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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.

See them all Help us finish the set

7 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

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

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)

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.

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

Help us finish the set

These archive photographs don’t have a partner yet. If you pass one of these spots, stand where the old photographer stood, take the view today and send it to us — we’ll pair them up here, credited to you.

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