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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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carolina said:
Nico I did live at one time in Selly Oak. Our first house in the 60s was in Weoley Avenue which was opposite the cemetry and when my daughter was very young we used to scoot through the cemetry on to Weoley Castle Square for her nursery. In the 70s we moved to Weoley Park Road.
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We might have passed like ships in the night. My first memories visiting are probably 1961.And I know we came via Sparkhill and Sparky's pianos and the Pershore Rd which Nan called Persia Road (and my partner calls the Peshwari Road like a peshwari Nan bread) going off track now. I don't remember the cemetary but is it where they knicknamed Titty Bottle Park as in Kathleen Dayus's books?
 
I see thanks I love that name. My cousins would be just a tadyounger than you maybe, one was still there but she is a granny now. She used to skate at Silver Blades. I went to Solihull rink once, landed up on the deck with a soggy bum. I think we used to pass a big park to get to Selly Oak/Weolly Castle with water maybe and Cadburys. I remember the railings.
 
Hello oldMohawk, what about a younger Frost, from 'Open all Hours' sneaking passed into the future. Regards, David.
oldMohawk said:
I love this 1930s photo, its sunny with blossom on the trees, nice bus shelters. That bowler hatted man marching towards Snow Hill Station, he's in a hurry, maybe he's late back from lunch. Is that a teenage schoolboy arm-in-arm with his mum, probably hoping his school mates did not see the photo !
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Above pic linked to post https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=21690&p=338015#post338015
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David Weaver said:
Hello oldMohawk, what about a younger Frost, from 'Open all Hours' sneaking passed into the future. Regards, David.
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Hi David - I'm glad someone else imagines what's going on in these old pics. That could be Basil Faulty striding across the road to catch his train back to Torquay and Granville on the right picking up speed on his errand bike. I'm sure I have seen Arkwright standing outside his shop in a forum photo somewhere and click on the pic below to see Nurse Gladys stopping traffic by the side of a tram .... those were the days !
oldmohawk... :)
 
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I just love these old photo's with people scurrying to and from places of work or shopping, I try to imagine where they live off the tram numbers, I wonder how long they lived and what they did for a profession or job.paul
 
I thought the striding man in the middle like a McDougall's flower grader with longer legs. The couple on the right could be Ginger Rogers and Fred Estaire
 
The railings around the church yard are still in place so pre war perhaps and the Blue Coat school seems to be in a state of demolition...no roof and windows missing.
 
Were Blue Coat Schools Nationwide as we had one? Or was it a Midlands thing? It was one of the best schools at one time in Cov along with King henry V111 Grammar and Barrs Hill but my neighbour who went to Blue Coat had to wear short trousers till he was about 14. And he was tall.
 
What a fantastic photo of Colmore Row in the 1930's! The trees in blossom around the churchyard and the bus stops still there opposite the Grand Hotel. The bus shelters look so ornate and much nicer than when I used to catch my bus there 30 years later.
 
I was interested in the history of Blue Coat schools and there's a lot of info on Wikipedia about them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluecoat_school
 
Good on yer Mohawk You mentioning Nurse Gladys made me reach for the video and I'll play them again later. Great times eh? Regards, David.
 
You're right about that Mohawk my eyes aren't as good as they used to be but she's looking for her lost cat or maybe hat. Certainly wouldn't be a rat otherwise her name is Pat. Kind regards, David.
oldMohawk said:
She reads the adverts probably unaware that she is probably the main subject in this Weoley Castle Rd 1967 photo. A look at today's streetview suggests that the Prefabs must have been on the large island ? Just for comparison a second forum pic dated 1954 (no one in it) shows Manders Shoe Repairs which had become Arnolds in 1967 but 13 years had gone by. Today it is a Fish Bar.
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The original pic is in this post https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=38737&p=495642#post495642

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The original pic is in this post https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=38737&p=435549#post435549
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Someone on tour photographing street corners had got to Conybere Street but a broken down Ford van, and a sad looking man were caught in the pic and the corner cafe not yet open ... a rather bleak old street pic.

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My Dad's first vehicle was a Ford Van like the one in the pic, it had it's moments when we went out in it, see it Here
 
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oldMohawk said:
My Dad's first vehicle was a Ford Van like the one in the pic, it had it's moments when we went out in it, see it Here
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So was mine though I never drove it anywhere but the right of way at the rear of our garden. My mother bought it off our next door neighbours Brother for me to practice on, as I'd just started work as a trainee mechanic I decided to take the engine out and renew the white metal big end bearings, never ran afterwards and ended up in the scrap yard, fortunately my skills improved with age.
 
Missed this thread - been away.

Post 482 is another gem Mo always makes me chuckle.
Post 968 - Baz you might have trubs but you could always tie it to the back with yer bracers :-)

There was only about 2 cars up our street when I were a lad - now its spot the parking space.
Remember the old car turn indictors ?

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We had a ford Anglia it was a sort of grubby white with red interior seats. There was only one car in our street too and the owner kept it in his garage and cleaned it every day. We got the Standard 8 when I was older.
 
Very funny Dave, I am sure you know the model with a sharp concave rear screen, Although the first car I admired as a kid I have since found out was a "Jowett Jupiter", I believe around 1954or5 I remember being with my Nan in Colemore Road, and it was I think blue or maybe red and a convertible, it just looked fantastic to a poor kid. Funnily the other car I first remember was a huge "Armstrong Siddeley" . A massive thing to a little kid but I thought it very posh, with a highly polished sphinx mascot. There is a story attached to this but for another time.
 
Of course I knew the car you meant. I always thought of it as being like a motor boat and expected the driver to be sitting in the boot steering with a tiller and rudder.
 
Dad worked for Armstrong Siddeley then it became Bristol Siddleley. Then Rolls Royce. The club was called the Sphinx. Thanks for reminding me Paul. Was there anything called Puma? It was in Puma Road.
 
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