Wanted - Photo of cardinal newmans house in alcester st bham

[mo1234]

I t was I understand an old gin distillery and they converted it into St Annes church. Anyway my cousin in Canada now 81 was born at 44 Alcester st and I would love to be able to send him a photo. He woul be over the moon!! Thx

 

[pollypops]

Hello - do you know if the building is still there now? Cardinal Newman set up St Anne's Church in the old gin distillery in 1849

The present St Anne's Church was designed in 1884.

https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-i/the-irish-quarter/

 

[pollypops]

On this website there is a picture of a piece of stone (with inscription) from the old gin distillery

https://www.flickr.com/photos/getgood/5000844555/

On another site it says the stone is on the front wall of St Anne's club which is next door to St Anne's church and it marks the site where the first church was.

 

[mo1234]

thanks pollypops. You are a star!!

 

[pollypops]

Glad to be of some help. Your friend would have been born there about 1932 so I wonder when the original building was knocked down? Perhaps Mike our forum map expert may be able to find when it disappears from maps.

I have searched the internet but am unable to find any pictures of this building - perhaps someone might have one in an old book?

 

[mikejee]

Polly
i'm not quite sure where in Alcester Road it is.

 

[ellbrown]

I finally got a few shots of St Annes Roman Catholic Church on Alcester Street in Digbeth earlier this month.


To the left is now the St Anne's Parish Centre - Irish in Birmingham.





The only Alcester Road goes between Moseley and the Maypole! (from Moseley Road, then it changes to High Street in Kings Heath, then Alcester Road South to the Maypole)

 

[pollypops]

Polly
i'm not quite sure where in Alcester Road it is.

Mike, St Anne's Catholic Church is on Alcester Street, Digbeth - near the corner of Bradford Street. B12 0PB

I have just looked on google street map and I think I can see the stone (with inscription) set in the wall of the building - St Anne's Parish centre - to the left of the church.

 

[mikejee]

Nos 42 & 43 alcester St disappeared between the maps dated 1927 & 1937 (probably surveyed a couple of years earlier), but no 44 and 45 had gone by the 1952 map. The electoral rolls show 44 there in 1939, but gone in 1945

 

[Phil]

Is it possible that part of the old church building was incorporated into St Anne's School that was next to the church, because even in this old photo the school building looks decidedly old.

 

[pollypops]

Thanks Mike - at least we know now when number 44 went - now we just have to find a picture 1939 or at the latest - very early 1940's.

Great photo Phil do you know if the School was to the left or right of the Church? (Barford St being on the right of the church) also do you know the date of that photo?

 

[mikejee]

Polly
the xchool was on the left if you were facing it.
Phil
there is this picture on the English Heritage website, which identifies the street, but not the building (https://viewfinder.english-heritage...nce.aspx?uid=81365&index=0&mainQuery=alcester street&searchType=exact&form=home ) , but it seems to be the same building

 

[pollypops]

Great photo and it does seem to be the same building. Do you know what year the School opened?

 

[mikejee]

The entry in directories changes from St Annes Catholic Chapel to St Annes Catholic Chapel & Schools between 1882 & 1883

 

[pollypops]

I have just found on the St Anne's catholic School site that the School for boys opened 1870 and girls 1864 - became a mixed School in 1946 - and in 1957 it moved to Lowe Street.
I wonder if mo1234's cousin remembers if he was born next door to a School? Phils photo shows what looks like a house next door.

There is another picture on here https://bham1.webschools.co.uk/stannes/history.htm

I think it might be the back or side of the School?

 

[Phil]

This is another photo of St Anne's School taken in 1933. the houses I have been informed were accommodation that were used by the priests and nuns. So perhaps this is one of the houses used by Cardinal Newman.

 

[mo1234]

Thanks to Pollypops mikejee, Phil and ell brown, all your information has been copied and I shall send it by e mail to my cousin in Canada. You are a clever lot!! Mo1234

 

[mo1234]

Just found your web link and thanks a million as far as I can gather it was the house next door on that link to the school newsletter you gave me. He is over the moon and is going to try and copy it to get it framed. Not too pretty but full of nostalgia foe him!! Thanks again to you all. mo1234