Posts tagged ‘Photos’
Morris writes… Does anyone have any old pictures of Holly Road?
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Cotteridge School sports day, 1922
Thanks to Cliff Fleetwood for the picture.
Click on image to see full size version
Tags: The pictures below come from the great new book, Cotteridge Through Time, by Wendy Pearson. Thanks to her for the images. The book is available on Amazon via this link.
Cotteridge in 1910
Cotteridge in 1913
Cotteridge in 2011 (copyright Wendy Pearson 2011)
The pictures below come from the great new book, Cotteridge Through Time, by Wendy Pearson. Thanks to her for the images. The book is available on Amazon via this link.
Guillotine Lock
Guillotine Lock today (copyright Wendy Pearson 2011)
Cliff Fleetwood and his cousin Hilda Thompson outside the bottom shop in 1929 or 1930. Thanks to Cliff for the photo.
Francis Road 1929 or 30
Thanks to Joy for sending in these scanned pages from the photo album of her relative, Miss Phyllis Earp, who taught at the school in the early 1900s.
Click on the images to see them full size.
Bing Maps has a great birds eye view function so you can explore Cotteridge from the air…
1962. Looking north towards the city from the Pershore Road / Watford Road roundabout. On the corner of Watford Road is George Mason's shop. St Agnes Church is still present - it's now a supermarket. The newly-build Lloyds Bank building is present in the row of Victorian shops on the right.
September 1962: the construction of Pearks Supermarket on Watford Road (now a Spar). Next to Woolworths is Boots and George Bridge.
September 1962: a different shot of the supermarket under construction, also showing the post office.
The central building is the Fire Station. To its left, the shop features a neon sign saying, "Electricity Supply". To the left of that is a shop called, "Under the Clock" - for obvious reasons! Finally, on the far left is Malcolm's 'Hair Fashion Artists'. On the far right, the top of the spire of Kings Norton church can just about be seen.
For the same views today, click here.
1966. On the corner of Midland Road and Rowheath Road was this store owned by D Nicholls. Amongst the items on display are step ladders, bowls, mops, buckets, coal, seeds, plants and watering cans.
Broad Meadow Motors, 1726 Pershore Road. 1958. Now a couple of houses next to the Murco (formerly Jet) garage.
- 1951. This picture was taken from the corner of Watford Road and Northfield road and shows Wincott’s Newsagent and Tobacconist on the opposite corner of Watford Road and Rowheath Road. Note the attractive lamppost to the right, probably still gas powered at this time – note the two little extra lamps to illuminate the ‘keep left’ sign.
Scotts Garage, 1958. Opposite Midland Road. Now a Nationwide Autocentre. To the right of the garage is the Cotteridge Social Club, still going strong!
1955. Bullock's and the Empire store would later become the site of Woolworths. To the right of Empire Stores is Boots, still there today!
This picture was supplied by Mary Gibbons who moved to 1885 Pershore Road in 1947 when her father bought the shop from his employer, Arthur Turner. He decided to keep the name of JL Mason so that the customers would still recognise the shop. JL Mason was primarily a fishmongers but a small sign above the entrance says that it was also a, "licensed dealer in game". Mary thinks the picture was of Christmas stock as she remembers it looking like this at Christmas when she was a child. Normally there would just have been a display of fish on the marble slab. Note the sawdust on the floor to prevent slipping. Mary's father, Jim Bird, is the chap on the right and at this time he was a fishmonger's assistant. Less than ten years later he would own the shop! Thanks to Mary and the DJ Norton website for this photo.
HOV 928 at Cotteridge, 1956. Numbered 45, the sign on the front says, "West Heath Alvechurch Road", although it is facing the into city direction - it was Birmingham City Transport practice to show the outer terminus destination all the time. A chap downstairs in having a nap in the sunshine!
There’s also some great 80s photos of buses on Flickr – see these links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/3796144178/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/4118241500/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/3392859607/
Three shots that clearly show the importance of Kings Norton station in the 1950s.
The uppermost not only shows the four platform station but also shows a section of goods yard and shed. To the right, the carriage sidings can be seen. In the middle picture, the photo shows the northern half of the station from under the footbridge.
The bottom picture is taken looking in the opposite direction to the other two – out of city and towards Northfield. The signal box from which the top picture was taken can just about be seen under the footbridge.
May 1962: a two-car DMU stands in the up fast platform on its way from Redditch to New Street. In strict economic turns a lightweight two-car self-propelled train is much cheaper than the ex-MR 0-6-2T 'Flatiron' tank locomotives with two to four coaches behind the bunker or even later when Ivatt's and Riddles 2-6-2T tank engines took over.
1960: looking across the island platform from the up slow to the down slow where the main station building was sited.
Tram leaving Stichley over the bridge by the Breedon Cross, 1952
At this point, Pershore Road climbed steeply up an embankment to cross the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the old single-track Birmingham and West Suburban Railway, later used for a few freight movements.
This view shows some interesting details of the trams themselves. The sunblind was drawn down to protect the driver’s vision and the leather-sheathed chain was in place across the driver’s platform – not always the case. The pneumatic starting bell was given from the rear platform by the conductor who pressed the plunger seen at the top of the bulkhead. A narrow tube connected with the driver’s bell beneath the stairs on the front platform. The elaborate life-guard can also be seen – the gate below the bumper was hinged and connected with the tray under steps, so that if anything struck the front gate it would rise, lowering the tray which would pick the obstruction up.
Also visible is the disused ‘Board of Trade’ light at high level, left of the sun-shade.
Tram coming up Pershore Road from the Breedon Cross, 1952
Tram in the heart of Cotteridge, 1952. Note the conductress from the tram has the trolley rope in her hand as she prepares for the tram to change direction. Also, note the bobby on his bike on the far right hand side.
The conductress seems to have been quite nippy turning the pole at the terminus, as passengers were still getting off while she was half way round. Like trams 732 to 811, the body of the Leyland PD2 Outer Circle bus 1729 was also built by Brush at Loughborough, but 25 years or so later, and the bus was based at Wellhead Lane garage, Perry Barr.
A photo from the opening of the tramway on 23 June 1904 shows the properties on the left as houses with shallow front gardens, but they were soon converted into shops.
Looking towards Pershore Road from Watford Road, with St Agnes Church visible. The driveway to the right of the picture leads to the former bus depot, but the tracks leading that way show it was a tram depot before that.
Until a small depot at the terminus was finished, the eight cars needed to run the service were housed at Bournbrook depot, but this was only for a few days, as the new depot opened in early July 1904. The gable-roofed shed ran parallel with the main road, and the four tracks converged into a single track at right-angles to the road which then forked left and right to meet the single running track in Pershore Road. After City takeover in 1912, the depot was used only for storage, the tram route being operated from the Bournbrook depot in Dawlish Road. During the 1920s, the Bristol Road tramway was extended in stages from Selly Oak to Northfield, Longbridge, Rednal and Rubery, cars still being provided by the Bournbrook depot. The Cotteridge depot was widened in 1922-23 from 4 to 8 tracks, and extended in length to give a total capacity of 30 cars, and on reopening it was provided with some brand new standard Birmingham Corporation bogie cars. The depot was then able to relieve overcrowding at the Bournbrook depot with its capacity of 46 cars, until this was replaced by the new depot at Harborne Lane, Selly Oak which had room for 80 trams in addition to buses.
What the photos do not show
An interesting feature of the Pershore Road route was the pair of lightweight experimental cars built in 1929-30, the last to be acquired by the Department. When Short Brothers tendered to build bodies for cars 812 – 841, they were required to produce virtually a facsimile of the previous batches (indeed they took car 740 to their works at Rochester for a few weeks to make sure they did so) but , having expertise in aircraft and lightweight bus construction, they offered to design a modern lightweight tram conforming with most Birmingham requirements. This was delivered in October 1929 and placed on lightweight trucks by the English Electric Company, and entered service the following month as car 842. It had a few teething troubles which were corrected in the early years, but the car remained in working order until 1952, and was driven to Kyotts Lake Road works to be broken up in July 1952. It weighed 13.6 tons, compared with the standard car’s weight of 16.8 tons. Wishing to be in on the act, the Brush Company offered to design and build their version of a lightweight, which they delivered to Birmingham in June 1930, and mounted on special trucks by Maley and Taunton with GEC motors and controllers. This car weighed only 12.3 tons, and entered service as car 843 in September 1930, but it remained a regular visitor to ‘The Lake’ (Kyotts Lake works). . It was closer in appearance to earlier Birmingham cars, but its domed roof made it particularly handsome. It was taken to Kyotts Lake works in January 1952 after one motor failed, and remained there awaiting scrapping with the other Pershore Road cars that July.
Google Streetview now covers most of Cotteridge – get your own virtual tour…
Three photos of Cotteridge School teachers and staff from the late seventies / early eighties. Let us know if you recognise anyone.
Cotteridge Stores: late 19th century
Wendy is researching her family tree and has these two photos of Cotteridge Stores, which seems to be an off licence. The licensee is Clara Moorfield who was married in 1915 to Samuel Townend (his second wife). The photos appear to be taken in the late 1800s. Clara is in the centre of the first photo and on the left of the second one. Wendy wonders if anyone has any information about Clara Moorfield (perhaps her married name by a first marriage or maybe her maiden name). Also, where is this building and what is it now? Any information would be gratefully accepted.
Cotteridge Stores: late 19th century
There’s some photos and history of the now-lost Lifford Station at this website of photos by DJ Norton (a great source of other old Birmingham photos).
The fantastic Warwickshire Railways website has loads of photos, information and resources about the railways of south Birmingham over the past two centuries. Photos like the one below, which shows Kings Norton station in an Edwardian postcard, are just a taster…
Another great railway website is Rail Around Birmingham, which features information on every station in the city – even ones which have long gone, like Lifford.
Discos at the Breedon Cross, around 1976-8
Discos at the Breedon Cross, around 1976-8
The last day of Woolworths, December 2008
Somerfield on the site of the former St Agnes Church, 2008
Cotteridge roundabout, 2008
Cotteridge Church in 2008 - since the mid eighties the consolidated home of the Methodist, Anglican and URC churches, along with various community facilities. The former URC site on Watford Road became old people's flats in the 1980s, and St Agnes became a Kwik Save.
Cotteridge Fire Station - looks pretty much identical to forty or even seventy years ago!
Beaumont Court - the former Cotteridge bus garage which has been sheltered accommodation since the mid eighties when the garage closed.
The canal, looking west from the Breedon bridge - fairly unchanging, unsurprisingly!
The former Breedon Bar - since 2005 flats
The former Barclays Bank - about two months after this photo re-opened as a trendy wine bar and restaurant, La Banca
The Murco petrol station on Pershore Road - formerly the Jet garage
An industrial premises remarkable only for being the former Savoy Cinema, opposite the Breedon Bar
Breedon Bar in 1997. It closed in about 1992, caught fire in about 1996, and was finally demolished in the early 2000s, it's now some flats.
The former Breedon Bar - it's been flats since the mid 2000s
Frances Road excursion, c1952
A trip, possibly to Kettering Park, organised by Frances Road resident Mrs Butler in circa 1952/3. Participants were Frances Road residents past and present and include Lois Brown, Molly Hickey, Phyllis Patrick, Maggie Snipe, Alice Howes, Rodney Stokes, Sidney Banner and Steve Lovesey. The coach is provided by Birmingham firm Ludlow Brothers.
Thanks to Jan Lovesey for this – her website has loads more information and pictures.
The "bottom shop" at the corner of Frances Road and Lifford Lane, early 1930s
Cotteridge School football team 1945 - 46; players included Barry Hicks, George Caldicott, Cedric Herbert, Fred Lee and Derek Base
Cotteridge School - St George and the Dragon mumming play from 1945 (photo courtesy of Tony James)
Cliff and his dad, circa 1930/31
Thanks to Cliff Fleetwood for these photos.
He writes, my father, Bill Fleetwood, was possibly one of first ‘horse whisperers’, who won vast numbers of trophies for his horses” in the 1920s and 30s.
He remembers, “”Snowy” Mason, or “Dripping” Ballinger, or Herbert Wathen who lived in Dell Road. Finally Walter Carrol who was the blacksmith responsible for shoeing most of the horses in the area, & who originally acquired the land in Breedon Road from Fishers. Dad bought the whole property from Walter.
Timoshenco, Bill Fleetwood's means of transport during WWII
A German land mine (a bomb on the end of a parachute) fell and was caught in a tree, without exploding, so the area was cordoned off for a couple of days. The horse was without feed or water so Cliff’s dad dodged the police officer at the top of Hole Lane and took the horse across the field at the rear of the stable, so avoiding any metal, sparks or noise on the roadway from the horseshoes.
A dark mare prepared for show, taken in Cotteridge Park. Picture from Birmingham Post & Mail
Main picture: Billy Fleetwood standing (dwarfed) by 'Norton Statesman' 18hh (that is over 6ft at the shoulder of the horse) in Breedon Rd. The horse was a regular at all the Midland Horse Shows, & also worked for his living
The last man employed by Fleetwood's to drive horses, and the picture was taken in the late 50s. His job was to cart materials to R.J.Hunt Ltd.
The Life Boys, early sixties
Thanks to Mary Thorpe for these, who writes: “the top one features just Reverend Fred Carroll and Miss Jennifer Fryer and the second is about a year later. Names of the boys (on the first) I can remember are: next to Revd. Carroll is someone Edge, next to Miss Fryer is Paul Cooper, then back row second from the left is Robert Bassett, Stuart Maddocks, Leslie Ormrod, John Betteridge, David Harris, Martin Holeyman, [don’t know], someone Gilman, (don’t know). Hope someone can fill in the rest of the names!”
Click the photos for a larger version.
The Life Boys, early sixties
Also thanks to Mary for this photo of the Girls’ Life Brigade at St. Agnes Church, sometime in the early 1960s. She writes, “again, I can’t remember names, but those I do remember are from top left, Mary Harris (me!), two sisters, unknown, unknown, Janet Fisher, Jacqueline someone, unknown, then on the front row, unknown, Delia Harris (no relation), Joan Badger, Reverend Fred Carroll, unknown, Anne Fisher. I do hope someone is able to furnish the other names. I continued in the GLB, eventually going to the Company at the Methodist Church until I started helping Joan Badger with the Brownies back at St. Agnes’s in the 1970s”.
Life Girls at St Agnes, early 1960s
Email us or leave a comment below if you know who anyone is or have any memories to add.
Cotteridge Primary School football team, 1959-60
Thanks to Neil Brown (goalkeeper) for this: contact us if you want to get in touch with him.
Also featured are Nicky Twigg, Cliff Owen, Ian Cresswell, Archie Milward and Mr Hewlett.
Update: Marty Holeyman has e-mailed to say that he is the Harry Potter lookalike on the right hand side. If anyone wants to get in touch with him, contact us or leave a comment below and we’ll forward it on.
Update 2: Ian Caswell writes: “Absolutely amazed and pleased to see the photo. I am the ‘footballer’ front row extreme right. Slight mis-spelling but the name should read Ian Caswell. Archie Millward is actually the one on the other side of Neil Brown behind the teacher. Archie and I are still in regular contact after 55 years! Front row far left is Richard James.”
Cotteridge Carnival, 1936/7
Cliff Fleetwood writes, “The vehicle is a long nose Fleetwood’s Bedford lorry which were not running much after 1940/41. The last job that this particular vehicle was engaged in was going around most of the public air raid shelters emptying the chemical closets. It was driven throughout by a man called Johnny Biddle. His one claim to fame was an incident when emerging from under a railway bridge near to Kitts Green, when a bomb dropped by a lone German bomber exploded and took the front engine bonnet off the lorry. Two seconds later and Kitts Green would have been covered in s…”
Bob lives in the village of Bunbury, Cheshire, and wants to know if this old photo of “Bunbury Road” is the one between Cotteridge and Northfield.
Click for a bigger image.
If anyone can give him any idea of when and where this might be, please leave a comment below or email us.
Cotteridge Infants 1928 (photo courtesy of Mr George Nicholls)
Cotteridge School 1912 (photo courtesy of Tony James)
Police flats (now local authority housing) under construction on Breedon Road, on the site of the former Fleetwoods yard.
The full history of WR Fleetwood Ltd is here.
The logbook for the first day of Cotteridge Mixed School, October 1st, 1900.
1900 Cotteridge Mixed School
Oct 1 – I, George Howard Mann as Head Master, opened the above school this morning.
Staff: at opening:-
George Howard Mann Cert.
Miss Nellie Judge do
Miss Mary Brookes do
School closed this afternoon on account of King’s Norton Mop.
Oct 1 Clerk
Admitted first morning 170.
The Birmingham and Worcester Canal, at Lifford Lane / Pershore Road Bridge; about 1900
Snow in Cotteridge Road. The entrance to the bar door of the Grant Arms. Possibly 1981
The driveway to St. Agnes' Church Hall (1977)
Silver Jubilee celebrations in Cotteridge Road
Silver Jubilee, 1977: The Queen's car, Pershore Road, in between Holly Road and Cotteridge Road (unfortunately photo taken too early).
Walter Warring, the barber of Midland Road for over 70 years
Crowds watching Bees in Watford Road
Mr and Mrs Winscott - Newsagents, Watford Road 1951
Breedon Bar in 1997. It closed in about 1992, caught fire in about 1996, and was finally demolished in the early 2000s, it's now some flats.
- Cotteridge roundabout looking towards Selly Oak, 1997
Bus stops opposite Cotteridge Church, 1997
Breedon Bridge towards Stirchley, 1997
Pershore Road, looking towards town from outside the petrol station, 1997
Number 47 bus rounds the corner to Pershore Road South, 1997