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Yew Tree pub sign Witton

Banjo

Banjo

master brummie
Hope I've picked the right thread. I'm having an ongoing debate with friends about a painting on the side of building of a man up a ladder painting the building. This was in Witton Road between Birch Rd & the Yew Tree pub in the early 60s. Are there any photos of this? Would love to see it again.
 
lol banjo you and me both:D... you could well be right about there being another such painting along witton road what we need to do is to find some old photos of around there and hope they may show it ..what years are we talking about ?..will let you know if i find anything

lyn
 
The river ran alongside Witton Road from Witton bridge by Tame Road as far as Wyrley Road. I cannot think of any business along that stretch that would require such a sign. Banjo have you any better idea of the location than "opposite the river" a time period might help as well.
 
Looking in Kelly's for the 6o's (was it earlier?) the only businesses along that stretch were the GEC, the Brookvale Filling Station and the Yew Tree public house. I can't see why any of those would want a sign depicting someone up a ladder.
 
Banjo's quite correct - I well remember the Man Up The Ladder sign from years ago. It was visible if you came along Brookvale Road from Witton, and was on the RH side of Brookvale on a wall to the left of the Yew Tree pub if you faced the pub. I don't think it was actually advertising anything in particular, but I remember my Dad saying that it was something to do with a decorating company that was in the area. There was indeed a photo of it posted on this Forum some years back. It was still there in the early 1970's as far as I can recall, as I used regularly to drive up to Marsh Hill along Brookvale Road. Maybe back in those days people had more sense of the ridiculous than seems to be the case today!

G
 
Did Witton Road finish at Tame Road, to be continued as Brookvale Road up to Wyrley Road?

Was there something to do with Osram on the corner of Witton Road and Tame Road?
 
It seems from the maps that Witton Road continued up past the Cemetery in around 1902, and Brookvale Road appeared some time before 1913.
 
Good question, Pedrocut. According to my modern A-Z, Witton Road became Brookvale Road at the junction with Tame Road. However, in my 1954 Bartholomew's, Witton Road is shown as becoming Brookvale Road at the junction with Manor Road! So which is correct?

There was certainly an Osram works in the area, and I think you're correct in saying it was on the junction of Witton and Tame Roads. Do you remember Higgs Motors on the other side of the road, with the enormous electric motor displayed outside the factory? It turned night and day for as long as I lived round there.

G
 
Actually the section of road being discussed is Brookvale Road as a continuation of Witton Road I thought that was accepted. These three images are of the stretch of road opposite the river. I can see no indication of the sign that you mentioned Big Gee, perhaps you can indicate where you saw it.

Aston Brookvale Rd.jpg Witton Brookvale Rd (2).JPG Witton Brookvale Rd.jpg
 
Phil, none of your photos show the wall on which the sign was painted. Looking at the middle photo of the three, if you panned to the left of the (incomplete) picture of the pub, there was a tall flat wall facing towards Witton, and the sign was painted on this. It was certainly there, Phil, no doubt about that. I lived in Witton until 1971 and passed it regularly.

I'm 99.9% per cent sure that a photo of the sign was posted on this Forum a long time ago, but maybe it disappeared at the time of the hacking.
 
A part of Brookvale Rd opposite the river in 1951. The Yewtree Pub on the left with the house and advertising hoarding next to it. Then the box shape office block further along (was it a brake company?) and Wyrley Rd top corner where the bus is. The building in the foreground on Birch Rd is the Drop Stampings factory and offices.
BrookvaleRd1951.jpg
 
“The river ran alongside Witton Road from Witton bridge by Tame Road as far as Wyrley Road.”

This is true in 1902, but Wyrley Road had not yet been invented.

DAAFC6A3-9E87-4302-9083-C7F6DF1EB8F2.jpeg
 
Big Gee said:
Good question, Pedrocut. According to my modern A-Z, Witton Road became Brookvale Road at the junction with Tame Road. However, in my 1954 Bartholomew's, Witton Road is shown as becoming Brookvale Road at the junction with Manor Road! So which is correct?

There was certainly an Osram works in the area, and I think you're correct in saying it was on the junction of Witton and Tame Roads. Do you remember Higgs Motors on the other side of the road, with the enormous electric motor displayed outside the factory? It turned night and day for as long as I lived round there.

G
Click to expand...

Yes the electric motor! If you got stuck in traffic on top of the bus everyone’s eyes were drawn to the motor. A whirligig?
 
I have found the original, cropped and enlarged it, but a shortage of pixels is the problem. There seems to be something on or in front of the office block wall ... :D
Tame_oldrailings2.jpg
Edit: When I inverted the image it looked it might be the side of a house.
 
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Big Gee said:
Banjo's quite correct - I well remember the Man Up The Ladder sign from years ago. It was visible if you came along Brookvale Road from Witton, and was on the RH side of Brookvale on a wall to the left of the Yew Tree pub if you faced the pub. I don't think it was actually advertising anything in particular, but I remember my Dad saying that it was something to do with a decorating company that was in the area. There was indeed a photo of it posted on this Forum some years back. It was still there in the early 1970's as far as I can recall, as I used regularly to drive up to Marsh Hill along Brookvale Road. Maybe back in those days people had more sense of the ridiculous than seems to be the case today!

G
Click to expand...

thanks BG you cant both be wrong lol...hopefully a photo will turn up eventually

lyn
 
Astoness said:
lol banjo you and me both:D... you could well be right about there being another such painting along witton road what we need to do is to find some old photos of around there and hope they may show it ..what years are we talking about ?..will let you know if i find anything

lyn
Click to expand...
1960-1965 is around the time I remember it. Definitely between Deykin Ave and Wyrley Road. I know it's not the Erdington one because as you approached the spot you saw it on the right hand side of the road. You would only notice the Erdington one on the left.
 
Interesting post from long ago in 2008 ... it seems there was a sign there ... see forum link below
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ew-tree-inn-brookvale-road.11408/#post-116598
fairley said:
hi i used to occasionally drink in the yew tree between 1959-1964 i lived not far from the pub the one thing that used to facinate me was the ansells advert on the side of wall a picture of a man up a ladder paintig the ansells sign
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the person who posted it is no longer a member.
 
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An aerial view of an advert on the pub building wall in 1951 but it would have been visible on the left side of road when travelling towards Witton. Maybe there could have been a similar advert on the Witton side of the building. But with the height of the advert it would not be similar to the one in Erdington which showed the ladder at ground level.
YewTree1951.JPG
 
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I think that wraps it up, Mohawk. But I have to admit I have no memory of the Ansells connection.

All this reminds me that in France wall-painting used to be very common. Driving along the old rural routes you could see any number of signs and paintings on the walls of bars, cafes, shops, etc. We stayed in a rural B&B that had once been a cafe, and the former name of the place was still visible on the wall, along with a bunch of grapes, very artistically done.

G
 
Thank you for all your comments. In conclusion, it was next to the Yew Tree pub. Zooming in on Phil's photo (#26 ) I believe this is the painting (arrowed). Maybe one day we will get a clearer photo.Witton Brookvale Rd.jpg
 
Banjo, I think you're right. Just above your red arrow there's a squiggle which could be the name 'Ansells' in the cursive script they used. Did you live in or near Witton?

G
 
Yes there is definitely something there, the Ansells sign is easy to make out and yes the other part underneath could very well be someone up a ladder.

Witton Brookvale Rd (1) modified.jpg
 
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