MADE IN BIRMINGHAM WEBSITE NEWS AND UPDATES

[madeinbirmingham]

MADE IN BIRMINGHAM

NEWS PAGE

Please note everyone that all this has been brought across from the website and will replace the news page on the website

Each month a new page(or paragraph) will be added, the current page in the month will be updated on a regular basis as events etc occur. Previous months will be stored beneath the current month. The starting month is April 2007

NOVEMBER 2007

ALH is going to write a Mathew Boulton page for the website

OCTOBER 2007

Research continues with Hercules, Sir Edmund Cranes daughter is confirmed as having passed away. Alarming number of mistakes discovered in the book Mr Hercules by Joan Vickers.

Oscar Deutch's (Odeon pioneer) son Ronnie Deutsch interviewed by telephone, due to visit him soon.

We have 200 members signed up for the forum but only around 10 post regularly, come on everybody, get posting.

Progress on the website has slowed as we get the forum up and running. A website overhaul is planned for 2008

SEPTEMBER 2007

Les Hollins, one of Birmingham's last surviving staion masters interviewed at his home in Streetly. Les was station master at Penns for Walmley. Further to this interview the page www.madeinbirmingham.org/walmley.htm was updated and additional information was included about Penns Hall and its Wire Drawing Mill

First BIHS event organised at Dolman Street Museum Store and was enjoyed by all.

New forum launched to a few members for test purposes

Home page updated to reflect forum.

Museum appeal moved to centre of web page

BSA testers information received.

Important Hercules research information and 1930s catalogue received.

Interview with Birmingham's oldest station master arranged


AUGUST 2007


Made in Birmingham Newsletter prepared
Visit to Dolman St Store arranged
Testers Run administration work commences(Sept 9th)
Draft proposals for Downing St petition launched
Excelsior page tidied up
Haden motorcycle page added
£200 catalogues bought, including rare Components Ltd, forerunner of Ariel Motorcycles
Work on a Made in Birmingham forum started

JULY 2007

Four Oaks Spraying Machine Company test page added
The links page completely re-written especially research websites, many other links added.
Eddysone Radio test page added. Eddystone Radio
New message board forum proposed

HERCULES Cycle & Motor page re-written Hercules Cycle & Motor

Contact address changed for newsletters, general tidying of certain pages.
Newsletter sent out in first week of July


JUNE 2007 no updates

MAY 2007 latest update May 18th





'Did You Know' page added with Birmingham firsts and interesting facts
Birmingham has a proud record of indutrial innovation and this page looks at some little known facts.

New Pages added- Valor, Aston F & C Osler Glass
Valor
Osler

It's not only the big companies that feature on MADE IN BIRMINGHAM!
Look out for pages coming on; RAYDON ELECTRICAL, Bearwood - CASTLE TOWEL SERVICE, Erdington - SIGN SERVICE, Erdington -THE CALCULATING BUREAU, Edgbaston - A..MATURI & SONS Small Heath - - ERDINGTON GARDEN MACHINE COMPANY - Slade Road - P- BEAVAN NEWSAGENTS - Erdington


Norton Motorcycle page re-written and added
Norton Motorcycles

New revised Birmingham Elmdon Airport page added
Elmdon Airport

Pin Making page added
Birmingham had a prolific pin making industry and a small page has been added to the site.
Pin Making

Walmley page updated
Walmley was one of the last villages to survive in Birmingham in its original form. This page concentrates on Walmley Garage (Ashfield Engineering) and Penns (for Walmley) railway station and its last station master Les Hollins. Walmley Village Link


Birmingham Testers Run page updated
The Birmingham Testers Run page has finally been updated and one of the very fine black and white photographs from Simon Evans has been added. The Birmingham Testers Run

Plans for Birmingham's Airport's second runway on hold!

The airport that never should have been! The new Birmingham airport should never have been built in the 80s. It was in need of enlargement they day it was finished. A new greenfield site should have been chosen but as usual, as so often is the way in this country, it was make and mend, now 20 years later the price is being paid with a site that is stuck in 'a box' and is awkward to develop into the airport that Birmingham deserves. When will transport planners learn? Watch them with New Street Station, they are doing exactly the same thing trying to develop and expand another site stuck in a box! Birmingham Elmdon Airport

Hercules Cycles and Motors

Hercules site updated and daughter of Sir Edmund Crane address is located in Hampshire but will she respond to letters? Centenary run is planned from Hercules in Rocky Lane but can we be sure of the year Hercules commenced trading? Some sources say 1910, others 1911, the mystery continues!. Still no response from Sir Edmund's daughter. More contact form ex-Hercules workers needed. Hercules Cycle & Motor Ltd

New web page starts campaign to get an industrial museum for Birmingham.

Made in Birmingham launches a new campaign to stimulate interest in an industrial museum for Birmingham, see home page


The 'Rough Guide Book' describes the Balti Triangle as one of Birmingham's leading culinary assets.

Popular guide says there are 'over 50 restaurants all competing to serve the best, simplest, no nonsense and above all the cheapest food'. It goes on to describe the area as one of the 25 wonders of Britain.

New pages reconnected
Typhoo Tea and Watsonian Sidecars, both top world brands
Typhoo Tea

Watsonian Sidecars





APRIL 2007
Home Page The Birmingham Industrial History Society

The latest suggestion is that any society that is formed have in its title, DISTRICT! This is in order to include areas on the outskirts of Birmingham and widen support, what do you think?

We still do not have a definite date for the formation of this society, at present we have 3 committee members, as soon as this rises to 5 we will re-consider our options. In the meantime it is proposed to have a free Internet membership only, to be called, The Birmingham Industrial History Group.

I do not see a very big future for a Birmingham Industrial History Society at the moment, already we can see as different people come to the table they bring their own agendas and interests. It is Birmingham that needs some dedicated Industrial history recognition and promotion, lets leave Redditch and the Black Country to other groups! I do believe Smethwick to be a unique exception, however!

The WEBSITE

In March and April 2007 the website was down for a number of weeks while we changed to another provider. We were told this change would take place in 24 hours, it was more like 24 days. It is amazing that with the potential speed of modern day communication we are still handicapped by human incompetence

The Mike Hailwood Memorial Run was very successful this March with just over 120 riders taking part and descending on the Warwickshire village of Tanworth in Arden after a 30 minute ride from the former Norton factory in Bracebridge Street, Aston.

The Birmingham Testers Run is Birmingham's largest classic motorcycle event and this year will start from the former Velocette factory in York Road, Hall Green. The destination is the Elan Valley and the National Cycle Museum in Llandrindod Wells. The run is held in September

Does Birmingham need a dedicated industrial museum? Many people think the Think Tank is a very poor replacement for the popular Science Museum in Newhall Street.

Join the forum, have your say (coming soon)

Our first event, where would you like to go in and around Birmingham? Tell us on the forum!

HP Sauce--The final bottle is produced at Aston, yet another Birmingham specialist trade bites the dust

The Parkinson Report on Birmingham shows the council has lost its way, Birmingham needs to be much more pro-active. You must read this report if you are interested in Birmingham Details

Kings Head Pub boarded up at Bearwood, is it the end for yet another Birmingham landmark pub?

Technical Schools! Do you remember Birmingham's two technical schools, Lordswood at Bearwood and Marsh Hill in Erdington. Please contact us if you do

Were you involved in any of the following companies, if so we need your help?
Castle Towel Service, Erdington - Wimbushes Bakery, Small Heath - Belling Magicoal Fires, Hall Green - Clifford Aero & Auto, Hall Green - Hercules Cycles, Aston - Coronet Cameras, Aston - Cyclo Benulux, Aston -- Glenfern Garage, Erdington - Walmley Garage--The Calculating Bureau, Edgbaston - Barrows Stores--Wrensons--Birmingham Snow Hill Station, Witton Motors - Stacatruck, Hall Green - Cyril Hall Greengrocer-Hall Green

NEW PAGES

Most of the pages have now been carried across from the old site. Some have been slightly re-worked, Joseph Lucas for instance. William Tranter a gunmaker from Aston is new and is very interesting. Aston, as always, is full of surprises, from Ossie Osbourne to the world's greatest cycle factory, Hercules! The Birmingham Syphon Company has also been added, although we have little information.
Further new pages may be slow in coming as I have some interviews to do for Odeon and Penns Station(Walmley) and Lordswood & Marsh Hill Technical Schools. I have finally tracked down Sir Edmund Crane's (Hercules) only child, Joan Vickers, now well into her eighties so with any luck I will be interviewing her soon.
_________________
JP --- History is just one thing after the other!