Some history on Winson Green in Birmingham in the county of Warwickshire

Winson Green Pubs

Birmingham : Off-Licence at 58 Coplow Street [1951]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

Though regarded by many as a Winson Green location, this building was part of Ladywood. And this summarises the dilemma many, including myself, have in defining the area of Winson Green. Some include Spring Hill but I tend to think of that road as being in Brookfields. Heading away from the city centre, I personally feel that I have not entered Winson Green until I crest the hill and pass over the canal. Equally, the bottom part of Lodge Road spills into Hockley. And where exactly does Soho and Winson Green collide.

Birmingham : Notice by Harold George Williams of his intention to apply for a wine and spirits licence for 58 Coplow Street [1951]
© Extract from Page 4 of the Birmingham Daily Post published on Friday February 9th, 1951.

In the photograph of the off-licence at 58 Coplow Street the name above the entrance is that of Harold George Williams. The photograph dates from July 1951 and, above, is a notice, published a few months earlier, in which he stated his intention to apply for a wine and spirits licence for the premises held on a lease by Mitchell's and Butler's. This would have been an upgrade on his licence to retail ale, porter, cider and tobacco. The remarkable thing about this particular licensee, and something I have not seen at any other off-licence in Birmingham, is that he took over the business from his parents, Benjamin and Edith Williams, a couple that had been running the shop since the Edwardian period. The Williams family were still custodians of the off-licence in the late 1960s so I assume they remained until the building, along with neighbouring properties were demolished. It was Eliza Rose Williams running the shop towards the end of its life.

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Winson Green Photographs

Birmingham Heath : Summerfield House [c.1820]
© Image from Page 376 in "A New And Compendious History, of the County of Warwick" by William Smith published by W. Emans in 1830. The original was an engraving by T. Wrighton after F. Calvert.

This early 19th century illustration shows Summerfield House, one of a handful of large houses erected on Birmingham Heath. There seems to be little documentary evidence for the origins of this mansion. In the 19th century it was the home of Robert Lucas Chance, the glass manufacturer. Part of me thinks the name of the house could be related to the Summerfield family who were involved in the Park Glass House at Spring Hill, though the mansion probably pre-dates this. Certainly, it was once the home of James Woolley in his latter years. Indeed, he died here in 1835 at the grand age of 83. He was a man with fingers in many pies and served as Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1815 when he lived a Icknield House. He and his wife, Marianne, were in residence at Summerfield by 1819 as it was reported that, on Whit-Tuesday of that year, they hosted a lunch on the lawn for the children of the Smethwick Female Sunday School, an institution with which Marianne Woolley was closely associated.¹ When James Woolley died in September 1835 Aris's Birmingham Gazette stated : "In recording the death of this benevolent man, it is a pleasurable duty to bear testimony to his worth. His aim was ever to better the condition of mankind, more especially that of the poor and necessitous. Among the many public Institutions which partook of his bounty may more particularly be noticed the County Asylum, and that for the Deaf and Dumb at Edgbaston, the former of which, we believe, was established through his instrumentality in the year of his Sheriffalty in 1815." ²

Winson Green : Summerfield Park [c.1904]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

Recognising that a green space was required in what was becoming a heavily built-up district, the Corporation acquired Summerfield House for £9,000 from Henry Weiss in the mid-1870s³ and opened as a public park on Saturday July 29th, 1876, by the Mayor, Alderman George Baker. Initially the grounds measured between 16 and 17 acres, one half consisting of meadow land on which a cricket pitch was planned. The other half of the park consisted of mature trees and shrubs through which walks were created. The mansion was retained for it was intended that the Baths and Parks Committee would utilise it in a way that would benefit the people of Winson Green. There were suggestions that a library and reading room could be created within the building. Although opened to the public, the grounds were very much a work-in-progress with the keeper, W. J. Martin, working on flower beds and an ornamental lawn in front of the house.⁴

Winson Green : Grounds of Summerfield Park [c.1904]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

Within a few months of the park opening plans were drawn up by Mr. Till for the Parks Committee who approved the laying out of further walks, construction of drains, planting of trees with fencing, and the erection of palisading and gates. The old carriage-drive from Dudley Road to the old mansion was to be converted into a walk, the only carriage-drive being from Icknield Port Road. At that entrance it was planned to erect metal gates with brick pillars and stone capitals. Along the Dudley Road frontage it was planned to build a dwarf wall and ornate iron palisades. At this point it was intended to convert Summerfield House into a natural history museum.³

Winson Green : Notice for tenders of the demolition of Summerfield House [1889]
© Extract from Page 4 of the Birmingham Daily Post published on Thursday September 19th, 1889.

As can be seen from this notice for tenders of the demolition of Summerfield House, the grand designs the Parks Committee had for the old mansion came to nothing and the building was pulled down. Four years later, on April 1st 1893, there was a ceremony for a new drinking fountain donated by Caroline Sargent, daughter of Robert Lucas Chance who had lived in the house for 18 years. The fountain, erected on the site of her former home, was made of red Aberdeen polished granite. The head of the fountain was constructed with four semi-circular sides and a turned finial. The fountain was supplied and erected by Messrs. Raby and Hullits, marble masons of Lower Dartmouth Street.⁵ In July of the same year the park was extended by some sixteen acres and another opening ceremony was conducted by the Mayor, Alderman Lawley Parker, on Thursday July 6th, 1893. The cost of the extension was about £12,000 and brought the area of the park up to 34 acres, becoming the fourth largest in Birmingham.⁶

Winson Green : New Bandstand at Summerfield Park [c.1907]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

This image is from an old picture postcard I bought a few years ago. It was an un-posted card but I assume it was produced in 1907, the year in which the original bandstand was replaced with this state-of-the-art audio experience. Once again, the Mayor was dragged out of his office to come and snip the ribbons during an opening ceremony on Saturday July 27th. On this occasion it was Councillor Henry James Sayer, the iron and tin-plate merchant who served two terms in the hot seat at Council House, who rocked up to officiate. Presiding over the proceedings was Councillor Murray, president of the Summerfield Park Musical Society, a body that had pledged to contribute £500 towards the total cost of the bandstand, estimated to be around £800. At the end of the speeches and ceremonial duties, selections of music where played by the band of H.M. Scots Guards.⁷

Winson Green : Raised Flowerbed at Summerfield Park [1912]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

A feature of Summerfield Park that raised the spirits of anybody passing the Dudley Road entrance was the raised flowerbed with which the park keeper and gardeners could demonstrate their flair and skill. The bed for 1912 was a royal affair and featured the coat of arms of the United Kingdom along with the motto "God and my right."

Winson Green : Railway Line and Station [c.1958 : Photo by Dennis John Norton © Mark Norton]]
Photo by Dennis John Norton © Mark Norton and reproduced with kind permission.

This photograph is displayed courtesy of the wonderful Photo by D. J. Norton website maintained by his son, Mark Norton. Taken around the end of the 1950s, this shows the old Stour Valley railway line, initially operated by the London and North Western Railway. The railway station for Winson Green can be seen close to the bridge carrying Winson Green Road over both the canal and railway. The booking office in the centre of the photograph was at street level, passengers having to descend stairs to the platforms below. The Stour Valley line opened in July 1852 but the station at Winson Green did not open until November 1876. It closed in September 1957.

In the same month that the Stour Valley line opened there was an extraordinary event in which a train heading from Birmingham to Wolverhampton was struck by lightning. The train left amidst heavy rain and lightning and had managed to get ahead of the storm but was caught up in it again before being hit. The subsequent report stated that a "flash was followed by an unusual sound, resembling the crack of a hundred rifles. The engine driver and stoker felt themselves enveloped in a mass of blue fire. The stoker experienced a shock on back of the head, which rendered him unconscious for the time." All the passengers felt the shock of the strike but everybody was thankful that the engine driver was not affected seriously and able to control the locomotive. The guard was, however, the worst affected, his whole system being paralysed. He staggered from the train at Wolverhampton and was given brandy and water before he, with some difficulty, walked home.⁸

Winson Green : Railway Station Booking Office [c.1955]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

A view of the booking office at Winson Green Railway Station in a view captured not long before it closed in September 1957 on grounds of economy. It was announced in August that the last train to stop at this station was to be the 1900hrs train service from Birmingham to Wolverhampton on September 14th. It was reported that Mr. W. E. Dean, stationmaster for Monument Lane and Winson Green, had recently found a record book which showed that in 1924 there were hundreds of bookings each week, but since then buses had gradually taken over the trade. A British Railways spokesman said "that it had not been decided what would happen to the station buildings, which were redecorated in the previous year." ⁹

It was not long after Winson Green opened that the station-master George Henry Pipkin, resident of Coplow Cottages, was killed when hit by a train passing through. A report stated that "around four o'clock on January 2nd 1877 he was seen by one of the porters in the porters' room, and shortly afterwards he left. A minute after he did so the 16.10hrs train from Smethwick to New Street dashed through the station, which is not one of its stopping places. In a short time a passenger was walking on the platform, when he noticed George Pipkin's body lying in the four-foot a short distance from the station. It was in a frightfully mutilated condition; the legs were severed from the thighs, and were lying a considerable distance; the head was crushed, and the entrails protruded from the stomach and were strewed about the rails. A porter named Dodd procured a stretcher, and the mangled remains were conveyed the Robert Peel Inn, Peel Street, to await the Coroner's inquiry. It is supposed that the deceased was crossing the line to meet another train which was due at the time, and that he did not heed the approach of the one which occasioned his death." ¹⁰ George Pipkin left a wife and eight children.

Winson Green : Canal Toll Gate
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

Though the octagonal office has long gone, the island on which the building stood is still in situ on the Telford Cut on the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line. The footbridge can also be enjoyed by those strolling along this waterway. The toll gate, or gauging station was a few metres away from the junction with the older canal engineered by James Brindley. It was at stations like this that a toll was paid by those steering the barge along the waterway, a measuring rod being used to gauge the depth of the vessel and weight of the cargo.

Winson Green : Congregational Church on the corner of Villiers Street [c.1909]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

A very nice photograph of the Congregational Church that stood on the corner of Winson Green Road and Villiers Street. The billboard poster states that there was an anniversary event on July 1st, the speakers being William Munton, Harold J. Banks and Florrie Painter. 1909 was the year in which the Congregational Church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, though I believe that the main event was held in November. The building seen here dated from 1875 but the mission was commenced on a site at Black Patch. In 1859 the Rev. Robert Ann, who had settled as pastor of the Union Row Congregational Church at Handsworth, held a series of open-air services on a cinder bank adjoining the unoccupied Midlands Works. A Sunday School was commenced under a shed but, with winter approaching, the mission sought permission to use the vacant offices of the works. When the factory was re-opened the congregation found themselves without a home until a mission room was opened in Slough Lane in Smethwick. The School Board wished to establish a Board school on the site so the freehold of this corner plot was secured and the foundation stone of this structure was laid on September 13th, 1875.¹¹ The architect was George Ingall of Temple Row in Birmingham, the building being Charles Henry Street.¹²

Winson Green United football team [1911-2]
© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

The date of 1911-12 is on the football but I am not sure of the location where these young players of Winson Green United were photographed. A notice in the Sport Argus on 31st August 1912 revealed that the club were looking to share a ground with another local side. The secretary at this time was J. T. Pickering of 119 Marroway Street. They played in the Winson Green League, playing matches against the likes of Winson Green Celtics, Shakespeare Unity, Dudley Road Civic, Smethwick Amateurs and Bellefield Caledonians.

In the early 19th century the land around Winson Green was regarded as unsuitable for agricultural use but was deemed a favourable location for the public institutions that a developing town required. Birmingham was having to send its prisoners to the County Gaol at Warwick. In 1844 the council resolved to build a gaol within the borough. Mayor Thomas Philips laid a foundation stone at Winson Green on October 29th, 1845. Designed by the architect Daniel Rowlinson Hill, of Christ Church Passage, construction of the building took some four years. It was open daily for public inspection from September 3rd to the 14th, 1849.¹³ Built on the Pentonville model, the estimated cost of construction was estimated at around £60,000 but, as usual, was much higher. The first inmate was interned on October 17th 1849.

The proliferation of recruitment posters suggests that this photograph was taken around the beginning of World War One. Here police officers are doing their very own line-up - all you have to do is identify the criminal. Come on, there must be one bent copper in there for Ted Hastings to investigate! A couple of them look like they are carrying too much timber and would be hopeless at chasing suspects. In December 1878m the Watch Committee authorised the construction of a new police station fronting Dudley Road, adjoining Summerfield Park. The approved budget was £1,300,¹⁴ based on the tender of the builders, Messrs. Whitehouse and Jones.¹⁵ There was an increase in expenditure as the Baths and Parks Committee demanded a palisade and wall to blend in Summerfield Park.¹⁶ Only two of the large pillars seen here were standing in 2024 and the building looked in a terrible state.

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Costing around £882,000, this extension to Dudley Road Hospital, incorporated a new out-patients and accident department, along with a records section, was officially opened on Friday, June 3rd, 1966, by Charles Loughlin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health. The hospital also announced a new physiotherapy department, a gymnasium, an enlarged X-ray department, a social welfare unit, a department of medical photography, a dispensary and a pathology laboratory.¹⁰¹

The "Compassion" bronze sculpture was mounted on the wall of the extension to Dudley Road Hospital [see above] in 1968. Although completed in August of that year, it was not unveiled until November 10th by the Labour MP Edward Short.¹⁰² At the time he was Secretary of State for Education and Science. The work, depicting mother and child, was the work of John Bridgeman, Head of Sculpture at the College of Art. The sculpture shows a woman lets go of the child walking into the wider world, perhaps an allegorical portrayal of birth in the maternity ward.

When I took this photograph within the park grounds in March 2002 Summerfield Cottage was the last remaining fragment of old Summerfield. In the mid-19th century this was home to the German engineer William Siemens who worked with the glass and chemical manufacturer, Robert Lucas Chance, resident of the mansion, Summerfield House. When the cottage was advertised to be let in March 1858, it stated that the building had six bedrooms, two parlours, spacious entrance, kitchen and scullery, with coach house, stable and garden.

When wandering around Winson Green in March 2010, I clocked this ghost sign at No.244 Dudley Road. When the building received a makeover around 2016, the sign was painted over, a fragment of the past airbrushed out of history. On the corner there had been another painted sign for the upholsterer, S. Jones, who traded here in the 1960s. The furniture store that formed part of the premises during the inter-war years was operated by Francis Walter Bennett.

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