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The retreat...aston
- Thread starter Astoness
- Start date
brummy-lad
master brummie
While looking for information about The Manor House I have seen many references to the following: Stratford House, Stafford House and Sleaford House.
Sleaford House: 1873 Robert Cooper, 18 Aston Street (?), Round hills, thereafter mainly referred to as being in The Retreat. There is a reference to it in Kelly's 1921.
Stratford House: 1871 (@Round hill) Alfred Johnson, 1882-1892 (@The Retreat) Joseph Inshaw (brother of the prominent Engineer/Inventor John Inshaw. 1895 (@ No. 1 The Retreat) Joseph Inshaw.
At some point between 1895 and 1903 Stratford House became Stafford House.
Stafford House: (as named on the 1895 map) and Kelly's 1903-1936.
Sleaford House and Stratford House were attached (Nos. 1 & 1A) see attached advert from 1876
There may be other references but I do not have access to all Kelly's and Post Office directories.
Sleaford House: 1873 Robert Cooper, 18 Aston Street (?), Round hills, thereafter mainly referred to as being in The Retreat. There is a reference to it in Kelly's 1921.
Stratford House: 1871 (@Round hill) Alfred Johnson, 1882-1892 (@The Retreat) Joseph Inshaw (brother of the prominent Engineer/Inventor John Inshaw. 1895 (@ No. 1 The Retreat) Joseph Inshaw.
At some point between 1895 and 1903 Stratford House became Stafford House.
Stafford House: (as named on the 1895 map) and Kelly's 1903-1936.
Sleaford House and Stratford House were attached (Nos. 1 & 1A) see attached advert from 1876
There may be other references but I do not have access to all Kelly's and Post Office directories.
Attachments
There is this statement at https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/the-retreat-off-sutton-st.27408/#post-255856, which seems to be where the photo was originally posted, but lost in the hack:
John,
What I remember of the Retreat,was a large coal yard.My relatives the Baglins used to load their lorry's there.
The name Lansdown Place would be a group of houses,there are some left in Victoria Rd.and others in Bevington Rd.and Aston Brook St.
brummy-lad
master brummie
Lady Penelope
master brummie
I asked Graham (lived in Sutton Street) but he only remembers the bomb peck opposite the Eagle.
brummy-lad
master brummie
I think so. I have a memory of a stocky chap, dark crewcut hair who did the deal.
brummy-lad
master brummie
It’s my photo it’s my Great-grandfather and great-uncle my Grand father said it was off the RetreatThis has been on the forum, but probably lost. it is of The Retreat off Sutton St
I’d like to know where you think this is it’s my Great-grandfather and his son
He was a metal dealer based in Phillips Street Aston
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i lived right opposite the scrap yard in phillip st sure the yard was called wards 1960
maz_beth
master brummie
where we lived - at 49 Parliament St., Aston - opposite and a bit to the left lived a rag and bone man and his son - who invited me to see the fish pond in his back garden/yard once - it was a very long time ago (in the 60's) but the lad looked like the one in the photo, who might have been a youngish teenager when I knew him (obviously vague memory - and maybe they moved houses frequently). I vaguely recall his dad came home and it was quite friendly - that's all I remember.
donky 1955
master brummie
aston lad me and my brother used to slide down the bomb peck on an old morris traveler bonnet.we lived in upperwebster st so we only had to walk up the hill. brings back some memories them wear the days great fun
aston lad
master brummie
Like I have already said, I don't know where the location is on that photograph, but I can tell you it's not the Retreat in Aston that ran from Sutton Street to Wilkinson Street, and if you bothered to read through all the replies you will notice that all those members who lived in and around that area have agreed with me, The Retreat was a minute or two walk from where I was born and raised and was one of my playgrounds during my childhood.
brummy-lad
master brummie
A few more from census searches:
Moseley Road
Anderton Street
Brookfield Road, Hockley
Bordesley Green (around #176)
Auckland Road
Turner Street, Sparkbrook? (census was a bit vague)
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i ended up in the general hospital to have stitches put in my bum from sliding down the hill on a old cooker lid on the peck in phillip st,but that did not deter me
brummy-lad
master brummie
katieemurrayy62
New Member
Ah that’s fabulous, thank you so much!
brummy-lad
master brummie
Looking at the 1950s map certainly Nos. 5 and 3 were quite large houses.
The 1834 map shows the retreat and a few houses, with no houses on Sutton Street whatsoever. I wouldn't be surprised if these had survived until the 1950s, looking at the dilapidated condition of the houses in the pictures on this thread.
What's surprising is the proximity of The Retreat to Aston Park in 1834, obviously by 1870ish a lot of the park had been sold for council housing and when I lived in Parliament Street (close to The Retreat) in the 50s I remember the park being a considerable walk from our house.
Shear speculation but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of tunnels, unfortunately it's doubtful we will ever know for sure. What is obvious is that there was more history to The Retreat than we realise.
The 1834 map shows the retreat and a few houses, with no houses on Sutton Street whatsoever. I wouldn't be surprised if these had survived until the 1950s, looking at the dilapidated condition of the houses in the pictures on this thread.
What's surprising is the proximity of The Retreat to Aston Park in 1834, obviously by 1870ish a lot of the park had been sold for council housing and when I lived in Parliament Street (close to The Retreat) in the 50s I remember the park being a considerable walk from our house.
Shear speculation but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of tunnels, unfortunately it's doubtful we will ever know for sure. What is obvious is that there was more history to The Retreat than we realise.
