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  1. Heartland

    The shrinking bus network

    There must be a concern amongst regular bus users in Birmingham as to the present bus service standards and the routes that have disappeared. Revision of timetable and mergers of routes seem to have created a poorer service in general. Trade unions have fought to maintain pay levels for their...
  2. Heartland

    When gasworks helped the War Effort

    This is a view of a Birmingham Corporation Gas Works Vehicle advertising the byproducts needed for munitions in the First World War.
  3. Heartland

    Motor Cycles at the NEC

    This year the Motorcycle Show at the NEC has some former local manufacturer names on show till November 27th. Motorcycles made in India have for a long time included Royal Enfield and now the Mahindra Group has a stand in the name of BSA is Back where new Goldstar bikes can be seen as well as...
  4. Heartland

    Summer Row Canal Yard

    Prior to 1868 the Birmingham Canal Navigations Company had a depot that was between Lock 3 & 4 Farmers Bridge Locks which came into existence about 70 years previous. Near there at what was then 22 Summer Row were three canal houses for the staff. These houses being sold in 1868 do not appear to...
  5. Heartland

    Metro- lack of progress

    Following on from the problems with getting the West Midlands Metro trams repaired, whilst the trams now seem to be in operations, barring traffic light failures at the Royal, there are now days of industrial action. Whilst most staff, if not all, are trained to drive the trams and a part...
  6. Heartland

    Lady Huntingdons Chapel, Peck Lane

    As religious establishments, in Birmingham go, does the Non Conformist Lady Huntingdons Chapel hold a record for a short tenure. It was built in the 1840's and demolished in 1850 to make way for the new Queens Drive and New Street Station, also called Grand Central. Whilst the congregation moved...
  7. Heartland

    Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

    The announced closure of the Museum and Art Gallery after Sunday November 13th will again result in another period where this iconic establishment will not be available for the public. The talk of reopening in 2024 must be a matter of concern. What are the intentions of those planning the...
  8. Heartland

    Lost Canals in the Black Country

    There are many examples of disused waterways within the Black Country and their history is now well established although with the Haines Branch there is the issue of deciding when it was completed and the 1834 ordnance survey shows the line as built from the bottom of Ryders Green Locks to the...
  9. Heartland

    The Go Boats

    Those who walk the canals of Birmingham may have come across the Go Boat, which is electrically powered. Their base is at Brindley Place opposite the ICC. Boat hire for an hour is not cheap, but a group could make the experience cost effective. Training for those who steer the craft seems basic...
  10. Heartland

    The Lost Birmingham Canal Stop Lock

    There was a stop lock on the Dudley Canal at Selly Oak with cottage alongside, but that section was eventually abandoned once the traffic to the brickworks ceased. The part through Lapal Tunnel had ended finally in 1917, but the detached section at the Selly Oak lasted longer. Much of the...
  11. Heartland

    How many trades ?

    It is said that Birmingham was a city of a thousand trades, but I seem to believe that there were more. The businessmen of the town or the later city grasped invention and pursued new trades aided first through being the centre of a canal network and then a railway network. The diversity of...
  12. Heartland

    Curzon Street Hotel

    The restoration of the surviving station building started on September 02nd. After seeing many references to the structure as being the London and Birmingham Railway station building, an observation which must be made is that it served as part of the operation of the railway, where in reality...
  13. Heartland

    The Explosion at Curzon Street

    On November 7th, 1850 , early in the morning, a goods train left Curzon Street and started to cross the Viaduct over the Rea, There was an explosion that demolished an arch. A subsequent Board of Trade enquiry tried to discover the cause. The inspector looked at the possibility of marsh gas...
  14. Heartland

    Railway Sheds in Birmingham

    The thread on Monument Lane needs some expansion, perhaps. Monument Lane was an London & North Western shed originally with the shed code 10. The was another shed at Curzon Street, which predated it, and was the subject of recent posts following the excavation work for HS2. The former Grand...
  15. Heartland

    Colliers Riots 1822

    Riots are part of the present as well as the past. In April & May 1822 the colliers at Bilston, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton were part of of group who protested against the drop in their wages. This was a period when trade was in a depression period. Bankruptcies for iron and coal masters were...
  16. Heartland

    What happened to Allenways

    There was a motor coach proprietor called Allenways in Park Street, but they appears to be no more?
  17. Heartland

    The origins of the Birmingham Brigade

    The thread about Charles Reeves, sword and gun maker, mentions one of the causes that led to bankruptcy was a serious fire. This fire in 1868 affected part of Reeve's premises called Golds Mill. The building was gutted and all machinery fell to the bottom after the floors were burnt away...
  18. Heartland

    Boat Lengths

    When looking at Birmingham Industries placed along the canal side, such property use could change through time and it became common to describe canal frontages in boat lengths. These lengths would be a length of about 70ft- 80ft, which equates to the standard narrow boat length, Such frontages...
  19. Heartland

    Charles Reeves, Charlotte Street

    Charles Reeves Junior was both a gun maker and a sword maker at the Toledo Works in Charlotte Street, By 1850 he, Charles Greaves and his father Charles Reeves, had taken over the gun and sword making factory in Charlotte Street formerly occupied by the Sargant family. Reeves supplied the...
  20. Heartland

    Charles Pemberton and Stained Glass

    Whilst much praise has been given to John Hardman & Co of Birmingham, there was a person who probably deserves more recognition that has been so far been passed his way. This person was Charles Pemberton, the eldest of three brothers and two sisters, who became a glass stainer and artist in...
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