Cox Street West - 1881

[Phil]

AVG

Do you know the address, pictures of back courts are not as easily available as those of street frontage houses, but there are some about. If there is not an image of the back court to be found, then it might be possible to find one of the frontage at least.

[AVG]

Phil. 1891 census shows GreatGran living at " back of 58 longmore Street" but by the 1911 census she moved to Jakeman Walk.
Any idea when that disappeared?
TKS. For the response AVG

[Phil]

AVG

Jakeman Walk ran between Cox Street West and Clevedon Rd (see attached map) it disappeared at the end of the 60's to the early 70's. MikeJee will know better than I because the photographed the area as it was being demolished. The photo I'm attaching here of Jakeman Walk is one of the ones he took at that time. I know he has others that he might add here for you because he sent me copies of most of them, but it's not my place to add them here without his permission.

I have to say that I didn't realise that there were separate houses in their own right in Jakeman Walk I always remembered it as just a rear access for the houses either side of it. So I've learned something new today myself.

[AVG]

Many thanks for the response pictures and advice Phil.  My ancestors started I swallow street and progressed to Wenman Street where Adolph dealt their house a knockout blow


I am grateful that you were able to confirm the redevelopment to the 60's because I had a distinct feeling that my father walked me down the walk in the 40's. By that tiime my grandad was living in Balsall Heath Road.   I have a vision of house steps rising off the walk to the front doors but that would have been towards the Balsall Heath road end of the walk.       Whatever  many many thanks for your info. Avg.

[mikejee]

AVG
The one Phil put on is looking towards Balsall Heath Road. At the time I visited it , around 1972, there were no houses left on the walk. Below are two other photos. One is taken looking the other way from close to the corner with Balsall Heath road down the back of the houses in Clevedon road, and the other looks over the ground where some of the demolished houses would have been , pointed towards Calthorpe Park direction

[AVG]

Mikejee. Many thanks for the pics.   Cannot reconcile these with my memory pictures. If the backs of the houses shown are closer to the walk then l'm struggling
On the plan posted towards Balsall Heath Road the appear to be a few dwellings that from the walk.
As we lived in Balsall Heath Road I guess my dad would take me in that way giving me an image with front door house steps on my right hand side. You would n't happen to know if that's correct or perhaps where any pictures might be held for the records.


At some point this year I have to go into the Library to do some family tree research. Do they hold traceable re irks do you know?


Thanks for all you've done anyway
AVG

[mikejee]

I have no personal knowledge of the houses other than what is on maps, I'm afraid. The large scale map c1950 below seems to confirm that the houses backed directly onto the Walk, so the doorsteps would have been close to it. A warning that it would be advisable to check with the library before turning up, depending on what you want. The local staudies dept. is far less freely available than it was before the new building erupted

[AVG]

Thanks mikejee. Looking at this enlarged plan c1950 unless I' m reading it incorrectly,the profile of the houses seems pretty standard but those houses between the two factories seem to have frontages on the walk with their yards towards perhaps an open space on Cox Street West. Am I reading it right ?

[mikejee]

With the exception of two houses on the right hand side (one marked 19 and the other would have been 17) all the houses on both sides of the Walk seem to have their frontages directly on the Walk, with yards at the back. The group around those marked 1 & 3 would have backed onto a bombed area in Cox St West. Also, though it is not clear on the sexction of map shown here, there was alsoa  cleared are behind 17 & 19 [/size]

[Lesleyanngroves]

Hi there. Sorry if I am doing this the wrong way but I have just joined and I'm still finding my way around on here. Would you have any photos of my nan's house which was no.9 Cox street west as I would love to see them. Thanks
Lesleyanngroves.

[Phil]

Hi Lesley


Welcome to the forum, this photo is one taken by Mike Jee when he was doing a photographic survey of areas of Birmingham that were being demolished in the late 60's and early 70's. This photo was probably taken a long time after your grandmother moved. It looks to be dated sometime in the early 70's, Mike would probably know better than I and I have no doubt that he might add a little about the date when he sees this.


As far as I can make out number 9 is the cream painted building next to Kalyal & Co Ltd, but there again Mike is better with house numbers than me so he might or might not confirm this unless of course you have memories of the house yourself and recognise it.