The Way We Were
HALL OF MEMORY, BROAD STREET, BIRMINGHAM
Winter 1957, Birmingham
The Hall of Memory is as revered today as it was in 1957 – but like these vehicles, all around it has gone
‘Err that round Rotunda thing at the Bull Ring. The NEC? Err, Longbridge Works… aaah!’
This is the response you can expect from just about any nonBrummie asked to list Birmingham’s historic buildings. Yet there are many, despite the combined efforts of the Luftwaffe and concreteobsessed town planners.
Birmingham Town Hall dates from 1834 and has one of the nation’s best concert halls. Curzon Street Station (1839) was closed to passengers in 1893 and freight in 1966.
Then there’s this structure, which would have raised many an admiring glace from the motorists, bus passengers and pedestrians in our photo. It would also evoke a sense of sadness and loss.
The Hall of Memory was opened in 1925 as a tribute to the 12,320 citizens of Birmingham who died in World War One and has since expanded its remit to cover the many more recent conflicts.
Built by in Portland stone by public subscription at a cost of £60,000, the now Grade I-listed building features a magnificent stained glass window and four statues in honour of the armed forces and Women’s Services.
But to the vehicles in the photo! Nearest to us is a Phase
Hillman Minx of the 1939-47 period, an early foray into unitary construction. Behind that, and looking particularly American from this angle, is a Luton-built Vauxhall Wyvern E-series.
In front of that (and look at those wonderfully period road bollards to its right!) is a Ford Prefect, one of no fewer than four 100Es in this picture, the other three being parked one after the other after the zebra crossing.
Ford dealers would also be rubbing their hands in glee at the Zephyr MkI and also the nearest vehicle to us of those going around the roundabout – or ‘island’ in local parlance – the shockingly archaic Ford E494A Popular. Behind that we can see the front of a Morris J-series van.
Further around the island we have another Morris van, this one a Z-series, and an Oxford Series 3 from the same manufacturer, built in Britain from 1956-59 but in India as the Hindustan Ambassador until 2015. In front of that is a rare ‘phase’ Hillman estate.
Going right back up the road again we see a Wolseley 4/44 or 15/50, a Morris Minor and a Standard 8/10.
Bus action centres on vehicles of Birmingham City Transport, then England’s largest municipal operator, with its double-deckers finished to a luxurious standard. These were on Daimler, Crossley and like the BMMO (Midland Red) bus at the back of the queue, Guy Motors of Wolverhampton.
Advertised on the bus nearest to us is Fillery’s Toffees, made in Birmingham and a major supplier to Marks and Spencer. The factory closed in 1966.
This being Birmingham, there’s a definite paucity of something significant – Austins! We can only see five examples, and one of those is the K-type tractor unit making a strange manoeuvre.
There’s a ‘cow’s-hip’ rear A40/ A50 or A90 with the driver making a half-hearted hand signal, an A30 crossing the crossing and an FX3 taxi opposite, plus a Somerset leaving the island. Is this really good enough for such an august and popular brand?