Milk Street old flats

[berniew]

Hello PhIL I wonder if you remember the name of the small pub in Barn Street it had a gothic arch over the door , it's been driving me mad   Bernie

[Phil]

Bernie

If you mean the one that was on the Barn St / Little Ann St junction I only remember it as a coffee house. We used it for a while in the early 70's, but I have no memory of it as a pub. Give me a couple of days and I will find out its name. Thats if its the right place I'm thinking of.

Phil

[berniew]

Hi Phil that is the right place it was a pub until the mid to late 50 s thanks Bernie

[Phil]

Bernie

According to http://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/ it was either The Beehive or The Brewers Arms.

I have to be honest I don't have a clue. Do you recognise either?

Phil

[berniew]

Hello Phil still can't remember I will ask my aunt ,my money's on the Beehive I'll let you know thanks   Bernie

[Phil]

Bernie

Do you remember this factory Joseph Nicholls in one of those roads off Heath Mill Lane. I remember in the 60's walking down digbeth with about half a dozen mates. When this big car pulled up alongside of us.

The chap inside gave us a card and said meet him at the address on the card in about half an hour.  Having nothing better to do, we slowly made out way there. When we arrived and asked for him at reception we were ushered inside. He exited from an office and said "who wants a job". I just turned around and walked out thinking it can't be much of a place to work for if he has to drive round the streets looking for prospective employees. I think two of our number actually took jobs there.

Phil/

[berniew]

Hello Phil I Used to work for a couple of electrical contractors local to Digbeth and I'm sure I Have done some work there . It would have been late 60s early 70s but I can't remember much about the place , a plating shop springs to mind ,but I have worked in lots of small factories around the area for short durations sometimes just " breakdowns " so I May be confused. If it is the same place from the little memory I have of it you made the right choice to keep walking Bernie

[Phil]

Bernie

Did you ever do any work work for Metal Treatments they practically owned Heath Mill Lane at one time.

I think Nicholls did press & stamping work, Mind you they didn't have much chance of me accepting a job it wasn't in part of my work cycle. I only worked in the winter months in my youth. I think perhaps this was why I was able to so much effort in to the business when I settled down. It must have been what I was saving myself for.

[berniew]

Hello Phil I did work at Metal Treatments for both Dowding and Mills and W J Parsons by the Old Crown . I did my apprenticeship at Dowdings and a few years after i left i was sent to Metal Treatments to sort out some fire damage to spray booths late Friday afternoon. To cut along story short I fell of a ladder and no major damage but could not walk for a few days .The labour old Wally Parsons had arranged to do the job did not turn up and we were thrown off the job .On the following Wednesday when I finally limped back to work I Found no one had picked up my tools and my first job was to collect them from Metal Treatments where I found we had been replaced by two of my former apprentices at dowdings , much to their delight and my drinking pals from there ,I have never had so much stick for so long talk about embarrassing.Metal Treatments is still going it's in Humpage Road Bordesley Green. The other place i remember was next door to Metal Treatments a firm called Raybestos they used to do brake linings and grind asbestos I try not to dwell on that   Bernie

[Phil]

Bernie

I understand your reticence and fears about asbestos. When we first started at our game there were no warnings about how dangerous it was. When we went along and demolished some of these factories they all had boiler houses filled with the stuff.

These places were always filled with copper brass & lead, so they were the first places to be stripped. All the pipework was covered in asbestos and the usual method of removing it was to run a sharp shovel along the pipe.

My youngest uncle Ben who I have mentioned before, was in the same game as us. In fact we often worked together on contracts, He died with cancer and a week later his partner also died with cancer. My father a plumber who handled asbestos all his life also died with cancer.

It gives one pause for thought.

Phil

[Phil]

Hello PhIL I wonder if you remember the name of the small pub in Barn Street it had a gothic arch over the door , it's been driving me mad   Bernie

Hi Bernie

I came across this the other day, if this is the pub you mean (its the one I was talking about) then the name is given as the Vulcan Inn. As I said I only ever had a sos & tom there never a pint.

Phil