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Four Ashes

Four Ashes maps (2 available)

Old map of Four Ashes

Four Ashes photos (none available)

We have no photos of Four Ashes,although these nearby locations do:
  • Brewood - 13 photo(s)
  • Penkridge - 1 photo(s)
  • Essington - 9 photo(s)
  • Four Ashes books (17 available)

    Four Ashes memories

    Be the first to add a memory of Four Ashes.

    You can also read memories of nearby places in West Midlands below.

    West Midlands memories

    Village School

    Castle Bromwich, the Village c1965

    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
    A memory of Castle Bromwich contributed by helen kerr

    Visits to cathedral

    Coventry, the Cathedral Ruins c1955

    We used to stay one week each summer with my mother's aunt and we would be taken to see the sights of Coventry. I remember so well going into the ruined cathedral and feeling a sense of awe and that it was still a place of worship, albeit open-air. I think it was because the original aisles were still in place and where the pews would have been was grass.
    Later on we came to live in Coventry and I have been a member of the Cathedral community. Memorable occasions in the 'old' cathedral have been Easter Sunday services at dawn after having stayed awake (and busy) since the first part of the service the evening before; sponsored sleep-outs overnight (usually ...read more here
    A memory of Coventry contributed by josie skene

    My parents wedding

    Wolverhampton, St Peter's Church c1955

    Although I wasn't to be born for another 6 years, I remember my mother teling me about her wedding day here. My brother's name is Peter, I wonder if the connection is from this church?
    A memory of Wolverhampton contributed by Sarah Hartley

    Post Office

    Castle Bromwich, Chester Road c1965

    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.
    A memory of Castle Bromwich contributed by Lynda Ridgard

    Extracts From Four Ashes & West Midlands books

    Stourbridge, High Street c1950

    Smarts occupies part of a block known as Bordeaux House, so named because when it was built in 1894 it was the home of a wine importer, Rutlands. It is now occupied by a catalogue bargain shop and a building society, and the clock has gone. The buildings on the left were demolished to make way for a MacDonald’s restaurant in 1988.
    An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

    Harborne, Prince's Corner and High Street c1955

    Here we have another view of Prince’s Corner on the right, with a glimpse of the High Street beyond the pseudo-timbering of The King’s Arms (now The Fallow and Firkin). When the roundabout was built in the 1930s, it was deemed such a novelty that it starred on specially issued local postcards, the handsome buildings in the background playing only a minor role.
    An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

    Harborne, The Duke of York c1955

    Hardly changed today, this substantial, good- looking pub still stands opposite Prince’s Corner at the end of the High Street. This spot has been the terminus and turning point for buses from Birmingham city centre since the very first motor buses to serve Harborne departed the city in 1903, travelling (as they still do) via Five Ways and Edgbaston.
    An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

    Northfield, Bristol Road South 1949

    Northfield was founded by Saxon settlers in the fertile valley of the River Rea. The original village remained agricultural, but a subsidiary settlement grew up on the Bristol road which had already become a sizeable suburb when Northfield was incorporated into Birmingham in 1911. The last farm in the parish survived until the 1960s, a few years after this view was taken.
    An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

    Northfield, Bristol Road South c1955

    The catalyst for the subsidiary settlement mentioned in the caption to N203006 was the building of two turnpike roads through Northfield, one of which was eventually to become the A38 (Bristol Road). A large coaching inn called The Bell was built at their intersection. The Bell crossing remains an important hub today, and development is still concentrated along Bristol Road.
    An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".