Postcard from Northfield

Hawksley Farm

Hawksley Farm, c.1907. Taken from a post card of this date. Ended up being owned by Austin Family and was demolished in late 50's. The lake is the moat that had surrounded it from medieval times, but this building was built around 1885.

1950's Ordinance Survey view of the Farm and moat. The area is now council bungalows and high rise flats, the restored moat has now sadly drained, at one time it was full of large fish, like pike and bream.

Turves Green Infants School

Not sure what year this was taken 1956 or 1957 - Turves Green Infant School class Christmas photo. I have no idea why we were dressed in nightwear. I'm sitting centre right of girls standing. I remember names like Susan Black, Carol Brain, David Smith and Michael Lock. I don't know who's who except Michael Lock is far left standing. I think the boy sitting far right front row was named Edward. Those were our own pajamas / nightdresses and slippers. Do you recognise yourself? Ann Saunders front row, no.3 . Maxine Stanford (lower fist right) (Jan Waters - May 2015)

Old Road Sign

Old West Heath road sign, Bunbury Road 2006. Might look like nothing, but if you didn't notice it, too late it's gone now. It was one of the very few left, pre-1963 road signs. In 1963 the country adopted the Kinnier & Kalvert signs that are now still in use. Did the 'tat-man' nick it?

This one was taken in about 1966, so it's long gone now, but for some reason I decided to photograph it? It's on the Bristol Road heading towards the city at the Oak Tree lane crossroads to Harborne lane.

Burtt's Garage

Bellow, May 2002: An original petrol pump at the garage in Hole Lane where, in 1929, the brothers W.S. and E.G. Burtt first ran the petrol station. Sir Adrian Cadbury recalls Mr Burtt having to pump up the petrol from the underground tank until the glass dome on top of the pump was full, when the petrol then had to run down the hose into the car. As the process had to be repeated many times it took a very long time to fill the tank! Today it is known as RCT Motors and has been run by Robert Tilley (now retired) for approximately twenty five years.  The colour photo above is another pump that's complete to illustrate how it looked once. (J. Smith)

Hole Lane Pump in 2002

old business card

The pumps was made in Liverpool

Kalamazoo or Reynolds & Reynolds

Reynolds & Reynolds celebrated 50 years in the IT business in February 2015. The company started out as Kalamazoo in 1895 making stationary, but when computers came along they moved with the times and are one of the biggest companies of it's kind.

In 1912, four brothers of the Impey family and their cousin, Oliver Moreland, became agents for the Kalamazoo Loose Leaf Ledger Company of the USA. They began manufacturing at their new premises built in the 'daffodil fields' between Tessall Lane and Mill Lane.

Kalamazoo Limited was formed in 1913 and Francis L. Impey was the Chairman. This postcard was published by the firm itself in a series titled The Factory amid the flowers', of which this was no. 5.

Austin

Although he was born in Berkshire and had lived in Rotherham before he started The Austin Motor Co, Herbert Austin worked for the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company in Australia. Eventaully he returned to England when he was made manager of the new Wolseley Motor Co in Adderley Park Birmingham.

Soon he decided to start his own company and with the aid of a couple of financial backers he bought new premises at Northfield which was then part of Worcestershire on the outskirts of Birmingham in 1906 . By 1908 he was producing 17 different models. Its interesting to note that in 1917 he was employing 3000 Belgian refugees.

The Austin motor company went from strength to strength over the years, but eventually it went the same way as all our British motor Companies and now even the buildings are gone.

Egghill Lane Shops

The Shops Egghill Lane, July 1960/2015. Shops with concrete canopies now demolished as can be seen in the newer photograph.

The shops continued around into Wescott Road.

Same junction in Westcott Road in 2015. Because all the Council house have been demolised you can now see the Lickey Hills again (above white car)

Bod's Newsagents & Tascos

Bod's Newsagent's (Boddington's?), Tascos Dry Cleaners & West Heath Garage. Alvechurch Road 1967. Inside by Harry Coleville, three images below.

Harry Coleville remembers: Bod's Shop Alvechurch Road C1959. L to R Sylvia, my Mum, Henry Boddington (my Grandfather), Marjorie Boddington (my Grandmother),Mrs Hawley and Dot Parsons who both worked for my Grandfather in the 50's and 60's. A traditional local store, long before Tesco Express reared it's ugly head! In the 3rd pic you may be able to spot long since vanished comics like The Eagle and Girl.

The newspapers & comics

Alvechurch Road 2008. This group of shops in the 1950's were from L to R, the Post Office, Bods and and Tascos Dry Cleaners. The second two shops (right of Chimney) were knocked together in the 1980's, Now the Co-Op.. Barclays Bank is just to the right off the picture. (Harry Coleville)

Local History Programs

Birmingham made programs for sale (email: pcrl103fm@hotmail.com for details)

VHS Tapes, £5.00 + £2.80 post and packing (email for details, and DVD)

Pearson's Fresh Air Day

Pearson's Fresh Air Day c.1950's. It was a celebration day for inner city kids, where they came away from the smokey, dirty inner areas and had a day of fun. Cadbury family also did many of these days out. This was at Manor Farm Park.

A newspaper article dating from 1929 describes Manor Farm Park as having ‘picturesque little haunts’ for ‘poor kiddies’ chosen from schools in the poorest parts of the city to enjoy, and lists the activities that were available to them, including cricket, football, swimming and paddling, followed by meals on the sports field, and an opportunity to play on swings, and a mechanical horse. As part of the Fund’s emphasis on improving the health of Birmingham’s children, efforts were made to include children with physical disabilities in the outings. Photographs show that the children had to wear luggage labels stating their destination when they travelled to Manor Farm Park. Records suggest that the outings continued during the first years of the Second World War, with one surviving luggage label mentioning the need for the children to take their gas masks. However, wartime shortages affected the provision of food for the children’s meals, and the outings seem to have stopped for a time before resuming in the summer of 1945 and continuing into the 1950s.

C.H. Hodetts Pet Shop

C.H. Hogetts Pet Shop, Bristol Road South, corner of Church Road c.1960. Looking from Huins Corner towards what will later be The Grosvenor Shopping Center.

Mr. Hodgetts Grandson Paul emailed me in 2017.  ... "I have just found your amazing photo of my grandfather's shop. I was born there in 1951 to Stan and Betty and lived there until 1964 when the council made a compulsory purchase to build the shopping complex. I do recall the shop. Parsons the builders next door, Ray Best to the right side next to him Nicholas the fruit shop and was it then the park entrance, Tays corner, Wrensons Woolworths and Huins the shop shop, Moreton the funeral directors." ... he now lives in Market Drayton, Shrops.

A.E. Brookes & Smoky Joe's Cafe

A.E. Brookes & Smoky Joe's Cafe (popular with 50's bikers), c.1960. Bristol Road South opposite the Travellers Rest Pub (Now gone as well!). (Now Northfield Shopping Center)

The Fordrough Pub

When is a pub not a pub ..... when it's converted into a shop. The Fordrough Pub in The Fordrough, off West Heath Road, sadly the pub closed down after faltering clientele that culminated in a murder outside in 2009. The police had been called out to it 64 times in just 6 months and then the murder of Tracy McConnell who had tried to break-up a fight with 20 people. With little alterations to the building outside it's now a shop. The Tesco Express closed in 2010, and it is now a Co-Op shop.