Due to me being born while my family were living on Alum Rock Road, I have, and will always have, a special place in my heart for the Rock. The nostalgia I feel when passing through is intense. I know most people don't like Alum Rock these days, mainly due to racial tension and some of the rumours that were going around a few years ago. Like, "No whites allowed" after a certain time.
I think it was after 8pm. Apparently, this was a demand made by a small group of knuckle draggers intent on trouble. However, these types of people are not exclusive to any race or religion, they are available in all colours and creeds. And it's sad that these misguided people give out such negative vibes. Truth is, while the area is now predominantly Asian / Indian, there are still many white people and black people living in Alum Rock. Also, add to that, there are now many people from Syria, Lithuania and Romainia now living there also.
I lived there when the the big Bingo Hall (previously a Cinema) was still there. Boxer, Muhammad Ali once visited there! I think he may have even opened it. You know, like a grand opening. Actually, I lived opposite this Bingo Hall. And when the market just a few yards along was called Saltley Market (Now a PAK Supermarket I believe). This was in the early 1980's. When entering the old Saltley Market there used to be a big red weighing scale right at the front entrance and people used to put their money in and weigh themselves. All the Pubs are now gone as well. The Tilt Hammer, The Village, London Tavern and the Rock Pub situated on one of the corners of the cross roads.
This was also at the time when the Saltley Gate round-about wasn't even thought of, and across the road from where it now sits there used to be a line of shops. One of them was a Cafe. It was called Chico's Cafe. That's long gone. I also remember all the old second hand shops. They were dotted all along the Rock Road. And of course, Variety Stores at the top end near the old Jaws & Claws pet shop. Variety Stores is still there but is now a different shop.
Not forgetting Michael's Supermarket (also long gone). And in close proximity is Saint Saviours School. There used to be a gas / cooker shop near there where my mom had to go to pay off the gas cooker the she bought on HP. It used to be full of cookers, and you had to wait in line to be served at the glass counter and pay an instalment. I was only young at the time and remember it as being very 80's (which it was) and a very strange set up inside the shop.
The house that my family lived in has been knocked down and is now a car park. Before the house was knocked down I went inside there while it was derelict. The door was open. This was years after we moved, and I was surprised to see that it was unoccupied but was being used as a drug den. There was drug paraphernalia everywhere. Foil, Crack Cans, needles etc. It was a sorry sight.
This house was seriously haunted. Many weird, unexplainable things happened / were seen in that house. I would love to know more about the history of Alum Rock, especially the history of the land which my house was built on. Or, better still, what had taken place on the grounds that my old house was built on. I bet the history would explain a lot. And I can imagine it being very dark going on all the ghosts and strange things that me and my family experienced there.
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