Hi viv
Just reading your thread on books and refences which I do any way I am always searching for the history
Of Birmingham books ,I do pride myself of knowledge of Birmingham as I mooched around the Birmingham
City and surrounding areas of brum from a very early age rumminishing through the back streets of slums
As in those days were as a little kid growing up
But I have also always bought the books and references of books to further my knowledge
I have accumulated at least 100 books with knowledge
To day my wife came across a book by Carl chinn, its called Our Brum and I think it was printed by the evening mail news paper and I his e to tell you how please I was to read it
It had different topics through the book ,and one topic was called
The call of cafe Life , Coffee Houses , and he as mentionioned our family name
The Jelfs and saying we was one of the well known Coffee House Keepers in Birmingham
And we had at one time Had 20 Shops around the city but he never mentionioned
The other Business they had such the chippies and the High Society catureing business
And they served the crem of due creme high society with all there cut glass and high valued silver ware
And of cause charlie had two booking shops
So yes I am very excited about my old Dutchess getting me this book,
I have discovered a nice little shop of books which always seem to have the right books
So I do urged people to go out and buy these reference books you can find as lot out about brum or even
There own An esters, may I had I do have a lot of old Carl chinns books
And his granny chinn was virtually a neibour to my grand mother in white house street
And ASD a kid I recall seeing chinny and his little mates out side his grannies
But I was scared and always crossed over to the other side of the road in white house street
When I had to fetch my grannies snuff from the corner shop at the top of white house street
Best wishes Alan,, Astonian,,,,,
