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Then & Now

In the 1940's on my way home from Acock's Green infants school, I would look forward to seeing the blacksmith working at this smithy.
 
devonjim said:
Remember it as in the earliest picture. Always known as "The Brit". I was once told it was the only pub in Tyseley, is that so?
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I never thought about it before, but I suppose it must have been. Although the Railway Club and Tyseley Working Mans Club were nearby.
 
Phil said:
Just a little further back down Warwick Road we would have found The Britannia public house that was rebuilt in the 1970's as a modern pub, but is now a car sales pitch.

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Well I have to say it the remodel or whatever was done in the 70 s was awful looking no where near inviting, the property looks better as a used car lot, or am l missing something ?,
 
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oldMohawk said:
Boarding a tram long ago in Slade Road Erdington just past George Road.
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Slade Road these days looking rather quiet.
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I hope the second pic was taken on a Sunday,.

Now I have a question when trams stopped for people to board and alight did the other traffic have to stop till the road was clear ?.

Here in the states when a school bus stops traffic in both directions have to stop unless its a divided road.

I do love these then and now pics.
 
Robert Ensor (bob) said:
I hope the second pic was taken on a Sunday,.
Now I have a question when trams stopped for people to board and alight did the other traffic have to stop till the road was clear ?.
Here in the states when a school bus stops traffic in both directions have to stop unless its a divided road.
I do love these then and now pics.
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A typical pic below of boarding a tram in Erdington. Some traffic was reluctant to stop and my memories are that it was more dangerous getting off the trams ...:)
oldMohawk said:
A Number 2 tram stops in Erdington High Street to take on passengers.
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from https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ur-old-street-pics.41947/page-108#post-590740 only visible if logged in.
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And just to keep on topic here is a 'now' view of the above place ...
ErdHighStNow.jpg
edit ... 'now view added'
 
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In the heyday of trams cars in Birmingham - and elsewhere for that matter - there was far less traffic than now. WW2 made it even less. This safety aspect and the inflexibility if tramcars were the principal reasons for their abandonment. Birmingham's trams ran for another nine years longer than anticipated, they should have gone by 1944 but WW2 halted that.
 
robert said:
Jim/Phil the Brit came under Acocks Green.
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You could well be right. I can't find a map with a boundary line. When I lived the other side of the railway line (N.Warwicks line) exactly behind the Brit', in a grove off Tyseley lane I was certainly in B11.
 
Cars and other vehicles usually passed trams on the inside near the pavement as many pics in this thread show. We will never know what was going on in the pic ... I notice I first posted it 6 years ago :rolleyes: in the other thread ... they were my thoughts at the time. It could be that she has just spotted a friend and wants a lift ...
:)
 
oldMohawk said:
Cars and other vehicles usually passed trams on the inside near the pavement as many pics in this thread show. We will never know what was going on in the pic ... I notice I first posted it 6 years ago :rolleyes: in the other thread ... they were my thoughts at the time. It could be that she has just spotted a friend and wants a lift ...
:)
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That makes sense when the tram is in motion, but when it stopped ? it a wonder some of these old pics do not show people as a bonnet ornament as they stepped off a tram.
 
Either the car is parked or waiting to pass. Tram 427, built 1912 withdrawn 1949, is in post war livery but still retains old style numerals. It is on the 37 route from Cannon Hill Park and is unloading passengers in Hill Street. After the tram on route 39, to Alcester Lanes End, has departed the tram will cross over to load passengers. Again large posters in the windows of the trams suggest imminent closure, which was in 1949. There was no need to rush around then, apart from factory workers rushing to get home, life was more leisurely.
Few photographs at the time were staged; but many were taken by those who knew the tram services were going and fortunately for us, photographed them for posterity.
 
Don't have photo, but went to Victoria Common in Northfield a few weeks ago on a sunny day, and it seems much nicer than I remember, though that was about 40 years ago, and my memory might be at fault
 
lmr3103 said:
One day I'll look at an old and new Brum picture and prefer the new one .......
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Don't hold your breath,
The building of the Bullring was a big step and transformed Birmingham into a modern city, clearing all those slums was a needed thing getting rid of out houses, indoor plumbing a bathtub with its own room.
All good moves but all at a cost the loss of community
The problem for me is I look at a lot of what we may now call modern Birmingham no front yards they are now a parking spot,. I looked at pic last week and there were no trees in the street
As of the late 70 s the building that has happened has no redeeming qualities most of the commercial buildings are just plain ugly.
Gas street basin looks good because they used the existing structure and it was recycled.
But that's a then pic
 
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