Author Topic: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?  (Read 114474 times)

Phil

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #385 on: December 14, 2018, 03:34:13 PM »
Hi Michael


Welcome to the forum, you certainly seemed to have moved around Birmingham a lot. I see that you have classed Caldwell Road interestingly as Saltley. I would have thought more Alum Rock or even Bordesley Green and I would never have dreamt Saltley, but there again back then districts didn't seem to have any definable borders and they just seemed to melt into each other.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Old South Yardley76

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #386 on: December 14, 2018, 07:42:43 PM »
Hi Michael


Welcome to the forum, you certainly seemed to have moved around Birmingham a lot. I see that you have classed Caldwell Road interestingly as Saltley. I would have thought more Alum Rock or even Bordesley Green and I would never have dreamt Saltley, but there again back then districts didn't seem to have any definable borders and they just seemed to melt into each other.


Yes, your quite right, well, actually it is or was classed as Bordesley green east. But remember i was five years old so my knowledge/memories are limited. But definitely not alum rock sides.....


Thank you for the welcome, and yes i do tend to get around for sure!  :)

Empson

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #387 on: January 20, 2019, 06:18:07 PM »
I have spent some time reading the numerous posts on this thread. There is obviously a whole lot of love for our hometown.(yup, I’m a Brummie too!). I can see that there has been some improvement to the fabric of the city but it does seem that the people are not the same. Birmingham is not ‘Brummagem’. It’s no longer Brummies that work in the city or use the library or attend the theatres it’s now a cosmopolitan race. Man is gregarious and no doubt each of the old great cities of our island kingdom had that warmth of feeling for each other. Like so many, Birmingham is now full of strangers.
Here’s a question for you.  What will HS2 do to our native home?
My view is this.  London is full. There ain’t no land for building houses,homes of whatever size. Costs are high so one needs to be very highly paid or already a millionaire. HS2 therefore is not being built (unless it’s cancelled) to bring trade to the North. Birmingham has an international airport. HS2 is to bring commuters into London quickly. No one wants a two or three hour commute, perhaps longer. London business needs people as it expands but there’s no place to house themselves they have to be transported .
What does that do for Birmingham? Does it become a dormitory town. Of course if we do manage to escape the tenuous tentacles of Brussells. HS 2 might be culled.  What do you think as The few Brummies thatare left?

townie

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #388 on: January 22, 2019, 06:49:56 PM »

Empson Lets ask you a question.What do you really think of Birmingham then and now?
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Empson

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #389 on: January 23, 2019, 09:50:43 AM »
Townie
The Birmingham of my youth, I loved. Full of old buildings then like The Council House Greys,The Stations
And one or two more modern ones like The Civic Centre Lewises C & A and The Gaumont cinema.  There narrow back streets and alleyways you could wander down to see  where you would come out.
I started work in The Civic Centre ( did it become B askerville House) behind the Hall of Memory. I lived in Balsall Heath Road about 200 yds from  Moseley Road so getting ‘up town’ was just a short tram ride or bus ride. We danced at the West End or The Locarno used most of the Cinemas and drank in Yates wine lodge or Jimmys in New street but down stairs.
You could take your girl to the pictures, go window shopping after and grab a tanners worth of baked spuds off the barrow man.....and still have change of 10/-.
 People smiled at you and said ‘sorry’ if your paths collided they were simply doing the same as you.


Today’s Birmingham has tall stark spotless and I think forbidding buildIngs. Broad street doesn’t come alive till 9 pm.
Crossing Roads was easy in my youth now you are carried with crowds, all hurrying scurrying into underpasses, driven underground by the seamless roaring traffic.
I have not been into the new Bullring shopping centre. Shopping is of no interest to me and the sight of all the “Scales” on this apparent “Whale” shaped building, I find totally incongruous


I can understand the economic view but Birmingham isn’t ‘Brum’ It’s about bringinng in more people to spend more money. It’s in competition with Manchester for the Second City title
If there are any Brummies left I think they too have changed. Most now live in estates away from the centre. The old communities are gone. Contact is gone behind the locked front door.
Townie, there’s a lot more to it than I can write here but I will say one thing about the  New City.
I really love the fantastic Brindley Basin area. That is really Old Brum but in a modern way.
I live near Alcester now and have no need to get into the city except an occasional theatre visit. Drive into the car park go to the theatre and out again. I could weep for Brum but not for what Birmingham has become. 




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Edmund Fifield

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #390 on: January 23, 2019, 10:10:05 AM »
Empson nice to see someone else used to drink in St James's ( jimmys) in New Street.Used to always drink there after the Big Band concerts at the town hall.Nice atmosphere ,lots of carracters got there.
Make every day a day to remember
Because this ain't no rehearsal
And you ain't coming back

Edmund Fifield

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #391 on: January 23, 2019, 12:00:28 PM »
Epsom,according to some people on the forum it's still the greatest city in England.Although they don't live there.
Make every day a day to remember
Because this ain't no rehearsal
And you ain't coming back

RoyMcC

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #392 on: January 23, 2019, 12:21:20 PM »
Edmund I think that we're all aware that Birmingham has changed since we were young. Those of us that no longer live there don't live in the belief that it's been preserved as we remember it. We do visit, we follow the news, we have family and friends in the city.


We never thought it was the greatest city in England. It had good and bad features. Some things have got undeniably worse, some better. For my part I enjoy my trips back and I find it of interest to see what has changed in my absence. It's not all great, I know that. But there have been some huge improvements as well.


Happy to call myself a Brummie though I've been away for 42 years, though I don't wear rose-tinted specs either  :)

mw0njm

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #393 on: January 23, 2019, 12:58:36 PM »
i lived in brum for 50 years.then .moved to the sea side as you call it. every day i wish i was back home in brum,

Spud

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #394 on: January 23, 2019, 02:54:53 PM »
Nice to read posts about Brum which are not slagging off the old girl . I have lived in Brum for the thick end of 80 years no it ain't perfect I don't like some of the things I see but I remember the back houses my Gran lived in one bringing up 6 kids the shared brewhouse and toilet across the yard the cellar the family sheltered in when Adolf left a few calling cards. My Mum and Dad were bombed out twice. I played on the Bombed Building sites. Caught Impetigo for my trouble for our younger readers it was/is a skin disease and had my my face painted with some God Awful Purple stuff to get rid of it.
On to today are there any Back Houses only those in Inge St the NT look after I believe.Yes we have our fair share of immigrants but do you know I cannot think of one who I have met that I have not liked but I am sure that there are some out there when we hear of Gangs with knives, Thankfully this the exception rather than the rule and not has some would have us believe regular occurrence on the Streets of the Second City. I like big Cities London Manchester Liverpool in only we had a Football team to compete with that lot. Been lucky thanks to Brum giving me an Education only Secondary Modern mind you my on fault there. I am afraid do get itchy when I get down to Oxford. Brum Gave me a decent Job that is once I decided what I wanted to do and realised that with a bit of effort you can improve your station  in life.I like to think that we brought a couple of decent people into the world when our Girls were born yes we taught them how behave but most of all we gave them ambition and they too improved their lot in life.
But lets go back to the New Brum . I like it. I like our new Bull Ring it has got to be an improvement on the bomb riddled  old one and the Concrete of the 60s. And what about Grand Central who would have thought we see our young [and older] ladies  sipping Prosecco at 11 O'clock in the morning and watching the world pass by very posh. Then there is Symphony Hall The New Library The New Rep I love em all.
We go in to the City quite regularly.  We like that 'I Ti ' Cafe in Grand Central I can see the comings and goings in New Street Station and listen to the different languages the millions of visitors bring to our City. I met a young couple some months ago they wanted to see our Canals they were Spanish and from Barcelona. Then a couple wanted directions to some Art Gallery in St Pauls Sq they had come down especially from Stoke we took them as far a Livery St and pointed them in the right direction it gave me great pleasure to be of help.
I've been poorly you know Brum and the QE treated me Royally again I found many fellow sufferers from around the country coming to Brum for treatment. makes you feel  proud don't it.
Any road up as we Brummies say you have probably had enough of my prattling on so I put up and shut up.
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

RoyMcC

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Re: Born or brought up in Birmingham. Would you?
« Reply #395 on: January 23, 2019, 03:00:49 PM »
Great post Spud  :)


 

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