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Birmingham
Birmingham maps
Historic maps of Birmingham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Birmingham maps
Birmingham area books
Displaying 1 of 7 books about Birmingham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Birmingham
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Birmingham.
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Childhood Memories
This area has many happy memories for me. My Mom and Dad, Nan and Granddad lived in Holte Road, my parents would take me to Aston Park in the summer, then I would sit on the wall of the Holte pub and enjoy some orange squash and crisps.
This area holds a special place in my heart.
Anita Crowter (nee Hopkins)
Trams, Baths, Cinemas...
My parents had a shop in Balsall Heath Road not far from Cannon Hill Park - there was a murder committed there around that time. I used to catch the tram to town and in Lewis's basement you could get crabs' legs loaded with meat! Also caught the tram to the Lickey Hills along the Bristol Road (South?). Always a great film fan, at aged 9-12 I used to go to the Luxor, Moseley, and Imperial - even the ABC at Sparkbrook - but never the Triangle! I remember standing outside on my own when there was an 'A' film on - Asking "Will you take me in please?" and handing over my money to some stranger - imagine it now? And I remember the baths up the street at Moseley Road - I seem to recall a 2/3d charge for a bath - we had a tin one in front of the fire, so it saved a lot of work! I enjoyed swimming too, with my badges proudly sewn... Read more
Art Gallery And Museum
I used to take my 3 children to the Art Gallery and Natural History Museum in the 1970s/80s, but they liked the Science Museum in Newhall Street best (now Millennium Point). I used to love the natural history part with the stuffed animals and skeletons. However I recently visited the Art Gallery and used the headphones (were they there before? I must have missed them!) and it was great to have the paintings described so that you could notice things that you would otherwise have missed. We are so lucky to have all of this free culture in Birmingham.
CHEF'S 1948 to 1960
I was a young trainee chef at the then posh Pattisons Restaurant, Corporation Street, after national service in the far east. Who remembers the Worcester Street restaurant with then Mrs Burgess, today's site the Rotunda. I cooked a lot of meals here then the Mikado Cafe at the top of Martinu Street, then the now closed Union Club in Colmore Row. I cooked for some very important people during my stay in this lovely building, now a building society.
Happy Days
Living not far from Aston Park we would often walk to the park to play and enjoy the fresh air. Aston Hall held a fascination for me and I was forever asking to go inside for a tour. I would go in when ever I could and I never tired of it. When I grew older and moved away I never forgot it and I have always kept happy memories of it in a special place in my heart. I suppose it is a nostalgic feeling, reminding me of happy times during my childhood. Years later I was to begin working in Birmingham and would pass this wonderful hall every day. One day a colleague and I visited the hall in our lunch break it brought back wonderful memories for me.
Small Heath
I lived on Muntz Street Small Heath from 1963--1973 at number 143.It was right on the bend, A three story house with three bedrooms two reception rooms a small kitchen and a outside loo in a concrete yard. I have loads of memories of my chilhood there.like the times me and my brother Philip used to play marbles in nextdoors garden because they had soil.They where the Roberts.There where a lot of them.But i only remember Colin and Jenifer and the mom and dad Ken and Gwen.I went to Somerfield road junior school and Oakley rd secondary.Happy days i just didnt know it art the time.
King Edward Boys School, New St. Birmingham
I don't remember this far back, but my Great Grandad (Sydney James Ford), Great Grandma, my Grandma and her brother lived in King Edward Boys school which at that time was in New St. Birmingham. My Great Grandad was head Porter there and lived in the annex of the school. My mom can remember them having to get out of the building because of a fire, but someone had to go back in as they had forgotten 'the baby'!! She can't remember anymore about the fire - if anyone knows anything about this I would appreciate info. My Great Grandad joined the school in 1897 as curator and retired after 35 years service in 1933.
2Up And 2Down!
My father was born in Ford Street Hockley Brook Birmingham in 1936. He was the youngest of 6, 2 sisters and 3 brothers. Ford Street consisted of a row of houses on one side and factories on the other side. The houses were 2 up and 2 down and the toilet was outside. At the top end of the street was the tram station and around the corner from there was Icknield Street school which my dad started at in 1941. During the war, Birmingham was repeatedly bombed by the Germans and my dad and his family had several close encounters with bombs in Ford Street. One time was when the factory oppisite my dads house was hit by bombs from a night time raid and the factory was completely flattened and none of the night-shift workers survived. Another time was when the family was in the kitchen at the back of the house and there was a huge crashing sound at the front of the house and everyone rushed through to... Read more
