Author Topic: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells  (Read 44735 times)

Mother_Goose

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Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« on: February 23, 2011, 10:28:06 PM »
I am back nosing in the forum after a few months doing other things. As a past resident of William St Lozells - I occasionally search for historic goodies and there was a post from a lady called Ann who actually lived in the courtyard at the rear of our backtoback(we lived on the street). She left in 1967 we were last out in 1968. Does her family remember the old guy right at the back who kept chickens and the trouble they had when he moved house as it was full of cats in every crevice of the property. Then every year we had bonfires in the courtyard. This is the courtyard between 100/102 William St.


And does anyone have any pictures of William St. This is why I usually come on for a nose. Anything to do with William St and Alma St school


My aunt is 95 next month - born in the same house as me and still going strong. Is she oldest resident still alive from that street? It looks like her poverty lifestyle set her up with a strong constitution[/size]

Phil

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2011, 08:33:30 PM »
Hi Mother Goose,
 
Come back and see us more often, I can't remember if I have posted these for you before but there are a couple of back courts from William St and one of Alma St School.
 
Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Mother_Goose

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2011, 08:37:21 PM »
I am having trouble uploading a street plan of the William St courts from 1889. In the plan court 28 is enclosed by houses - same as the one at the back of our house. This is how I remember the street there were no open courts. I think the William St above is from a different part of the city. Unless someone can tell me different.


will try to upload a doc in next posting

Mother_Goose

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2011, 08:47:20 PM »
not sure if this works

Phil

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2011, 09:08:26 PM »
Anne
 
I have just took a look at a street plan for William St Lozells and you are right it doesn't show that any of the back terraces were opened up in the early 19th century improvement schemes. The trouble with old photos is that they very frequently get mislabelled when they are rediscovered by photo journalists especially when there are several roads with the same name.
 
I have taken a look at the street plan for William St, Edgbaston off Islington Row and I think there is a good chance of it being there. Though the back courts are not numbered on the plan that I looked at several look like they have been opened up.
 
Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

AnnRNR

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2011, 09:08:39 PM »
Hi have a very vague memory of William Street.  I was only 3 when I left.   We lived at 6/100. (8 of us altogether,  Mom Dad and 6 kids) I can remeber a very old lady Alice.  She moved to Erdington like we did and there was Nellie Marshall and Thora Knight but other them then I cant remember anyone else xx

Mother_Goose

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2011, 09:36:43 PM »
If I remember rightly 100 was the lambs, 102 was the smiths(my tribe), 104 was the Golds
back of 100 was the Brutons, back of 102 I think was Alice(there was another old dear in the courtyard). Alice was very old, had a load of kittens that she named after every kid in my family. She fascinated me as she liked to dip her toast in her tea before she ate it because she had no teeth.

astoness

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2011, 06:48:42 AM »
hi all...phil you are quite right..those pics are not of william st in lozells....
 
mother goose i have 21 pics of william street including some of the back yards taken in the 60s prior to demolision..if you would like to send me a private message giving your email address i will happily send them to you...
 
lyn... :)

astoness

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2011, 06:59:55 AM »
hi again mother goose..ive just read your post saying that you were the last out of william st in 1968...ive just looked at the pics i have and they were all taken in july 1967 so you would still have been living there when they were taken... :)
 
lyn

Mother_Goose

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2011, 01:18:05 AM »
I have been very happy this week with the response from Lyn - what a result! not just pictures of the courtyard behind my house but the twins - around 3-4 years old in the courtyard as well. Then the house from the front - amazing even though i left at the age of 10 my memory had played tricks - but again I could verify the picture with another of my Gran stood outside the front. And then there was another picture of the sweet shop, the fruit and veg shop and the row of shops in alma st. I don't know where they originated but they are fab. So this is a result for Birmingham History Forum! thank you again


So here's another story, in one of the pictures I recognised the steps that a large women would sit on whilst watching the kids. My mom did not think much of her as she told us that  she was the sort of woman that went without underwear! Well, this woman fascinated us because at least once a week she would call someone out for a street fight - bearing in mind the previous sentence it was a sight!


Well, we were discussing that tonight and decided that the equivalent of that type of person today is often referred to as a chav in todays language. I am thinking very overweight, ponytail and pink tracksuit with a mouth as loud!

granny smith

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Re: Back to backs Part 2 - William St Lozells
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2011, 07:50:41 PM »
that was old man bruton - had kittens running out of sack, hessian ones i think, know his grand children


 

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