Author Topic: COLLEGE STREET, LADYWOOD / BROOKFIELDS  (Read 1453 times)

the doc

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COLLEGE STREET, LADYWOOD / BROOKFIELDS
« on: May 18, 2008, 12:06:21 AM »
G’day,

My name is Jeff Holloway and I was born at 5 back of 12, College Street, Brookfields / Ladywood. Ours was one of eight back-to-back houses in the “yard”, each house being three stories with cellar, a single room downstairs with a kitchenette just large enough for a gas stove, sink (cold water only) and a small cupboard, one bedroom and an attic.

As you walked up the “yard” there were

- The Bakers (Irene and ??)
- An old lady (Mrs ?) who lived on her own. She worked from home making cardboard tubes
- The Barkers (Nancy and ?)
- The Allens (Ray and ?)

Then you entered the open, common area that had the two wash houses (brew houses?) and four toilets. Two families shared a wash house and toilet.

Then came

- The Lanes. He worked for the railways and smoked twist in his pipe.
- The Holloways. Marge and George with children Jeff, Kay and Susan
- The Iresons. Don’t know the parents names but their children were Raymond (he was in the navy), Thelma, Ronnie and Kenneth
- The Whiteheads

Our “yard” was blocked off from the “yard” facing us by a wall. The houses in the other “yard” were considered very “posh” compared to ours because they were only two stories but had TWO rooms downstairs (yes, they had their own parlour!!) and two bedrooms. In this yard lived my grandmother (Nin Phillips) and my mother’s sisters and their families. There was Dilla and Ernie Gregory with their children Brian and Janet, Floss and Fred Dukes with their son Roy and Amy and John Franks who lived with my Nin with their two sons Tony and Roger. There were two other families in the “yard” one of which I think were the Moorheads (not sure of the spelling).

There was a small “shop” owned by a Mrs. Swindler (?) that seemed to sell only bundles of firewood and cigarettes. Times were hard and my father would send me to her shop with a penny or two to buy him one cigarette and one match wrapped up in newspaper. There was also a true “corner shop” on the corner of College and Myddleton Streets owned by the Roberts I think. The “Old College” pub was on the corner of College Street and Spring Hill and the landlord was Bill Millington, a fairly rotund guy.

Other families I can remember in the street were the Mountneys (son David), Robinsons (son Dennis), Smith (they had a large family including a son called Teddy) and the Leonards (son Trevor)

Around 1961 the Council decided pull down the houses and we were “relocated to Kings Norton.

I have been living in Australia for the past 40 years and would like to hear from anyone who lived in College Street area in the period 1943 to around 1962 or who can give me any information and/or photographs on what has happened to the street over the years.

Phil

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Re: COLLEGE STREET, LADYWOOD / BROOKFIELDS
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2017, 11:25:59 PM »
This was posted today in error I would think as it was posted on the "report to moderator button" which can only be seen by moderators.

"my wife Susan towner lived in Middleton st and know the smith family plus other ,i will ask to do you an update some.
john day"


John I would point out that the post you were replying to was made in 2008, that being some nine years ago and the last time the poster visited this site was in 2009.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.


 

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