• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Villa Tavern Villa Street Hockley

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
hi folks.. very long shot this one. i am looking for any pics of the villa tavern that was in villa street hockley....records for this pub go back to at least 1849. it was demolished in the 60s....

heres hoping....

astoness:)
 
yes mike..thought i was right..the villa tavern it is....

lol linda which part of villa street was the outdoor...was it accross nursery road going towards wills st..also if it was after the middle 60s that you went to the outdoor i would imagine it would have been the vine pub as the villa tavern was demolished early 60s....there again if you can recall that it was a corner pub it may well have been the crown on the corner of nursery rd and villa st..i have posted a pic of that one on the forum...tell you what there were more pubs in those days than anything else...:rolleyes::rolleyes:

frothy...as you very well know i meant a photo of the pub...:headhit:

lyn
 
sorry i meant to ask if i could have a look up please in the kellys to find out the earliest year that the villa tavern was recorded at 147 villa street....i did look in the central library about 18 months ago and i am sure i found it in the late 1800s...

thank you

lyn:)
 
the earliest ive found it is in 1872, also in 1880 but it seemed to be 51 villa st. at that time but in 1888 i have it as 147 villa st.
 
hi chris...how very strange..both odd numbers so i wonder if there was a change about in the numbering of the street...

thanks for that info....

lyn:)
 
hold on lyn, ive found it in 1855 now but didnt have a number. will keep looking in case i find it earlier!
 
wow..i thought it had been around a long time chris...i will ask our dad but i get the impression that unlike the vine inn which started as a beer retailer from a house the villa tavern was built as a pub if you get what i mean..i may have more of a chance finding a pic of this one....or not:D:D thanks for your help this in very interesting...

lyn
 
i have just looked through 36 pages of villa st. in the 1851 census but didnt see a mention of villa tavern :)
 
just found whites directory and gazeteer of bham 1849 and villa tavern is mentioned with john robbins as the victualler. looked again at the 1851 and john robbins is living in villa st. (no number) and listed as button stamper and victualler. it doesnt say villa tavern on the census so thats why i missed it.
 
wow chris...so 1849 is the earliest mention of it...thank you so much for doing the research for me....this pub is definately worth looking for a pic of...

ok then i am on the trail......:D:D

lyn
 
Lyn
They changed the numbering of the whole street between the 1883 and 1884 kellys.
Mike
 
There was another pub im sure on the corner of Villa Street And Farm street, is that the one you guys are on about ?
 
hi max..no the other pub i am looking for is the villa tavern. demolished early 60s...it was just a few doors up from the vine on the same side...the pub you are on about which was on the corner of villa st and farm st is the white swan...ive posted a pic of that on the farm st thread....

lyn
 
:POh i really cant remember that pub , mind you Villa St was a bit too posh for us in Brougham St LOL:D:D
 
you must be joking max...from what i remember the houses in brougham st were in better knick than in villa street...i know i go on about why did they have to pull them down but thinking back and being realistic there was no choice with most of them...:cry::cry:
 
Are Yum right our wench , we was posher up our end, Got out of the Sink , sorry the bath to goo the loo.
We even had Bidets ,,, yeah but we called em FLANNELS in them days
 
max..we were lucky enough to have a bathroom at the end of the kitchen....bit different to the old tin bath in front of the fire down paddington street and the shared loos at the top of the yard..:rolleyes:
 
:cry: There you are then QED, said yow was posh in Villa St,.... Bathroom.... i daint know what one was untill i was 15 years old:D:D
Good old days , dont mek me laugh, they was good cus we was young , well thats my feelings anyroad.:P
 
max i think the only reason we had a bathroom cos it was a private landlord..mind you it was full of damp...must say my childhood was a happy one...cant remember anything bad so i guess i can count myself lucky ehh...

lyn:)
 
Sos Lyn , was feeling a bit down before . No it was great being a kid around hockley , i loved every golden minute , i am filled with great memories , from my 1st day at The Carniegie, on Hunters road and drinking that special orange juice, to falling through the garage roof on Villa st, but there are bad memories to, like when the guy got blown up on Villa rd at the petrol place when he was cleaning out a tanker, also the stink of the pig bins on the streets . But fond memories of the Lucas Bull sounding ,and you knew it was time for school, and we used to have snow then aswell.:)
 
max..dont worry about it. when i said i had no bad memories i was mainly talking about within the family...but now you mention it there was just one thing that happened and thats when our kid got run over just a bit up from the vine pub..he was about 6 years old and ran out from behind a parked van to get the ball which had gone in the road...broke his leg and fractured his jaw and scull:( i remember i was in the back yard with our mom helping peg out and a kid came running down the entry shouting marks been run over...god it was bedlum. and our mom nearly passed out..i had to run around the area trying to find dad who was on his window cleaning round...i also remember that orange juice from the carnegie..i used to love it..but i can also remember being force fed cod liver oil and malt...in a big brown jar it was...awful tasting stuff...
right then..if you are still feeling a bit fed up i have a spare brick you can have if that will cheer you up....:D

lyn
 
Hi up, i managed to get run over TWICE, 1st time in Wills st ,(age 3) 2nd time Brougham st (age 3 1/2).
Was that brown stuff called Virol ? ,horrible.:angry:

I understand that a lot of houses in Brougham st were owned by the Church ! , our rent was collected by Fishers (they are still going today).
Max

 
morning max..and who said the roads were safer in them days..:rolleyes: dont know about that virol all we were forced fed was the brown sticky stuff cod live oil and malt...oh the thought of it..:cry: thinking about it i guess it makes sense about a lot of the houses in brougham being owned by the church..take it you mean st francis...
 
hi all..absolutely delighted to report that after a 3 year search a pic of the villa tavern has turned up at long last..:)as previously posted this pub was here in 1849 according to my research at the central library..

address was 147 villa st and it stood next to the southall and smith factory (hasten to add the factory was not there in 1849)... although i was living in villa st when it was demolished around 1961/2 i cant for the life of me remember it..maybe i was just a bit to young...dad had a drink here on the last day of opening..many many thanks to those concerned for tracking it down for me....


lyn
 
Last edited:
lynne webb said:
You must be thrilled to bits Lyn, so pleased for you.
Lynne.
Click to expand...


im over the moon lynne...just one to get now and i think thats it on the pubs side...still looking for the bath tavern that was in brougham st next to villa st...

lyn
 
Last edited:
thanks both..i really am chuffed with this pic..and so another piece of my jigsaw is put in place..:)

lyn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top