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unknown yard in ladywood

Fabulous photo looks a bit like the yard i lived in
 
Liz youv,e lost the little blue box next to your name that brings up your comment everybody else has one whats happened to it????Dek
 
I think I would just die if I had to go to the loo in front of other people. I consider myself very lucky, I was born in Arlington Road, Warstock, a house with a bathroom (of sorts) and a loo, but the door to the loo was in the back garden - it was almost like the loo was put in the coalhouse by mistake, because the coalhouse was in the kitchen next to the bathroom. Shortie
 
Dek the only little blue box i can see is to the left of unknown yard in ladywood,and as far as i can see we all have one, Shortie i know what you mean about the toilet but if your born there its normal to you,as a child it was what it was like where i lived,fortunately i left there in my early teens,and like you i wouldn't like the loo in the courtyard,most of them did have corrugated
iron in front of the toilets.
 
lovely to read all these memories...if i remember the back to backs where i was born had two families sharing one toilet in the back yard...mind you we did have a door on..can well recall the cut up into squares newpaper that was hung on a hook...in later years we advanced to the roll but boy was it hard stuff...

lyn
 
Yes in our yard one toilet between two families,i think they all had doors on
 
Quote " but boy was it hard stuff..."


Lyn i remember it, it was called IZAL i think it was like fine sandpaper. Dek
 
oops i forgot to put the name of it dek..you are of course quite right IZAL it was...again if memory serves me it was shiney on one side and rougher on the other...mind you it had a sort of nice smell to it.....lol...what a thing to be talking about on a sat evening...

lyn
 
I preferred the Evening Mail at least somebody could read the latest news on my backside. Sorry of topic but couldn,t resist. Dek
 
maurice and dek....its my fault i started it...lol...pity we dont have a location though..

lyn
 
I never lived in a back to back with a yard and outside loo's but had mates who did and when young enjoyed going to the toilet and chatting to my mate next door and reading the toilet paper, and was slightly sorry we didn't have the same, but of course I didn't have to go in a bleak winter in the dark or spend time looking for the dreaded spider, but even at that young age I realised the tight community spirit which existed every one knowing and speaking to everyone else. Just a shame we seem to have lost that spirit now, I sometimes wonder wether it was because I was bought up just after the war and the war time spirit still lingered or wether it really was a comeradery fostered by hard times and every one more or less in the same situation. I remember when one particular mate was rehoused in Weoley Castle he never stopped talking abought his new lovely home, and didn't seem to miss the old one at all.
 
thats a good point paul...maybe it was a bit of the war times and the hard times that gave us the community spirit i certainly remember well...
 
Well i spent my first 15yrs in such a house,and moved in to a very nice house bathroom/toilet indoors i didn't miss my old house,
but i certainly missed my friends and neighbours.
 
hi liz..it seems that what we lacked in good houses and conditions was certainly made up for by having good friends and neighbours and they were priceless...

lyn
 
I have to say i also love this picture which i have seen before, but i did have a giggle last night after talking to my sister, she said "many years ago before i was born they lived in a back to back house with two shared toilets which were very dirty and not looked after. One Saturday morning my Dad got up white washed the toilet walls, and my Mum had to scrub the loo clean then my dad took it upon his-self to put a padlock on it which you can imagine caused an uproar, but on Sunday morning one of the other neighbours husbands came round and asked my dad if there was any paint left to which he handed over it, then the other loo was given a lick of paint and cleaned and my dad took the pad-lock off the other toilet.They were never spotless , but they were clean considering how many people had to use them.
 
Astoness said:
hi liz..it seems that what we lacked in good houses and conditions was certainly made up for by having good friends and neighbours and they were priceless...

lyn
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My friends and neighbours were the best lyn,
 
Lizy barnes said:
I have to say i also love this picture which i have seen before, but i did have a giggle last night after talking to my sister, she said "many years ago before i was born they lived in a back to back house with two shared toilets which were very dirty and not looked after. One Saturday morning my Dad got up white washed the toilet walls, and my Mum had to scrub the loo clean then my dad took it upon his-self to put a padlock on it which you can imagine caused an uproar, but on Sunday morning one of the other neighbours husbands came round and asked my dad if there was any paint left to which he handed over it, then the other loo was given a lick of paint and cleaned and my dad took the pad-lock off the other toilet.They were never spotless , but they were clean considering how many people had to use them.
Click to expand...
There were 3 toilets in our yard to accommodate 6 family's our toilet was allocated to the two biggest family's,they had locks on but that could be problematic,so more often than not the locks were broke,often by people just walking by who needed the loo
happy days
 
isnt is strange how one pic can bring so memories to the front...loved reading your post lizy and its a fact that folk did their level best to keep clean some of the poor housing that they lived in...liz i was one of six children and in our street doors were always open for anyone who was is need of anything or in trouble..they didnt need to ask for help..word got round and it was just there...i remember well our mom saying..mrs so and so a few doors down is preggers again i shall take her some of our bobbys matinee coats and booties. thats hes outgrown..oh and there is a few cot sheets thats still worth having....folk were never offended and did not see it as charity ..they were grateful and no thanks was needed...anyhow our mom probably got them back when she got pregnant again...lol... well i for one feel priviliged to be have been a part of the days when folk were there for each other and shared what little they had..alas to the same extent they will never return....

lyn
 
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I remember our next door neighbour going into labour,my mom and the neighbour on the other side were there because the midwife was delayed,but they coped my mom who had 6 of us then was a bit wobbly which amuses me when i think of it now,prams and baby clothes were passed around in our street,
 
Yes Liz a set of pram wheels for a new go-cart were like gold dust,especially if they had double ball-bearing hubs. Dek
 
dek carr said:
Yes Liz a set of pram wheels for a new go-cart were like gold dust,especially if they had double ball-bearing hubs. Dek
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I have done that too,my son was impressed when i made him his first go-cart,
 
the only yards i remember having there picture taken was in shakepear rd
and there was several of them being taken around ladywood in fact ther was one or two taken in shakespear rd
and one or tw in anditon street and one was taten on the corner on monument rd
which have all been taken and put in the mail
one on the corner of monument rd and kingedward rd was a couple of kisd by the paper shop and that was a pic of two
little kids by the name of stokes whom lived in king edwards rd and two of my little brothers whom was with them as they was all friends and the lad also in the picture was sitting on is bycle was alan garner ken gardines brother
also a friend of mine and one of the shakespear st was up and entry with a couple of people and there was a photograph taken way back in years by a man whom came from australi and put is request in the mail whom was the litle tinyest girl in the photo whom was looking very poorly dressed but by the time i got around to contact the mail and this man he had gone back home but i knew the girl and the family and i still know her now as they are long time friends of mine also mossys but quite obivios he never seen the reqeust at the time
there was a photo taken in anditon st with a kid called ragga ; and the kids of anditon st
but i do not recall any other entrys of ladywood with there pics taken
its a pity there pics was not close enough for me to reconise these kids in your pic
best wishes Astonian;;;
 
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