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Villa Road Handsworth

Harry Gower said:
Hi Richard, ive been busy and couldn't answer before, no i didn't grow up in Handsworth, but to the south of Villa Rd (down Hunters Rd) in Lozells B19, although i was very familiar with Handsworth.
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Well not too far, I was born in Aston but grew up on Radnor Rd, just north of Hunters. Rode and walked it many times!
 
This is Phyllis Nicklin's image of Villa Road taken in 1968 looking towards the Villa Tavern. Must have been taken on a Sunday judging by the closed shops and the rubbish on the street (doubtless left by the post-Saturday night crowd from the Villa Cross cinema and pub).

Some of the shops have those deeply recessed doors between two display windows. 'Beverleys' shopfront (hairdresser?) on the left seems to have a modernised shopfront. I like the paper carrier bags in Alfred Roe's window (butcher ?) - not brown paper carrier bags but printed white carrier bags with a printed scene !

Some very familiar high street traders: Foster Bros, Harris dry cleaners and of course the essential laundrette/washeteria.

Viv

Screenshot_20230416_131824_Chrome.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
This is Phyllis Nicklin's image of Villa Road taken in 1968 looking towards the Villa Tavern. Must have been taken on a Sunday judging by the closed shops and the rubbish on the street (doubtless left by the post-Saturday night crowd from the Villa Cross cinema and pub).

Some of the shops have those deeply recessed doors between two display windows. 'Beverleys' shopfront (hairdresser?) on the left seems to have a modernised shopfront. I like the paper carrier bags in Alfred Roe's window (butcher ?) - not brown paper carrier bags but printed white carrier bags with a printed scene !

Some very familiar high street traders: Foster Bros, Harris dry cleaners and of course the essential laundrette/washeteria.

Viv

View attachment 180040
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always liked that shot viv i was still living in villa st then so this is a scene i know well

lyn
 
Vivienne14 said:
This is Phyllis Nicklin's image of Villa Road taken in 1968 looking towards the Villa Tavern. Must have been taken on a Sunday judging by the closed shops and the rubbish on the street (doubtless left by the post-Saturday night crowd from the Villa Cross cinema and pub).

Some of the shops have those deeply recessed doors between two display windows. 'Beverleys' shopfront (hairdresser?) on the left seems to have a modernised shopfront. I like the paper carrier bags in Alfred Roe's window (butcher ?) - not brown paper carrier bags but printed white carrier bags with a printed scene !

Some very familiar high street traders: Foster Bros, Harris dry cleaners and of course the essential laundrette/washeteria.

Viv

View attachment 180040
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Lots of memories there for me! I believe Lloyd’s Bank on the right by the parked car and Barker St just behind the car!
Thank you!
 
Brianbrum said:
Hi Richard can you remember a little greengrocers embedded in the wall under the Villa cross pub I'm sure my mom used to call it Aunty's Vi,s
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Hello Brian, yes, I believe it was just down Heathfield Rd from the bus stop. Never really went there because my Aunt Florrie was a greengrocer on Litchfield Rd.
 
Apologies, I missed 'Cross' out of the second line of my post #93.Through time it's been known by the names of The Villa Cross, The Villa Cross Inn, the Villa Cross Hotel and Villa Cross Tavern. Viv.
 
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I was surprised to find that we don't seem to have a thread dedicated to the Villa Cross Inn/Tavern/Hotel. It is also thought it was originally a house/villa and a school.

There are numerous posts scattered around the forum about the pub, so I have created a thread exclusively about the place. (Note, the original posts mentioning the Villa Cross pub are still in their original threads, the new thread was created using copies of posts). Link to the new thread is here

Villa Cross Tavern Inn Hotel, Lozells Road

I was surprised to learn that the Vila Cross Tavern has probably not always been a tavern. I was reading about Charles Geach MP in Edward's Personal Recollections of B'ham and B'ham men (1891) and in that it claims that Geach married Mr. Skally's daughter, who kept a school at Villa Cross which...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Harry. That's a great shot of the entrance to the Villa Cross pub on the Lozells Road side (your post #105, fourth photo - the photo with the tram). Is it OK if I copy that to the Villa Cross Inn Tavern etc thread ? Or if you prefer maybe you'd like to post it on that thread yourself I think it's an interesting view of the pub's past.

And I wondered if that lampost has any connection with the forming of Aston Villa footballers (under a lampost) discussed on the Villa Cross thread last year ? See post #24 onwards below. Viv.

Villa Cross

Richard McNeill. Thanks. That's great. Narrows the earliest limit of the date range to 1876. Post #65 has a tram advert stating the Lozells line will open 1st October 1885 and trams will run every fifteen minutes. This new line is shown on an 1888 ordinance survey map with double tramways at...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

Screenshot_20240806_121050_Chrome.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

View attachment 193747
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With Hamstead Rd off to the left & right!
 
Vivienne14 said:
A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

View attachment 193747
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The tram track layout suggests a date range of 1913 - 1933.
A Coles (right of photo) was Albert Coles, a tobacconists at 84 Villa Road.
Country Life was founded in 1897.
 
BrumMack said:
The tram track layout suggests a date range of 1913 - 1933.
A Coles (right of photo) was Albert Coles, a tobacconists at 84 Villa Road.
Country Life was founded in 1897.
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thanks brumack...pretty sure no 84 has gone...think it was just before we get to hunters road junction

lyn
 
Vivienne14 said:
A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

View attachment 193747
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Yes No.84 has gone
 
BrumMack said:
The tram track layout suggests a date range of 1913 - 1933.
A Coles (right of photo) was Albert Coles, a tobacconists at 84 Villa Road.
Country Life was founded in 1897.
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On the tram tracks, you mean with them going up Hamstead Rd? I used to ride the #5 up to the terminus at least into the early 50’s.
 
Vivienne14 said:
A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

View attachment 193747
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I'm sure, like myself, many become nostalgic when viewing the sepia toned image, in reality the modern image (if the vehicles were removed) but sepia toned, adds something to this google view.
 

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brummy-lad said:
I'm sure, like myself, many become nostalgic when viewing the sepia toned image, in reality the modern image (if the vehicles were removed) but sepia toned, adds something to this google view.
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Absolutely, the faded black/ white different shades with the sepia toning take me back in time to bygone days!
 
Vivienne14 said:
A frequently photographed junction but lots of interest. First time I've noticed the clock - it has a clock face set into the round casing so you can see the time from all angles. The canopy on the timbered building seems to be ornate iron There's a child on a tricycle - right-hand side, while a group of ladies look on adoringly. Mr Cole (right) stocks Country Life - was this the magazine, or a brand of cigarettes or tobacco? I'd say this was taken in late spring. Someone may be able to tell us roughly the year from the tram.

View attachment 193747
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I used the tram No 6 going down Villa Road from the terminus at Soho Road in the 40s! Country Life was a magazine - I have pages copied from it by my granddad, showing Soho House way back
 
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