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Temple Row

Shortie said:
But do you know what happened to the 'war effort' railings and other stuff? It was dumped in the North Sea. It beggars belief - glad I have seen these, it gives a whole new look to the cathedral's past. Much more substantial than the present ones.
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i didnt know that shortie...as you say it beggars belief..
 
I was very shocked when I heard and it was someone from Conservation who told me, so I think she must be right. All that stuff taken, for seemingly no reason.
 
Astoness said:
we still have one or two fine buildings in temple row

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This 1875 drawing shows an entrance to GW Arcade but not sure which end this is. Looks like it could be the Colmore Row end. I'd expect both ends would be of the same original design but don't know for definite. I know the Colmore Row end was rebuilt after war damage. Viv.
Great_Western_Arcade_1876.jpg
 
That's a bit nice Viv, I also think that would be Colmore Row end, probably because of the shops. Not seen this before, is this how it was actually built or just an artist's impression?
 
Looking at it again Viv, I think you must be right. The archway seems large, but their proportions were different, and it does look exactly the same as the Temple Row photograph. I was sure I had a photo of it in the early 1900's but cannot find it at the moment.
 
Yes Shortie and Lyn I think it must be Colmore Row end. Lyns photos from yesterday doesn't have the top level shown in the drawing. I expect the Colmore Row end was given a grander treatment because it would be seen by passengers exiting Snow Hill station. Be good to track down an older view of the Temple Row end. Viv
 
just had a good look at your drawing viv and the pic i took yesterday...in the drawing there is a lot more building above the archway and the temple row entrance has a flat roof so unless they lopped off a lot of building i would say its the colmore row entrance..
next time i am in town i will take a look..
lyn
 
Take a look at the 1st fl window to the right of the entrance on each picture completely different.Dek
 
i know dek...will take a pic of the colmore entrance as soon as i can unless of course someone beats me to it...i guess we are so lucky that we still have the arcade..
 
I think the Colmore Row end was virtually re-built after the WW II bombing, so I don't expect there's much of the original entrance left. I sem to remember it as a modern facade. Viv
 
I think you are right Viv. The Kardomah stood near and it was a funny old building replacing whatever had been there before it was bombed. Wendy posted a photo of her dad in front of the original KD and it was very much in the style of the GT Western.

The railings were all taken because they were going to be used in the war effort, then it was decided they couldn't be used. I guess there was no record of what was taken from where and so they couldn't be put
back. At the time everybody was too involved in survival to worry about railings, they were in danger of losing their homes so it was well after the war that the true story was told.
 
This 1820s view of Styles Hotel in Temple Row is looking from St. Philips. It also shows the hotel's stables to the left. Note the windows have exterior blind boxes for housing exterior blinds. Further along to the right is a sign for "Dispensary". (I wonder if this was the predecessor of the Union Street Dispensary). Nelson stayed at Styles's Hotel as well as royalty, hence it later became the 'Royal' Hotel. At various times it's also been known as Wildays Hotel, Dees Hotel and Old Royal Hotel. (Wilday went on to open an hotel in New Street when Dee took over the Temple Row hotel). I think Styles Hotel must have been near the stretch of terraced houses we have been discussing, probably where Rackhams/House of Fraser is now. Viv.

Styles_Hotel_Tempe_Row_1820.jpg
 
Viv
In the 1818, 1823 & 1829 Wrightsones directories there is a dispensary at Union St. None listed in Temple Row
Mike
 
The picture of the Royal Hotel is the best one that I have seen. I suspect that the stable side became Bradford Passage on the 1890 OS map and this passage was around until fairly recently when Rackhams was built. It does not get mentioned much but the arcade extended across Temple Row down to Corporation Street. This was called the North Western Arcade. There is a photograph showing these two entrances...early 1900s. The New Royal Hotel was built in New Street almost opposite the Artist's Society building/ex. Panorama (a great thread but wiped photo's). Close to Victoria Square and next to The Theatre Royal. I am not sure if this was the new hotel mentioned. It had two wings fronting on New Street...similar to the first King Edwards School but read on here that one wing was not built. This explains a lot actually because I think we have a very early photo of the wing that was built...much modified...when it may have been the post office for a while. All of these buildings can be seen on the very accurate Lines painting.
 
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Thanks Mike for that. I thought it was a bit odd that the Dispensary gets no mention in the directories so I've been digging around. This extract from Langfords: A Century of Birmingham Life in 1868 says:

"This laudable institution originated around a select society, and was carried on in a private manner for some time; until they were joined by the late Matthew Boulton Esq. who took it under his patronage in the year 1793, when a house was taken in Temple Row, and an establishment formed; he taking it upon himself the office of treasurer, saying "if the funds of the institution are not sufficient for its support, I will make up the deficiency". It continued in Temple Row supported by voluntary subscriptions and donations until the year 1808"

So it had left Temple Row by 1808. In that case either the drawing is a much earlier drawing or was drawn retrospectively. The Dispensary then moved to new premises in Union Street in1808. Interesting too that there was a Boulton connection.

Rupert thanks for the interesting info. Nice to find out that the stable area might be Bradford Passage. The NW Arcade, although still there, is nothing like the original. I worked in an office above Rackhams and, from memory, the Arcade was a very cold and draughty place, but maybe it's been improved since I last saw it. Viv.
 
Well, thats something new for me. I thought that the North Western Arcade (yeah arcade), would have been gone when Rackhams was built. I see it...still there right opposite the Great Western one.
 
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If I remember right the North Western Arcade had a T junction half way down this came out in Bull St and was called Windsor Arcade ( I think) This is how I remember it after Rachams was Built. Dek
 
Snow Hill Station was openned 1st October 1852 by the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway (which was absorbd by the Great Western Railway). This would date the arcades in their original form as the Snow Hill Tunnel was built on the cut and cover method and the land above the tunnel was covered by a series of arcades. I am not sure if this included City Arcade off Union Street but otherwise the restored Great Western and the modern North Western are the only survivors. An interesting point not generally known is that there was a railway line running in tunnel from Snow Hill Station to the old Bank of England building on the corner of Temple Row and St Philip's Place which was used by bullion trains.
 
dek carr said:
If I remember right the North Western Arcade had a T junction half way down this came out in Bull St and was called Windsor Arcade ( I think) This is how I remember it after Rachams was Built. Dek
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Hi Dek hope you're feeing a bit better. Don't remember the T junction but there could well have been as the office building I worked in above Rackhams/House of Fraser was called Windsor House.

Hi David. Wonder if that tunnel is still there. A very interesting snippet of 'unseen' Birmingham. Viv
 
Here is the arcade c 1971. I seem to remember there was The Irish linen shop close to the junction with the windsor arcade on the right of the NW arcade as you came away from corporation st

map_c_1971_showing_North_western_arcade.jpg
 
Anyone know if the Windsor Arcade section is still there? I can't for the life of me remember it at all, but Mike's mention of the Irish Linen shop does ring a very familiar bell. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Hi Dek hope you're feeing a bit better. Don't remember the T junction but there could well have been as the office building I worked in above Rackhams/House of Fraser was called Windsor House.

Hi David. Wonder if that tunnel is still there. A very interesting snippet of 'unseen' Birmingham. Viv
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I worked in Windsor House in the 70's!
Do you remember the tobacconists - Hollingsworths I think it was called -next door to the entrance?

I think the arcade is still there, though I've lived in London for 14 years and I don't get into Birmingham town that often now. the first Body Shop in Birmingham was in that arcade, next to the Irish Linen I think. Wasn't there also a barbers - just trying to picture it all?!
 
Definitely remember the Body Shop and Hollingsworths does ring a bell. There was also a set of steps in the Arcade to get access to Windsor House(?) And I vaguely remember a side entrance from the Arcade into Rackhams ground floor which took you to the hosiery section. I don't think there were any other shops along that side of the Arcade as that stretch was all the Rackhams store premises. I only remember shops lining the other side of the Arcade. Was always a bit dark in there and the Arcade sloped downwards from Temple Row to Corporation Street. Viv.
 
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pic of the north western arcade taken last sat

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blacks on the corner of bull st and temple st..im sure this shop has been there for as long as i can remember..

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Was it - a long, long time ago - Etams? Or a similar clothes shop? I'm talking about 30+ years ago Lyn!! Viv.
 
I think Winsor Arcade is still there. See https://www.birminghamonline.org.uk/street/Windsor_Arcade/ for shops currently with that address. From NorthWestern Arcade with your back to the side entrance to Rackhams looking along Windsor Arcade there where shops on the right hand side and the entrance to Windsor House was/is half way along on the left. I remember the bookshop half way along on the right as I used to go there for books on law and finance.

Ref Viv,s question on whether the Bank of England tunnel is still there, parts may be but it would have been dug out under the building now occupied by RBS and I know the Snow Hill Station end has been closed off as I walked the tunnel from Moor Street to Snow Hill many years ago.
 
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