Newspapers : From Birmingham Post 150 years ago

[Vivienne14]

Interesting that in the #2430 second article, roads such as Colmore Row and Livery St were to be 'straightened', seemingly not for volume of traffic reasons, but for aesthetic reasons! And they'd have to knock down houses in the process. Viv.

 

[mikejee]

2.6.1866
Special platform to see Lady Godiva. Bet they paid a good sum to use it. Who said the Victorians were pure and sedate.

 

[Astoness]

well that couldnt have been that pure mike lol....thanks for the snippet

 

[Lady Penelope]

Hi Lyn,

Sorry for delay in replying to your post 2421. I don't get auto-alerts now. No rellies as far as I know - it was in with the family photos but the Woolleys (Mom's family) lived in Upper Thomas Street a the time this was taken. May just be a friend. I'll go back to it for another look.

 

[mikejee]

5.6.1866
I pity the poor horses that would have to pull this monstrosity

 

[Vivienne14]

How utterly ridiculous! Viv.

 

[paul stacey]

sounds heavy indeed, how many horses one wonders, 4, 6, 8.??Paul

 

[DavidGrain]

It does not say that the horses need to pull it fully loaded. The horse drawn could simply refer to it being pulled from event to event. However if it is pulled fully loaded the number of horses is going to depend on the surface that it is is pulled over

 

[mikejee]

6.6.1866
Still trying to work out what a "Pleasure van" was. One was advertised on this thread on 25.11.1862 which held 50 people (a bit of a coincidence after the post of yesterday)

 

[paul stacey]

something akin to Gypsy Caravan, I would summise.Paul

 

[mikejee]

8.6.1866
Death of a fishmonger, or perhaps I should say John Rotton fishmonger. No doubt a loss to cheeky children

 

[DavidGrain]

On the subject of cheeky children and names of shopkeepers, where I used to live as a boy there was a shop run by a Mrs Sillitoe. Kids used to open the shop door and shout Barmy Fingers

 

[mikejee]

9.6.1866
Winding up of the dining hall company, which tried to provide good tasty nutritious food for working people. (As it is large it is in photobucket. Click on view and then click on plus sign in top rh corner of screen.

 

[mikejee]

11.6.1866
Fire at Bates brewery, Kings Heath
Another fire at Peck bone boilers and button makers. Woodcock Hill must mean Woodcock St, as the address of Mr Peck in the 1862 and 1867 directories is 1 Heneage st, meaning it was at ( or very close to) the corner of the two streets

 

[Vivienne14]

Even today, waiting for a fire engine to come from Birmingham to Kings Heath could spell disaster for a building on fire. Viv.

 

[mikejee]

14.6.1866
Description of how the poor are admitted for free care by charitable institutions. Sounds like an obstacle course.
Ballet named "The Merry Millers of Brum". The image of men in white overalls dancing on tiptoe defies my imagination

 

[Vivienne14]

The hospital ticket system. What a crazy system. And it'd be another agonising 80+ years before the NHS came not being. Viv.

 

[Astoness]

hi mike how strange i have been researching the gem family..re the name gem st..wonder if mr edward gem was part of the same family...would think so

to early in the morning for me to think about men in white overalls dancing about lol

 

[mikejee]

16.6.1866
Accused claims witchcraft by his wife when challenged in court
Early Olympic Games in Llandudno

 

[mikejee]

18.6.1866
Large fire in Edgbaston (as this is large file it is on Photobucket, and you hav eto click on thumbnail, then on + in top right hand corner).
Entertaining the toffs going by in their omnibuses.
Gas explosion at Weslyan Assurance Co caused by workman forgetting there had been a leakage of gas". Wonder if the Weslyan insured themselves. Story does not say, unlike most fir stories..
Displays of "freaks" not confined to fairs, but by New st station.

 

[mikejee]

The Don sounds like a competitor on Britain's got talent

 

[mikejee]

23.6.1866
Somewhat ridiculous decision by the West Bromwich magistrates.

 

[mikejee]

25.6.1866
Renovations at Aston Hall

 

[Vivienne14]

I'm intrigued by the Aston Hall rooms that were "set apart for the Artic Regions". Wonder if it was anything to do with any of these expeditions?



Mike is I ok if I copy this press cutting to the Aston Hall thread? Gives a lot of very interesting information about the interior. Viv

 

[mikejee]

O course Viv. No reason to ask

 

[mikejee]

26.6.1866
Sanitary conditions in the Birmingham suburbs apparently leave something to be desired
Pursuit indulged in by a number of great boobies
Have known a number of odd women, but "Odd Women" seem to have died out, or maybe its only reformed ones that have ?

 

[mikejee]

28.6.1866

In those days they did not waste anything. Selling grass from cemetery.
Death of Bookseller, Mr W.J.Sackett

 

[mikejee]

30.6.1866
I know many of the "medicines " of this time did nothing other than as a placebo, but making them up regularly with methylated spirits, is not likely to help the patient.

 

[A Sparks]

Interesting that Gin was half the price of Meths in those days when later it became a cheap substitute drink for alcoholics.
Perhaps it was tax that put the price up?

 

[mikejee]

2.7.1866
Everything that happened then (to the well off and middle classes anyway) was meticulously reported in detail as shown in this report of a violent thunderstorm