Author Topic: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'  (Read 86604 times)

Phil

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #143 on: July 20, 2015, 06:47:47 PM »
Pat

When we moved into our house it still had the old fire range, they actually removes the old range and fitted the gas stove after we moved in. My mother often said that she wished they had left the old range.

Pat

I have looked for photos of the bottom end of Moseley Street for you, but can only get as far down as Barford St & Rea St.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

pat11

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #144 on: July 21, 2015, 11:12:54 AM »
Thank you for looking for photographs, unfortunately our house was between Barford Street and Sherlock Street.
We also had the old range when I was little, later replaced by a tiled fireplace 1950's style.
These houses were three stories, the top one being called the attic, sadly there were instances of people dying in fires being trapped in the bedrooms as the stove was situated at the bottom of the stairs and if a fire was started on the stove the enclosed staircase acted as a chimney and the fire quickly spread up the stairs trapping people especially in the attic as the window was too small and too high to escape.
Subsequently at a later date the City Council installed fire escapes in the attic in the form of an opening in the wall adjoining the house next door which was covered in a breakable fabric so as to escape next door in the event of a fire.
Kindness is the best feature

Phil

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #145 on: July 21, 2015, 11:25:57 AM »
Pats

As I think I said our house was only two storey, but we also had the same (kick through) fire escape fitted in the late 50's.and yes our fire range was also replaced with one of those horrible 50's type tiled fireplaces.

As for Moseley Street my Aunt & Niece owned the café on the corner of Rea St and Moseley St from the 80's until my Aunt died recently though that was after they built the new fruit and veg market.

Your house would have been somewhere under this building site.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

pat11

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #146 on: July 21, 2015, 03:52:01 PM »

Phil,

When I said three storey I was counting the ground floor; we had the ground floor which was  one room and scullery leading off which just had a belfast sink and draining board and leading down from the scullery were the steps down to the cellar with a grate on the pavement for the coal delivery, 1 bedroom on the first floor and attic on the second floor.


Thanks for sending the photograph, you are right, that is where I would have lived before it was demolished.


I took a trip down memory lane with my brother a couple of years ago and visited that cafe you mention, it was our only landmark from the old days.  We used to go to school in Rea Street, but that is no longer there. 
Kindness is the best feature

planetmalc

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #147 on: July 21, 2015, 05:13:54 PM »
When we moved into our house it still had the old fire range, they actually removes the old range and fitted the gas stove after we moved in. My mother often said that she wished they had left the old range.
 
She was more at Home On The Range then, Phil? ;D
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.

R H Richards

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #148 on: March 19, 2019, 07:01:38 PM »
 In 1881 my Great Grandfather Francis Podmore lived at 61 Dearman Street. Thanks for the Photo

FranHoops

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #149 on: May 18, 2019, 09:43:00 PM »
This is a photo of my grandmother Sarah Martin with her son, my uncle John & auntie Frances (nee Harris) on their wedding day on the 21st of June 1952 outside the family home of 56 Barford Street.  :)


Can anyone tell me if these were back to backs?

roy one

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #150 on: May 18, 2019, 10:26:22 PM »

hi fran I would say that there is more than a fair chance its a back to  back two up two down no inside loo no bath room   the loo was out in the yard  two or three family's to shair a look


iv added a tad of colour to your photo just to give it a bit of life





each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

Phil

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #151 on: May 19, 2019, 09:46:26 AM »
This is a photo of my grandmother Sarah Martin with her son, my uncle John & auntie Frances (nee Harris) on their wedding day on the 21st of June 1952 outside the family home of 56 Barford Street.  :)


Can anyone tell me if these were back to backs?


Hi Fran,


Welcome to you, looking at the 1950 OS map there is little doubt that number 56 was a street facing back to back house on the front of court number 12. Another thing that can be gleaned from the map is that the house next door number 58 was demolished early in the 20th century when Birmingham City Council opened up a lot of these back courts by demolishing one of the street facing houses of the court.


The other thing I notice is that the photo itself must have been taken in the court, because the house in the photo is not on the street. Keep looking in I'll see if I can come up with any more relevant information.



Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Karispirit

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #152 on: March 12, 2023, 10:58:02 PM »
I lived in a back to back house in Aston Street. There was a dark entry between the shops we would use to go down to get to our house (well we would run as we were scared of the dark in the entry).

Brummieboy66

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Re: Birmingham 'Back To Backs'
« Reply #153 on: March 26, 2023, 09:13:00 AM »
My grandmother lived at No. 4, Beale Buildings, Deritend, during World War 2. Can anyone tell me whether these were back-to-back terraces, or if they have any recollections of living there.


 

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