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Kingstanding Together

From the Heritage Archive

Kingstanding, then and now

Same places, decades apart — 25 of them so far. Drag the handle, or use the arrow keys, to travel between an archive photograph and the view later on.

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21 pairs

1935: The Odeon cinema when new: a streamlined tiled frontage with a tall fin tower and the name Odeon above the entrance. — The Odeon, 1935 and 2014
The Odeon, from Harry Weedon’s practice, opened on 22 July 1935. It closed as a cinema in 1962 and became a bingo hall — and its fins still rise over the Circle.
The Odeon The 1935 picture
1935: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, Handsworth Historical Society (3/1338) · 2014: Brianboru100, 2014 · CC BY-SA 3.0

2014: Kingstanding Odeon, 2014 — The Odeon, 1935 and 2014
The Odeon, from Harry Weedon’s practice, opened on 22 July 1935. It closed as a cinema in 1962 and became a bingo hall — and its fins still rise over the Circle.
The Odeon The 1935 picture
1935: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, Handsworth Historical Society (3/1338) · 2014: Brianboru100, 2014 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Hurlingham Road in early spring: tall bare poplars line wide grass verges on both sides of the road, with white rendered houses behind. — Hurlingham Road, 1932 and 2005
Brand new in January 1932, with bare verges and young street lamps. By 2005 the same view had become a tree-lined avenue.
The 1932 picture The 2005 picture
1932: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0022 (3/1253) · 2005: Photo: Adrian Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

1932: Hurlingham Road newly completed: a broad straight road with verges, young trees and white rendered houses receding into the distance. — Hurlingham Road, 1932 and 2005
Brand new in January 1932, with bare verges and young street lamps. By 2005 the same view had become a tree-lined avenue.
The 1932 picture The 2005 picture
1932: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0022 (3/1253) · 2005: Photo: Adrian Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

St Mark’s Church, Kingstanding — St Mark’s Church, 1984 and 2020
The round church on Bandywood Crescent, photographed from almost the same spot thirty-six years apart.
St Mark’s Church The 1984 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0035 (3/1264) · 2020: Andy Mabbett, 2020 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1984: The curved brick wall of St Mark's Church with a metal cross on its face and a van parked alongside. — St Mark’s Church, 1984 and 2020
The round church on Bandywood Crescent, photographed from almost the same spot thirty-six years apart.
St Mark’s Church The 1984 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0035 (3/1264) · 2020: Andy Mabbett, 2020 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1923: A country lane between trees and hedges, with figures walking in the distance. — The Circle, 1923 and today
In 1923 it was a country lane looking east towards Sutton Coldfield. Within a few years it became the busy heart of the estate.
Kingstanding Circle The 1923 picture
1923: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WPS WK-K10-0068 (3/1294) · Today: Martin Richard Phelan · CC BY-SA 2.0

Today: The north side of Kingstanding Circle — The Circle, 1923 and today
In 1923 it was a country lane looking east towards Sutton Coldfield. Within a few years it became the busy heart of the estate.
Kingstanding Circle The 1923 picture
1923: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WPS WK-K10-0068 (3/1294) · Today: Martin Richard Phelan · CC BY-SA 2.0

The shop parade at Kingstanding Circle in January 2018, seen across the road and the grass of the roundabout — The Circle shops, c. 1950 and 2018
A cyclist rounds the railed garden in the middle of the Circle on a Tuck postcard of about 1950, with the gabled shop parade behind. The trees have grown and the railings have gone, but the parade still faces the roundabout.
Shops of the Circle The 1950 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2018: Martin Richard Phelan, 2018 · CC BY-SA 2.0

1950: Black-and-white postcard of the Circle, Kingstanding, around 1950: a parade of shops behind the railed garden in the middle of the Circle, with a cyclist on the road — The Circle shops, c. 1950 and 2018
A cyclist rounds the railed garden in the middle of the Circle on a Tuck postcard of about 1950, with the gabled shop parade behind. The trees have grown and the railings have gone, but the parade still faces the roundabout.
Shops of the Circle The 1950 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2018: Martin Richard Phelan, 2018 · CC BY-SA 2.0

Kingstanding Library and the shopping parade under its flat canopy in January 2018, with parked cars along the kerb — Kingstanding Library, 1960s and 2018
Kingstanding got a library of its own in June 1964, after thirty years of borrowing books from a room in the Methodist church. Ron Jameson photographed its new glazed entrance and the flats above the shops; in 2018 the same block stood behind shutters.
Kingstanding Library The 1960s picture The 2018 picture
1960s: Photo: Ron Jameson. Reproduced with permission via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2018: Photo: Martin Richard Phelan, 2018 · CC BY-SA 2.0

1960s: Colour photograph of the modern Kingstanding Library, with a “Kingstanding Library” sign over a glazed entrance and honeycomb screen walls, set into a parade of yellow-brick shops with flats above; a white Ford Popular is parked at the kerb. — Kingstanding Library, 1960s and 2018
Kingstanding got a library of its own in June 1964, after thirty years of borrowing books from a room in the Methodist church. Ron Jameson photographed its new glazed entrance and the flats above the shops; in 2018 the same block stood behind shutters.
Kingstanding Library The 1960s picture The 2018 picture
1960s: Photo: Ron Jameson. Reproduced with permission via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2018: Photo: Martin Richard Phelan, 2018 · CC BY-SA 2.0

The former Odeon at Kingstanding Circle in July 2026, its fin tower and curved white corner seen from the road — The Odeon, July 1935 and 2026
Days before it opened in July 1935, workmen were still busy outside the Odeon while the canopy promised a “Grand Opening Ceremony Monday Next at 8”. Ninety-one years later the tower and curved white corner still stand on the Circle.
The Odeon The 1935 picture
1935: Photographer unknown, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain · 2026: Andy Mabbett, July 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1935: The Odeon Kingstanding in July 1935 with workmen outside and a canopy announcing the grand opening ceremony — The Odeon, July 1935 and 2026
Days before it opened in July 1935, workmen were still busy outside the Odeon while the canopy promised a “Grand Opening Ceremony Monday Next at 8”. Ninety-one years later the tower and curved white corner still stand on the Circle.
The Odeon The 1935 picture
1935: Photographer unknown, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain · 2026: Andy Mabbett, July 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1950: Black-and-white postcard of Hawthorn Road, Kingstanding, around 1950: shoppers and cyclists by a large shopping block, parked cars, and Foster Brothers on the corner — Hawthorn Road, c. 1950 and 2012
Shoppers and cyclists outside the big three-storey shopping block on Hawthorn Road, on a Tuck postcard of about 1950. The block still stands, its long rows of windows above a new generation of shopfronts.
Hawthorn Road shops The 1950 picture The 2012 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2012: Photo: Andy Mabbett, 2012 · CC BY-SA 4.0

2012: The long three-storey brick shopping block on Hawthorn Road in July 2012, with Heron Foods and Tesco Express at street level — Hawthorn Road, c. 1950 and 2012
Shoppers and cyclists outside the big three-storey shopping block on Hawthorn Road, on a Tuck postcard of about 1950. The block still stands, its long rows of windows above a new generation of shopfronts.
Hawthorn Road shops The 1950 picture The 2012 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2012: Photo: Andy Mabbett, 2012 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1936: The Kingstanding pub behind a tall iron arch lettered Mitchells & Butlers, with a hanging sign of a rider on a white horse, striped brick piers and Dutch gables — The Kingstanding pub, 1936 and 2018
In 1936 “The Kingstanding” stood behind a great wrought-iron arch lettered Mitchells & Butlers, under a sign of a rider on a white horse. The pub was rebuilt more than once on the same corner; the last one was closed and for sale in 2018 and burnt out a year later.
The Kingstanding pub The 1936 picture The 2018 picture
1936: Postcard, 1936; publisher and photographer unknown · 2018: © Martin Richard Phelan, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Geograph)

2018: Large 1930s red-brick pub with a tall central gable and boarded windows behind railings on Kingstanding Circle, January 2018 — The Kingstanding pub, 1936 and 2018
In 1936 “The Kingstanding” stood behind a great wrought-iron arch lettered Mitchells & Butlers, under a sign of a rider on a white horse. The pub was rebuilt more than once on the same corner; the last one was closed and for sale in 2018 and burnt out a year later.
The Kingstanding pub The 1936 picture The 2018 picture
1936: Postcard, 1936; publisher and photographer unknown · 2018: © Martin Richard Phelan, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Geograph)

1965: Colour photograph of a large brick pub with tall chimneys and an “M&B” sign on its gable, with 1960s cars and a van parked on the forecourt and houses in the distance. — The Kingstanding pub car park, 1965 and 2011
Ron Jameson’s 1965 view from the pub car park shows the original Kingstanding, a building remembered for its “large chimneys and a big frontage”. By 2011 a smaller red-brick replacement stood on the site.
The Kingstanding pub The 1965 picture The 2011 picture
1965: Photo: Ron Jameson. Reproduced with permission via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2011: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2011: A long red-brick pub building with three gables, the middle one lettered “Kingstanding” and “M&B”, behind a small car park with a public toilet kiosk on the left and cars on the forecourt. — The Kingstanding pub car park, 1965 and 2011
Ron Jameson’s 1965 view from the pub car park shows the original Kingstanding, a building remembered for its “large chimneys and a big frontage”. By 2011 a smaller red-brick replacement stood on the site.
The Kingstanding pub The 1965 picture The 2011 picture
1965: Photo: Ron Jameson. Reproduced with permission via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2011: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1988: The long front of the Hare & Hounds pub with seven dormer windows, the names Hare & Hounds and Mitchells & Butlers in gold, and a grass verge in front — The Hare & Hounds, 1988 and 2011
The Hare & Hounds on Kingstanding Road on 29 August 1988, “when it was still a public house”: seven dormers, tall chimneys and Mitchells & Butlers over the door. By 2011 it was a hand car wash; it was gutted by fire in 2016.
The Hare and Hounds The 1988 picture The 2011 picture
1988: Submitted by a resident of Oscott. Photo courtesy of Lee Lewis (as credited on Voices of Kingstanding). · 2011: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2011: The long two-storey Hare and Hounds building with dormer windows and tall chimneys behind black railings, its forecourt in use as a valeting centre and hand car wash, with yellow and red signs along the fence. — The Hare & Hounds, 1988 and 2011
The Hare & Hounds on Kingstanding Road on 29 August 1988, “when it was still a public house”: seven dormers, tall chimneys and Mitchells & Butlers over the door. By 2011 it was a hand car wash; it was gutted by fire in 2016.
The Hare and Hounds The 1988 picture The 2011 picture
1988: Submitted by a resident of Oscott. Photo courtesy of Lee Lewis (as credited on Voices of Kingstanding). · 2011: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1930s: A small photograph of the College Arms: a large brick pub with a small domed cupola, tall chimneys, a pillared entrance and a hanging sign, set behind a low wall with gate piers, a road sign and an old car on the left. — The College Arms, 1930s and 2010
In the early 1930s the College Arms’ assembly room doubled as a church for the new Christ the King parish. The building with its little domed cupola survives on College Road — as a McDonald’s.
The College Arms The 1930s picture The 2010 picture
1930s: Photo: Birmingham History Forum (“out of copyright”, as credited on Voices of Kingstanding). Reproduced via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: The former College Arms pub, a long brick building with a tiled roof, a small cupola and a white pedimented entrance, now carrying McDonald’s golden arches and a promotional banner; cars are parked in front and “PARKING” is painted on the road. — The College Arms, 1930s and 2010
In the early 1930s the College Arms’ assembly room doubled as a church for the new Christ the King parish. The building with its little domed cupola survives on College Road — as a McDonald’s.
The College Arms The 1930s picture The 2010 picture
1930s: Photo: Birmingham History Forum (“out of copyright”, as credited on Voices of Kingstanding). Reproduced via Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1950: Black-and-white postcard of St Luke’s Church, Kingstanding, around 1950: a brick church with a tall bell tower behind hedges and railings — St Luke’s Church, c. 1950 and 2010
St Luke’s and its bell tower behind neat hedges and railings on a Tuck postcard of about 1950. In 2010 the tower still closes the view down Caversham Road.
St Luke’s Church The 1950 picture The 2010 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: Looking down a quiet street of 1930s brick semi-detached houses towards St Luke’s Church, a brick building with a square bell tower topped by a cross, among bare trees. — St Luke’s Church, c. 1950 and 2010
St Luke’s and its bell tower behind neat hedges and railings on a Tuck postcard of about 1950. In 2010 the tower still closes the view down Caversham Road.
St Luke’s Church The 1950 picture The 2010 picture
1950: Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard, c. 1950 (TuckDB Postcards). Public domain · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1962: A black-and-white view of the new church’s brick west front: a tall gable with a large stained-glass window above double doors, a clock tower with a cross on the right, and a low wall with railings in front. — Christ the King, 1962 and 2010
The new Christ the King church was finished in time for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1962, replacing the parish’s wooden church. Its tall stained-glass west front caught the winter sun in 2010.
Christ the King Church The 1962 picture The 2010 picture
1962: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: The brick front of Christ the King church in low winter sun: a tall gable with a full-height stained-glass window over green doors, a noticeboard, a square tower on the right and steps with handrails leading up. — Christ the King, 1962 and 2010
The new Christ the King church was finished in time for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1962, replacing the parish’s wooden church. Its tall stained-glass west front caught the winter sun in 2010.
Christ the King Church The 1962 picture The 2010 picture
1962: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding. · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1984: A brick hall with a stepped parapet and a curved white rendered frontage bearing the word Billiards, with a car parked outside. — The billiard hall, 1984 and 2011
The Kingstanding Road billiard hall in 1984, its curved white front lettered Billiards. By about 2011 the same building beside the police station was advertising its function room.
The Royal Billiard Hall The 1984 picture The 2010 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, WK K10 0010 (3/1242) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: A white-painted single-storey function-room building with a sign reading “Function Room Available”, a covered wooden smoking area and picket fence in front, a taller brick building behind and a police van parked by the neighbouring police station. — The billiard hall, 1984 and 2011
The Kingstanding Road billiard hall in 1984, its curved white front lettered Billiards. By about 2011 the same building beside the police station was advertising its function room.
The Royal Billiard Hall The 1984 picture The 2010 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, WK K10 0010 (3/1242) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1950: A tree-lined road with semi-detached houses, a car, a lorry and a double-decker bus, captioned Perry Barr Kingstanding. — Kingstanding Road, 1950s and 2010
A car, a lorry and a double-decker bus on Kingstanding Road below the Hawthorn Road junction in the 1950s. The dual carriageway still curves away between wide grass verges and trees.
The 1950 picture The 2010 picture
1950: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, lSH/ Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0084 (3/1307) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: A wide dual carriageway curving away between grass verges and bare trees, with street lamps, a line of parked cars and houses in the distance, under a grey sky. — Kingstanding Road, 1950s and 2010
A car, a lorry and a double-decker bus on Kingstanding Road below the Hawthorn Road junction in the 1950s. The dual carriageway still curves away between wide grass verges and trees.
The 1950 picture The 2010 picture
1950: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, lSH/ Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0084 (3/1307) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1930s: Sepia postcard of Kings Road, Kingstanding, with a tree-lined central island and new houses on both sides — Kings Road, 1930s and 2010
Kings Road on a 1930s postcard: new houses on both sides and young trees on the central island. By 2010 those trees lined a long dual carriageway with a wide grass reservation.
The 1930s picture The 2010 picture
1930s: Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust, licensed under CC0 · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: A long straight dual carriageway lined with bare trees and a wide grass central reservation, with semi-detached houses on both sides and parked cars along the kerb. — Kings Road, 1930s and 2010
Kings Road on a 1930s postcard: new houses on both sides and young trees on the central island. By 2010 those trees lined a long dual carriageway with a wide grass reservation.
The 1930s picture The 2010 picture
1930s: Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust, licensed under CC0 · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

1932: Rendered semi-detached houses on Danesbury Crescent behind timber fences, with a large bare tree and a street lamp; the print is captioned Danesbury Crescent. — Danesbury Crescent, 1932 and 2011
New rendered houses on Danesbury Crescent, off Hurlingham Road, built by Birmingham’s Public Works Department and photographed in 1932 behind their timber fences. The crescent’s houses still face the road junction.
The 1932 picture The 2011 picture
1932: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WK K10 0027 (3/1258) · 2011: Photo: Alex McGregor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

2011: Houses on Danesbury Crescent seen across a road junction, with a parked car and a dropped kerb in the foreground. — Danesbury Crescent, 1932 and 2011
New rendered houses on Danesbury Crescent, off Hurlingham Road, built by Birmingham’s Public Works Department and photographed in 1932 behind their timber fences. The crescent’s houses still face the road junction.
The 1932 picture The 2011 picture
1932: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WK K10 0027 (3/1258) · 2011: Photo: Alex McGregor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

1929: An open building site with houses under construction, rough ground in the foreground and trees on the distant skyline. — Harringay Road, 1929 and 2014
On 19 October 1929 Harringay Road was a building site of rough ground, horse-drawn carts and half-built houses. In 2014 it curves between grass verges under a big tree in full leaf.
The 1929 picture The 2014 picture
1929: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WK K10 0060 (3/1286) · 2014: Photo: Martin Richard Phelan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

2014: Harringay Road curving between grass verges under a large tree in full leaf, with brick houses behind. — Harringay Road, 1929 and 2014
On 19 October 1929 Harringay Road was a building site of rough ground, horse-drawn carts and half-built houses. In 2014 it curves between grass verges under a big tree in full leaf.
The 1929 picture The 2014 picture
1929: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH WK K10 0060 (3/1286) · 2014: Photo: Martin Richard Phelan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons

1966: A colour photograph of tall trees behind a rough wooden paling fence. — The King’s Standing mound, 1966 and 2005
In 1966 the tumulus on Kingstanding Road was an inconspicuous clump of trees behind a paling fence. By 2005 it was a low grassy hummock on an open green — the scheduled mound that gave Kingstanding its name.
The King’s Standing mound The 1966 picture The 2005 picture
1966: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH/ Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0116 (3/1335) · 2005: © Adrian Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Geograph)

2005: Low grassy hummock with three bare trees on a green beside the road, with inter-war houses behind under a dark sky — The King’s Standing mound, 1966 and 2005
In 1966 the tumulus on Kingstanding Road was an inconspicuous clump of trees behind a paling fence. By 2005 it was a low grassy hummock on an open green — the scheduled mound that gave Kingstanding its name.
The King’s Standing mound The 1966 picture The 2005 picture
1966: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH/ Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0116 (3/1335) · 2005: © Adrian Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Geograph)

1984: A small flat-roofed brick building beyond a grass verge with young trees, with 1980s cars parked on the road and houses behind. — The old pumping station site, 1984 and 2010
The old waterworks building on Kingstanding Road, opposite the library, photographed in 1984. The pumping station has gone; its site is now Wheeldon Recreation Ground.
King’s Vale Well and Pumping Station The 1984 picture The 2010 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0046 (3/1272) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

2010: A grassed park with a children’s playground behind a blue arched gateway between brick pillars, seen across a road and a grass verge with young trees; houses line the far side. — The old pumping station site, 1984 and 2010
The old waterworks building on Kingstanding Road, opposite the library, photographed in 1984. The pumping station has gone; its site is now Wheeldon Recreation Ground.
King’s Vale Well and Pumping Station The 1984 picture The 2010 picture
1984: Library of Birmingham, Local Studies and History Department, LSH Warks Photo Survey WK-K10-0046 (3/1272) · 2010: Image reproduced with permission of Chris Hillcox, Voices of Kingstanding.

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