The "little" shops of Balsall heath.

[cocacolakid]

Hi Malc
Managed to find this but can't seem to find the school photos you told me about. Can you send me the link? Great to see you on Friday, thanks again for the help.
Best wishes
John

Hi John. pleased you found your old pal Kenny.  The Mary St class photo is I hope, Below.
 
 

[Phil Davidson]

For me, the most local shops were at the junction of Kingsley Road and Oldfield Road.


There was one grocery / greengrocery shop on the northern point of the junction, which was run by a Mrs. Hopley.
Google shows it as a newsagent today.
I seem to remember 2 daughters, Angela, the elder of the 2 and a younger daughter whose name won't come back to me.


The eastern part of the junction was not a corner, but a curve, on which there were several shops. A drapers, an off licence, a butchers,(which became one of the early halal butchers in the early / mid 60's), a newsagent, where I had my first paper round, and a couple of other shops that I don't remember much. They have all gone now.


On Ombersley Road, on the right going towards Ladypool Road, there was Bird's grocers, which I have seen mentioned on another thread.


On the left corner of Ombersley Road and Ladypool Road was Jackson's Furniture.
Across the road on Ladypool Road was Peacocks, with Woolies on the same side, a bit closer to Highgate Road.


Turning right along Ladypool Road from Ombersley Road, and before the junction with Oldfield Road, Wimbush on the right, the cinema on the left, (forgot the name), and Morrisons Butchers on the left. One of my mates from Ombersley Road and Clifton Road School used to work at Morrisons on Saturdays, and ended up marrying Mr. Morrisons daughter, Pam.


On the  western corner of Ladypool Road and Oldfield Road, possibly the best ice cream shop in Brum. I think the name was Verrucia. Definitely Italian.


Going back up Ombersley Road towards Moseley Road, there were a couple of shops just before the railway bridge, opposite the entrance to the scales factory, and on the left hand corner with Moseley Road, there was a bike shop, now selling auto parts.


Next to, or at least close to the bike shop, there was the first Indian restaurant in the area. Memory is failing me, but the Star of India rings a bell. The owner's son Snowy, (but probably Sonoor or some such), used to be a good mate of mine. I think he lived at the bottom of Edward Road. 


I have seen a few references to the ironmonger's shop on Highgate Road. I can remember going in there for a half a pound of nails.


Next door, I think, was the barber's, where I used to go for my "short back and sides".


Not a shop, but I used to work the pumps at Saint Paul's garage on Moseley Road, and for some time, I worked in the chip shop next to the pub on the corner of Edward Road. At that time, it was owned and run by a Greek Cypriot we called Alex, whose real name was Vladimiros.


Again, not a shop, but anybody remember collecting old newspapers to take to the yard at the bottom of Sherbourne Road ? Very handy in the run up to November 5.


Phil.

[Phil]

Phil
 
I remember all the shops you mention, the ice cream shop was Burdens that might not have been the family name but it was the name they traded under. The curry shop on Moseley Rd was the Jinnah the owners name was Kazi he was married to a Scotch lady by the name of Betty(I think), I didn't know the son I don't think he ever worked in the restaurant did he?
 
When did you live near Oldfield Rd, did you know Chris Duffy or George Rose? who both lived down Grosmont Avenue?

[Phil Davidson]

Phil,


I don't have any photographic evidence, but I am convinced that the ice cream shop at the bottom right of Oldfield Road had an Italian name.


Kazi is definitely the family name I remembered for the owner of the Indian Restaurant.
Now you mention it, I do have vague memories of a Mrs. Kazi with bleached blonde hair.
As far as I know Snowy did not work in the restaurant, but I must have lost touch with him some time around 1966, when he would have been about 16 years old.


I was born in 63 Ombersley Road, the third house up from the start of Kingsley Road. I was born in 49, and I lived there until my parents were moved out to Chelmsley Wood, I think in the winter of 1969 / 1970, so I was there for the first 20 years of my life.


I can't remember Grosmont Avenue, and it does not show on Google Maps. However, I do remember an avenue, more or less opposite to Springfield Avenue, which is not shown on Google. I know it existed because it was a part of my paper round, (Walsh the newsagent ?), and a girl I used to fancy, also a Clifton Roader, used to live there. (A non-starter really, as she was much taller than me).


Unfortunately, the Duffy and Rose names don't ring any bells. For whatever reason, the kids in our neck of the woods tended to be split between Clifton Road and Tindal Street Schools. I find it much easier to remember the names of Clifton Roaders.


Phil.

[Phil]

Living in Ombersley Rd then just the other side of Kingsley Rd lived an old mate of mine Jack Woolley and just up the road toward the church hall lived relations of mine the Wheelers did you know either of those. If you look at this photo of Oldfield Rd then Grosmont Avenue was just about opposite where the van is parked on the right side of the road.
 
 

[Phil Davidson]

Sorry Phil, but I have no memories of anybody down on that side of Oldfield Road.


However, I definitely remember Mrs Woolley, as she and my Mom got on very well together.
I am not so sure about Jack Woolley, but Denis Woolley is really ringing some bells.
Did a couple of the lads from the family work for Grooms ?
Did the Woolleys live in the last house with a front garden ?
From the age of 4 or 5, I also have vague memories of a Margaret and a Kitty, who I think were related to the Woolleys.


As for the Wheelers, small world, but Stephen Wheeler was an old friend of mine, and we were always in the same class at Clifton Road. My memory is a bit hazy, but I am guessing that the Wheelers lived at number 31.
One story that I do remember is that the very last time I ate spaghetti, or any other form of pasta, was in the Wheeler house. On odd occasions, I used to go to Stephen's for beans on toast. (the Wheelers were better off than us, and had a nicer house with a modern extension to the kitchen). On the day in question, Stephen served up Heinz Spaghetti on toast, and I have not touched pasta since that day.


In fact, there were 3 of us Ombersley Roaders together at Clifton Road. Me, Stephen and Alan Brain, who lived on the same side of the road, but the other side of the railway bridge. Alan had an older brother John, who might be a bit closer to your age.


We also knew a lad named Danny, who lived more or less opposite to Stephen. I think that he was a Tindall Streeter, and the last I remember of him were stories related to drugs use in the second half of the 60 's.


Phil.

[frederick]

Phil Davidson,
Did you know of a Harry Humphries he lived on the right going from Ladypool rd he was a builder.

[Phil]

Phil
 
Yes they did have a front garden and I think the whole Woolley family worked for Grooms at one time, There were three brothers if I remember correctly one that was older than Jack and one that was younger Jack was a good deal older than me by at least 20 years but he was a great bloke. He worked on the demolition side for Grooms until  he got a job looking maintaining one arm bandits for a company in Adderley St down Saltley. Sadly Jack died quite some time ago.
 
I don't know what relation Stephen Wheeler was to me but his mother was my grandmothers sister, who didn't like anyone to know that she came out of the slums of Benacre Street. Fred her husband was a great bloke who was a dustman all his life and the older brother Gerald was something quite high in the Salvage Department. When they moved out of Ombersley road they had a house build off Swanhurst Lane. I seem to recall that Stephen is living out Sutton way somewhere.

[Phil Davidson]

Phil Davidson,
Did you know of a Harry Humphries he lived on the right going from Ladypool rd he was a builder.

Sorry, but Harry Humphries does not ring any bells.
There was a Mr. Childs, also a Harry I think, who lived on the left, going up from Ladypool Road, who was a manager of some sort at Birmingham Asphalt & Paving. My oldest brother worked for him from 63 to 67 ish.


My best memories of the bottom end of Ombersley Road were the never ending football games that used to go on in the long alley behind the houses on the left going down. 

[roy one]

 I am convinced that the ice cream shop at the bottom right of Oldfield Road had an Italian name. it was called Burdens just a few years after the shop on the corner opened they went in to icecream production  just across the ladypool road  selling bulk icecream to mobile icecream vans

[Phil Davidson]

Phil
 
I think the whole Woolley family worked for Grooms at one time

The first time I ever sat in a truck was when one of the Woolley brothers put me in the cab of a Grooms tipper truck. They were often parked outside the Woolley house.

who didn't like anyone to know that she came out of the slums of Benacre Street.

It's funny looking back, but my Mom was born at the bottom left of Sherbourne Road, near to the old Rag & Bone yard. She seemed to think that Ombersley Road was a bit posher.

Fred her husband was a great bloke who was a dustman all his life

My Mom was very friendly with a lady whose husband was a dustman. I seem to remember that one of his rounds was in a posh area, probably Edgbaston or Harborne, and with the "old" clothes that were thrown away on this round, she always joked that they were the best dressed couple in Balsall Heath.