Then & Now

[jennyann]

I think that is great that there have been open days for both the Law Courts on Corporation Street and the Municipal Bank on Broad Street this weekend. It would be great if some of the older churches would have historical open days in a similar vein. There is so much history in the churches of Birmingham, however, the churches are not accessible these days like they used to be due to vandalism mainly. These open houses(churches) events shouldn't be boring and other events could be staged along with the guided tours. People pass by the still operating churches all the time but have never been inside or haven't for many years and don't know any or all the history. I went on a guided tour of St. Barnabas years ago before the fire. I had attended that church for years but didn't know all of it's history. I enjoyed the tour very much and learned a lot. I have since followed up by reading the accounts of the Power family. Cannon Power was the Vicar in the 1950's and the family history is online.

 

[oldMohawk]

When I was a kid I spent a fair bit of time visiting the Aston Lane area and use to look at a large house on the corner of Tewksbury Road. It looked much larger and more decorative than the the surrounding houses and was there from very early days as the old pic below shows. Maybe it was built first and then some speculative builder surrounded it with ordinary lower cost housing. The house is still there today as seen in the aerial view. I didn't use a street view, those trees got in the way.

_

 

[norfolk brummie]

oldMohawk: Beautiful old house. All the garden area appears to have disappeared a long time ago.

Eddie

 

[devonjim]

. Cannon Power was the Vicar in the 1950's and the family history is online.

Cannon Power was our RE(we called it Scripture) teacher in 1950's

 

[maypolebaz]

Cannon Power was our RE(we called it Scripture) teacher in 1950's

The Rev Power was our vicar in the Emmanuel Church Highters Heath in the early 50s. He was very good with us kids.

 

[sidwho]

ref post 212, this lovely old house is now and has bean a doctors surgery for some time. in the waiting area inside the house the floor still has its old tiles., when i used to take my mom ther as she lived in davey road just around the corner. hope this helps kind reguards sidwho

 

[oldMohawk]

In 1941 a bomb dropped out of the dark sky on a house in Bloomfield Rd, Moseley. One half of an Edwardian semi-detatched pair was wrecked as shown below. The Luftwaffe were not aiming for that house, it was just random bombing across the city and bad luck for the house owner.

A post war house was eventually built on the bombed site and the Edwardian house with it's concave tiled roof each side of the dormer window is still there today. It has been painted white but some decorative brick features level with the bedroom sills can be seen and some of the original garden wall appears to have survived.

 

[Jennyminij]

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research into Varna Road in the late 1960s and I think the old photographs posted by Phil are just great. Does anyone know what years they are from specifically? Does anyone happen to know what year the old houses were demolished?

Thanks, Jenny

 

[Phil]

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research into Varna Road in the late 1960s and I think the old photographs posted by Phil are just great. Does anyone know what years they are from specifically? Does anyone happen to know what year the old houses were demolished?

Thanks, Jenny

Hi Jenny,

Welcome to the forum, as I think I explained in my reply to your PM the photo of the new houses being built would have been sometime in the mid 70's not long after they demolished Varna Rd, Princess Rd. & Alexandra Rd. The photo came from a Birmingham Mail article around that time, and the older one is an old postcard that must be at least a hundred years old.

Here are a couple more photos from the sixties that are contemporary with your research. I think both of these come from articles published in the Birmingham Mail. Considering that these were taken only a few short years before the street was demolished the houses themselves seem fine to me. In fact lots of houses in the area that were in far worse condition were renovated and are still standing today. It's amazing what Birmingham Council will do to rid itself of a problem.

 

[Phil]

A little update to the then and now theme, Great Queen Street through the years.

 

[paul stacey]

What lovely memories those photos invoke, not the painting of course, (not so old), paul

 

[Jayell]

Here's another of Queens Drive - this time in 1909. Thanks to Leonard Price on Facebook's Birmingham History Group

 

[sospiri]

Nice one, Judy, and really not that far removed from how I remember it in the late 1950s. I suppose all those cobbles are what I remember because the road itself was pretty uninteresting until you got down to the station entrance.

Maurice

 

[oldMohawk]

When I was a young lad, the United States Army took over half the houses on the nearby Pheasey Estate. Us kids were not bothered, the soldiers use to give us sweets, chocolate, and chewing gum. We may have sometimes exceeded their 15mph speed limit on our bikes riding down the hill. The military policeman is standing in Romney Way outside houses they had taken over.
The 1930's style Trees Pub was just over the road.

Looking at a street view today one of the semi-detatched houses is missing, it has been demolished to give access to a patch of land.
One small new detached house has been built, see it behind the estate agent sign.

In this aerial view from the year 2000, the old house which the soldiers were standing outside was still there.

In today's aerial view several new houses have been built and Riven Rise has appeared.
The building which was the Trees Pub is now named 'Buffet Island'.

 

[Dave M]

First house on the right Romney Way lived a old school mate 1950s

 

[paul stacey]

Found it very interesting topic, OldMohawk. Paul

 

[oldMohawk]

My brother-in-law remembers the patch of land where Riven Rise is as a wire fenced area where US troops use to drill and do other training. The local kids often stood for ages looking through the wire fence hoping they would be given sweets and other goodies when the troops stopped for breaks. One soldier gave my brother-in-law a very nice leather case with a clothes brush in it and he used it for at least 20 years. They were strange times ....

 

[Vivienne14]

Would have put money on these two views having totally changed of Aston Lane, Perry Barr. But, no, still recognisable and most of the buildings still intact. Shops still shops and houses still houses except the black and white timbered corner house (Aston Lane/Tewkesbury Road junction) is now a doctors's surgery within the original house. Viv.

 

[Phil]

Looks like I've been a bit remiss on this threads of late, lets rectify that with these 3 images. Here we have the junction of Sandon Rd & Hagley Rd, then Chin Brook ford on Yardley Wood Rd and at the end back up to Quinton way with the junction of Hagley Rd West & Quinton Lane.

 

[Phil]

Another couple here with perhaps not so many years in between, but a few changes nevertheless. Here we have Five Ways Island at Edgbaston, and yet another Five Ways Island at Kings Norton.

 

[Astoness]

far too many changes for me phil

 

[paul stacey]

I agree with Lyn, the new photo's seem "Soul less", to the old. Paul

 

[Phil]

Here we have the junction of Lickey Road and Bristol Road South at Northfield.

 

[Phil]

This one gives us four images through the years of the Mermaid Hotel at the junction of Stratford Rd and Warwick Road in Sparkhill.

 

[Eric Gibson]

Looking back at the old Pheasey Estate photos reminded me of when the Americans departed, the local lads had a high old time wandering around and helping themselves to whatever had been left behind despite the site being still guarded by the MPs.
Lots of stuff was taken, I recall army blankets, boots, chocolate and chewing gum, helmets and all sorts but the large quantities of contraceptives 'French letters' were a surprise for the lads, they didn't use them for their intended purpose though, filled them with water and used them as water pistols.
On one occasion when we were having a wander around the site a black guy in MPs uniform shouted at us, my brother ran, the guy shouted "don't run the dog's loose." My brother kept running but the dog a huge Alsatian had him, took a chunk out of his inner thigh.
We didn't go there again.

 

[paul stacey]

#233, how I remember this junction, from my childhood, and youth, always exciting when approaching "The Lickeys", for (poor), children this was akin to going on holiday. Paul

 

[Phil]

Paul,

Perhaps this one might revive a few more memories for you.

 

[Phil]

Or perhaps these two will get the old nostalgia juices flowing.

 

[paul stacey]

They certainly do Phil, I remember all those places on film, I also remember the long green metal Tram sheds, and I remember going with my Dad on a tram, sitting upstairs right at the front with the window let right down. Went with him when older, on the bus on Sundays, to watch the local teams play football. Paul

 

[Phil]

Still hanging around the southern edges if Birmingham with these images of Cock Hill at Rubery and the Dingle at Frankly Beeches.