Hi folks. Happy New Year. It's been many years since I logged in the forums too look around. The only site I spend time on typically is iATN (international Automotive Technicians' Network) since 1998.
I immigrated from Erdington to Canada in November '74 and what prompted me tonight was learning about the death of Ray Thomas of Moody Blues fame. That is sad news. There are many names of stars hailing from Birmingham in my youth, although I was never any fan of Ozzie Osbourne of Black Sabbath at the time, who lived just down the road from my aunt and uncle in Aston back then.
As a teen and young adult in the 60's (born in '52 at Marsten Green Maternity Hospital - long since gone), I frequented the Carlton Ballroom (became Mothers) above the Cavendish Furniture store, where the Moody Blues and many top names played and hung out in those days.
While I frequented many local pubs, the "New Roebuck" cellar bar was a hangout for a bunch of us young rockers back in '68 through until they closed the downstairs bar. We frequented the "Pop In" café on York Road after the pub at the time.
I worked as an apprentice tool and die maker out of school in '68 to '71 at Pressed Steel Fishers on Kingsbury Road, when there was 14,000 of us working there. XJ6s were lined up outside for "miles" on dollies back then. We apprentices started out in an adjacent building where the cinema now stands and we had our own barge under the bridge on Kingsbury Road. Last time I visited the site in 2004, one of my old work mates who was still there in the tool room, there were less than 200 employees!
I worked on motorcycles and cars part-time, first at the old Rickards shop on Station Road when Rod Rickard moved to small premises under the Erdington Station Road railway bridge arches.
Moving on and working on cars by day, having left my apprenticeship by '71, I started driving taxis at night for Star Taxi (formerly JJ Taxi in Slade Road), which was located near the corner of South Road and Reservoir Road, by the Chinese chip shop. We later moved to York Road opposite to where the Pop In was located. I don't recall the name of the restaurant upstairs though.
As a young adult, I would ride and drive anything with wheels, did the Double Zero Club and ran out at Hednesford a few times when the Morris family of Meadway Spares owned the racetrack. I drove racecars out here in BC,Canada and the Pacific Northwest USA for 15 years, finally quit in '95.
I worked as a bouncer for a while at the Irish Mens' Club next to the Conservative Club in Orphanage Road; I think it was called the "99 club, down the walkway off the street, just past Thomas Startins car dealership across the road.
Being a taxi driver, I got to drive many of the groups around and spent a lot of time running the 4.6 miles (IIRC) from Erdington into the city up the Aston Expressway and back. Anyone who frequented the clubs around Broad Street and the cafes, or drove taxis back then would surely remember "Barry the Queer". He was usually found in the café down towards the end of Broad Street (Hall of Memory end)
Please pardon my political incorrectness, no intent to offend since times have changed, but nicknames were commonly used by many of us back then. My nickname at the time was "Butch", so named for my rather intimidating size and muscle bulk, of which much seems to have sadly sagged due to gravity and ago over time! VBG.
Late night eating between drop offs at the clubs, some of us could be found downing King Prawn or Bombay curries at the Indian restaurant down at the bottom of the Smallbrook Ringway, while we waited for our return fares during a brief quiet time.
My Dad passed away at the old family home in Glendon Road in 2004. What was a nice road in a modern semi-detached to grow up in from 1953, had changed and is rather a sad sight these days compared to my youth.
I spent plenty of time in the Rum Runner, Barbarellas, Rebeccas and many more of the clubs in those days and from driving a truck for Wheelers Timber and Builders in Hampton Road, I had a good knowledge of the city that remained for many years to serve me well driving taxis. Unfortunately my built-in natural "A-Z" street memory is now fading a bit, since I don't need to recall it often. The "Peter Rabbit" club on Broad Street just popped into my head as strain to think of some of the other clubs. The Dolce Vita and Locarno were other favourites, but there were many smaller clubs that don't come to mind at this minute.
I left about a week before the Birmingham Bombings and there was a bomb scare in Canada House in the Rotunda when I went for my immigration interview earlier in the year. As a taxi driver back then, it was common to be locked in the city late at night when there was heightened activities.
FWIW, I went to Court Farm Primary School and then Marsh Hill Boys' Technical Grammar School in Hampton Road, left school at 16 in 1968. I worked at Moyle and Adams grocery store at Stockland Green next to Taylors, delivering groceries by bicycle and working in the shop.
So, a lot of the pubs that are now no longer there, The Queen's Head in Reservoir Road, the Norton at the corner of Kingsbury and Tyburn Roads and many more are sadly gone. I had many interesting fares to and from the night clubs, pubs, social and working mens' clubs around Birmingham, regular trips out to the Belfry restaurant and plenty of longer distance fares.
The last English pubs that I visited in 2004 was an old hangout, the Stockland and the Shelton Inn in Belle Vale, Halesowen, run by my wife's cousin Freddie Games (RIP) and wife Gillie. That little pub has long since closed and been decommissioned after they retired and appears to be a private residence when viewing with Google Earth. The building was a mill before a pub.
I've lived here since '74 and been married since '75 to a girl from Stockland Green who lived in Lambourne Road. I went to school with a boy who lived next door to her family, whose sister married my wife's brother and I worked with the boy at the grocery store who lived on the other side. I'd never met her and she'd left for Canada in 1969. Small world it is, she'd gone back to her cousin's wedding, who was my ex-business partner and we got together. The rest is history.
My wife's maiden name was Susan Sanders. She went to Marsh Hill Open Air School down Marsh hill and Stockland Green Comprehensive before leaving for Canada. Funny thing happened a few years ago, since she's been Sue Smith for the past 43+ years, is that we have a backyard pond with goldfish that proliferate each year. Our youngest daughter Jacqueline who just got married on New Years eve, told us about her friend whose Mom lives close by and would takes some of our excess fish. It turned out to be another Sue Smith who grew up on Castle Vale, just across from PSF (Jaguar)! We've since become friends and on our occasional nights out, we dig up memories from the "good old days" in Birmingham, looking through rose tinted glasses of course!
I apologize for the diatribe above, just reminiscing about my misspent youth in Birmingham. I've spent all of my years here in BC as a certified automotive technician, worked in smaller shops until 1980 and then one General Motors (Chev, Olds, Cadillac) dealer until 2003. I've been a certified instructor, starting part-time in 1998 and carried on my GM association through BCIT, to this day with a 37 year association with General Motors of Canada training technicians. I always drove hot rodded Fords back then, wouldn't touch a Vauxhall! Go figure.
Funny thing, I spent plenty of time on the dance floors in the clubs during my youth, although like many of us we were shoulder to should with no room to show off the moves we never had! Doing the Father and Daughter slow dance scared the heck out of me a little over a week ago!
Anyway, it was fun to visit this site tonight and trudge through to recall many of my old hangouts around the city, although some got the names right, the locations were not all correct. It's good to exercise the brain now and then, especially through the bleak winter months until I can hang a leg over my motorcycle and get out for a ride.
Take care and thanks for the fond memories of the city I grew up in.
Sincerely,
Martin Smith.