OLD WEST BROMWICH PHOTOS

My mom Lily Adey was born Virgins End Court in 1920, I believe this was in Walsall St, West Brom.

1 Virgins End Court was her Grans house ( Bella Tinsley). Despite searching I can find no details or even better ,photos of the houses so if anyone has either I will be pleased to hear from you.

Mom went to Bratt St school & later Dartmouth, she would have left there when she was 14 in 1934

Keith

Welcome Keith,

Now, Virgins End Coury is a new one on me but Walsall Street is a different matter !

Walsall Street has changed beyond recognition from when your Mom was there and in fact I had a good look around there a couple of weeks ago.

Walsall Street was off Stoney Lane an it started at the 'Town' end of Stoney Lane, about where the Express Way has cut through and I can remember vividly a HUGE house there (I am sure it was 3 floors high), it was close to where the bridge that goes over the Express Way is but thats long gone but even today there are still some of the front garden walls off the Houses that were in Walsall Street

For people who can't place where it is, if you stand on the Police Station car park in New Street and stand with your back towards the Police Station, Walsall Street is in front of you  where all of it has been flattened and there are some trees and overgrown land, that's where it is and that's where the walls are and these will soon go when the Tesco development kicks in.

I will look at my old maps Keith to see if I can see Virgins End court as these have got the outlines of houses on there also and I will get back on here....as for photos, I would love to see any myself !

Paul

Got my old maps out from 1902 and Walsall Street is clearly seen but no Virgins End Court, I have found out that it was VIRGIN Court not Virgins Court
If you look here you will see the address half way down the page, next to the name of Asprey

http://tinyurl.com/5etfrh

This seems to me to be a block of houses that were in Walsall Street where many families lived in tennanted areas and there is a row of houses showing on this map which looks like it's going into a courtyard and it was where I said that big house was

If you haven't been there yet I would recommend getting there fast as it will all go in a few weeks time and tarmac put in it's place  !

west-bromwich-photos at 12:53PM on Nov 16, 2008

Got my old maps out from 1902 and Walsall Street is clearly seen but no Virgins End Court, I have found out that it was VIRGIN Court not Virgins Court
If you look here you will see the address half way down the page, next to the name of Asprey

http://tinyurl.com/5etfrh

This seems to me to be a block of houses that were in Walsall Street where many families lived in tennanted areas and there is a row of houses showing on this map which looks like it's going into a courtyard and it was where I said that big house was

If you haven't been there yet I would recommend getting there fast as it will all go in a few weeks time and tarmac put in it's place  !

I might be wrong about Walsall St, I got that from an entry dated 1892 for a Samuel Asprey sent to remand school where his address is given as 1 Virgin End Court, Walsall St.

This morning I checked with my uncle who remembers the house & he recalls his grans house being in a road running between Spon Ln & Dartmouth Park but he cannot remember its name.

He does recall it has a 2 up 2 down with a court yard to the rear so it was obviously a back to back

I cannot open the file you gave perhaps you could send a link direct to my email address. The Asprey family were related to my Adey family, I will need to check my records to find out how

If you copy and paste the link into your browser Keith it will come in but it's the same info about Samuel Asprey and the remand school

That road your Uncle mentions running between Spon Lane & Dartmouth park could be Bull Street or any number of roads which run off the main Road, like Messenger Lane, Herbert street, Reform St, Overend  Street....there are many of them. He could do with looking at a map to get an idea and we could go from there

Paul

west-bromwich-photos at 07:21AM on Nov 16, 2008

Welcome Keith,

Now, Virgins End Coury is a new one on me but Walsall Street is a different matter !

Walsall Street has changed beyond recognition from when your Mom was there and in fact I had a good look around there a couple of weeks ago.

Walsall Street was off Stoney Lane an it started at the 'Town' end of Stoney Lane, about where the Express Way has cut through and I can remember vividly a HUGE house there (I am sure it was 3 floors high), it was close to where the bridge that goes over the Express Way is but thats long gone but even today there are still some of the front garden walls off the Houses that were in Walsall Street

For people who can't place where it is, if you stand on the Police Station car park in New Street and stand with your back towards the Police Station, Walsall Street is in front of you  where all of it has been flattened and there are some trees and overgrown land, that's where it is and that's where the walls are and these will soon go when the Tesco development kicks in.

I will look at my old maps Keith to see if I can see Virgins End court as these have got the outlines of houses on there also and I will get back on here....as for photos, I would love to see any myself !

 

Paul

 

I remember them building the express way which cut straight through Stony Lane/Messenger Street (or road?) and that bridge that went across it by where the Blind School was and I can remember the kids on their pushbikes whizzing around that foot bridge as it went around and around at the bottom if I remember

That big house Paul, I can remember it also, it as just off the footbridge on your left and it was a ramshackled old building, but I have it in my mind that it was a shop ??

As for Virgins End ??, never heard of it and to be quite honest with you I didn't know what I would find when I read the title, no wonder it has had so many hits !!!!

Michael at 08:05AM on Nov 24, 2008

west-bromwich-photos at 07:21AM on Nov 16, 2008

Welcome Keith,

Now, Virgins End Coury is a new one on me but Walsall Street is a different matter !

Walsall Street has changed beyond recognition from when your Mom was there and in fact I had a good look around there a couple of weeks ago.

Walsall Street was off Stoney Lane an it started at the 'Town' end of Stoney Lane, about where the Express Way has cut through and I can remember vividly a HUGE house there (I am sure it was 3 floors high), it was close to where the bridge that goes over the Express Way is but thats long gone but even today there are still some of the front garden walls off the Houses that were in Walsall Street

For people who can't place where it is, if you stand on the Police Station car park in New Street and stand with your back towards the Police Station, Walsall Street is in front of you  where all of it has been flattened and there are some trees and overgrown land, that's where it is and that's where the walls are and these will soon go when the Tesco development kicks in.

I will look at my old maps Keith to see if I can see Virgins End court as these have got the outlines of houses on there also and I will get back on here....as for photos, I would love to see any myself !

 

Paul

 

I remember them building the express way which cut straight through Stony Lane/Messenger Street (or road?) and that bridge that went across it by where the Blind School was and I can remember the kids on their pushbikes whizzing around that foot bridge as it went around and around at the bottom if I remember

That big house Paul, I can remember it also, it as just off the footbridge on your left and it was a ramshackled old building, but I have it in my mind that it was a shop ??

 

As for Virgins End ??, never heard of it and to be quite honest with you I didn't know what I would find when I read the title, no wonder it has had so many hits !!!!

thanks for all the replies, the problem is solved thanks to a Mr Fenton who replied to a letter published in the Bugle. He recalls Virgin End Court as a small court of old back to back houses situated on the corner of Park St. & Cooper St.

He also referred to a tale of a John Ward landlord of a pub at the top of Bull St. whose 3 virgin daughters led to the origin of the name. However I believe that an area of West Brom going back to the 1600s was called Virgins End.

I now have birth certs of several ancesters apart from my mom showing Virgin End Court as place of birth

keith at 11:17AM on Feb 21, 2009

Michael at 08:05AM on Nov 24, 2008

west-bromwich-photos at 07:21AM on Nov 16, 2008

Welcome Keith,

Now, Virgins End Coury is a new one on me but Walsall Street is a different matter !

Walsall Street has changed beyond recognition from when your Mom was there and in fact I had a good look around there a couple of weeks ago.

Walsall Street was off Stoney Lane an it started at the 'Town' end of Stoney Lane, about where the Express Way has cut through and I can remember vividly a HUGE house there (I am sure it was 3 floors high), it was close to where the bridge that goes over the Express Way is but thats long gone but even today there are still some of the front garden walls off the Houses that were in Walsall Street

For people who can't place where it is, if you stand on the Police Station car park in New Street and stand with your back towards the Police Station, Walsall Street is in front of you  where all of it has been flattened and there are some trees and overgrown land, that's where it is and that's where the walls are and these will soon go when the Tesco development kicks in.

I will look at my old maps Keith to see if I can see Virgins End court as these have got the outlines of houses on there also and I will get back on here....as for photos, I would love to see any myself !

 

Paul

 

I remember them building the express way which cut straight through Stony Lane/Messenger Street (or road?) and that bridge that went across it by where the Blind School was and I can remember the kids on their pushbikes whizzing around that foot bridge as it went around and around at the bottom if I remember

That big house Paul, I can remember it also, it as just off the footbridge on your left and it was a ramshackled old building, but I have it in my mind that it was a shop ??

 

As for Virgins End ??, never heard of it and to be quite honest with you I didn't know what I would find when I read the title, no wonder it has had so many hits !!!!

thanks for all the replies, the problem is solved thanks to a Mr Fenton who replied to a letter published in the Bugle. He recalls Virgin End Court as a small court of old back to back houses situated on the corner of Park St. & Cooper St.

He also referred to a tale of a John Ward landlord of a pub at the top of Bull St. whose 3 virgin daughters led to the origin of the name. However I believe that an area of West Brom going back to the 1600s was called Virgins End.

I now have birth certs of several ancesters apart from my mom showing Virgin End Court as place of birth

Well there you go !

Something else I didn't know.

Many thanks Keith for getting back to us

Paul

Just to add to this old thread

Virgins End can be seen on the mid-1800's first series OS Maps between Lyndon and Mayers Green (or Mares Green as it was then). Here's a link... http://www.deformedweb.co.uk/trigs/vob.cgi?b=1000&e=400400&map=19&n=291778

It's quite surprising how many of those old roads can still be traced on modern maps (take a look at the distinctive curve at Lyndon and the roads to the south east.

A little more info:

One of my ancestors was a pistol maker who lived at Virgins End. There's also a chap named Cashmore who is listed in trade directories as a pistol maker in that area. I'd always guessed that Virgins End must have been near Guns Lane and the Cross Guns (visible on that old map and which I also guess is where the currenrt Marksman is situated!).

Hope that's of interest to someone!

Paul

The  Marksman on Carters Green was indeed the  Cross Guns before the name change. I suppose someone realised the  badge / insignia for a marksman is crossed guns.

                                                                           j.e.m.

I went to Guns Village school in the 1960's but we left the area in '67. There must have been quite a bit of gun-making in the town what with the factory up by the Hawthorns (BSA wasn't it?).

Paul

Michael at 08:05AM on Nov 24, 2008

west-bromwich-photos at 07:21AM on Nov 16, 2008

Welcome Keith,

Now, Virgins End Coury is a new one on me but Walsall Street is a different matter !

Walsall Street has changed beyond recognition from when your Mom was there and in fact I had a good look around there a couple of weeks ago.

Walsall Street was off Stoney Lane an it started at the 'Town' end of Stoney Lane, about where the Express Way has cut through and I can remember vividly a HUGE house there (I am sure it was 3 floors high), it was close to where the bridge that goes over the Express Way is but thats long gone but even today there are still some of the front garden walls off the Houses that were in Walsall Street

For people who can't place where it is, if you stand on the Police Station car park in New Street and stand with your back towards the Police Station, Walsall Street is in front of you  where all of it has been flattened and there are some trees and overgrown land, that's where it is and that's where the walls are and these will soon go when the Tesco development kicks in.

I will look at my old maps Keith to see if I can see Virgins End court as these have got the outlines of houses on there also and I will get back on here....as for photos, I would love to see any myself !

 

Paul

 

I remember them building the express way which cut straight through Stony Lane/Messenger Street (or road?) and that bridge that went across it by where the Blind School was and I can remember the kids on their pushbikes whizzing around that foot bridge as it went around and around at the bottom if I remember

That big house Paul, I can remember it also, it as just off the footbridge on your left and it was a ramshackled old building, but I have it in my mind that it was a shop ??

 

As for Virgins End ??, never heard of it and to be quite honest with you I didn't know what I would find when I read the title, no wonder it has had so many hits !!!!

Got a feeling the huge house you describe was an old theatre which then became some sort of junk shop I'm afraid the name eludes me!

More grist to the mill:

Just noticed there's a 'Virgins Inn' listed on page 346 of the Staffordshire General & Commercial Directory, Part 3, 1818.

I know its an old question but my gran was born in Virgins End and where she showed me (more years ago than I care to remember) was at the back of the Globe public house (by Dartmouth park). She also told of three spinster sisters that ran a beer house there, hence the name.

mac at November 1, 2010 at 4:36 PM

I know its an old question but my gran was born in Virgins End and where she showed me (more years ago than I care to remember) was at the back of the Globe public house (by Dartmouth park). She also told of three spinster sisters that ran a beer house there, hence the name.

Hi Mac

Sorry for the late reply. It would be a nice theory but the name was in use from the early 1800's at least so I doubt if the three spinsters would have been known to your grandmother. Of course she might have been handing down a tale from an earlier date. The Beer House Act that led to a proliferation of public houses dates from 1830.

Best regards

Paul