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High Street - Conservation Area
Proposed route of High Street Relief Road
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High Street From Vesey Memorial Gardens |
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there was a railway tunnel here but probably long filled in and now just Railway Road, known locally as blue brick lane |
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High Street in Victorian times |
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Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Parade, High
Street, Sutton Coldfield. 1897. There are a couple of buildings missing in this
image which I expected to be there and what is that flag? |
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After Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Year! Which was 1897 |
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| This lovely image of the High Street, 1898, was sent to me by David Wilcox. The Three Tuns can be seen centre rear |
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I recently came into possession of some slides taken around the time when
the Gracechurch was being built. |
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no, not a camera effect or divine intervention but reflection of sunlight from an opposite window pane |
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| Allegedly the oldest building remaining in sutton Coldfield |
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| Not 'real' Police - Civilian Community Support Officers passing the Three Tuns. Our Police seem to have become civilianised - no real ones left |
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Royal Hotel, High Street. In the background, the Town Hall |
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Clearly visible, an older stone built wall in this side view of a High Street Building |
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| Interesting point. On the map, bottom, left of centre, shows 'latrines' and it is now the site of Subway sandwiches. As the High Street passes over the railway above, there is nothing but fields to Mere Green but now there is the Police Station & Courts, Sutton Coldfield College, Fire Station, Bishop Vesey Grammar School and hundreds of houses. |
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Map and information below provided by Sutton Coldfield
Civic Society (Alan Green).
For centuries this was the nucleus of the small market town, lined with
houses of the gentry. In the 18th C the frontage of many of the old houses were
rebuilt in the Georgian style, and in the 19th C most properties were converted
for use as commercial and business premises, a branch of Lloyds Bank opening at
Number 24. Mill Street is also included in this description as it really forms a
part of the High Street historically.
1. The old Swan Hotel: built as a private house in the mid 1700s and converted
into the royal Hotel in 1895.
2. 2 separate houses were joined together to form The Three Tuns in the 18th C.
Note the archway which originally gave access to the rear for carts.
3. No 1 High Street was a stone building dating back to 1624. The Georgian style
front was added around 1700.
4. The old workhouse, built in 1739.
5. Original Town Hall built in 1856.
6. Gate Public House, positioned to be a entrance to Park Road before major
road transformations took place.
7. Just off the map is the old Town School, now a baptist church.
8. Collection of cottages on Coleshill Street. All listed buildings.
9. 1,3,5 Coleshill Street make up the Old Rectory. It is here that the
grooves of the
archers
can be seen. See link.
10. The Bank Building, locally listed, dates from 1900.
11. Just past the Three Tuns, on the opposite side, is a perfect example of a
much older building being gentrified with a new frontage.
12. 48 High Street gives an idea of how the original High Street would have
looked before the builders got going. |
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| 13 March 2013, taken from Vesey Memorial Gdns |
Commercial businesses who occupied High Street
around 1913 included the Birmingham Dairy Company; Blyth Son & Hughes,
auctioneers; William Bromwich had three shops, Boot & Shoe retailer, Baker &
Confectioner and Grocer; Thomas Cattell, Chemist; Howard Chavasse, Surgeon;
Clive & Co, Electrical Engineers; Charles Corbett, Motor Engineer, Cornwell
Bros, Coal Merchants; Charles Dain, Draper; Mary Duke, Costumier; Eddowes & Son,
Solicitor; Sarah Ellis, Fancy Repository; Mrs Fletcher, Three Tuns; Fowler
& Bewlay, Auctioneers; John Gent, Accountant; Fanny German, Milliner; Holbeche &
Addenbrooke, Solicitors; William Johnson, Tailor, William Jones, Chemist; Henry
Walter Joyner, Hairdresser; Alfred Knill, London & Midland Bank Manager; Charles
Morris, Royal Hotel; Thomas Nutt, Fruiterer & Grocer; Oliver Richardson, Lock &
Watch Maker; South Staffs Water Company; Sutton Coldfield Club; Sutton
Laundry Limited; John Wood, Plumber & Glazer; YMCA
The house now numbered 36 High Street is known as ‘Culls
House’, a name which appears to date from the late 19th century when it was
occupied by Mrs and Misses Cull. The house was possibly originally built as two
stone houses in the late 16th or early 17th Century. It is thought that Anne
Sacheverall ( died 1688) may have lived there. The property was much altered in
the late 1700s . It has five bays on three floors with a parapet and has Grade 2
listing protection. The shop fronts date from about 1900. It seems likely that the facade was
added to make the property a suitable house for the Sadler family who occupied
it from the early 1700s. There is an interesting entrance and staircase and the
landing window incorporates a stained glass Sadler coat of arms. Richard Hurst
Sadler sold the house ( together with an adjoining house and five acres of land)
in 1879 to the railway company in connection with the extension of the line to
Lichfield. Thereafter there were a number of occupants including two
stationmasters. The Holbeche diary written in 1892 reports that ‘ Mr Sadler had
a nice house, now the Bank’ (Lloyds Bank) and of course the Culls were there
at some time possibly between 1881 and 1891. Later the it was the home of Gerald Cattell. He died in 1976 and in November 1977 it was bought at auction by the
Conservative Association. Whilst they still occupy part of the building, the
main tenant is Cooperative Funeral Society. |
| and now - 2016 |
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| Sutton Coldfields Fire Station also stands on High Street, but higher up |
 Genuine Sutton Coldfield Firemans jacket from between 1910 - 1920 (ish)   |