Milk Street old flats

[berniew]

Hello everyone my nan used to live in Milk Street on the corner of Bordesley street ,Milk Street runs from opposite Rea Street , Digbeth to Fazeley Street and I remember a block of low rise flats there in really bad condition this was mid 50s and they looked 50 years old then , does anyone know which were the first flats in Brum , as don't recall seeing any that old anywhere else . While on the subject of Milk Street I also remember cattle and sheep being driven towards Digbeth presumably to market but where were they driven from , it seems an odd rout from Moor Street , Curzon Streetand it seems improbable that livestock was transported by barge to Fazeley street. I have a vauge memory of a curious shop on Digbeth where pop was sold in Victorian type bottles and old sort of pinball machines I think it was called the Herb Beer Shop . Does anyone have any thoughts on the flats or the cattle or remember the shop  Bernie

[denise]

I should imagine Phil will come up with something for you.

[denise]

Just thought I would bump this one

Anybody?

Phil?

[Phil]

berniew

I'm sorry but cutting down on my visits to the site as I have been, I missed this request.

I have three photo's. I think they are the flats you are after, I remember these flats myself, as I was always mooching around Digbeth myself as a kid.

I also remember cattle and sheep being handled by drovers herded and driven on foot  into the slaughter house in Smithfield in the early fifties when I was a nipper. I also remember the occasional one getting away and making a bolt up Bradford St being chased by all and sundry.

Phil

[pickard.r]

Hi berniew

I just had to make some sort of comment on this thread because Milk St; is where my family lived up to 1953ish I don,t know what number they lived but from what I have been told There was a factory next door which had a giant press nicknamed "Big Bertha"and whenever she fired up the whole house/block shook, in fact during a visit from the housing Big Bertha started up luckily for my mum & they were offered a house in Kings Heath.
My mum & dad,s names are Len & Dolly Pickard & my brothers are Lenny & Terry, It would be great if you remember them

Regards

Bobby

P.S
Well done Phil, I can,t wait to show em the photo,s

[berniew]

Hi Bobby I lived in Small Heath at that time and was only about 8 but my nan lived at 44 Milk Street her name was Alecia Wright and she had 11 kids. There names were Agnes , Alecia , Maggie ,Winnie , Mary . Ellen or Nellie , Tommy , Jack ,Billy ,Bernard and Jimmy .Billy was my dad Nellie lived in Rea Street about 4 doors from the Anchor pub and was married to Tom Doherty .My great aunt lived in Allison Street Caroline or Cal Ward she had a son named John or Sonny as most new him and daughters Florrie and Dolly ,perhaps your folks may remember some of them . The only 2 surviving aer Alecia and Maggie , I am going to see Alecia next week and I Will show her Phil's fantastic photos,my sister is in touch with them more often than me so I Have asked her to enquire next time they phone  regards Bernie

[berniew]

Thanks for your replies folks and a special thanks to Phil for those terrific photos never thought i would see those sites again many thanks Bernie

[Phil]

berniew

Just a few more local shots. that you should recognise, I remember most of them well.

The first one is of the flyover on the High St at Bordesley a temporary structure erected over one weekend. I remember it going up and I remember it coming down, some 20 odd years later.

Twinings Tea, remember them. what I remember most is the smell of the factory when you were in that area.

The junction of Milk St and Digbeth High St, I suppose you have enough of your own memories of that.

Digbeth police station, where me and about 20 mates of both sexes spent about 4 hours one Friday night for doing nothing apart from being young.

Phil

[berniew]

 great photos Phil thanks a lot for those , i spent many hours outside the Little Bull and The Wharf with a bottle of Vimto and a packet of crisps . I too remember the cops from Digbeth being very heavy handed coming out of The Manzil or the Midnight City Bernie

[Phil]

berniew

Did you use The Manzil much, it was my old man who was the main contractor when it was converted from Morgans Sausages to a restaurant in the 60's. I could tell you a few tales about that place.

I used it a lot up until the early 70's. I liked it because whenever the owner Quarashi was in I got first class service with lots of extras for free. Do you remember Quarishi he was the little balding bloke who spoke and acted like an English gentleman. I think he was even known to wear a toupee at times.

He had a very bad aversion to paying out money, and I know my father had to take a part share in the business at one time because he couldn't get paid.

Phil

[berniew]

Hello Phil we did use the Manzil quite often up till  the 70s depending where we had been the other frequent place in town was The Eastern Moon on the Ringway .I do remember the owner he was like a character out of Goodness Gracious Me , I Used to order everything " on the bone "in those days and had some very strange shaped chicken portions but still eat and enjoyed most of them . Don't get down that way much but it was still open about 4 years ago .he chose a really good spot there , do you know if the same family own it now Bernie