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 ?