The Keith Berry Photo Archive - Old Birmingham Page 9

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The Keith Berry Photo Archive

A selection of his scanned photographs and slides together with his accompanying notes taken between the 1960s and 1990s, in and around Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Smethwick, West Bromwich and Walsall.

Old Birmingham Page 9

 

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1. The Old Grammar School Kings Norton, Birmingham This former Grammar School at Kings Norton recently (2004) won a cash award from a TV programme to pay for renovation, though it's been said that the previous year's winners have yet to see the money!

 

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2. Allison Street

Just off Digbeth, Allison Street ha (has?) organisations intent on improving the environment and way of life of the city, including Friends of the Earth (the central building shown here) and Pushbikes. There was, I remember, a secure parking facility for the bicycles of shoppers and visitors to the city, also a photographic processor that was held in great regard by its customers.

 

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3. Church Road Yardley

Taken from the In Shops at the Swan Centre. I remember this corner and the In Shops as a thriving retail area but was saddened to see on TV that it has almost all closed now.

 

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4. Coventry Road

Small Heath, Birmingham Photographed in or around Coventry Road in the vicinity of Birmingham City football club.

 

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5. Coventry Road

Small Heath, Birmingham Photographed in or around Coventry Road in the vicinity of Birmingham City football club.

 

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6. Coventry Road

Small Heath, Birmingham Photographed in or around Coventry Road in the vicinity of Birmingham City football club.

 

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7. Coventry Road

Small Heath, Birmingham Photographed in or around Coventry Road in the vicinity of Birmingham City football club.

 

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8.Stratford Road/Warwick Road Sparkhill, Birmingham. Okay, I'll go with the majority and rename and relocate it!

 

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9. Sarehole Mill

South Birmingham, UK This old mill and the adjacent mini wilderness of Moseley Bog were frequented by the author J R R Tolkein and it is said to be the inspiration for some of the locations in his famous publications, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

 

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10. Cannon Hill Park

Edgbaston, Birmingham

 

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11. Cannon Hill Park

Edgbaston, Birmingham

 

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12.Cannon Hill Park

Edgbaston, Birmingham

"The 'Golden Lion Inn', a 16th century timbered house from Deritend, Birmingham, was re-erected in the park by the Birmingham Archaeological Society in 1911, to serve as a refreshment room and cricket pavilion."

 

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13. Kings Heath Park

 

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14. Vintage Rolls-Royce Digbeth, Birmingham Photographed in the Digbeth area during a vintage car run from Coventry to Birmingham.

 

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15. Vintage Rolls-Royce

Photographed in the Digbeth area during a vintage car run from Coventry to Birmingham.

 

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16. Solihull

Taken in the days when Solihull was a pleasure to visit. I last went there ten years ago, when it had become so anti-motorist that is has ceased to exist as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I'll go some time in the future with my Senior Citizen 'bus pass...

 

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17. Field in Winter

Sutton Coldfield I had intended to photograph this view every month to record its seasonal changes, but after two of them, the hedgerow in front of it had grown too high!

 

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18. Field in Winter

Sutton Coldfield I had intended to photograph this view every month to record its seasonal changes, but after two of them, the hedgerow in front of it had grown too high!

 

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19. Wyndley Pool Sutton Park

Canada Geese line up for the next race ...

 

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20. Rope swing Gondolas

Sutton Park These were next to the car park inside Boldmere Gate. Roundabouts and a car track have been added since.

 

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21. Sutton Park café

The cheerful café that was at Bracebridge Pool, Sutton Park. It was later replaced by a more upmarket restaurant. In those days Sutton had not yet been swallowed up by Birmingham.

 

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22. Sutton Park café

The cheerful café that was at Bracebridge Pool, Sutton Park. It was later replaced by a more upmarket restaurant. In those days Sutton had not yet been swallowed up by Birmingham.

 

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23. Sutton Park café

The cheerful café that was at Bracebridge Pool, Sutton Park. It was later replaced by a more upmarket restaurant. In those days Sutton had not yet been swallowed up by Birmingham.

 

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24. Bobby Brown's Sutton Park

Twenty years later it had become Bobby Brown's Restaurant.

 

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26. A Sutton gate

In Withy Hill Road, a nice piece of urban "countryside" that has so far had to survive both the Sutton By-Pass and the M6 Toll Road undercutting it.

 

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27. Sutton farm

Sutton Coldfield

 

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28. Barn Farm in the snow

Sutton Coldfield

Not far from the back of the former Sutton Army Barracks, this used to look like a thriving little farm but I later found it in a sad state of dereliction. I read that it is to be used by some youth organisation. Update Jan 2008: It has now been demolished and St. Giles' Hospice built upon the site.

 

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29. Sutton Snowfield

Taken behind the former army barracks in SuttonColdfield on a snowy day of the sort we haven't had here for many years. Blizzards occur all around the country but somehow manage to just miss this part of the Midlands most winters.

 

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30. Old bay window

There were two of these in the house almost opposite the Odeon Cinema in Sutton Coldfield. The house has since been renovated but sadly the ornate windows have been replaced by a pair of very mundane items.