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Then & Now

Robert Ensor (bob) said:
Well I'm shocked nothing looks familiar to me, I was born in Selly Oak, l worked in Selly Oak then travelled through it every day into town I know Selly Oak or use to ?.
Going to fire up the desk top and street view Selly Oak.
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I'm with Bob...……...I knew Selly Oak quite well and the new pictures are as my grandson would say "from another planet" & somewhat disappointing. I know that change is inevitable but these are not good!
 
I don't remember the Plough and Harrow, but I was once told Selly Oak had the highest number of pubs in Brum ?.
When I worked in the town I would come up passed the bus garage then turn right onto the Bristol Road where the picture house was.
When I worked on Dawlish Road I would walk up to the same picture house then turn left to a cash and carry called Rushdens where I would meet my pop to shop for my mom's grocery store.
 
Bob Davis said:
In a lot of these then and now pictures it looks as if everything has just been swept away willy nilly the road widened it nothing else built, leaving just a wide road. Where did the people go?
Bob
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You remember the song streets full of people la la " everyone's gone to the moon" mid 60,s.
We were a nation of shop keepers so the high Street had people now we have refrigerators and frozen food and supermarkets.
 
The Bristol Rd/Oaktree Lane corner seems to be a favorite spot for Google's streetcam because they have been photographing it since 2011 as seen below. In March 2017 they caught some people walking and hardly any cars. Still looks 'wide open' but could be because of the type of camera they use. If you scroll the street view in post #1436 around and move along Oaktree Lane there are small shops along there in the original buildings.
Screenshot.
2017.jpg
 
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oldMohawk said:
The Bristol Rd/Oaktree Lane corner seems to be a favorite spot for Google's streetcam because they have been photographing it since 2011 as seen below. In March 2017 they caught some people walking and hardly any cars. Still looks 'wide open' but could be because of the type of camera they use. If you scroll the street view in post #1436 around and move along Oaktree Lane there are small shops along there in the original buildings.
Screenshot.
View attachment 140555
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I wonder what time of day it was taken. Again the comment was made more from the point that in a lot of the then pictures/postcards etc there were houses. Where did they all go, because although nowadays a great many flats above shops are lets, in days of yore (when men were men and chaps were a man's pants (Bob Hope - The Paleface)). The owner used to live over the shop. It was just an idle thought, but I admire your ability transfer pictures like you do, so just kep them coming.

Bob
 
They waited for a bus and three came along. The first bus '11E Perry Barr Garage' might not have stopped so they boarded the second which is also '11E Perry Barr'. The view is from the High Street end of Harborne Park Road and the Kings Arms Pub is on the left.
HarborneParkRd.jpg

Today the Kings Arms is long gone but a neat block of flats has been built on the site. Everyone in their cars so not many buses needed.
NowHarborneParkRd.jpg
 
I read that Harborne Park Road was once simply Park Road but the Harborne part added to distinguish it from other Park Roads sometime during the 19th. century. A busy day it appears with three buses on the Outer Circle 11. The letter E meant exception which was introduced by the PTE for short workings of the route, in this photo it being Perry Barr. At the same time the A anticlockwise and C clockwise suffixes were introduced. Prior to the the ambiguous SERVICE EXTRA was of often used, but the Perry Barr Garage destination would have also presumably be used.
 
The 11A and 11C still run to this day from National Express West Midlands. And sometimes they do still come in two or threes. It would normally say 11E Acocks Green if going back to the Acocks Green Bus Garage. They are always changing drivers near the garage on the Fox Hollies Road. And before that, the driver has a 10 minute break at Acocks Green Bowl.

This is what the 11 looks like now.

 
If you know the city's geography you can tell which direction the bus was travelling. The simple Outer Circle description could have given you a long ride if you went the wrong way around. However I guess the conductor or 'clippie' would tell you if you made that mistake.
 
oldMohawk said:
Today the Kings Arms is long gone but a neat block of flats has been built on the site. Everyone in their cars so not many buses needed.
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Hardly fair! The first picture is taken late afternoon and the second, early morning. Besides bus 4649 has just gone past and has turned onto the High Street! For obvious reasons Google tend to take their photos when traffic is light.
 
Radiorails said:
If you know the city's geography you can tell which direction the bus was travelling. The simple Outer Circle description could have given you a long ride if you went the wrong way around. However I guess the conductor or 'clippie' would tell you if you made that mistake.
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Of course, depending where you wanted to go, you could choose either direction ;)
 
michaelwicks54 said:
I almost cried when the old bullring was being demolished. I used to work in woolworth's in the cafeteria. I worked in the kitchen. Loved that job.
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Does anyone remember in the late 1960s and early 70's before you used to walk down into the Bull Ring from near where the Rotunda was if you walked to the left there was a fish and chip shop and if you carried on walking past it there was a small carousel at the end of the walkway. It was always a treat for me after shopping with my mum to go on the carousel and have a bag of chips. Also, does anyone remember in between the 2 sections of market stalls in the outdoor market there used to be a man doing a very loud selling routine of whole china sets and he used to throw them up in the air and catch them without breaking them - I was only about 6 or 7 and I used to love watching him (but used to hate going shopping with my mum as it was so boring!).
 
Izzy1703 said:
Does anyone remember in the late 1960s and early 70's before you used to walk down into the Bull Ring from near where the Rotunda was if you walked to the left there was a fish and chip shop and if you carried on walking past it there was a small carousel at the end of the walkway. It was always a treat for me after shopping with my mum to go on the carousel and have a bag of chips. Also, does anyone remember in between the 2 sections of market stalls in the outdoor market there used to be a man doing a very loud selling routine of whole china sets and he used to throw them up in the air and catch them without breaking them - I was only about 6 or 7 and I used to love watching him (but used to hate going shopping with my mum as it was so boring!).
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Remember them both very well, Nelson was there at one time
 
Lumpammer said:
Trocadero is in Temple Street, just googled it, and there is a website, cheers
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I used to be a barmaid in the Trocadero for a while, in the 80s when pubs used to get packed out - it was a lovely pub and had 2 separate bars and a dumb waiter for the food orders. It was said to be haunted!
 
Astoness said:
ahh thats better phil i can just see the crown and cushion pub in that shot

lyn
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Hello Astoness - I remember the Crown and Cushion pub on the corner - it never seemed to have many customers. There was a small tucked away pub called the New Crown and Cushion on the opposite side of the road near to the bakers. Re the original Crown and Cushion which is shown to be African Village - this actually burned down last Tuesday ( 14/01/2020)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-51117956 - see the link here on BBC news.
 
ellbrown said:
As I said before the statue won't come back until after the new Symphony Hall foyer is completed.

Centenary Square at the weekend when the Big Wheel was taken down.

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I remember Prince charles making a comment about the old bullring shopping center, say it was like a concrete jungle. The whole of the new birmingham center is much more like a concrete jungle. I much prefer the old birmingham as it was, with all it character & history (unlike the buildings of today).
 
Michael you'd be glad to know all the concrete has gone. Well from the Chamberlain Square area any way. The new buildings are much better, opening up the view to the Big Brum clock tower, which was hidden behind Madin's library for decades.

The City is going Forward, attracting more people from all over the world.

Yes Mr Wicks pressed the "like" button a lot of times.
 
Eric Gibson said:
Is something stuck in the software, I'm notified that michaelwick #54 has hit the appreciate button for my post in this thread 20 times.
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Hello Eric. I did not realise I had hit the appreciate button that my times. I am having a few problems with my computer at the moment where if I click appreciate, it is not showing up, though I have had lots of posts to catch up on from october time onwards. It does not help as I am having problems with my eyesight too.
 
michaelwicks54 said:
Hello Eric. I did not realise I had hit the appreciate button that my times. I am having a few problems with my computer at the moment where if I click appreciate, it is not showing up, though I have had lots of posts to catch up on from october time onwards. It does not help as I am having problems with my eyesight too.
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I thought wow its great to be appreciated :laughing:
 
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