A mystery building from the Gerald Reece collection scanned by David Evans. Thanks to both!
Just a quick one as a discussion point for an autumnal Sunday evening – these photos (scanned from slides by the indispensable young David Evans) are part of the Gerald Reece collection and are clearly of Brownhills in the Holland Park/Chester Road/Pelsall Road/Hussey Estate area a good few years ago.
That mystery building perhaps with a more familiar couple in the background, and some hot classic car action to boot. Image from the Gerald Reece collection scanned by David Evans. Thanks to both!
The reason I say this with confidence as the gable in the upper image is very familiar!
3D Render of Brownhills Community Centre/The Annex/Central boys School from Apple Maps, best I can get. So the upper image is in all probability the gable indicated from the old garages site between Pelsall Road and the Hussey Estate. The Chimney and roof behind appears to be the Council House/Parkview Centre. No? What do you think?
Now, I have the feeling (but am by no means sure) this MAY BE the old ambulance station in Brownhills, which was in that area, where Parade View old people’s flats are today, next to the former Police Station. I have a feeling that the Fire Station that fronted onto Chester Road North was behind it, and vice versa.
I’m fairly sure the area was cleared in the late 1960s for the new police station and Parade View flats complex.
The 1963 aerial images may show it:
If this is the ambulance station, what’s the squarish structure above it? The long building in line with it?Image from the 1963 aerial survey images supplied by Gareth Williams/Lichfield District Council.
We have an image of the forecourt of the old Fire Station on Chester Road from Godfrey Hucker’s wonderful collection:
Someone call the fire brigade! Interesting to see white appliances. A great image from Godfrey Hucker.
The walls around the forecourt may suggest the fire station actually is the square building in the aerial image. So what is the long building? Do I have all this wrong?
Come on folks, sort me out!
David has suggested the building in the pictures may have been used as a school kitchen (it does have a remarkable chimney for such a small place) and may have been one venue for the redoubtable Mrs. Parsley and the ladies who made lunch.
One further point: I’m sure the odd lamp-post in the middle of the road was in the roadway to the garages behind the Hussey Estate…
I just know you lot can untangle this.
Just a word of caution: Both of Geralds images have been scanned from slides. They may not be the right way around…
Come on, hit me up. Comment here, buttonhole me on social media or tell me I’m an idiot via email: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.
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I wonder if the first picture shows the kitchen where school meals were prepared?
Yes it was at rear of central school,ambulance station,which when I split my head open age 5/6 was taken there on crossbar of dads bike from round corner in Albion road. They put a sticky plaster on which I thought was special plaster. There was a wooden scouts hut there too. I can remover being sent somewhere there to a serving hatch where dinner ladies would sell us a huge bowl of pudding and custard for us kids.
The first two photos look to be of the same building, taken one from the front view and one from the back
Yes, I think so…
Cheers
Bob
I have been told that this building was the ambulance station.There were two blue Daimler ambulances based there.One of the drivers lived near the Council House .
source..Godrey Hucker, who was a Brownhills fireman and now is the curator of the Chasewater Railway museum. Many thanks, Godfrey…most appreciated
the blue building is where we had a morgue round the back of council building some years back but closed down and they use the morgue in the manor hospital now