Old postcard trail sheds new light on borough’s history

SOLIHULL is to offer a window on the past with a unique postcard project.

‘A Postcard from Solihull’ features a trail of 23 images in shop and restaurant windows, showing town centre scenes dating from the 19th century.

The project is being led by Solihull Business Improvement District (BID), and features history walks, old-fashioned games and a memory zone in Touchwood shopping centre for people to share their tales, which will be preserved in the library.

McDonald’s visitors will learn they are eating on the site of the old Post Office and Liv’s interiors store is on the site of the old Mill Lane Boys’ School. Alongside these is a full High Street image taken in 1894 which is being displayed in Touchwood.

Solihull BID chief executiove Melanie Palmer said: “This project has uncovered some incredible town centre links such as poet WH Auden, who lived at 13 Homer Road before going off to boarding school, and John Constable, who visited and painted Malvern Hall, which now hangs in Tate Britain.

“We have put together a programme of activity which will really start to ignite the flames of nostalgia for all.”

“It all started when we met with Tracey Williams from the Core Library in Solihull who blew our minds with the array of images, audio tapes and sheer in depth knowledge of Solihull’s past.

“There are two guided tours with Tracey in August and we have produced in partnership with Touchwood and the council, a heritage trail map which includes fascinating details – such as the sad tale of Jimmy Crump who sold water from the Streetsbrook for a halfpenny per bucket but who died in the Solihull workhouse in 1882 at the age of 67.

“Drury Lane used to be called Dog Lane until a group of travelling players performed there and inspired the change of name. You may now be munching on a Big Mac on the High Street but that was the former site of the 19th-century post office, complete with horseback level postboxes!”

A ‘Postcard from Solihull’ display until August 31.

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> Right: The fancy goods shop on the right was run by Miss Elizabeth Elcox before being taken over about 1910 by her friend Miss Nan Deebank > Left: The building on the right, next to Lea’s, was The Gables, home to Dr AV Bernays. It was demolished in about 1935 and shops, including Woolworth’s were built on the site. > Right: The timberframed Gardeners’ Arms opened in Solihull High Street in the 1860s and was demolished in 1971. There was a murder at the pub in 1880 when an Irishman was shot dead > Left: The High Street pavements had cobbles with a central section of Rowley Rag pavers. The cobbles were taken up in 1931.