Handsworth 1956 1970

A Memory of Handsworth.

I worked at Avery's in Foundry Lane. The Avery's "bull" used to blow for start of work and lunch time and could be heard for miles.
Soho Road was full of great shops including Woolworths, Tibbits, Pendries, Wilkinsons, The little red shop, The fish and chip shop (opposite Murdock Road). The best one was the Chicken Inn though a bit further up past the police station. On Murdock Road, my mom remembered when the houses had name plates and used to be polished regularly, she told me.
Newsagents were Darlingtons or Withers.
Parks at Black Patch (witches hat) and Handsworth Park (where me and Dad sometimes fished for tiddlers. It had a boating lake and the flower show where you could win a goldfish by throwing a hoop over it. And the scouts rally each year. Also it had a band stand where the brass bands played on special days and stored their instruments under the band stand.
Opened my first bank account at the old Municipal Bank, Soho Rd where we had small black money boxes to save our coppers, hapennies, thrupenny bits, and if you were lucky sixpences. There was a hole for pound notes which I dont think I ever used. But I still have the money box and the most I ever saved then was 13s/6d.

The best shop in the City (B-Ham) was Lewis's and the toy floor (5th).
Had many happy banana milk shakes in the basement cafe.

Went to St Augustines school in Avenue Road. Remember Sister Angela and Mr Walsh and Miss Mc Creesh, Ms Doyle. My Mom was a dinner lady there ( circa 1962 - 1964 ). The corner shop Greenhill Rd was the place for sweets on the way home.

Used to catch the ever present 74 or 76 Buses into town (B-Ham) or the other way to West Bromwich. And the number 11 for the outer circle. We had to wait ages for that one sometimes. The fare to school was 1 and a half penny (old d) when we could afford it. I used to catch the 210 at the New Inns to visit my Nans in Smethwick. And we had bus conductors.

As a youngster (1960's) - went to the "Minors" at the Regal (cinema) every Saturday morning it was 6d for the stalls and 9d for the circle. Great fun - if you could hear the sound over the din it was a bonus :-) and you had to dodge the lolly stick missiles. How they put up with us was amazing. My favorite lolly was a zoom. And I remember the day they announced it would become a bingo hall. What a flippin blow.

Handsworth library was a quiet place to read and you had the old cardboard tickets - You could have 3 books out at a time and you had a 1 or 2d fine for being a few days late getting them back.

Great childhood memories ~ good days.

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