Harborne Lane, Golden Cross

Hi, I found some family members living at 366 Harborne Lane in the 1950's - Grand aunt Eliza Elliott nee Southall and husband George, hence looking for pics.
My Uncle Brevitt was a solicitor at Oak Tree Lane. I grew up further down in Exeter Rd Selly Oak in the until 1978 and then emigrated to Australia too!
I like doing family history though to pass on to the grandchildren about life in the olden days...

Hi Graham,
I read your memories with great interest as my mother used to buy her meat from your shop. When I was small there was a bulldog sometimes outside it and I was terrified of its fierce face although I was used to dogs as we had one. I lived in Woodleigh Ave, off Metchley Lane and the Jolley family who lived there also emigrated to Australia - I got in touch with Cynthia through this site. We used to buy our groceries from Potters, they had 2 sons Brian & Keith, and I remember Mr. Moore who kept the Post Office and I think the greengrocer was Mr. Westwood(?). I left in 1961 when I married and moved to Leics. and have lived in Wales for the last 32 years. My dad was a policeman stationed in Harborne, he died suddenly in 1966 and my mother left the Avenue in 1982 and went to live in a flat in Leahurst Crescent, off Harborne Park Rd as she could no longer manage stairs. She died in 1992 and I haven't been back to Harborne since, so much has changed, all the fields along the Hospital Road have been built on with extensions to the QE hospital, etc.

I think you were a friend of my brother Bernard!

hi long time in reply, i do remember the potters brian an keith and of course mr moore was the post office and sweets next to the butchers ,they were very good to us when we were kids and never missed a really good present on our birthday. mr moore died well before his wife and she ran the shop for many years after his death. she and her sister aunty mavis ? we new her as and both were heavy smokers. and she would often serve you with a cigarette in her mouth ,which at the time seemed quite eceptable at the time. i think her and her sister smoked most of the shops profit. a mr hill later took over the shop as an off licence selling beer and spirits for many years. i think it is still operating today. rspv graham.

the fruit and vege shop was run by a mr and mrs westwick. the shop was owned by the withers family ,and mrs withers ran a hairdressing business at the rear ,she and the family resided over the shop.their son barrie withers was my brothers best friend for many years until marriage duty's came along and that for some reason their friendship diminished. barrie withers has passed on ,but my brother now 83 lives here in australia and we see each other often. we luckily are still in good health .cheers

Hi Graham,
By chance I decided to look at the Harborne site today and saw your comments. I remember the name Barrie Withers but can't put a face to him. When I moved to West Wales 34 years ago I discovered a guy who had lived in Quinton Rd and went to St. Peters living up the road from me. I've suddenly gone blank on his surname - old age - but his first name was Jeff. He is younger than us and was friendly with Ruth Venables' son. I do remember him helping the Co-op baker on a Saturday delivering bread to my mother. I'll get back to you again as I'm just about to drive 26 miles to my daughter's to look after her dogs for a few days. Good to catch up! Carol

Hi again Graham,
Finally Jeff's surname came to me - it is Downes and they lived just inside Quinton Road. His Dad still lived there until his death not many years ago. I was in St. Peter's school with Gillian Downes.
Do you remember Mrs. Cook who ran the wool/drapers shop near or next to Potters? I used to love going in her shop, it always smelled of fresh linen and other perfume-like scents. The Post Office moved into her shop after the "problem" with Mr. Moore. I remember when the Moores' son John died - such a tragedy for one so young. The hardware shop (Spaldings?) on the end always smelled of paraffin
I see you went to Newport House where a friend of mine also went. Her name was Diane Vaux and she now lives in Northampton, we've kept in touch since we were toddlers so I think she's now my oldest living friend.
So many memories - far too many to list all at once!
Regards, Carol née Douglas

hi carol ,i used to have to run up and down all the shops trying to get change to use for the butchers, always short of change,. no local bank ,so if the local shops were short it meant a bike ride to the bus depot just before you get to selly oak.i communicate by email to a lady in Texas who also went to Newport House school until she married an american,migrated and she has lived there for many years. i only remember a Richard Downes , in Harborne,

Hi Graham,
What a palaver having to run around to get change for the shop! I managed a small supermarket for some years and ordered all our change from the local bank (now closed) but they charged us for it! I'm in touch with Pauline Taylor who used to live on the corner of Quinton Rd before moving into the prefabs on Metchley Lane. She now lives in Bromsgrove near her son. She's updated me on people we both knew around the Golden Cross area. Do you remember the Staceys who lived in Woodleigh Ave? Michael went in the Navy for several years. Sadly he died a few years ago but Terry is still alive and kicking. Pauline had seen Les Wood (they were a big family in the Ave) and he told her that nothing had been heard of his younger brother Ted for a long time. Did you know that the Duke of York pub is no longer there? It was pulled down a while ago. Shame, as a lovely building. We'd see a lot of changes in Harborne. I've street googled and looked at some parts including Woodleigh Ave. Most have made parking places in the front gardens - hardly anyone had a car when I was young.
Have you been back to the UK at all and how long have you been in Oz? I have a cousin in Perth, recently retired from the Army - he was a bomb disposal engineer, did two or three tours in Afghanistan. Cynthia Jolley lives on or near the Gold Coast.
Carol

I lived in the prefabs, number 334 to be precise, right opposite woodleigh avenue, till i was about 6, I went to St peters school untill the demolition of the prefabs when we were moved to Toll house road rednal, my mother was born in Poole crescent, she to went to st peters school as did my dad who was born in Quinton road number 40, i remember vividly the 2 ladies who ran the outdoor, being frightened of the one because she had facial hair, and the green grocer next to what is now the army navy place, i used to love to visit the milk cart horse in the stable where the shell garage is, Paul Rook, Michael Wilding and Martin Keighley were my friends, we used to love sledging in the fields where the QE is now.