Bennetts Hill, Waterloo Street

[chocks2]

I noticed on some of the Maps posted by Mikejee in various threads that on the 1810 map around the Cathedaral area both Waterloo St and Bennetts Hill didn't exist but by 1839 both did however on a map of 1500 and something Bennetts hill did exist but literally as a hill and not a road.
Now obviously the Battlle of Waterloo didn't take place untill 1815 so Waterloo Street would not have been constructed untill a later date and Bennetts Hill would have been named after the original hill but when were both streets constructed, were they both constructed at the same time and who was the Bennett that the original hill was named after.

 

[Shortie]

I have a feeling that somewhere I have read that Bennett owned the farm where Bennett's Hill is, but apart from the man who owned the land, not got a clue.

Shortie

 

[mikejee]

According to Chin ("The Streets of Brum") William Bennett was a cooper, and it is possible that the Hill was named after him, but he existed in the 17th century, and so, if we are to believe the map I previously put on, which is supposed to show birmingham in 1553, then this cannot be so. Pym states that in 1820 there was no bennetts hill as the site of where it met new St was occupied by a Rickyard (for coaches & horses). a report of the Birmingham Commisioners states, in 1825, that bennetts hill had only recently been completed. "A Historical and Descriptivesketch of birmingham" (1830) states that recently there had been built two new streets , waterloo St and bennetts hill ("by which name it has long been known").
So it looks as if they were built together, or at least within a couple of years, and that the source of the name Bennett has not been established
Mike

 

[Phil]

According to William Dargue - A History of Birmingham Places & Placenames Bennetts Hill was named after the family that farmed the land. See here,

https://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-b/bennetts-hill-city-centre/


Phil

 

[Vivienne14]

It seems strange that in, the1860s, there was a debate about the position of the old Post Office. It seems odd, as surely many would have remembered it. The old PO was on the corner of Bennett's Hill and New Street. These two views were posted in an earlier post on this thread https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848

I've added the modern Streetview for comparison. Obviously we can no longer see St. Phillip's due to buildings obscuring the view. The old Post Office looks nothing like a Post Office, the smallest building left of the gates. I presume the gateway would have, not only been a place for mail coach deliveries but would have effectively been Bennett's Hill. The later PO must have been on Bennett's Hill to replace the little on New St/Bennett's Hill and would have been prior to the General PO built on Victoria Sq. in the 1890s. Viv.

 

[carolina]

Great pictures Viv.

 

[Rupert]

I think the post office was in the two story building on the left. The lower right hand window under the lamp giving access for stamps and posting I suppose. I think that the small building was a coach house for the hosteller perhaps. Directly behind the painter of the picture would be the Theater Royal. The post office would later be located on the opposite side of New St. in the remains of one wing of the New Royal hotel on the corner of Ethel St. (a photo exists) Later to be demolished for the building of the Colonnade Hotel again lost to demolition. Presumably the post office was at that point located in Victoria Square.
The Sam Lines painting from the St Phillips spire actually ties all of this together viewed from the opposite side of the above posted painting and the coach yard and hut and Theater Royal can be seen together with Portugal House; set back from New St. (became The New Royal). No Waterloo or Bennett's at that point...all farm land, subject to a document stipulating that this should be the case for a number of years. There is a Bennett's Hill in Washwood Heath also but Mr/Ms Bennett is unknown at this point.
Actually Bennett's Hill has some of the finest remaining buildings in Brum.

 

[Vivienne14]

Thanks Rupert. I was confused by the description given in the first image post #1355 extracted here (hope that's OK Mike I've taken it from your thread here. https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39848 ). I think then that the article must mean the "Bennett's Hill" office was referring to the early office in the pencil drawing and the Paul Braddon's colour painting (I.e. corner of New St/ Bennett's Hill and not actually up Bennett's Hill). And I follow that the next PO was sited across the road near the theatre. Remember reading that before.

I think I (wrongly) imagined the early PO to be housed in the smaller building and not within the Georgian house because it sounded much more primitive - see second image from another thread ( New street when it was new.. ). Hopefully I'm now clear about it! Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

Edward Burne Jones was born in Bennett's Hill. An image of the house from the Shoothill site. Today there's a blue plaque marking the place.


A full biography of the man is below, posted by Dennis Williams in post #95. Viv.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...-women-of-birmingham.40423/page-5#post-480480

 

[Pedrocut]

There is a mention of a solicitor, Whateley and Son, Bennett’s Hill in 1829.

Dargue says laid out c1820, so this pushes the date back at least a year.

 

[Pedrocut]

The venerable William Hutton died in October 1815 at his house in Bennett’s Hill, near Birmingham.

 

[oldbrit]

I helped to carve this on a building in Bennetts Hill in the 1950s when working for Bill Bloye the sculptor

 

[Vivienne14]

In 1909 this catering company, Lisseter and Miller was based in Bennett’s Hill. The article below especially mentions it serving a ‘floating population’. Not entirely sure what they mean. Are they referring to people passing through Birmingham, ie not resident, or something else ? Viv.

 

[smo]

In 1909 this catering company, Lisseter and Miller was based in Bennett’s Hill. The article below especially mentions it serving a ‘floating population’. Not entirely sure what they mean. Are they referring to people passing through Birmingham, ie not resident, or something else ? Viv.

View attachment 140908

My mother-in-law was a Lisseter. This Lisseter is a distant relative. Thx for posting

It was Samuel Lisseter who married Tryphena Sarah Neville Miller

​