Memories of Small Heath and Bordesley Green

Next to Crawford's going towards the City Centre was Hinwoods the butchers. This was supposed to be the best butcher in the area. He had our ration books anyhow. Next to Crawford's the other side was Wimbush's cake shop and Powers Dress Shop where you could buy a garment and pay for it weekly.

Perks Dairy Foods was on the left hand corner of Victoria Street then Masons then Corbett's the green grocer. This was an open fronted shop and had three counters; they sold fruit, veg fish and game. The fruit was piled up high and you could buy an apple for a halfpenny. All along the outside edge of the top of the shop hung rabbits and hares. My mother said she always bought a rabbit with its skin still on as she had heard that unscrupulous people were killing cats, with the skin off they looked like rabbits and she always made the assistant take the fruit and veg from the front where she could see it. She was very jocular in her insistence and always got a jolly reply.

There was another butchers named Turner whose shop was next. After rationing my mother sometimes went there. She was very proud of being able to get enough meat for a stew for the four of us for a shilling (5p) from him. Hyde's Pork butchers came next, another shop with lovely aromas. Chitterlings, Faggots and peas were the order of the day there. Cross-pinnied women with turbans came with their jugs and basins to get their tea on faggot day. Lights could be purchased here for the cat; our Mick the mother of countless litters of kittens loved these as well as the boiled fish heads from the fish counter at Corbets.

A bit further down next but one to the corner of Carlton Road was Braggs the Bakers for whom my mother worked. On the corner was Wisemans a draper's shop where my mother purchased my liberty bodices and various other things like brown woollen stockings for school. The stockings would be attached to the rubber buttons on the liberty bodice by means of elastic loops my mother sewed on.

On the opposite corner was an off-licence. The locals would go there with their jugs to get loose beer to take home. They used to sell wine from the wood. I know we used to take a pop bottle and get things like apricot wine or sherry and port for Christmas. I think it was about two and sixpence (12.1/2p) a pint. 

Next to the off-license was Nicholls Dress Shop. There you could take your Provident cheque to buy clothes. For five shillings interest you could get credit of five pounds in the form of a cheque from the Provident Company and pay five shillings a week back on it. This was a valuable thing for mothers as it enabled them to clothe their children for school.

Opposite Corbett's was a strange shop - Nurses Drapers. The windows looked as if they had never been changed since the twenties with models in strange poses wearing bone corsets and bust bodices. Inside it was dark and mysterious. For some reason one day my mother must have needed to do something without my being around and she left me with Mrs. Nurse. A big elderly lady who had not moved with the times, she took me into her parlour where there was a big fire, green plush velour mantle cloth with tassels and a green plush velour cloth on the table. She sold things like linen buttons suspenders corsets and the like; I think she gave me some buttons to sort out while I waited for my Mom. 

Away from town, next to Nurses was a baker; Harleys shoe repairers (our father mended our shoes quite professionally and took repairs in.) a hardware shop where you could get large galvanized washers to repair buckets and saucepans - waste not want not. No throwaway world this. Then another mysterious shop with a window all coloured in dark blue, this was Deans the moneylenders. Next to Nurses the other way was Barclays Bank, which was on the corner of Cherrywood Road and opposite that on the corner of Bordesley Green Road was the Municipal Bank. Next to the bank was a dress shop then Nurses (Brother?) men's wear

At the newsagents a bit further along I got my `Sunny Stories` Chicks Own, Rainbow - with Mrs Bruin and the Bruin Boys -and Playbox and later the Girls Crystal, the School Friend, the Eagle and The Girl. And a little paperback called the Schoolgirls Library. In this shop one could find old men and women cashing in tokens for snuff and tobacco. 
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We had our papers delivered by another newsagent in Whitehall Road. All the year round we would pay him some club money and at Christmas mother would by annuals for my cousins and me.

Near to the Newsagents on Bordesley Green was the Chemist. Mr Blunt. A window full of coloured medicine flasks and dimly lit inside. He put up our prescriptions and made up a lotion for my father, which was supposed to disguise grey hair. Then came the Court Steam Laundry a source of employment for many women in the area. My Mom sent her best linen here and I think her number was 4072. This was on all the laundry. The Douro Wine shop and the Fish and Chip Shop completed this row of shops.

Going towards Town on the corner of Garrison Lane and Little Green Lane was the Post Office. I had an account there and a silver coloured moneybox, which was pilfer proof; I did try hard sometimes to get the money out of it

At the bottom of Little Green Lane near Coventry Road was Green Lane Library. If any relatives of the cleaners of that building are reading this they should be justly proud. The wooden floors and furnishings shone like glass and the Brass was always perfect. It was always quiet even when there were children there. They were brought up to respect the place in those days. The system of arranging the books was simple to use and you knew where to find anything you wanted. 

As you walked into the library, on the right was a long high desk with newspapers all along with brass rods to keep them upright. People used to go there and read all the news if they couldn't afford to buy a newspaper. Down past the newspapers was a reading room with magazines such as the National Geographic etc.,

The librarians were helpful and kept a neat and tidy `ship` one even became my brother in law. It didn't matter what hours you worked there would always be a time when you could get a book out of the library. When I was young I went with my sister twice a week to get books for all the family. When I was older I went with my friend Betty.

Near to the Kingston Cinema was another greengrocer, Whitnalls, which we went to sometimes on a Sunday because I don't think Corbets was open then.

In Victoria Street there were two second- hand shops. The one at the top end by the electrical shop - Parkers - that had replaced Masons was a bit of a jumble but it was a source of cheap records and it had lots of books on art, which came in handy at school. The other shop was further down; it was a big shop with a type of hangar attached to it. Everything was set out in an orderly fashion; you could replace your old saucepans and get any household item from a pin to the kitchen sink all second hand and in good condition. In the shop the shelves were piled high with big boxes, again any item of clothing could be purchased the owner had them all washed and ironed. My mother bought a satin nightdress for a shilling and turned it into an Anniversary Dress for me.

Opposite the Baptist church in Victoria Street, where I went three times a day on Sundays, was a dressmaker's shop. She used to make satin ribbons out of the spare material and my mother used to buy them for me. They looked very fine. A little way down from there was a shop that sold fancy goods and ran a Christmas club. I would join and get things like fruit sets and water sets. for my sister and Devon Violets perfume for my mother.

At the bottom of Victoria Street opposite the Vine pub, was what we would refer to as the posh sweet shop. After lunch on a Sunday my sister and I would go with our sweet ration and purchase really nice sweets that you could not get at the corner shop. Satin cushions and chocolate eclairs. (A Mars bar would be sliced and last a few days!).

The `Corner shop' referred to was called Gannans (that was how it was pronounced) this was on the corner of Denbigh Street almost opposite the Technical College for Boys. I think they were the first people to make their own iced lollies out of pop and you could get two sizes halfpenny ones and penny ones

Opposite our house and to the left was a transport cafe. Here we could get bacon butties and cracker jam sandwiches for a penny.

A few names might be of interest here. Mrs. Woolford, husband Fred, son Brian, our neighbour, Mr .Mrs Jones and son Billy, our other neighbour. Mrs Harris and son Tommy. The Russels, ex bargees. Mr Ratcliffe who lived alone.