EPW038604 ENGLAND (1932). The Lawley Street Goods Station and environs, Birmingham, 1932

Exchange sidings made up of loop lines for traffic purposes.

Exchange Sidings made up of loop lines for traffic purposes.

Exchange Sidings made up of loop lines for traffic purposes.

Number 6 Ash Grove

These warehouses were later used by Lucas's mid 1960 onwards

Maxstoke St

Brickyard Crossing signal box

Rail line to Camp Hill and beyond

This area was a former brickworks, during the 50/60s it was a favourite play area for us kids, going up and down the various hills and dips on our bikes. it was also a favourite courting area, access to it could be gained either at anyone of the various entrances via the side roads off Garrison Lane or over the railway crossing at the end of Midland Street (Brickyard Crossing to give it its proper title)

St Andrews Junior and Senior school (Ada Rd) The senior school was for boys only

Tilton Road Junior & Infant school, now a mosque

Garrison Lane Infant school, at least it was during the 1950s. Now I believe it is a training facility

St Andrews Church (no longer there)

St James the Less, Ashted. Damaged by German bombing and demolished in 1956.

The Grand Union Canal is tucked in here, criss-crossed by the later railways.... Its role as an inland port being eventually replaced by the container trains.

This area looks like a clay pit and a small brick works - chimney. The same pattern of the enclosed areas with buildings, albeit that they have been replaced with modern structures, can be seen today (2013). The old pit area is now set out as go-cart or motor bike tracks surrounded with trees and wildscape.

The entrance to sidings (long gone) on the Curzon Street (Birmingham's first station) site that is planned to become the location of the Birmingham station on High Speed 2. Railway development continues in this part of the city!

This large and labour intensive good loading shed and warehouse (above) has gone.

By 2013 much of this end of the old goods yard site is given over to a Freightliner terminal. Freightliner was one of the most positive elements of the Beeching Report - Reshaping Britain's Railways published fifty years before in March 1963. Opposed by the railway trade unions and working in competition with a road haulage industry supported by the government through the motorway building programme, it is only in the last ten to fifteen years that rail container traffic has really taken off. This terminal is in effect an inland port, with services from Southampton and Felixstowe among others

This building remains in 2013

St Andrews