(Birmingham Central Library)Somerset Road,
1948(Birmingham Central Library)
The view looking up to Court Lane. The same situation as the Norfolk Road photo. No cars, Ken Livingstone's dream! (A 1920's Somerset Road picture, looking towards Gravelly Lane, is on the History page covering that period).
Villa Names
There seems no obvious pattern to the house names carved into
house stonework along this road. They would seem to date from
1906 due to dates carved on some Norfolk Road homes. Perhaps just
random by the builder as they sounded nice. Here they are in case
someone can spot a pattern, along with a guess at origins;
Court Lane end
| Even Side | Odd Side | Origin may be |
| The Oaks | Simply from the tree | |
| The Firs | Simply from the tree | |
| The Limes | Simply from the tree | |
| Mona Villas** | ? | |
| Bute Villas | ? | |
| Erne Villas | A sea eagle, or lake in Northern Ireland | |
| Lena Villas | A river in Russia | |
| The Torrs | A mountain is a tor, torr is a technical unit | |
| The Cliffs | ? | |
| The Dales | ? | |
| Linden Villas | A lime tree | |
| Priory Villas | ? | |
| Ashfield Villas | ? | |
| Highfield Villas | Highfield (Drive) was visible from the back in 1906 | |
| Walton Villas* | There is still a builder called Walton Homes. |
Gravelly Lane end
*Also the name of a block on Gravelly Lane.
** Also the name of a road off Gravelly Lane.