Author Topic: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s  (Read 25207 times)

normansil

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2014, 04:35:34 PM »
I have been gazing at these photographs hoping they would stir a memory or two but, so far nothing really stirs. I went to Mary Street school, Infants and Juniors from 1932 or 1933 until 1939. At that time I lived in Balsall Heath Road, between Upper Cox Street and Cox Street West. I know there was a sweet shop near the school that I visited when I had some money and bought such delights as liquorice root and aniseed balls. Gob stoppers were a good suck especially those that changed colour. Then there were the chewing gum machines outside the shop which gave an extra packet every fourth go. The trick was to mark the fourth go by a scratch on the knob and then wait until the correct go for the double packet came round.
Beorma - founder of Birmingham

planetmalc

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2014, 05:32:20 PM »
Then there were the chewing gum machines outside the shop which gave an extra packet every fourth go. The trick was to mark the fourth go by a scratch on the knob and then wait until the correct go for the double packet came round.
 
These machines were later dumbed-down by the manufacturers who marked-up that fourth position by engraving an arrow on the face of the knob. ::)
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.

Paulina

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2014, 07:08:11 PM »
 :) Normansil, I have only just seen these pictures of Mary St., and you say you were at Mary St.School in the thirties!.  Well I was in the Infants until I was about 6 yrs old, so probably only about a year, and you must have been there too at the same time! I probably moved from Mary St. around 1936 or l937. Then we moved to Weoley Castle.  I probably went to the same sweet shop as you, as it was directly across the road from where I lived.  I only liked the Fry's chocolate cream bars and the lady had a kind of pad, and had to stick something in it and it chose the candy you had. But, I only wanted the Frys!  I think the picture with the number 7 on it, looks familiar, maybe where we lived as I used to stand at the bottom of the entry (I can see it in picture), eating an orange and waiting for my Grandfather to come up the road, probably from shopping. As I said, a very small world!!!!! Then, of course, the school was bombed and so was the house where we used to live, my Grandparents were there but safe. People next door were killed.  I remember going to look at the school then, sad.

normansil

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2014, 07:52:04 PM »
Paulina, I remember the pad you mention and wasn't there also something larger and when you poked something in a hole a little coloured bead came out which you exchanged for some sweet or other? Am I getting mixed up but did this shop have a sort of machine for making small bottles of pop? If you were 6 yrs old in 1936 then you are only a couple of years younger than me, I was 11 yrs old when I left in 1939.
Beorma - founder of Birmingham

Paulina

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2014, 07:22:13 PM »
 :) Hi Normansill, yes, we must have been enjoying the same sweet shop! We lived opposite, and yes, that must have been t he same pad I used too          ..and it chose which candy you had.  But, I dont remember the bottles of pop.  I used to go across the road for a cup of pickled onions! And also ice cream cones, which I sampled each one as I crossed back home! No crime round there, just down to earth living! :)

normansil

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2014, 07:37:28 PM »
Paulina, did you ever chew liquorice root or suck gob stoppers and take them out of your mouth from time to time to see if they had changed colour? What about kali dips, a bit of toffee on a stick that you sucked and then dipped into a yellow powder, if I remember correctly and then sucked again?
Beorma - founder of Birmingham

cocacolakid

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #17 on: September 25, 2014, 11:36:35 AM »
Paulina, did you ever chew liquorice root or suck gob stoppers and take them out of your mouth from time to time to see if they had changed colour? What about kali dips, a bit of toffee on a stick that you sucked and then dipped into a yellow powder, if I remember correctly and then sucked again?


This is now straying from the thread of Mary St before demolition.  There used to be several pictures of the playground side of Mary St School when demolition had started, somewhere on line. I can't find them now. If anyone has any idea where they are to be found, please let me know, thanks.
                                                                                                                   Malc.
Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Phil

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #18 on: September 25, 2014, 11:47:59 AM »
Malc

Yes it's true that this thread is getting further and further off topic. may I remind posters that this board is called "Birmingham Photos & Videos" and is primarily for images and not for chat. We have plenty of other boards that cover chat and discussion of all sorts so please can you use them.

Malc, the trouble is we have many threads that cover Balsall Heath that includes Mary Street, this is but one of them but it does have images of the school. You could try putting Mary Street in the search box.

http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1535.msg393573#msg393573

Phil died in 2020. RIP.

cocacolakid

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #19 on: September 26, 2014, 12:21:54 PM »
Malc

Yes it's true that this thread is getting further and further off topic. may I remind posters that this board is called "Birmingham Photos & Videos" and is primarily for images and not for chat. We have plenty of other boards that cover chat and discussion of all sorts so please can you use them.

Malc, the trouble is we have many threads that cover Balsall Heath that includes Mary Street, this is but one of them but it does have images of the school. You could try putting Mary Street in the search box.

http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1535.msg393573#msg393573


Hi Phil...

I have tried the obvious of using the search box on the forum, and Google etc, using numerous wordings, but I just can't find these particular  pictures I once had. I can't recall where I got them from  originally. I had them stored on my previous laptop, but the hard drive broke down and the machine became unusable and so I lost all the pictures I had saved on it, wish I had printed them off  :(   

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Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Paulina

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #20 on: September 26, 2014, 07:10:23 PM »
 :) Malc, yes, I would love to see those pictures you mentioned too. And, sorry to be still off topic, but just to reply to Normansill, yes, I did enjoy all those candies, except for the licorice root!  Sorry, I'll go on chat next time.Paulina  :)

Phil

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Re: Photos Mary Street Balsall Heath before demolision in late 1960s
« Reply #21 on: September 26, 2014, 08:04:19 PM »
malc

there is one certain way of finding your photos, and that is call up your profile from there click on show posts. That will bring up every post you have made to the forum. Go through them all, but only click on the ones that mention Mary st. It will take a little time but you will get there in the end.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.


 

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