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where on birchfield road ??

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
hi folks..ive been sent this cracking pic but i wonder if anyone can recall exactly where on the birchfield road it was taken...

lyn
 
Hi Lyn,
That looks like the place where I bought my 1st car, a Hillman Imp. I think it was on the corner of Aldridge Rd and Wellhead Lane. I'll have to look through the 'My 1st Car Thread' to be sure
Phil
 
Lyn
in 1969 there is a Jack allen (Motor bodies) on Aldridge Road, just off birchfiel road on the south side between franchse st and wellhead road .
Mike
 
hi phil..well i bet that brings back some memories for you...

mike could i trouble you for a map pin pointing please....im trying to work out where that bus stop is too...


thanks mike....
 
Lyn
The oldmaps site seems to be down at present. so i can onl give you hte 1904 view, but that does show Wellhead farm (in blue), which must be the old farm in the picture.
Mike

map1904wellheadfarm.jpg
 
Yes I have the photo in my laptop, not such good quality as the one you have posted.
I bought the brand new car and it was an eventful day, but we accepted things like the following in those days....
'A 1964 brand new Hillman Imp made in Scotland, cost £634.
Proudly drove it from showroom, broke down after 2 miles. Helpful Dealer came and towed me back, took a part out of another new car, fitted it in my car, and off I went for 6 years of 'young fun' motoring. Body rust after 2 years but Halfords had stuff for that.'
Phil
 
oldMohawk said:
Yes I have the photo in my laptop, not such good quality as the one you have posted.
I bought the brand new car and it was an eventful day, but we accepted things like the following in those days....
'A 1964 brand new Hillman Imp made in Scotland, cost £634.
Proudly drove it from showroom, broke down after 2 miles. Helpful Dealer came and towed me back, took a part out of another new car, fitted it in my car, and off I went for 6 years of 'young fun' motoring. Body rust after 2 years but Halfords had stuff for that.'
Phil
Click to expand...

lol phil..there is no way that would happen today...taking a part from another new car and fitting on the other one....so glad you had 6 years of happy motoring in the hillman limp..oops sorry i mean imp...

thanks for the map mike...shame the farm has now gone...

lyn
 
Hi Lyn,My first car was looking pretty good 4 years later on the Crown and Cushion car park not far from the place in your photo where it was bought.I bought my first Hillman Imp in 1964 and liked it so I bought another in 1971 but Rootes had 'improved' it (cost savings) and it was not so good.

Phil


My_1st_Car.jpg____My_2nd_car_1971.jpg
 
smashing pic phil...i sometimes had my lunch break in the c and c and it would have been around the time your pic was taken....

lyn
 
Thank you, Mike, for identifying the location. What a postive memory you seem to have of the place, Phil. Thank you for posing the question, Lyn.
 
dek it was the little crown and cushion..building is still there but no longer a pub...now theres a surprise...

lyn
 
This postcard I have of Birchfield Road Tollgate c.1870 might be of interest. It's from a drawing and shows, I think, the Old Crown and Cushion Inn on the left-hand side. Viv.

View attachment 66839
 
So let me get this right. There were 2 Crown & Cushions in Perry Barr? I remember the big C&C where there used to be dances/ discos. And which one would the pub/inn be in the Tollgate postcard (post 14) of c.1870? Viv.
 
Viv,i would think the picture is looking towards Walsall with the Old Crown and Cushion on the left.Moss.
 
Thanks Moss. Yes I agree. I've just had a look at an old map, albeit 30 years later than the Tollgate postcard, and it looks like the C&C Inn is marked on the corner of Wellington Road and Birchfield Road. The C& C pub I remember was much, much bigger than the postcard drawing, but maybe it was rebuilt. (I think it's been re-built yet again in more recent times). The postcard has a church in the long distance which might have been Christ Church at the junction of Walsall Rd and Aldridge Rd. Viv.
 
The toollgate photo.is the original old crown and cushion, across the road they built the new crown and cushion,then they rebuilt the old crown and cushion,which is the one that held dances.You are right about the tollgate photo.it is looking towards Walsall,the the steeple you can see is the church at the junction of Aldridge Rd.and Walsall Rd.
 
Thanks Ray, that all seems to fit together nicely. On my 1902 map it shows a Wellhouse Brewery, near to Lyn's farm pic (post 1) and Mike's mapping (post 5). Wonder if this brewery supplied either of these pubs? You mentioned 'Atkinsons' which to me is an unfamiliar beer name, so would this possibly be from the Wellhead Brewery? The brewery looks a good size on my map. Pure speculation of course! Viv.
 
I recall our neighbour Mr. Harold Walsh of Chehire Road Witton, was for many years the MC at functions held at the Crown & Cushion. It was a remarkable sight in the 50's to see him walking down Deykin Avenue in evening dress, bow tie, white scarf and patent shoes to catch the No.11 to take him to Perry Barr.
 
Thanks Ray for that link. A fascinating read. Interesting that the paragraph on Charles Cox (Malster/Brewer) mentions his estate having connections with Birchfield Rd. May or may not have anything to do with Wellhead Brewery of course !!!! Viv.
 
That's a good photo Topsyturvey. It ties in with the tollgate pic in post 14. - same C&C Inn on the left. The tollgate would therefore have been on the viewer's side of Aston Lane and Wellington Road. Thanks. Viv.
 
In my photo in post #8, I can't quite work out which direction our camera was pointing on the Crown and Cushion car park. The photos below show the pub at an earlier date when the underpass was being built.
Crown___Cushion_1.jpg
Crown___Cushion_2.jpg
 
I went to Birchfield Road Junior school and I remember the underpass being built.

One of my Aunts worked in the office at the Crown and Cushion (30's/ early 40's?). They had a lot of functions in the large room upstairs.
I went to see many bands there myself in the late 60's, both in the upstairs and the downstairs rooms. It was a big place - ntohing like it looks now.
 
A Sparks said:
I went to Birchfield Road Junior school and I remember the underpass being built.

One of my Aunts worked in the office at the Crown and Cushion (30's/ early 40's?). They had a lot of functions in the large room upstairs.
I went to see many bands there myself in the late 60's, both in the upstairs and the downstairs rooms. It was a big place - ntohing like it looks now.
Click to expand...
My Sister went to Canterbury road cowsheds, as some of the pupils referred to it, back in the late fifties, pretty sure she would have preferred it to Beeches road where I ended up.
 
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