Memories of Kingstanding, Birmingham

Aug 13 2008

Recent pictures of back-to-back houses took Doreen Thackwell back to when she was a child. Doreen, who now lives in Kineton, Warwickshire, sent these memories and photographs to the Sunday Mercury.

I WAS taken back years ago to when I was a child. I was born in New Spring Street and my nan lived at 4/52 Ellen Street, Brookfields. We left to go to Hatcham Road, Kingstanding when I was 12 months old.

I’m enclosing photographs of my nan’s garden. It was at the top of the yard. She loved it and as you can see there were lots of lupins, also at the side was a tree.

My Aunty Olive lived next door and also had a garden which housed the air raid shelter. One of my brothers is sat on sandbags.

There were three shops in Ellen Street: Fulfords on the corner, Mrs Darks in the middle and Mrs Emins on the other corner. ‘Cash’ was the cook shop and I used to take a basin and fetch my other Aunty Queenie freshly made piccalilli.

Those were the days! Nan used to make chains at the Jewellery Quarter and she would take me with her sometimes. That was Grandma High. My Grandad Godridge was a milkman who used to go round with his cart but when Midland Counties came they sold them to them, so my mother told me. He lived in Roseberry Street.