ) Ltd, 33/41 Potters Hill, Aston, Birmingham 6, a 1959 Morris Minor 1000 WDW 82 cost £385.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top