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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: butlersearch on Saturday 12 April 14 11:57 BST (UK)
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Hi
My father lived at 10 court 6 House Adelaide Street Birmingham can anyone help with finding pictures of what it looked like .
Thank you
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Hi,
If you google Adelaide Street Birmingham and go to images there is a good one on there originally put on by the blackcountrysociety it shows the street in a little detail when it was bombed
Regards Jane
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I think I am correct in saying that "courts" were sited off the main street - more like a courtyard as we might think of it today - with housing around and shared facilities, possibly entered via an alley way.
(there were lots in many of the larger cities such as Liverpool)
The housing in the images that Jane has suggested show quite well to do Victorian dwellings, so presumably the "courts" would have been around the back of larger houses or retail areas. Sadly, there are not many clues on Adelaide Street today.
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I hope this isn't breaking any Rootschat rules but I would recommend posting your request on the following forum as well:
http://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/forum.php
Paul
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Hi butlersearch, my father also lived at court 10 house 6 Adelaide street. He moved there circa 1913. Eastnor
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Hi
My Father George Edward Butler was living there in 1911 with Mother Mary and sisters Lizzie and Isabella, by 1914 they were living at 2 back 99 Sherlock Street, an address I gained from Lizzie Butlers marriage certificate to William David Watts.Can I ask the name of the family you have living there, just in case there is any tenuous link to the Butlers.
Regards
Clive Butler
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These are well worth a visit to show what these houses were like.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs/
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Hi
Thank you so much for that will definitely pay a visit when next in Birmingham , it will give a real insight into how my father and his family lived.
Regards
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Hi Clive My father was born in 1912 in Albert Sq in Dymoke Street. His parents were Ellen and Thomas Twigg Ellen's maiden name was Taylor. They moved circa 1913 to 6/40 Adelaide Street. At some time they also lived at 4/40 2 doors away. When I was born many years later my father and mother and myself moved into 4/40 and we remained there until 1951. I have many memories of the area. I have done family history for at least 25 years. These properties were 3 storey back to backs. No 6 was at the end of a run of four houses. At the end of no 6 there was a brew house which contained a sink a large copper which you lit a fire underneath and then did the weekly wash. This was shared between two families. Each working on a different day. They would also share a mangle. There was a total of 7 houses in this yard. The whole of the floor area of the yard was paved in grey/blue brick. There was a row of toilets which was shared. I spent the war years there as a child. The back to backs you can visit in Bham are worth a visit and will give you an insight into room size furnishings sleeping arrangements etc.
My grandparents moved out of no 6 and moved to Warstock. A new family moved in sometime in the early 40's The Mancini's. If you would like any more of my memories just ask. There was quite a lot a bomb damage in Highgate
Regards
Barbara
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Hi
Thank you so much for all the detail, who would these houses have been rented from and would they be easy to obtain people seem to move about so much, by 1914 the family had moved to 2 back 99 Sherlock Street would this have been a step up .
They were living in Burton on Trent for many years prior to this and sometime between the 1901 and 1911 made the move to Birmingham where they remained not sure how long they stayed in Sherlock Street , where the houses were obviously demolished at some point.
Regards
Clive
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Hi Clive,
These particular properties were rented from Birmingham Corporation now Birmingham City Council.
Clearance of the back to backs had begun before the war with lots of people moving to Weoley Castle which was a large estate built I believe around 1933. There were others. Warstock, Yardley.
With the war intervening I assume that all this was shelved and I think to a point we were caught up in a time warp. 1950/51 seemed to be the next large phase of demolition. Adelaide Street contained some really nice properties other than back to backs. The back to backs were generally at the top of the street opposite to the Carpenters Arms Pub, My memories were of lots of lovely families that kept their houses like little palaces. How some of them brought up large families in these tiny back to backs I do not know. But I am talking about 1938-1951. It could well have been much worse in previous years. Generally speaking it was a nice street.
Sherlock Street was a much longer street and was virtually a main road from Pershore Road straight into the market area and City Slaughter House ending up near Bradford Street and Digbeth. Again there were lots of back to backs with "yards" behind the houses on the street.
Without looking at a census that would give me an idea where no 99 was either down by the markets or up nearer MacDonald Street/Wrentham Street. I am not sure whether your dad was making a move to better himself or vice versa. Times were very hard after 1st World War so my dad told me. Many families struggled. I would say that the back to backs were the cheaper option in Adelaide Street. I would say that other properties may have been more rents in that street. This of course is a personal opinion. But what I can say is that people did seem to move around quite a bit in my dad's day. In fact some would put their belongings on a cart and disappear with them to another house under the cover of darkness. "Moonlight Flit" it was called.
So housing must have been quite easy to come by. Your dad probably went to Rea St South School. which was off McDonald Street. Depending on what part of Sherlock Street he lived. If he spent a few years there he may have been moved out due to bombing, demolition and rehousing. I think most people were glad when they were pulled down !!!! It is a very sad area now !! with all those families gone the communities were destroyed. It is now mainly industrial.
Regards
Regards
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Hi
Thank you so much for all the detail it has given me a real insight , my father never wanted to talk about Birmingham , he joined the army an 17 and never went back. His mother had 8 children 3 of which died so I am sure there were a lot of sad memories there for him. I am sure there was also a real sense of community amongst the families which doesn't exist so much today.
Regards
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I found a topic on the Birmingham History Forum when I was looking for courts. The topic is a really long one and runs for many many pages :o . There are some fantastic old photos of the streets before the clearances and info on them. Some of the photos are really old.
Its called
Courtyards and Yards of Brum
(link to first page)
http://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=40378
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Thank you so much really interesting !
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Hi
My father lived at 10 court 6 House Adelaide Street Birmingham can anyone help with finding pictures of what it looked like .
Thank you
I have just prepared a photo for my site which shows No.9 Court [c.1904] so I imagine No.10 would have looked pretty similar. Hope that helps.