Author Topic: Balsall Heath as it was.  (Read 493921 times)

john2000

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #22 on: February 03, 2006, 11:50:19 AM »
Hi Tassie devil, I used to live just across the road from that shop corner of upperhighgate st and Conybere St, in Conybere st there was another shop called Mortons, they had a son who was well known on The tv in B/ham, he used to play the cook in Crossroads, ( tony) he played Carlos, they also had a daughter ( big girl ) ha, she became a ratcather of all things, funny old world,.
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Lizzy

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2006, 06:44:33 AM »
Hi Tassie Devil,yes I do remember the Mosley Rd & Kent st baths I used to go to kent St most days in the summer
taught most of the local kids to swim there. Did you go to St Albans school?????
Noticed you lived in Perth didnt you like it there??My youngest daughter lives over there and we have been there many times,she lives in Bibra Lake about 15 mins from perth city did do a bit of touring there but still like Freemantle best.However I would not like to live there its too sandy for me.Another daughter as just come back from Tassie 2 weeks holiday she speaks highly of it.also my grandson who was at Hobart uni for a year its the only place in aussie we havent been (to Cold).
Have a great day  Lizzy

tassie devil

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #24 on: February 08, 2006, 09:51:16 AM »
hi lizzie
     yes i went to st albans and the annex do you remember the roof playground boys only girls had to share with juniors. lived in northern suburbs duncraig by hillarys harbour loved perth but came to tassie for holiday and like most tourists loved the place so decided to have a seachange it is so easy to get around and a lots to see maximun distance to anywhere is about 3&half hrs and no traffic compared to distance in wa you understand having visted 5 hr min to albany or 8 hrs+north you should try friends united site do you remember janet davis peterforte you can go to school site and case i was class of 1957/8  ;D

beccy

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #25 on: February 11, 2006, 11:20:41 PM »
Hi there, I am trying to find any information about my Grandfather's family, the Staggs.  My Great grandad was William John Stagg born in 1885 in Rowland street, anyone know where that was?  He married Edith Margaret Blundell and moved to Charles Henry street then Sherlock street, Highgate street and finally Jakemans walk in Balsall Heath.  I have found out roughly where this was but would be grateful for any memories/info/photos, especially abouy Jakemans walk as this was where my Grandpa was born.  I hope someone can help, thanks :)

john2000

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #26 on: February 12, 2006, 02:25:57 AM »
Lizzy,Tassie devil, Graham and Mike,did you ever hear any ghost stories of Balsall Heath, ??
I heard of one that may be of interest to you,  they say at night when the wind is right and theres not much moon, you can hear  workers taking up the tram lines, in Longmore St, and the sound of the hammering, also some times you can see  an bold old man with one arm swinging a lagre hammer and the ground shakes as the hammer hits the rail,,
I know of one ghost  that  was seen  on the bombed site of a collage on the Pershore Rd, I used to go scrumping for apples, this "ghost"walked about 12inches off the ground, in the ruins, he was always seen in the ruins never out side, they built some flats over the ruins, I wonder if any one living there saw anything,
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Graham

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #27 on: February 12, 2006, 10:30:55 PM »
Hi John,
In the days that I lived in England I heard many ghost stories and more or less believed some of them. In the summer holidays we used to go Hop picking with Mom & aunt Liz at Shelsy Welsh, Worcester. It was said that there was a ghost living in a white house in the woods overlooking the famous hill-climb road. Everyone was so sure of it's existance that I even believed that I had seen it myself!
Since living abroad I have found out that ghosts and ghost stories only seem to be popular in Britain. I now don't believe in ghosts but don't condem ghost stories as anything that can stimulate ones imagination is good. I just can't seem to agree with some people that fanatically swear by ghosts. I love people with a driving pasion for something but can't get on with fanatics of any kind.
If I ever come back as a ghost I don't think that I would like to hang around Balsall Heath I think that I would float off to some place nice and warm where there is pleanty of flesh and blood to look at, the French Riviera or Ibiza!

john2000

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #28 on: February 13, 2006, 07:50:58 AM »
Hi"Beccy, No I did'nt live in jakemans walk, but I had a couple of mates who did live there, and Jakemans walk was an old stamping ground for me, ( did I tell you that Jakemans walk was only 12ft wide it was a passage realy, not a road, I lived in Cox St West, which ran from Lincion St  to  where Clevedon Rd and Balsall Heath rd met, I think it would be your dad /mom I would know, my time in the area was from the late 40's to the late 60's  mind you 20 years is a long time get to know an area, and I knew it well, later I moved to Small Heath, then Northfield, and then off to France to see the world, and I ended up here in The Netherlands  after seeing the world.8)
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional

Andy Capp

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #29 on: March 02, 2006, 11:25:48 AM »
John people are living history books. I think some years ago someone took some audio recordings of some old people at Tindal street school day centre. Of childhood memories in Balsall Heath i wonder if those tape recordings still exist. If so it would be great to hear their accounts of childhood. Andy Capp

john2000

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #30 on: March 02, 2006, 02:49:58 PM »
Well Andy, I think it would be very hard to find them, maybe on some dusty old shelf in some back room some where, the face of Birmingham is changing so fast they may have been swept in the bin, and lost forever, but who nows, maybe some one has some thing , which would be nice, ..........................John 2000 8)
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional

Andy Capp

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #31 on: March 02, 2006, 04:00:41 PM »
Yes John Birmingham is changing at a fast pace with the new Technology.Its so fast you barely have time to plug your new Hi Fi in before its out of date. Thats why this web site is great to try to capture peoples thoughts  & memories of old Birmingham before its lost forever. Keep the good work up. Maybe sometime someone might make TV drama about a typical Birmingham street spanning the 1930s- 1940s- & 1950s that would be nice. Andy Capp

Andy Capp

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Re: Balsall Heath as it was.
« Reply #32 on: March 02, 2006, 04:41:40 PM »
Our mom used work as a lift attendant at Marshall & snelgroves department store in Birmingham during the 1920s & 1930s. Where we lived in Gosford street Balsall Heath there was a small hallway between the front & living room mom had a curtain at the living room end to keep out the drafts. Myself & my sister would pretend that the curtain was the lift gates & we would play lift attendands. We would ask mom to talk about what she would say as she was operating  the lift to different floors.A lot of the time she would have none it. But sometimes she would indulge us & come behind the curtain & pretend it was the lift. She would call out first floor soft furnishings bedding anyone for this floor. second floor ladies underwear & so on. Thanks Mom for memory miss you Andy Capp.


 

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