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The Keith Berry Photo Archive - Old Birmingham Page 9
- Thread starter Morturn
- Start date
32. My MSS near Earlswood
Solihull, West Midlands This was my Velocette MSS motorcycle in a floodedlane near Earlswood. The Velocette was probably the best motorcycle ever to be built in Birmingham, certainly much better than either of the two BSAs that I had owned before. I'd love to be riding a thud-thud-thudder like that great Velocette now. To think that I had been poised ready to buy a Norton when they decided to up sticks and run off down south, suffering a well deserved loss of trade.
Solihull, West Midlands This was my Velocette MSS motorcycle in a floodedlane near Earlswood. The Velocette was probably the best motorcycle ever to be built in Birmingham, certainly much better than either of the two BSAs that I had owned before. I'd love to be riding a thud-thud-thudder like that great Velocette now. To think that I had been poised ready to buy a Norton when they decided to up sticks and run off down south, suffering a well deserved loss of trade.
33. My old Velocette MSS
In response to a request, another picture of it.
When Veloce closed (the site of their Hall Green factory is now covered in new housing), I worried about the avail- ablility of spare parts and traded it, with a Renault 4 car, towards the cost of a new Suzuki T500R motorcycle.
In response to a request, another picture of it.
When Veloce closed (the site of their Hall Green factory is now covered in new housing), I worried about the avail- ablility of spare parts and traded it, with a Renault 4 car, towards the cost of a new Suzuki T500R motorcycle.
34. BSA round tank
A motorcycle made around 1920 by the Birmingham Small Arms Company in Small Heath at its best. It later went on to make a succession of mundane machines, with the exception of the Gold Star clubman, which was so incredibly popular that they immediately stopped making it - an early sign of the type of management it was that was to throw in the towel when the Japanese motorcycle invasion came. Their response to it was not to build big bikes that the Japanese didn't have then, but some little 'Dandy' models of the type that the Japanese were infinitely better at! In their heyday, BSA had taken over local producers of far better machines than theirs - notably Ariel and Sunbeam - simply to stifle the competition. I owned two BSAs in the 1960s and in retrospect I can only ask myself "Why?"
It was sad when they closed down, but only for the loss of workers' jobs. I certainly couldn't mourn the disappearance of the BSA brand, because there are far more worthy cases for that, many, as noted earlier, that were lost to the motorcyclist by the direct action of this acquisitive firm.
A motorcycle made around 1920 by the Birmingham Small Arms Company in Small Heath at its best. It later went on to make a succession of mundane machines, with the exception of the Gold Star clubman, which was so incredibly popular that they immediately stopped making it - an early sign of the type of management it was that was to throw in the towel when the Japanese motorcycle invasion came. Their response to it was not to build big bikes that the Japanese didn't have then, but some little 'Dandy' models of the type that the Japanese were infinitely better at! In their heyday, BSA had taken over local producers of far better machines than theirs - notably Ariel and Sunbeam - simply to stifle the competition. I owned two BSAs in the 1960s and in retrospect I can only ask myself "Why?"
It was sad when they closed down, but only for the loss of workers' jobs. I certainly couldn't mourn the disappearance of the BSA brand, because there are far more worthy cases for that, many, as noted earlier, that were lost to the motorcyclist by the direct action of this acquisitive firm.
41. Sandwell Valley
West Bromwich, West Midlands The Sandwell Valley leisure area was created from a semi-rural zone between raised sections of the M5 and M6 near West Bromwich. A former brickworks was landscaped over and flooding created a few lakes for recreation. This was taken in the early days of this transformation, showing what looks like a brick kiln before it was filled in. It's hard to believe now as it all looks fairly natural when driving along Forge Lane, the road that cuts through and services the recreation areas.
West Bromwich, West Midlands The Sandwell Valley leisure area was created from a semi-rural zone between raised sections of the M5 and M6 near West Bromwich. A former brickworks was landscaped over and flooding created a few lakes for recreation. This was taken in the early days of this transformation, showing what looks like a brick kiln before it was filled in. It's hard to believe now as it all looks fairly natural when driving along Forge Lane, the road that cuts through and services the recreation areas.
42. Sandwell Valley
West Bromwich, West Midlands A building ready for demolition to clear the area for transforming it into Sandwell Country Park. One of only two photos that I know to have been taken with my 28mm Kiev lens, a very rare item as I now know, but I was unaware of it when I sold my complete 4-lens outfit for £100 in the 1980s.
West Bromwich, West Midlands A building ready for demolition to clear the area for transforming it into Sandwell Country Park. One of only two photos that I know to have been taken with my 28mm Kiev lens, a very rare item as I now know, but I was unaware of it when I sold my complete 4-lens outfit for £100 in the 1980s.
45. Prefabs Great Barr
A row of prefabricated houses ("prefabs") which were mass-produced, factory style, as a temporary solution to the shortage of housing after WWII. They were so well regarded by their inhabitants that they lasted well beyond their planned life. This row of them was in Walsall Road, Great Barr, awaiting demolition.
A row of prefabricated houses ("prefabs") which were mass-produced, factory style, as a temporary solution to the shortage of housing after WWII. They were so well regarded by their inhabitants that they lasted well beyond their planned life. This row of them was in Walsall Road, Great Barr, awaiting demolition.
Im sure the end shop was a Taxi place in the mid 70s
used to get a Cab from there after a night out in Bloomers NC in the Swan Centre
the shop left to Wool Shop was a second hand tool shop in the 80s
called Toolman
brought a lot of vintage hand tools from there which i still have and use today
Still more to come Lyn