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This comes from Jennifer Venville Nicol (Venville being her maiden name), now living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who lived in Hidson Road very close to Stockland Green, Erdington in the years following World War II.
Next door to Trappett's in Slade Road was Joseph Harris, dry cleaners and dyers. People had their clothes dyed quite a lot in those days and the results were usually quite good.
Joseph Harris's stores appeared in many High Streets throughout Birmingham. It was men who got their suits cleaned here mostly. They were always wrapped up in heavy brown paper and tied with string when you went to collect them.
Both paper and string got re-used for sending Christmas parcels to relatives or was saved by other people.
Now we come to Wrenson's Grocers. This was another well-run Birmingham staple grocery chain, which lasted into the 1970's. They had many, many branches in Birmingham. Always giving excellent service it was a pleasure to shop in any of their branches.
On the corner of Reservoir Road and Slade Road sat Wilkin's the chemist, a very interesting shop to go into. It had a chair to sit upon and a floor scale that you could weigh yourself on. The shop smelled very hospital-like.
The shelves were lined with all manner of patent medicines and creams. They sold sea sponges, Dr. Scholl's products, oatmeal soap and the like. There were many mysterious jars of potions and in the window were the classic apothecary jars often seen in chemists windows in those days.
I can remember my mother taking her films to be processed at this shop. I think chemists became very heavily involved in photo processing in the years after the 2nd World War.
All of the families' various prescriptions were filled at Wilkin's. Convenient since the two local main doctors' surgeries were very close by in Reservoir Road, namely Dr. Ross and Dr. Butler. They were two separate establishments across from one another.
Dr. Butler also had another doctor in the practice. Doctors came to your house if you were ill in those days and Dr. Ross came to our house many times. When he retired, Dr. Bullock took over his practice. He too has now retired.
Next to Dr. Butler's surgery was another men's hairdressers. We always called it 'Bill's'. My brothers used to get their short back and sides haircuts in this shop.
Bill had a plank of wood that he slotted into the barber's chair for the small boys to sit on. He often used to clip very close to their ears and they would cry out. Many local kids got their first haircut in this shop.
Then comes Morris's clothes shop. This was a larger shop with a double store front. They sold mostly babies' and children's underwear like vests and liberty bodices as well as socks, hats, gloves and scarves, and also ladies' undergarments, nylons, etc.
It was always nice to visit this shop. There were chairs and nice counters and Mrs. Morris was always very helpful. I believe they sold wool in later years and also knitting patterns. I always liked the little baby and children models in the windows dressed in the latest children's fashions: party dresses that very few mothers would ever buy.
A very important shop came next. This was the Post Office. The mail box stood outside this store and so the area was always very busy, since that was where all manner of business was conducted: Post Office Savings,
pensions, stamps, etc.
They also sold miscellaneous stationery items and birthday cards. Other items would have been added over the years. Later they installed a milk machine outside this shop from which you could buy fresh milk in little cartons.
The next business along was another grocery chain called George Masons. They came after the war. It was a very good shop. There had been a bank in this spot pre-war but it was bombed during an air raid.
There was also a men's tailors called Scutt's there at one time. There was another Radio and TV shop next door for a while but I am not sure of its name. They sold records as well and you could go in and listen to them before you bought them as was the custom in the early to late l950's.
Then came the biggest fruit and vegetable shop on the 'Green', Swinnertons, a huge, popular place with very good prices. This had High Street qualities. It was large and sold a lot of fruit and vegetables.
At Christmas time the place was loaded with trees and holly. They would also sell turkeys and geese and they would hang them outside the shop. It was a very friendly store. The Swinnertons were a very local family.
At the end of the row came the fish and chip shop. It sold fish and chips and roe and chips for years and then eventually sold chicken and chips, which was very popular with the pub crowd. They also sold a selection of Mason's pop.
This shop was right across from the picture house, the 'Plaza', centre of the universe for the local children who went to the Saturday Matinee's and also for the local picture-going crowd. Run by a local man called Mr. Reago, its main staff seemed to be the same for a number of years.
I loved reading the posters and looking at the photos outside for upcoming films. Wish I owned some of those posters now!!!!! This cinema opened in 1928 and is now a Bingo Hall having been a rather good Supermarket called Lennon's.
Jennifer Nicol, British Columbia, Canada, 2001
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