• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Birmingham's Working Horses

My dad was also a milkman with a horse drawn cart. He worked for a small private dairy, Joe Morrison the corner of Fentham Road and Clarence Road, Erdington. He delivered locally, around Gravelly Hill and Jaffray Road.
 
Short article on the “Notes from 19C Birmingham” Blog, entitled The Horses at Holiday Wharf...
 
Short article on the “Notes from 19C Birmingham” Blog, entitled The Horses at Holiday Wharf...
I found the horses names interesting. I had riding lessons most of my childhood & came across many of those names, there doesn't seem to have been much of a change of style.
 
Short article on the “Notes from 19C Birmingham” Blog, entitled The Horses at Holiday Wharf...
Nothing to do with horses but the link does provide an informative section on proceedings at the Birmingham Police Courts. I particularly enjoyed the the case of the parrot!
 
Short article on the “Notes from 19C Birmingham” Blog, entitled The Horses at Holiday Wharf...
Pedrocut, some great insight in the Holiday Warf article...........Thank you!
 
My Father told me about the railway horses stabled at Curzon street, he started as a 14 year old boy on parcel delivery around 1933. Some of the horses were massive and some had a very bad temperament and would kick & bite at every opportunity.
He recalled having to sit waiting on the wagon whilst the driver stopped at a cafe on the way down new canal street and at practically every pub on the way back to the yard.
 
Thank you Maurice and Lynn. I did post this before the forum was hacked so thought I would attach it again. My granddad is buried in the small churchyard over the road from the Church Tavern with his little daughter Evelyn. Unfortunately over the years it has been covered over when the factories were built at the back. Hope you have snow Maurice over Xmas (only kidding)?. :sun:
 
Hello

I've just found this thread as I am searching for information about what my Granddad did at Curzon Street Railway Depot - he was working as a Farrier and taxi repairer on the census 1911 when he was aged 15. But Mother remembers him working on a horse and cart for the Curzon Street Railway delivering stuff and that was when they lived in Holloway Head and outside the City.

Are there any sites that I can find him as an employee for LMS? or would they have worked for themselves. I know there were stables at Curzon Street Railway and a pen pit for the cattle that was transported.

I found all the photos on this site for Curzon Street Railway which are fantastic but I am working on my family tree and would be great to find photos and employee listing.
 
Hello

I've just found this thread as I am searching for information about what my Granddad did at Curzon Street Railway Depot - he was working as a Farrier and taxi repairer on the census 1911 when he was aged 15. But Mother remembers him working on a horse and cart for the Curzon Street Railway delivering stuff and that was when they lived in Holloway Head and outside the City.

Are there any sites that I can find him as an employee for LMS? or would they have worked for themselves. I know there were stables at Curzon Street Railway and a pen pit for the cattle that was transported.

I found all the photos on this site for Curzon Street Railway which are fantastic but I am working on my family tree and would be great to find photos and employee listing.
Warwick University Library have a number of railway trade union records.
 
From "Birmingham New Street 1860-1923" by Richard Foster the stables at Curzon St stabled all the horses for Curzon St and New St, together with the main provender depot for all the horses of the LNW. In 1895 the LNW owned in total 3,800 horses whose feed was supplied from there. (This compared to 2,750 engines). In 1914 Curzon Street itself housed 600 horses. I have got the general impression that outside companies were allowed access to the station, but the majority of the transport was on company carts. Below is a photo (from publication already mentioned} showing company wagons delivering produce to the market at about that time

railway wagons delivering to fruit and veg market Smithfield c1910A.jpg
 
Last edited:
From "Birmingham New Street 1860-1923" by Richard Foster the stables at Curzon St stabled all the horses for Curzon St and New St, together with the main provender depot for all the horses of the LNW. In 1895 the LNW owned in total 3,800 horses whose feed was supplied from there. (This compared to 2,750 engines). In 1914 Curzon Street itself housed 600 horses. I have got the general impression that outside companies were allowed access to the station, but the majority of the transport was on company carts. Below is a photo (from publication already mentioned}, showing company wagons delivering produce to the market at about that time

View attachment 158559
Thank you this is a great picture and interesting facts. There is nothing like fleshing out what your relatives did for a living than seeing it with your own eyes. It’s amazing that 3,800 horses were being used.

thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
img056_28229.jpg

Great Francis Street in 1884, I was surprised when I noticed how small these horses were but after another look I decided that the reason for small horses is small carts. I think.
The horses are fairly small; and the one on the left is a pony, probably about 14.2 hands (a hand being 4 inches, = 4 ft 10 ins at the top of the shoulder). The size of horse or pony bought would depend on the load to be hauled, and the steepness of the hills on its round. Nowadays, a haulier will buy the smallest vehicle which is up to the job, as the smaller the vehicle, the lower the purchase price and running costs - so with horses. The smaller the horse, or pony, the less it cost to buy and to feed. Bear in mind, too, that supplies being delivered were far lighter than a load of, say, coal - plus another advantage of a fairly light horse for deliveries is that they can move at a brisk trot between customers, so covering their rounds in less time.
HTH
Jack
 
The horses are fairly small; and the one on the left is a pony, probably about 14.2 hands (a hand being 4 inches, = 4 ft 10 ins at the top of the shoulder). The size of horse or pony bought would depend on the load to be hauled, and the steepness of the hills on its round. Nowadays, a haulier will buy the smallest vehicle which is up to the job, as the smaller the vehicle, the lower the purchase price and running costs - so with horses. The smaller the horse, or pony, the less it cost to buy and to feed. Bear in mind, too, that supplies being delivered were far lighter than a load of, say, coal - plus another advantage of a fairly light horse for deliveries is that they can move at a brisk trot between customers, so covering their rounds in less time.
HTH
Jack
Welcome to the Forum, HorseCoper. Enjoy!
 
Back
Top