Author Topic: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat  (Read 349189 times)

Bronson

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #957 on: August 27, 2017, 11:29:10 PM »
The date 1909  should read 1914,

BrummieGeoff

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #958 on: October 06, 2017, 06:54:23 PM »
I've just found this site/thread, and enjoyed reading all the old posts over the past few days.
Thornhill Road has played a big part in my family's life. My granddad is shown in the 1911 Census living at the bottom of Thornhill Road. He moved further up the road shortly after, and my dad was born and lived there until the outbreak of WW2. Their house was bombed so they moved 4 doors up. My dad returned from the war, got married and moved into the house nextdoor to my granddad's .... and I was born in the front bedroom in 1956. I moved out in 1977, but my grandad and dad lived in Thornhill Road for the rest of their lives. I guess people didn't move around as much in the old days.
I used to walk down Percy Road to Greet Primary School - with my older brother until I was 7, and then alone. No chance of being taxied to school like a lot of kids now. I then went to Moseley Grammar.
Lots of the earlier posts struck a chord. I spent lots of time in Sparkhill Park playing football, cricket and "messing about". I walked to  Sparkhill Baths from Greet School, and regularly went at other times using my free-pass. I spent lots of time in Sparkhill library. I played by the River Cole at Formans Road, Green Road ford and the Dingles. I went to the Saturday morning sessions at the Piccadilly (penny halfpenny each way on the bus, 6d entrance and 3d for an ice loll). I had the "penny for the guy" pitch outside the Bear every November, and collected old boxes/cardboard/paper from the neighbourhood for our garden bonfire. I collected my Mom's groceries from Jordan's on the corner of Thornhill and Percy. I collected my Dad's Sports Argus every Saturday evening from Boddington's newsagents on the opposite corner. I was the "butcher's boy" at Haliwell's butchers on the corner of Formans and Percy .... riding my bike around the area delivering meat morning and evening. I had my hair cut at Terry's barbers in Formans Road. Lots of very happy days and memories.
I went for one of my occasional walks around the area earlier this week, and I must disagree with a lot of the comments on this thread about the state of Sparkhill today. Of course the residents and shops have changed in the past 60 years. But what I saw was a busy, vibrant community getting on with their lives. Thornhill Road is little changed, and is being well maintained - although I didn't see any ladies washing their front step like my mom did. It certainly isn't unsafe or threatening as some have suggested, and anyone thinking of going down memory lane shouldn't be deterred by some of the negative comments earlier in this thread.
Anyone else out there with Thornhill Road memories .... and maybe pictures ?

roy one

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #959 on: October 06, 2017, 07:41:40 PM »
hi bg welcome to the forum there is nothing wrong with sparkhill or Sparkbrook I go down that way when I'm buying new carpets always get a good deal  a photo of Thornhill road
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

Phil

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #960 on: October 06, 2017, 07:51:37 PM »
Hi Geoff,

Welcome to the forum, sorry I have no memories of Thornhill Road other that The Bear public house being on the corner and it being a real problem for dropping off skips in the 70's as it was bumper to bumper parking every day of the week.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Spud

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #961 on: October 07, 2017, 10:34:53 AM »
Hello Geoff
You certainly rang a few bells Boddintons Jordans etc. I delivered a few Newspapers for Bods It was Mitchells of cousrse before the Bodingtons took it over. And Jordans they were a 'big' family the son Peter was a projectionist and the Odeon Cinema in New St for years.
The Raffety's had the shop before The Jordans.
I remember the the Houses which were  Bombed in Thornhill Road in fact I used to play on the Bombsite and caught Impetigo  a rather nasty skin problem playing there just after the end of the War. My face was 'Painted' with a sort of a purple paint to cure the problem. My Mother worked with June Castle who lived in Thornhill Road with her blind father they worked together at the Sparkhill Printing works in Formans Road.
I lived in Percy Road from 1940 until 1962 went to Greet School and Formans Road Schools. My eldest Daughter was born in Percy Road . I was actually born in Handsworth after being bombed out in Percy Road in November 1940 and returned a few weeks later but that is another story. 
I have two Daughters both of which like me went to Greet School and my wife lived in Knowle Road

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BrummieGeoff

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #962 on: October 07, 2017, 12:34:49 PM »
Hi Spud,
Yes, I remember June Castle - my mom would always stop to speak if we saw her out. In fact, my mom was always stopping to speak to people .... it took ages to walk anywhere. Shopping on the Stratford Road was a particular problem. It seemed that we'd stop every 10 yards or so. My mom seemed to know everybody !
My granddad and dad were general property repairers (plumbing, zincwork, roofing etc etc) and did lots of work in our area - so they may well have worked on your house.
I knew a few families on Percy Road, but I can only remember the names of 2 .... coincidentally both Foster, although I don't think they were related. David Foster was very good at football and cricket (compared to me anyway .... although he was a few years older).
I remember the Jordans in the corner grocery shop being very rude when my mom started to do her main weekly shop at the cheaper new-style supermarket on the Stratford Road. The times were changing.
Ref the WW2 bombing .... it's still very obvious which houses were hit, because they were rebuilt with flat roofs - as you can just about see in Phil's recent photo. Dad was always fixing leaks on those roofs - he much preferred the old pitched slate roofs. I believe one woman was killed in the Thornhill Road bombing when there was a direct hit on her garden air-raid shelter.

BrummieGeoff

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #963 on: October 07, 2017, 12:40:33 PM »
P.S. Spud : I do hope I'm not going to receive a compensation claim for the impetigo you claim to have caught in the bombed ruins of my grandad's house !  ;D ;D

frederick

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #964 on: October 07, 2017, 05:08:06 PM »
Geoff,
Did you now of a family with the name Eadie that lived in Thornhill rd. they lived about halfway down on the right hand side coming from Stratford rd.
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BrummieGeoff

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #965 on: October 07, 2017, 06:39:48 PM »
Frederick ....
Yes, the Eadies lived on the opposite side of Thornhill Road to me .... but I didn't really know them
I think there may have been more than one generation of Eadies in the road.
The 1955 Electoral Register shows a family living at No 40 .... but the family I remember in the 1960's lived higher up the road.

frederick

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #966 on: October 08, 2017, 07:46:49 AM »
Geoff,
The older son may have also lived in Thornhill rd. the younger son Roy was the one that I worked with at the Serck radiator in Springfield rd and through him I met his brother and his mum and dad. His dad at the time around 1960 had one of those American type Vauxhall Cresta cars. Roy lived at 111 Knowle road.
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Spud

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Re: sparkhill sparkbrook highgat
« Reply #967 on: October 08, 2017, 10:41:05 AM »
Fred
My wife lived at 101 Knowle Road until we got married !!
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap


 

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