Site History (Archive Feb 2008 - Mar 2011)

Last Updated : 12 March 2011

This is an archive of the site history from February 2008 until March 2011.  For the current site history click here.

To jump directly to any page mentioned below, please use the sitemap

12/3/2011	Finishing off the Ledbury section with some lovely night time pictures.  You don't need to know the town to appreciate these photographs!  Also updated the Ledbury in Colour page following some feedback from Chris - thanks.
26/2/2011	A recent trip to Ledbury has inspired me to finally add some colour views of the town to the Other Places section. Thanks to Peter for providing some information about the history of the tramway on Ryde Pier, the page for which has been updated.
29/1/2011	I'd always intended to add a page for Ryde Pier (see 24/1 below) so asked a friend who was visiting the Isle of Wight to take some pictures for me.  Now I've dug them out and added a couple of modern views to the Ryde Pier Head Station page.  I couldn't believe it was July 2007 that he took them! Also updated the Blackwell Station, Barnt Green Station and Big Bertha pages following some feedback from Robin.
24/1/2011	Added a page for Ryde Pier Head Station to the National Stations page.  Includes two colour views.
17/1/2011	A sad posting - a tribute to the late Peter Walker.
8/1/2011	After adding the recent page of miniature railways pictures, I recalled that there were also some pictures of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway somewhere in the collection.  I found them amongst the slides which means I've been able to add a page of colour pictures of the railway to the Railways section. I thank Angus for getting in touch with some information about Evesham station and even sending me one of his photos from 1961.  The Evesham page in the Midland Area Stations section has thus been updated. Finally, thanks to Sue for letting me know about Dr. Middlemore's home on St Lukes road.  Some information and a link has been added to the City Centre Outside Ring Road page in the Birmingham section.
11/12/2010	If you were thinking of buying 'In My Father's Footsteps' for Christmas, the bad news from the publisher is that it is now out of stock again.  There are a few copies still available in local bookshops and at some online suppliers.  I'm hoping for a second reprint in the New Year and will update you as soon as I can.
4/12/2010	For the rail enthusiasts, a page of pictures of various miniature railways has been added to the Railways section.
13/11/2010	Earlier this year I had a chance to look through the whole of Geoff Thompson's archive.  There were just a few City Centre shots but they were of excellent quality and of great interest.  I have added a new page containing these pictures to the Birmingham section of the site.
31/10/2010	My new book is now out.  Not that I've seen it yet!  Still chasing the publisher for my copies... I have a few things lined up to help promote the book.  On Sunday November 7th I will be on Carl Chinn's radio show on BBC WM at around 12 noon.  The next day, I'll be at Northfield Library at 11am talking mostly about my father's pictures but with some local material from the Geoff Thompson Archive too.  Finally, I will be in WH Smith, Union Street from 6pm until 8pm on Thursday November 11th to sign copies of my books (TBC).
11/10/2010	Firstly, an apology for the lack of updates this year.  My new book, described below, took up a lot of my spare time early in the year and during the proofing stage.  The combination of low interest rates and VAT going up next year has made me get some jobs done around the house which was created a seemingly never ending DIY list and robbed me of my spare time.  I still have many plans for the site and hope the winter months ahead will be fruitful and productive! Today's update adds some information about my new book, "Birmingham Then & Now", to the Birmingham page.
11/9/2010	Ten super pictures from in and around the old Wolverhampton (High Level) station added to the Midland Area Stations page. When I next update, I will be providing some information about my forthcoming book, "Birmingham Then & Now".  Watch this space...
21/8/2010	More modern views...  This time, five more added to the Selly Oak page in South Birmingham Businesses.  Only two left to do now!  Still Cotteridge and Selly Park to sort out though.
2/8/2010	Long overdue, I've added ten modern views to Kings Heath page in South Birmingham Businesses.  Nine still to do! For rail fans, Paul has been kind enough to provide another couple of his excellent modern views.  One has been added to the Grand Junction page and the other to Central Goods, both found in the Birmingham Rail Sites section.
19/7/2010	Updates today are all based on visitor feedback - something I'm always happy to receive. Michael provided some information about the shed pictured on the Clee Hill Incline page.  George corrected me about the chimney at Bournville Shed.  Harry provided some memories about the MEB office in Dale End that I've added to the Inner Ring Road Central page.  Richard was good enough to send some extra information and corrections to various railway photographs helping making the site more accurate.  I'm very thankful to them all! Finally, added a link to the Unofficial SMJ Society to the Stratford-upon-Avon Station page.  Well worth a visit if you're interested.
19/6/2010	Another long overdue addition to the site has finally been completed.  I've added a page about The Daffodil Line (Ledbury and Gloucester Railway) to the Railways section.  I started research for this way back in 2006! I thank Stuart for providing some details for one of the pictures from Dad's Day Out 29/7/54, Victoria and Maria for some memories of Mary Street (Birmingham in Colour 1950's) and Pete for some information about one of the Selly Oak pictures in South Birmingham Businesses section. Finally, I've added links to some recommended websites to the bottom of the Birmingham page.
29/5/2010	Added the remaining modern views of the Northfield pictures in the South Birmingham Businesses section of the site.  Also, added some personal memories to one of the Kings Norton pictures in the same section provided by Stephen - thanks Stephen!
17/5/2010	Finally, some spare time and some nice weather meant I could get some modern views of the Longbridge pictures in the South Birmingham Businesses section of the site.  An extra old picture has also been added to this section.  I took pictures of Northfield too but they will have to wait for a while longer before being uploaded... Also, I'm grateful to Nick who got in touch to provide information about one of the old pictures of Bridgwater in the Other Places section.  He also provided a modern view of the scene so thanks Nick!
10/5/2010	Added Grand Junction to the Birmingham Rail Sites page.  Also added some details about the picture of 48164 at Clay Cross Station to Dad's Day Out 22/6/55.  My thanks to Andy for this information.
19/4/2010	At last my latest book project is complete and I can get back to updating the site! Added a page for Redditch to the Midland Area Stations section.  A bit of a swizz as there is no picture of the station itself... Also updated the Cromford and High Peak Railway page with some comments from Robin and the Dads Day Out for 7/4/53 with some information about the Leicester pictures from John - my thanks to them both.
18/3/2010	Had he lived, my father would have been 80 today.  He could never have imagined how important and how well appreciated his pictures would become, let alone the existence of websites and the Internet! Many apologies for the lack of updates lately but I've been working hard on another book project.  I plan to restart work on the site in mid-April.
13/2/2010	Some random station pictures added to National Stations - Derby Midland, Rochdale and Cardiff General.
30/1/2010	More odd and ends...  Two great new pictures today.  Paul has provided an absolutely cracking view of Curzon Street Sidings (Birmingham Rail Sites) as it appeared at the very end of 2009.  Robert sent me a picture of the milepost at Matlock Bath (Other Places) which is still in place but looking a bit neglected.  Also updated the Bull Ring by Leonard Stace pictures with some information about the movements of Nelson's statue courtesy of Mark, the Northfield page with some recollections from Steve, the Dad's Day Out 7/4/53 with a note about the signal gantry near Nuneaton after some assistance from Patrick and, finally, corrected a date on the Bournville Shed page that John spotted was wrong when working on captions for this page.  My thanks to them all and I promise the next update will consist of more of my father's photographs!
16/1/2010	My thanks to Maria for not only providing some modern views of the Moseley pictures in South Birmingham Businesses but also for sharing her memories of 220 Alcester Road and 1389 Pershore Road (the latter added to the Stirchley section).
9/1/2010	An email from Toby asking if my father had photographed Cheltenham or Gloucester made me realise that great pictures were hidden away in the Dad's Days Out section so I've added links from the Midland Area Stations page and have finally activated the link to National Stations.  There are no new pictures at the moment - they will follow.  It's a New Years resolution of mine to add more railway pictures this year!  Mind you, I have another project on the go that will keep me busy until the end of March so updates may be a little thin on the ground until then...
19/12/2009	A few odds and ends today...  Thanks to Andy for sharing some memories of growing up in Selly Oak that I've added to the Selly Oak page in South Birmingham Businesses along with a picture he sent.  Thanks to Sean for providing some more information about Unity House.  And thanks again to Paul for more modern views of Railway sites - this time Alvechurch Station and a couple of pictures around Longbridge East box.  The latter can be found on the Halesowen Railway Virtual Trip and Enthusiasts pages. I'd like to thank all my regular visitors for their support during the last year and to wish you all a very Happy Christmas!
12/12/2009	Sorry for the lack of updates recently.  Another DIY project has kept me busy, as have a collection of slides that I have been loaned.  Scanning and researching them has taken up a lot of my spare time!  I've added one of these slides to the M5 West of Birmingham page in the Other Places section.  It's a superb aerial view of Lydiate Ash from c.1966.
23/11/2009	Added the last two modern views to the Kings Norton page and also added eleven modern views to the Selly Oak page.  Both pages can be found in the South Birmingham Businesses section.
8/11/2009	Once again Paul has come up trumps with a couple of views around the site of Winson Green station.  These have been added to the Local Stations P-Z page along with an additional view by my father. I have another Paul to thank for providing a modern picture of 947 Bristol Road South to add to the Northfield section of South Birmingham Businesses.  This also inspired me to add a couple of views I took over a year ago to the same page - I'd be waiting until I'd took all the Northfield shots but I suspect that won't happen until next year now! Finally, thanks to Craig for letting me know that 'Black Five' 44767 survives today.  A link has been added to New Street Station at Work Pre 1950.
17/10/2009	My sincere thanks to Paul who has provided seven cracking modern views of the area around Barnt Green Station!  Please see the updated Barnt Green Station page in the Midland Area Stations section of the site.  Also fixed a few broken links.
3/10/2009	Added Hereford to the Midland Area Stations page.  Minor update to the M5 West of Birmingham page - the cast iron post has gone!  Good job I snapped it while it was still there... I'm presenting a slideshow at Stirchley Library on Friday October 9 at 10:00am.  It will be similar to the one I gave at Bromsgrove Library last year but with a bit of a Stirchley bias.  Please pop along if you are interested.
23/9/2009	Sorry for the lack of updates - lots going on including a late summer holiday in Sunny Devon! Added some modern views of Kings Norton and Bearwood to the South Birmingham Businesses pictures.  Also updated Dad's Day Out 29/7/54 with some comments from Duncan, the Aschurch Station page with information from Toby and, finally, the Manchester page with more recollections from Colin - my thanks to them all.
30/8/2009	After meeting Philip Jarvis and providing him with some pictures of the Birmingham & Gloucester Loop for a forthcoming exhibition, I wanted to add Aschurch Station to the site.  Realising that it lay out of the zone I had selected for Midland Area Stations I have conveniently revised the zone to include Gloucestershire and Herefordshire! Also updated the Manchester page in the Other Places section following some feedback from site visitor Colin.
24/8/2009	Major update today is a page of past & present views of Hereford following a visit to the city a couple of weeks ago.  See the Other Places section. Rail fans will be pleased to see more of Paul's modern views of old station sites.  Check out Spon Lane on the Birmingham and Local Stations P-Z page and Moument Lane on the Birmingham Rail Sites page.  My sincere thanks to Paul for these pictures. Finally, replaced a broken link on the New Street Station page with new links to old pictures of the station.
1/8/2009	Added Matlock & Matlock Bath to the Other Places section.  Thanks to Lee I was able to add a modern view of Highbridge, also in Other Places.  Finally, corrected a broken link on the Buses and Trams in Colour page.  Can I please ask again - if you find broken link then do let me know about it!
13/7/2009	Added a truly superb Dad's Day Out from July 1954.  Highly recommended!
4/7/2009	Added Worcester (Shrub Hill) to the Midland Area Stations page.
29/6/2009	Apologies for the lack of updates this month - a death in the family, a bad bout of flu and a weekend away have all made it difficult to find the time.  I'll try to be more productive in July. Just a quick update to say my Birmingham book is now available again.  Also added some comments to the Manchester page following a mail from Andy.
6/6/2009	Perhaps a rather odd choice but...  Added a page about the M5 west of Birmingham to the Other Places section.  It's mostly about the area around Lydiate Ash but also features Frankley Services.  I hope at least a few people find it of interest!
30/5/2009	At last, another of Dad's Days Out!  This one is a shed bash from March 1950. Also updated the Unity House page with some memories from Dave and added a modern view of the site of Spon Lane station to the Birmingham and Local Stations P-Z page thanks to Paul.  Finally, corrected a broken link on the Old Brum Burns page.  If you find a broken link on the site, please let me know about it!
9/5/2009	To keep the rail fans happy, added Saltley Station to the Birmingham and Local Stations P-Z page. Also added a colour picture of Cardiff Market to the Other Places section.
25/4/2009	More Other Places!  Found another view of Piccadilly Gardens so added that to the Manchester page.  Also created a new page for Bridgwater with three nice colour views. A few more updates following visitor feedback too.  Minor change to the Longbridge page and corrected the Register Office page thanks to additional information from David.
13/4/2009	Two more nice colour views added to the Other Places section - Chichester and Highbridge. Also, a few updates and bits of extra/corrected information scattered around the site thanks to visitors getting in touch.  I'm grateful to Martin (Longbridge page), Alan (Weoley Castle page), Dennis (Trams Bristol Road) and would especially like to thank Bernard for sharing memories of his father working in New St No. 2 Signal Box (Signal Box Interiors).
30/3/2009	A bit of a change of direction is planned for the next few updates as I expand the Other Places section.  Made a start with a pair of nice colour views of Chester and Manchester from 1955.  Also updated the page containing information about my book as it has now sold out!  A reprint is due shortly.
23/3/2009	Just a couple of minor updates today.  Revised some of the links on the Big Bertha page and added a lovely, personal history of 27 Hubert Road to the Selly Oak page of the South Birmingham Businesses section.  Many thanks to John for providing the latter.
7/3/2009	Added Barnt Green to the Midland Area Stations page.
21/2/2009	Added Aldridge to the Midland Area Stations page.  Includes a nice colour view of the station.
14/2/2009	Added Blackwell to the Midland Area Stations page.  Includes a nice colour view of the station.
5/2/2009	A slow start to the New Year due to yet another DIY project taking more of my spare time than I anticipated... Added a page providing some advice on how to get the best results from scanning black and white photographs.  The is based on my experience gained over the last four years.  The page is accessed from a link on the About page.
10/1/2009	Happy New Year to you all! Added a long planned page about the Stonebridge Railway to the Railways section.  Includes three nice colour views.
15/12/2008	Only one picture added but what a picture!  A colour view of Brickyard Crossing signal box added to the Birmingham Rail Sites page. I doubt I'll have much time to update the site before Christmas so I wish you all Season's Greetings.  I hope you've all written to Santa asking for a copy of 'D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands'!
8/12/2008	Added Church Road Station to Birmingham and Local Stations A-G.
29/11/2008	Added a page with pictures of the book covers and details of the contents to the Railways page.  Includes links to an online supplier.
10/11/2008	Added a truly superb record of Stratford-upon-Avon (Old Town) Station to the Midland Area Stations section.  The pictures date from 1951 until 1962 and include some colour views. Myself and Bob Essery will be on Carl Chinn's Radio WM show this coming Sunday (Nov 16) at around 2pm.  We'll be discussing 'D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands'.  If you can't listen at the time, the broadcast is available for a week after the show on the Radio WM website.  Click on 'Listen Again' and then select Carl Chinn.
3/11/2008	Demonstrating some good examples of the kind of photograph to be found in the forthcoming 'D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands' (see announcement from 27/10/2008 for details), I've added Saltley Shed and St. Andrew's Junction to the Birmingham Rail Sites page.  Also added a modern view of Droitwich Road Station.
27/10/2008	Rail fans, looking back at the history of the site for this year it appears that I've been neglecting your needs…  This couldn't be further from the truth but I just haven't been able to say anything until now.  The full details are contained in this announcement.  As a token apology I've added a page of pictures of Bengeworth Station to the Midland Area Stations section.  Now my time is my own again, more updates will follow.
4/10/2008	Save the best 'til last, that's what I say!  South Birmingham Businesses is now complete by virtue of the addition of a Selly Oak page featuring eighteen superb photo's.  I have a big soft spot for Selly Oak as, even though its glory days are long gone, there is history everywhere you look!  I hope you enjoy viewing these pictures as much as I've enjoyed researching them. Rail fans - I promise it will be 'full steam ahead' in the run up to Christmas...
28/9/2008	Apologies for the lack of updates during September - I've been making the most of the nice weather that most Saturday's have been blessed with! Just minor updates today.  Pictures of Galpins garage have been added to the Bearwood page (my thanks to David) and minor corrections made to the Halesowen Railway Virtual Trip page (thanks to Kim) and Inner Ring Road Central (thanks to Jenny).
8/9/2008	Added a complete set of modern views to the Harborne page in the South Birmingham Businesses section.
23/8/2008	Completed the Kings Heath section of the South Birmingham Businesses section with the addition of a further nine pictures. Rail fans please don't despair!  Once I complete the final section of South Birmingham Businesses then my efforts will move back to the Railways section.
9/8/2008	Added Harborne to the South Birmingham Businesses section.
26/7/2008	Sorry!  The project involving my father's railway photographs has been taking up more of my Saturdays but the end is now in sight (phew!).  Combined with a summer holiday, chances to update the site have been limited. I've been wanting to add Kings Heath pictures to South Birmingham Businesses for a long time but there are simply so many of them that it was a struggle.  So, for now I've just made a start and put ten pictures online.
6/7/2008	Added Hampton-in-Arden to the Midland Area Stations section.
22/6/2008	An afternoon off work and a trip home to see my Mum provided the perfect opportunity to complete the set of modern views for the Stirchley section of the South Birmingham Businesses section.
14/6/2008	Added Northfield to the South Birmingham Businesses section.
7/6/2008	Added Bromsgrove Station to the Midland Area Stations section.
2/6/2008	Just a few small updates.  Thanks to Peter for getting in touch about the picture of Ashfield Motors on the recently added Moseley page and providing some of his childhood memories of helping out there.  Thanks, also, to Mike for letting me know that the shed seen on the Evesham Station page was a goods shed and not an engine shed.  Final update is to the Rotunda page in the Birmingham Developments section.  The conversion of the Rotunda is now complete and so is my page. On a more positive note for the future of the site, I'm pleased to make this announcement.
17/5/2008	Added Moseley to the South Birmingham Businesses section.
10/5/2008	A couple of shots for the railway fans.  A super picture of Curzon Street Sidings has been added to the Birmingham Rail Sites section and a view of Stoke Works Station has been added to the Midland Area Stations section.  I've also updated the Dunhampstead page in the latter with a modern view.
26/4/2008	Added Bearwood to the South Birmingham Businesses section.  In addition, Weoley Castle now has a complete set of modern views and I have to thank Dave and Ray for helping me update the Liverpool Overhead Railway page.
12/4/2008	Apologies for the lack of updates recently.  I've been busy and work is getting rather hectic so I'm afraid this is likely to continue for the next few weeks... Just some minor updates today.  Thanks to Mary for providing a superb picture of her father's shop in Cotteridge.  This has been added to the Cotteridge page in the South Birmingham Businesses section.  Thanks also to Carlton who has provided a couple of modern views for the Weoley Castle page in the same section of the site.  I've added a lovely colour slide of a diesel train crossing the bridge over the River Severn at Worcester to the Worcester page of the Other Places section. Finally, thanks to Tom who pointed out that I had my 73001 mixed up with my 72001 on the Cadbury Works Railway page.
24/3/2008	Added Weoley Castle to the South Birmingham Businesses section.
22/3/2008	Added Longbridge to the South Birmingham Businesses section.
8/3/2008	Added Kings Norton to the South Birmingham Businesses section.  Also, added some splendid shots of Evesham (Midland) Station to the Midland Area Stations page.  Finally, corrected a couple of captions on one of the New Street Station At Work pages thanks to Charles.
23/2/2008	Added Cotteridge and Selly Park to the South Birmingham Businesses section.  Also corrected a couple of broken links.
10/2/2008	Once again I'm delighted to be able to provide some additional pictures of Old Brum long after exhausting the collection of my father's photographs. I can't thank Geoff Thompson enough for allowing me to use pictures aquired by him some years ago to extend the Birmingham section of the site. Please check out the new page called South Birmingham Businesses.  The initial pictures are of Stirchley and other areas will be added in the coming weeks.
3/2/2008	I have archived the history for the first three years of the site's existence here.  This new history page will follow the convention of the latest update at the top. You may be interested to know that I'll be presenting a slideshow entitled 'Around Birmingham City Centre, Past & Present' at Bromsgrove Library on Saturday 8 March at 2:30pm.  I believe tickets are required so please contact the library on 01905 765025 or email BromsgroveLib@worcestershire.gov.uk.

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