Then & Now

[RoyMcC]

Quite often the only constants over 100 years are (1) the roadways and (2) the lie of the land. In the year 2119 those two locations will have changed again entirely but the roads will no doubt remain.[/size]

[Phil]

Smithfield House in Digbeth, from the 1950's when new up to the present day. I wonder how much longer this building will be allowed to remain?

[RoyMcC]

Smithfield House in Digbeth, from the 1950's when new up to the present day. I wonder how much longer this building will be allowed to remain?

With the vast amount of regeneration on the drawing board it's only a matter of time. No one wants 60s offices any more.

[JudithM]

With the vast amount of regeneration on the drawing board it's only a matter of time. No one wants 60s offices any more.

It's often modern requirements and building standards that are the problem - many of them would at least require complete re-wiring for all the modern technology.  Then there are standards around insulation & lighting and all sorts of health & safety things that have to be complied with for a commercial premises.  More often than not it's cheaper to build a new energy efficient office block than retro-fit an old one.

[LMB797]

This is a great picture. Thank you for sharing 

This idea I believe is new to this forum, but it works well elsewhere and is well received. The idea is to show an aged image of a street, location or building and then another image if the location today. Sometimes the difference is hardly discernible, but the difference in other cases can be unbelievable.

In this first set of images they are a bit more than just before & after at it shows the history of Great Queen Street from being a street through the changes of Queens Drive to todays entrance of Grand Central Station (New Street Station to us Brummies).

[Phil]

The Midland Red bus depot in Digbeth seen from Mill Lane from when it was first opened, up to today. I have never used this new version, but I have to say that I thought in the 60's & 70's how much of a disgrace it was and as the second city we should have presented a better image to for the first sight of many visitors to our city.

[JudithM]

I last used it in the late '80's & I think it's has refurb or two since then!

[Edmund Fifield]

If you thought Bham was bad you should have seen Victoria in London in the70s it was worse.

[RoyMcC]

The Midland Red Sports & Social Club was just across the road, just past the Police Station. Looks like it's been flattened for a hotel-type place   

[Hi De Hi]

Heading down Turves Green we pass by Turves Green School on our right hand side now a Girls School and an Acadamy.

Turves Green Girls is still an LEA school and NOT an academy.

[Phil]

Turves Green Girls is still an LEA school and NOT an academy.

Sorry, but the information I had at hand in 2016 said it was an academy, perhaps because there was some talk of it becoming an academy but they decided against it.