Genealogy Forum UK

You've done it again Neville! I've asked many people since I spotted that sign...at worst people who pass it everyday had never noticed it, at best no one had any explanation-until now!

Hello Sharon, Glad I could be of help. An omission on my part to the history of the High Street, I bet your Dad remembers the Empire Theatre. It sat next to the Hollybush public house. Performances ceased when I was young child and I only remember it closed and all locked up, but my late aunt it seems was a regular attender and she told me all about it.
It was originally called the Royal Theatre apparently and when it's owner a Walter Williams built another theatre in the town he called that the Royal ( in Bank Street which we've mentioned before) and renamed the earlier one The Empire. This I believe was in 1913.
Neville

I must ask him on a good day Neville...
Something has just occurred to me, and I havent asked you! Dad's maternal granny was known as granny Evans. Hannah Newton married Walter Evans and had 2 children. He died aged 35, and she then married a Harbach. Hannah kept a shopat 48 Graingers lane for many years. She died in the 1950's. Do you have any knowledge of her?

I don't remember the lady myself, Sharon but my family would have known her. My father's cousin lived at 54 Grainger's Lane (near the Beehive public house I think ) and my mother was brought up in Cokeland Place. I cannot ask them I'm afraid as neither are with us any more.
She is listed as you may know in Kelly's Directory for Staffordshire certainly in the 1912 Edition as Mrs Hannah Evans, shopkeeper at 48 Grainger's Lane. What actually was her line of business ?
Best wishes to your father.
Neville

Thank you again Neville...
I'm still fairly useless at this, but used free ancestry access at cradley heath library recently, and saw hannah in said directory for 1940. Same shop, but by then on her second marriage, and is listed as Hannah Harbach. She was born hannah Newton. I believe the shop sold almost everything! Dad used to have to help, and remembers being sent to the High Street to buy cakes and other sundries to sell in granny's shop..

Thanks Sharon, by the way you mentioned earlier I think Beaumont's sweet shop. Les Beaumont married Ella Bishop whose father was a confectioner in the town.
I will add another Cradley Heath character to our list if I may. It's another of the Billinghams, Benjamin by name except that everyone called him Benny Fiddler. He was much overweight and I remember as a child if ever I asked for a second helping my mother always threatened me with becoming as big as Benny Fiddler although he had died in1895 years before she was born. Born I believe in 1811 he was the landlord of the Bell public house off the Five Ways towards the top of what was Scholding Green Road since renamed St Anne's Road (I guess it's now demolished) His nickname came from the fact he used to play his violin to entertain the customers. He had another string to his bow if you will excuse the pun in that apparently he was a strong supporter of the local chainmakers and would allow them to use the Bell for their union meetings.
Neville

Yes and here he is on BCC...

http://bcconnections.tribalpages.com/tr ... =391310474

he links to the brother of my Gt Grandfather Arthur Rose his bro Ernest Rose and his descendants

Just for the record Neville there's a photo of Biggs sweet shop taken in 1930 in this weeks Bugle, page 17.

Many thanks Silver Surfer.
Neville

The New 'Oss Road. When Cradley Heath Railway Station was built in the mid to end 19th Century it of course meant goods could now easily be received or despatched all over the Country. The route from the Station in the Quarry Bank direction was then via Cradley Road, Lyde Green and Cradley Forge, not very easy for horses and carts, so a new road was built from the station down to the Waggon and Horses public House at the bottom of Quarry Bank. It is of course Forge Lane. I don't know about nowadays but when I was growing up in Cradley Heath most local people still called it the New 'Oss(horse) Road although it had been costructed 50 or more years previously.

Does anyone know if there was an ..."event," for want of a better word, in Cradley c1870-1880? Or did Cradley Heath start "drawing" people there? My Moore family seem to have fractured and disappeared in this period (including off the 1881 census!)..a few have turned up in cradley heath....

Sorry Sharon, you have me beaten on this one, but I'll have another think just in case.
Neville

Hi Sharon, yes I think you are correct in your assumption that a lot of people moved into Cradley Heath around that time. White's Directory of Staffordshire in 1834 says the Parish of Rowley Regis contained 7,438 Inhabitants and 3,555 acres of land, by 1851 the Inhabitants had grown to 14,000. Not got the figures for 1881, but the numbers would surely have doubled again by that time. Best Wishes from Linell.

Thanks Linell-again!
O.k.-I've got another one!....
I know of burials at Cradley, Netherton,Dudley, Cradley Heath,Blackheath and Rowley church...where were the folk of Old hill buried? When was Powke Lane cemetery established?
I cant believe all the past Old Hill/Cradley heath folk are at St Luke's Cradley heath!

Hi Sharon, yes it's mind blowing isn't it, all those thousands of people on the Census's what happened to them all According to their Web Site Powke Lane opened 1921. I suppose the burials were at Holy Trinity before then. I am astounded by the number of burials at St John's Halesowen, ok it's a large Churchyard, but even so, the same plots must have been used more than once. I also find it incredulous that know one seems to know who is buried where I will get in touch with Powke Lane this week and see what I can find out. Best Wishes from Linell.