Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich maps (2 available)
Map of West Midlands
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Personalised maps
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Castle Bromwich books (9 available)
- 2 photos on Castle Bromwich appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Castle Bromwich
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Castle Bromwich and West Midlands
Castle Bromwich memories
Read and share memories of Castle Bromwich and West Midlands inspired by Frith photos
Post Office
We moved to nearby Kingshurst and the Post Office on the corner of Hurst Lane was the nearest for collecting the much needed Family Allowance. It was a good walk as the buses were not very frequent. When I was newly married 13 years later, our first house was in Hawthorne Road so this was my local shopping area. We moved away 33 years ago but having friends who live in Hurst Lane North we do visit the area occasionally. I have experienced many changes to these shops and the now very busy road.
Contributed by Lynda Ridgard
My house
Although I so far know little about it, the white house with the black beams was formerly the local shop. In the early 90's it was derelict and subsequently refurbished as a residential property.
I purchased the property in February 2007, and live there now. If anyone knows anything of its history, please leave information here!
It used to be a coaching inn, and its age is approximately 300 years old.
Contributed by Richard Stokes
Village School
To the left of where the photographer was standing was the junior's playground of the old village school (St Mary and St Margaret's.) In 1963-4 we would have vacated the old buildings and moved into a new building in Southfield Avenue on the Hall Estate. The old school was basically a large room divided into classrooms by immense sliding concertina doors. The windows were very high and so were the ceilings. Because the old school was very cramped just prior to moving to the new one, our class with our teacher Mrs Huggins, had our lessons in two rooms of the old house. I remember immense coal fires in the winter while the rest of the school had hot pipes running ...read more here
Contributed by helen kerr
West Midlands memories
My house
Although I so far know little about it, the white house with the black beams was formerly the local shop. In the early 90's it was derelict and subsequently refurbished as a residential property.
I purchased the property in February 2007, and live there now. If anyone knows anything of its history, please leave information here!
It used to be a coaching inn, and its age is approximately 300 years old.
A memory of Castle Bromwich contributed by Richard Stokes
Extracts From Castle Bromwich & West Midlands books
The development of Castle Bromwich really got under way in the 1930s
with the Hodgehill Common housing estate.After the second world war,
in which Castle Bromwich played a major part with its Spitfire factory,
there were further housing developments at Bucklands End and the Firs.
About the time this picture was taken, plans by Sheppard Fidler had
been accepted for a 461-acre development to include sixteen-storey tower
blocks, two shopping centres, schools, community buildings and parks.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
There was a settlement
on this site in prehistoric
times, but the first
documentary reference
to ‘Bramwice’ was in 1168.
The name referred to the
wild broom which grew
here. The castle was on a
hill north of the church,
comprising a motte and
bailey with earth and
timber fortifications.
Though just a Birmingham
suburb now, Castle
Bromwich retains its green
and a few old houses.
An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".
Castle Bromwich, just five miles
north-east of the city, was incorporated
into Birmingham in 1931. In those
days it was still very much a village.To
the north of the church were the
remains of a motte, the village was
served by the early Georgian church of
St Mary and St Margaret, and nearby
was Castle Bromwich Hall.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
Round Oak Iron Works in the 1850s.Though by no means the first
iron works in the area, it would become the most important. It was
constructed on the opposite side of the canal to the New Level
Furnaces and adjacent to the tracks of the recently opened Oxford,
Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway. Production began at Round
Oak in 1857, and as demand grew the works was gradually
extended. In 1889 a chain works was commissioned, and in 1892
Round Oak switched over to producing steel. Our pictures of
Brierley Hill were taken in the 1960s, a time when Round Oak was
one of the most modern steel plants in the West Midlands and
capable of producing in excess of 250,000 tonnes a year.
Stourbridge came into existence at a crossing point of the Stour.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
Just two miles from Wolverhampton,Tettenhall retained
its two greens despite the Enclosure Commissioners. In
AD910 Tettenhall was the scene of one of the most
important battles in English history. It was here that
Edward the Elder of Wessex defeated the Danes. The
battle marked a turning point. From then onwards the
English went over to the offensive, Edward’s ultimate
aim being the total reconquest of the Danelaw.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".