Starley Road

Hi all. New here and my first post. Firstly I'd like to thank the creator of this fantastic site, and to thank all of the members of the forum for their great fountain of knowledge. And secondly I'd like to apologize in advance for the long post. Now for a request for help. I am trying to carry out some research on Starley Road, just off Croft Road in the city centre. As some of you may know in the late 1970's the street was saved from demolition and was bought by the residents who formed Starley Housing Co-op. And thanks to a fantastic archive of photos and documents we have the history of the street from the mid 1970's to the present day. But I have been looking for info on the street pre 1970 but I'm hitting a blank. Does anybody have any info or even better photo's (as they seem thin on the ground) on the history of the street from the building date (around 1885 to 1899) to the late 1960's. And I'm hoping that someone will be able to help with one major question I've been asked to solve. In its current form the street is numbered 1-26 on one side and 36-47 on the other side, but from old maps and an old aerial photo I found on the Evening Telegraph forum there was once numbers 27-35 on the same side as numbers 36-47 as well as numbers 48 and 49. Does anybody have any info on what happened to these houses? Again sorry for the long post but I've been searching the web for weeks and am starting to pull my hair out at the lack of info out there. When I accepted this challenge I thought it would be easier than this as the city centre is well documented but alas Starley Road seems to have been missed out. Thanks in Advance Starleyfan.

I think numbers 27-35 were destroyed in the war? They don't appear on post war planning applications. Numbers 48 and 49 were probably demolished to make room for the Ring Road.

My grandmother and grandfather (Joe and Hannah Walters and their daughter Hilda) lived at 28 Starley Rd until it was compulsorily purchased. Next door was a small "front room" general store run (owned?) by the Gilks family and later the Bowman family. Somewhere I have pics taken in the back garden but as I remember they could be taken in any of thousands of mid terrace house

Hi keeepa, I have mentioned the corner shop run by the Bowman family in a previous thread and old Mrs. Bowman using an abacus to calculate! If I remember correctly it was on the corner of Croft Road and another street, not Starley Road. Did they move there from the 'front room' you mention above or vice versa?

The shop was at No 43, on the corner of Rudge Road.

My Yardley family ran the shop at 43 Croft Road. I know they were there until at least 1914. There is a picture posted under the subject "Yardley family history".

Here is Starley Road 1935 via 'Britain from above' website

I just came across this page. I lived at the shop (27 Starley Road) which was run by my parents Ada & Reg Gilkes, until about 1958/59. They moved there in April 1939. Mrs. Bowman then took over the running of the shop (it was rented). I think it was probably built as a shop - it had a large window and there wasn't a front garden. No. 27 was the last house in the road. There was then a pedestrian entry giving access to rear of the houses in Croft Road, There was also a shop in Croft Road run by Mrs. Isherwood - it backed on to the River Sherbourne. We don't have any photographs.

Hi Covgrandma and welcome to the forum Here is a 1949 map showing the position of No.27 relative to Starley Road and Croft Road:

Covgrandma!! We knew each other more years ago (60?) than we both care to remember, my grandfather and grandmother lived at 28. Not sure if I should mention your first name but I remember it well. Can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday though

I lived with my parents and twin brother at 13 Croft Rd up until 1959. There were three shops in Croft Rd, one around No 20 which I remember sold sweets etc, there was another around 28? run by Dick and Lilian Sowter that sold groceries and number 43 on the corner of Rudge Rd, was I think called Broomfields and sold vegetables. I can remember the Gilks shop as it was opposite the rear drive/entrance. There was also an old cycle shop half way down Starley Road. Can also remember the lovely Jeanette and Jaqueline Ballington twins who lived at No8.

Hi Iain. It was interesting to read your post about Starley Road. A bit before your time but my great grandparents William and Frances Yardley ran the shop at 43 Croft Road until 1920 when Frances died. I think then it was a general store. William applied for a drinks license but was rejected. He also repaired watches there. My grandfather went to live with them after the loss of his wife and children until he reamarried in 1915. I look forward to more of your reminiscences.

Starley Road mural, 2008

This thread looks like it started with a request for old photos of Starley Road. Here are circa 1948 photos of the front entrance and back garden of number 11 Starley Road. I was born in the upstairs front bedroom in 1946 - Paul

Here's that same house in Midland Red's picture in post 13, pre-Starley Road re-development and pre-mural! Thanks to Cliff Berwick.