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Or stood in Wulfruna Street at the rear of the College of Art,on an early evening in the 1950’s waiting for a No. 3 bus to Fordhouses when in those days, the queue usually stretched to Lichfield passage.
Or perhaps opposite alongside the old Polytechic, for the returning bus as it carried on down Stafford Street, via Cannock Road to Bushbury Hill.
Below the old cellar head.
Well this forum needs you!
I realise perhaps some of my pictures will go back beyond your living memory the images in focus long gone.
But “Lost Wolverhampton” is just a small part of a bigger picture showing the many changes to Wolverhampton my old town now a city.So please join for remember! “Memories last longer than Dreams”
To join the forum, just register using your email and you will be able to sign up to the site.
All you have to do is go on the site, Register with whatever details you choose, and an email will be sent to youremail address asking you to click on a confirmation link,
et voila… you will be on the site and can post.Below the old cellar head.
Nice picture Billy, but I think the car is a Morris 8 from somewhere around 1936.
There’s one in this picture – if the advert is still there – for £6350!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C496600
Bill, great mixture of subjects.
Cheapside and queuing for the Gods at the Hippodrome. I did that with my Granny, we went many times, up until the nudes appeared, that finished it. The only two big names I can remember was Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane aka Old Mother Riley and her daughter Kitty, in fact they were husband and wife. The other act was called Big Bill Campbell and the Rocky Mountain boys who sang “Cowboy Songs” not Country and Western but songs made popular by Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey two of the singing cowboys of the Silver Screen.
Wulfruna Street and the No. 3 bus. Yes, Bill I remember the queue, do you remember the little sweet shop. Being a student at St. Peters the sweet shop was a regular shop for me to call at.
I was in my local the other day and some one was spouting how he was at Wolverhampton University. “Oh you mean the Tech. ” I can never think of it as the Polytechnic or as Wolverhampton University. I must add I was never clever enough to attend as a pupil my visits were to the Saturday Night Dances.
The Wolves and the Cup. I was eight at the time and all I can remember is going up to Cheapside when they came back and were given a Civic Reception.
The only Morris 8 I can remember was one a mate of mine had. In those of days of course heaters were an unknown luxury. As the Morris 8 was not only a means of transport but also the passion wagon, this mate used to have an old metal circular paraffin heater in the passenger well. Probably where the song title comes from, ” I need my love, to keep me warm”
Oh that Morris 8,after father got fed up of motorbikes & sidecars,our first car was a morris 8, then quickly on to a Morris 8 series E,which took us all to north Devon,Isle of Wight,and North Wales,amongst other places.Later on a standard 8, Austin Cambridge (which I passed my test in) Mini, Princess 1100 and many more.
My first car was a Friskysport,1959 Earlscourt show car, boy did it shift,How I wish I still had it! I chopped it in later on for a “proper car”,(wait for it) a Commer Cob van.Nice one – Did henry Meadows make the engines for the Frisky Miff I’m not sure.
But thats the first vehicle I ever owned on the right at the side of St Peter’s Gardens, it was an Austin pick-up and I’m transferring potatoes from one of H.Goodall’s lorries in the summer of 1959.For the younger members This is of course Wulfruna Street with The Wholesale Market just out of view on the left
Below the old cellar head.
Henry Meadows did not produce engines for the Frisky, they were licensed to produce the glass fibre bodies and afterwards assemble them.
The engines were made by Villiers and were of the 2 stroke variety. smaller one was of 195cc and if you were rich, you had the 250cc twin engine.The glass fibre bodies were of a very poor quality, although it must be remebered that this was the infancy of glass fibre car bodies.
My Father owned a garage in March End Road Wednesfield and the bodies were sent to us for rectification.The car was not a success and production only lasted for about a year or so.
I have not seen a Frisky since although I suspect ther must be a few somewwhhere.I worked at Frisky for a while, as far as I know there was no connection with Meadows other than that the factory was part of the Meadows complex. I think the company was owned by a Mr Wright who had a small engineering company near the racecourse in Dunstall Rd. The engines were indeed by Villiers with the occasional Excelsior fitted if requested. The bodies were made on site. Just before I left the company there was a change in the front suspension system which was causing major problems, the suspension arm was breaking under pressure. Not sure how they overcame the problem, sad that there seem to be no Friskies in preservation.
I thought there was some association with the Frisky and Henry Meadows.
But even if I don’t know certain things for a fact. I like to have a guess somtime and hope someone will out there will add a little bit extra to the thread.
It has worked well here we have a new contributor.Please munchkins6 let us know a little more about yourself on our introduce yourself slot on the Forum, and lets get aquainted.
Below the old cellar head.
Hi Billy
Writing this while you are all fast asleep, 15.45pm here and 27c outside.
It was strange timing that the Frisky story came up as not long ago I visited the local transport museum in Auckland and they were restoring a three wheel car in the workshop, I was convinced it was a Frisky at first but was assured by the guy working on it that it was a one off special made over here.
The old Wolves Club does bring back memories, I was not a frequent visitor there but, if my fading memory is right there was the occasional 5 a side game played there.
Derek KelseyHello Billy, Our friend Kiwi is quite right about Frisky cars, they were purchased by the Wright Brothers (not The aviators!) who ran a haulage business in Park Lane.
There is apparently around 60 odd of these vehicle still surviving, a register for these vehicles has been compiled by John Meadows who is the grandson of Henry Meadowes.
There is quite a lot of information on Wikipedia about Frisky cars, well wortha look.
Kind Regards,
JohnThe painting in question David is one of “Broadmeadow” The site of the original Racecourse.
As seen below.
The area of the Old Racecourse in the times of Elizabeth was known as Hungry Leas, on the account of it being mostly bog and marshland, and during the race meetings held there in the 18 century there was many a report of the course being waterlogged and flooded.
Horse race meetings were held on this area of broad meadow’s on the west side of town from the 1820’s until, in 1878 the Duke of Cleveland, the owner of this land. Decided not to renew the lease and the West Park was opened on this site in 1881.
But the town wasn’t to be denied a racecourse for very long, because a decade later on land a mile or so away in the ownership of Alexander Staveley Hill. The newly formed Dunstall Park Company, opened their new race course.
Now although having lost quite a lot of its originality with modernisation,
For example The original course – built for flat and National Hunt fixtures and of course, its own railway station Dunstall Park.
The racecourse was itself , was within a hairs breadth of closing, just a few years ago.But we in the West Midlands can be very pleased with the fact that we still have a racecourse at Dunstall Park with its all- weather surface still providing regular meetings throughout the year.
Below the old cellar head.
Meant to add, there is a good site at
http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/Museum/Transport/Cars/Frisky.htm
This site also as much more information about Wolverhampton’s history.
http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/
Yes funny enough I was at the Black Country Museum a couple of weeks ago and noticed the solitary “Frisky”and what a concise history there is of it on Bev Parkers website as with every thing else.
I am sorry I don’t know your first name but thank you for joining us on the forum good to have some new blood.on board.
Below the old cellar head.
I Sat at the traffic lights at the junction of Ettingshall Road and Bilston Road about to emerge from Dixon Street and there facing me was the long established works of “Steelway” The firm that put “Safety First” on the agenda many years ago in Wolverhampton.
It was great to see this age old works continuing to prosper in our town, and it brought to mind this little story.
1934 saw the launch of the Steelway pedestrian guard rail.
After long and careful experiment with the co-operation and assistance of the Chief Constable of Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton’s Borough Engineer & Surveyor, the first pedestrian safety barrier was successfully installed at a busy junction in Wolverhampton.
This was due to an accident involving a boy and the barriers were installed to prevent pedestrians walking off a blind corner into the path of motorists.
Following on from this success, Steelway manufactured London’s first safety barriers at Britannia Crossing, Camden Town. These were inaugurated on 19th March 1935 by Mr Hore-Belisha, Minster of Transport.
They also manufactured the sockets and detachable uprights to form crowd control barriers for the 1937 coronation of King George VI – parts of which were used again for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.Below the old cellar head.
Marian Trainer on our Lost Wolverhampton Facebook Group recalls her memories of St Paul’s Church Penn Road.
Over the years we in Wolverhampton have lost such a wonderful legacy of old Victorian & Edwardian Buildings – St Paul’s was a fine example.This engraving shows St Paul’s Church Penn Road shortly after it was erected in 1835, at an expense of £7,000
Most of the money being found by Rev.W.Dalton, first incumbent.
He also built the vicarage next door at a cost of £2,000 and his wife presented the church with its organ.St Paul’s was the first Free Church to be built in the town.
Below the old cellar head.
A query arrived today from Phil –
Hi All,
I’m researching the family tree of the Austins/Austin family, with one particular John Austins owning 25 houses on Inkerman Street between the 1840’s and 1890’s.
Would anyone know where I could get some images of Inkerman Street during Victorian times, or another street that may have looked similar?Many thanks
PhilInkerman Street 1960’s Phil wouldn’t have changed much in appearance since it was cut.
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