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The Buildings of Birmingham, Past and Present (Second Series)

ChrisM

ChrisM

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The Buildings of Birmingham, Past and Present (Second Series), printed and published by Thomas Underwood, Castle Street, High Street, Birmingham (believed 1870).

A copy of this has recently come into my temporary possession. I am wondering if this is a publication well known amongst Birmingham historians. It contains some nice etchings dating from the early 19th century of notable (and some not so notable) Birmingham buildings and streets, about 23 in all. If they are likely to be of interest to members I'll scan and post them in this thread. Could you give me some indication please?

Chris

TheBuildingsofBirmingham002.jpg
 
Thanks, everyone, for positive comment and also, Pedrocut, for the interesting link. The latter contains some of these sketches and some additional ones and omits others. So I'll just bash on and post what I have gradually, bit by bit. Some of them are probably familiar.

The first two to start with.

Chris
 
Looking at the examples given in Pedrocut's link, it wouls seem that all the images refer to around the mid 1810s or earlier. In particular Phipsons Metal warehouse was in New St in Wrightsons 1815 directory, but had moved to Upper Temple St by the time of the 1818 edition
 
I think this publication appeared in 1869/1870 and it seems to have reproduced sketches dating back to between the early 1800s and the (to it) most recent past, the 1860s.

Chris
 
great chris...now where was st martins lane and what is that unusual structure on the right ..maybe part of the church...

lyn
 
Pedrocut said:
In 1880 there was an Old Curiosity Shop in Aston Lane.

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Sounds wonderful Pedrocut, we've started watching Salvage Hunters at lunchtime during the week. It's on 'Really' and Drew Pritchard goes into some wonderful shops, many of which I think would be just like the one mentioned above.

I've posted this picture before on the forum but this is my grandparent's shop in Newtown Row, Aston around 1901 so might be pretty much the same. The shop was next to the Post Office.
 

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Re post #24. The wall to the right is the wall of St Martin’s Churchyard, bulging with burials which is why Park Street Burial Ground was put into use in 1848. Presumably burials had been built up and up to quite a height.

Here’s Wm Hutton’s witty description in 1783:


“From the eminence upon which the High-street stands, proceeds a steep, and regular descent into Moor-street, Digbeth, down Spiceal-street, Lee's-lane, and Worcester-street. This descent is broken only by the church-yard; which, through a long course of internment, for ages, is augmented into a considerable hill, chiefly composed of the refuse of life. We may, therefore, safely remark, in this place, the dead are raised up. Nor shall we be surprised at the rapid growth of the hill, when we consider this little point of land was alone that hungry grave which devoured the whole inhabitants, during the long ages of existence, till the year 1715, when St. Philip's was opened. The curious observer will easily discover, the fabric has lost that symmetry which should ever attend architecture, by the growth of the soil about it, causing a low appearance in the building, so that instead of the church burying the dead, the dead would, in time, have buried the church”.




Viv.
 
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