The early twentieth century
By the Ordnance Survey Second Edition, published in 1904, several
important changes had occurred. Seven pairs of houses had appeared
on the south side of the road, namely 4 - 10, 20 - 26, and, further
along the road 44 - 54. Numbers 4 - 10 are attractive, with banded
tiles. On number 6 the name Ivycots is still discernible, and
number 8 has the name Lilycots. Occupants of rented houses were
not listed in the directories, but can be picked up from 1920
on voters' lists. It is possible that these houses date from the
1890s rather than the first years of the new century, but we have
not been able to establish this. According to Mrs Robbins of Ivycots,
Lily and Ivy were the names of the builder's daughters. Ivycots
was the home of the local midwife, Nurse Maund in the 1920s. She
delivered one thousand babies in Acocks Green. Until regulations
came in, they had the mothers at Ivycots, but afterwards Nurse
Maund went to stay with new mothers in their own homes.
Nurse Maund (born Edith Standley)
On 26th September 1900 a plot of land to the east of Hazelhurst,
which had been sold by John Horton to Samuel Balden, was sold
to Albert Aston. William Waterhouse of Hazelhurst had also had
an interest in the land by then. The houses numbers 44 - 54 were
built by 1902. As mentioned above, Albert Aston sold some land
to the new occupant of Hazelhurst in 1900.
In addition, on the north side of the road, a large nursery
had opened, covering the land from Hazelwood Road through to Westley
Road, east of number 25, Hazelwood House. The owner, Walter B.
Child, had been at Shamrock Cottage, later 118 Greenwood Road,
(or March/Marsh Lane as it was known before). Walter Child was
listed at Hazelwood Nurseries from the 1898 directory, although
he had been at a house called Edelweiss for a couple of years
and was operating as a nurseryman. Greenwood Road later became
part of Olton Boulevard East. The earlier map from 1888 showed
the Westley Brook flowing through the area that became the nursery.
By 1904 the stream had been culverted and the course was no longer
visible, and around this time Mr Child sold some of the nursery
site. The new owner of Hazelwood Nurseries was Charles Henry Herbert.
Ordnance Survey 1904 (extract)
Some of this information about C.H. Herbert comes from research
by Len White and the book Carnations and pinks for garden and
greenhouse by John and Eileen Galbally. Charles Herbert came
from Suffolk and lived with his family at Hazelmere, Fox Hollies
Road from 1904, then from 1906 at Glenwood, 48 Shirley Road. He
owned Hazelwood Nurseries from around 1904 until his death on
3rd May 1933 at the age of 83. He was a florist and nurseryman,
who specialised in border carnations. He developed Herbertii pinks
after World War One, and he was one of a handful of important
hybridizers of these popular flowers. Indeed his hybrids have
been described as 'some of the finest pinks ever seen'. 'Bridesmaid'
has been used frequently in breeding and was the most sought after
cultivar, but 'Progress' was also used. However, a whiff of scandal,
and maybe even jealously, has surrounded Herbert's cultivars.
He was accused of using border carnation pollen, which he denied.
He may in fact have revived traits bred in a century earlier.
C.H. Herbert was described as 'the epitome of all that was gentle
and gentlemanly - there never moved among flowers a more gracious
and courteous spirit than he'. Charles Herbert was personally
congratulated on his pinks by the King and Queen at the R.H.S.
Show at Chelsea in 1921. After Charles Herbert, Hazelwood Nurseries
was owned by a Mr Veitch. This family eventually went on to run
Notcutts, as did Mr Charles Nunn of number 97. During the Second
World War the nurseries supplied water to local people when the
mains supply to the city was damaged by enemy bombing. The nursery
lasted until the mid-1970s.
 
Returning to the 1904 map, Hazelhurst's coach house is there.
The occupants of numbers 12 - 18 were not shown in directories
any more, so we may assume the houses were rented, but those in
20 - 26 were listed from 1905. Number 20 had the name Rothsay,
22 had the names Muirton or Kingarth, 24 was called Montrose and
26 was called Glenmore. Number 44 was called Abbotsford, 46 Rodborough,
48 Shaldon, 50 Teignton or Leasowe, 52 Fernlea, and 54 Narberth.
Just after the map was published number 66 was built, and this
house had the name Arden in 1910. So at this point Hazelwood Road
was still quite rural in appearance, and probably quite exclusive.
Note the spelling of the road on the postcard, produced around
this time. This spelling was usual around then. The Hazelwood
Lawn Tennis Club, where part of Hazeltree Croft is now, was asking
for planning permission for buildings in 1912, so presumably came
into being around then.
Ordnance Survey 1916 (extract)
Around 1904, showing number 25, Hazelwood House, on
the right
The same view in 2003
|
