RE: Alleys & Passageways of Birmingham - 5

Just for completeness, here's a shot of what's left of Bath Passage today, and the very edge of Ladywell Passage from Smallbrook Street in 1949. Not much, but it's all I could find...

Here is an image if the Hurst St end of Ladywell Walk on the left of the photo an oft used shortcut from Hurst St to the Bowling Alley for me and my mates in the 60's.

Phil

I walked down Hurst Street nearly every single day for 5 years.
Just down from the Barbers tea sign to the right was Charles Smith (Woodcraft) Ltd. they used to cut all our wood letters out for us.

Posted by phil

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I could never afford any model planes, boats or trains as a child. Though I often admired them in the shop windows. I often would spend ten minutes or so staring at the local cycle shop window on the corner of Ombersley Rd & Moseley Rd where that had a train & model dept. Years later when I could afford one I bought a Mamod Steam Engine with the little spirit burner. I think I fired it up once and wondered what all the fuss was about and never touched it again.

Phil

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I also bought one when I was a kid and I still have it. I keep meaning to fire it up but I never seem to get around to it.
It is well used, having put in many hours of service. Mostly it was just allowed to vibrate itself around the backyard, while I followed it with an oilcan, but sometime it would drive some Meccano contraption or other.
You will remember that the base plate has holes in it similar to a piece of Meccano, these are for bolting things to. Just inboard of the flywheel is a small brass pulley for attaching a drive belt, Mamaod used to sell a few belt driven items.
VM

I can just about remember this delightful little alley off New Street. running to Stephensons Place, Colonnade Passage, as it skirted the beautiful Colonnade Hotel. Well I say beautiful, but nothing could compare with it's replacement, a gem we used to know as Woolworths....a truly unforgettable masterpiece of contemporary architecture from our illustrious Birmingham Planners of the 60s...

Did they gat a prize for designing the Woolworth building?
It must take a special talent to think up such an uninspiring cube.

Posted by winkle

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Great shot of the graveyard Phil. Never seen nor heard of it. Whereabouts is it precisely hidden...

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Winkle
Here is the google map link for the graveyard, I think this is it anyway, you can zoom out to find it's location.
Voltman

Hey volty a lot of zooming is needed there, no map!

Phil

Posted by Voltman

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Did they gat a prize for designing the Woolworth building?
It must take a special talent to think up such an uninspiring cube.

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It's simple the designers of the sixties used straight rulers for drawing. they used the NIR method.

Posted by signman

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I walked down Hurst Street nearly every single day for 5 years.
Just down from the Barbers tea sign to the right was Charles Smith (Woodcraft) Ltd. they used to cut all our wood letters out for us.

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John

I see a sign shop on this photo just to the right, would that be it?

Phil

Phil, no that would be Parrs, Graham my brothers wife (girlfriend at the time) Maureen worked upstairs in the silk screen part, they had to get her out once, she was overcome by the fumes.
Smiths was a bit more down towards the Australian bar, nearly next door to the original Diskery.

What was the name of the Electronics shop that was near to the original Diskery in Hurst Street can anyone remember.

So it would be in here then John.

Phil

Yes Phil, about the centre of that block of shops.
SB I think the electronic s shop was Fields, there was a similar one across the road Norman something, I;m talking 1956-60 ish.
I used to buy diodes and resistors from them when I used to build radios and such,before Volty was invented.

Posted by signman

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Yes Phil, about the centre of that block of shops.
SB I think the electronic s shop was Fields, there was a similar one across the road Norman something, I;m talking 1956-60 ish.
I used to buy diodes and resistors from them when I used to build radios and such,before Volty was invented.

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It was Norman Fields, Thanks John