Oak Street, Darby End, Dudley

[Aunt Sally]

Hello,

I received a copy of my great-great grandmother´s death certificate today, and her address is listed as 10 Oak St.

Could anyone tell me if this street still exists?

Does anyone know what the living conditions in this street would have been like in 1886 ?  In other words, was she living in a slum area?  Seeing as she died of paralysis and exhaustion, I can´t imagine her life there was particularly rosy.

Grateful for any help and info.

Best wishes,

Sally

[oldtimer]

Hi Sally

A quick look on Google maps shows that this street still exists in some form or other
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl&q=

Good luck!

Judy

[Aunt Sally]

Thanks Judy!

I´ll have a look.

Sally

[kezbomb]

I live in the area of Darby end.
it is netherton, dudley west midlands.
the postal area is dy2.
It is a residential area, a few churches, local shops, school, the usual.
Its main attraction in the canal that runs through it where we have a local boat show every year.
I dont know the street in question, but im not too good on street names.

Best of luck.

kerry

[kezbomb]

just looked on google maps, i told you i was no good on street names, any way it is about 3 streets from where i live, and the street is definatley still there.  the houses are all still in good condition, and if they are the same houses they would of been new, unless she lived on the oppersite side where there are a row of little massonettes (sp) where mainly elderly people seem to live.

kerry

[Aunt Sally]

Thank you Kerry!

If you happen to go along the street, could you let me know if you find nr. 10?

I knew the area was in Netherton.  My gran was later born in Netherton - in 1894.  Don´t know which street though, as I´m still waiting for her birth certificate.  She was the daughter of Jospeh Morby and Amelia Tibbetts.  I know there are still a lot of Tibbetts in the area.

Best wishes, and many thanks again.

Sally

[kezbomb]

Will do, if i get the chance i could take a pic for you.

Kerry

[Aunt Sally]

Thanks, Kerry, that would be great!


Sally

[Aulus]

I have 19th century ancestors in the Darby End area of Dudley/Netherton and on a trip down south, came off the M6 on a whim and went and explored.

All the properties in the area now seemed to me to be modern, post WW2.  I was surprised that most of the street names, however, seem to have survived.  Whether it's just the names, or the actual layout that has survived, I don't really know, but from having read censuses I think they're broadly in the right place!

Most of my lot had left to go to Lancashire by the 1880s and 1890s, but earlier in the 19th century, this was pretty much a centre of nail-making.  If you google for "Dudley" and "nailers" you'll get plenty of hits that give you a flavour of the area and how hard life was.

We might call them slums from the late 20th/early 21st century perspective, but they'd have been perfectly normal working class residences back then.