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Cannon Street Meeting House

Thank you for the picture Dennis. I also had family members who worshipped at Cannon Street Meeting House and I have never seen a photo of it before. Mine lived in Steelhouse Lane.

Judy
 
Many thanks for the picture Dennis. I will check to see what records exist; might strike lucky.

Nickie
 
Two more views Nickie, the first a drawing (sorry, no date but could be the one Wendy refers to in post #1. You may know many images on the forum were lost after it was hacked some time back). The second is a photo from 1905. Again this may have been posted before and could be one of the lost images. Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1365150141.515519.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1365150150.160305.jpg
 
I have replaced the missing photo's at the begining of this thread.
 
Excellent drawings Wendy. They give a better idea of the size of the chapel. Viv.
 
I thought I would start a thread on this important building. The mural tablets from the Meeting House were taken to Key Hill Chapel but I suppose they were lost after it was demolished.

This is a drawing of the first meeting house before it was destroyed in the riots.

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I posted lots on the Meeting Houses in various places Wendy...but Cannon Street was never mentioned much..? The one you picture was in Colmore Street...as explained below...I am confused as to the link betwixt Unitarian and Baprist...but then I'm a Heathen...can you enlighten this miserable sinner?


In that late 18th century, while Revolution raged in France, many in Birmingham feared that religious dissent might lead to revolution against the Church of England and the British monarchy. Dissenters are those that refuse to accept the doctrines of an established church, in this case Protestants who dissented from the Church of England.

Joseph Priestley, a dissenter, was minister of the Old Meeting House (which Hutton describes in detail). Priestley had written an inflammatory pamphlet that described 'laying gunpowder' under the 'old building of error'. This had caused alarm among supporters of the established church, who believed they were under threat. Priestley had already gained notoriety for his criticism of an attack on the French Revolution by Edmund Burke (a conservative statesman and political thinker).

On 14 July 1791 Priestley and his followers met at a dinner in the Dadleys Hotel, Temple Street, to celebrate the second anniversary of the storming the Bastille. Their opponents took this as an opportunity for full-scale riot. They attacked and burned the Meeting Houses and the homes of a large number of Priestley's friends and supporters, many of them respected Birmingham citizens.



In her tome, Kate mentions that the Unitarian Old Meeting House built in 1689 was so popular that they had to build an overflow one in DERITEND, of all places. This they called the LOWER MEETING HOUSE, because of it’s geography. Anyway, to cut a long story short, this was also burned to a crisp by the rioters, and the ruins became a workshop. From the enclosed piece from her book you can see that this area was entered via MEETING HOUSE YARD. Now this is red meat and drink to an Alleyway freak, so I thought where was this please Miss? Why haven’t I heard of it before? So I looked it up.

Blimey Matron, some clever clogs University types had only gone and done an architectural dig in my old rellies stamping grounds of Moores Row and Milk Street in Deritend, AND mentioned Lower Meeting House Yard by name, hadn’t they? And look what they discovered?







 
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One of Brum’s most famous Pubs was also The Eagle and Ball, or 'The Eagle' as it was better known. There was a large carved figure of an Eagle perched upon a Globe over the door that gave it some extra swagger and class…

The Inn was upon the south side of Colmore Street, and a clue to its exact location is gained from Eliezer Edwards’ OLD TAVERNS OF BIRMINGHAM, from which this tale is largely plundered, who in 1879 said “Its site is now within New Street Station, but the roadway of Great Queen Street passes over what was once the Inn yard, and the present open railings of the Old Meeting Hose burial ground stand upon the foundations of the wall which originally separated the Inn premises from the chapel yard.“ So although we have no picture or drawing of this place, we can at least have some accurate idea where it was…








Edwards notes that the Inn was not anything pretentious nor memorable in architecture, but it had a large commodious room at the back which became one of Birmingham’s first ever marble alleys. Bit like the Dirty duck in Harborne for them’s that know these things. There are tales of Birmingham’s finest like “George Dixon, and a Mr Kynnersley scrabbling round on their padded knees, playing marbles against Mr Holliday and Oliver Pemberton, whilst Alderman Manton, Mr R.W. Dale, Mr Sampson Lloyd and Alderman Avery, each with a long pipe and beaker of ale, looked critically on…”
 
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I read your thread with much interest. I've just discovered from an old newspaper article that my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, John Sabell, was associated with the Cannon Street Meeting House for more than 50 years, initially as a scholar with the school, and then as a teacher - I presume that this must have been a Sunday School. At that time, (1801), the school was in Weaman Row, and, every Sunday, the scholars would walk from there to the chapel in Cannon Street. I would like to know more about the school in Weaman Row, and if there was any record of the attendees there. Does anyone know?
 
Dear members,
I note it has been some while since this thread was viewed, but I never give up! I am hoping I can strike up some more conversations and research. My GGGrandfather was living at 6 Meeting House Yard Aston Deritend in 1851. He was 20 years old and a sawyer, and lodger. Another resident was a French Polisher. I am very grateful for the information here already. I wonder if you can point me in the right direction to discover more about this location. My GGGrandfather's name was George Morris born 1832. He married Eliza Warwick and they had 9 children together, he had two others later in life too. Many thanks Loraine
 
hello loraine and welcome...yes the exact location of this address would be good...i will try and find him on the 51 census and it could be possible that our map expert mike could find an old map for you which shows where meeting house yard was...fingers crossed

lyn
 
Oh thank you so much, the address listed in 6 Meeting House Yard Deritend Aston. Another resident (same number/room) was a Coppersmith and the other a French Polisher. I have been trying to research where my GGGrandfather would have worked as a Sawyer in 1851, and the other gentlemen? Under the address there are two other words and this is the same for no. 7,8 and 9. looks like Right Meat, but I know that couldn't be right! Thanks again really appreciate any tips, info or help. Loraine
 
struggling to find a george morris b 1832 at that address on the 51 census...who was head of the house
 
right ive found him now..add would be house 6 meeting house yard high st deritend so was not in cannon st...could do with a map now
 
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The book "Memorials of the old meeting house" states that Meeting House yard, sometimes known as Lower meeting house yard, was the site of the Lower meeting house, built to accommodate the overflow from the original meeting house. It later became a workshop, and was demolished by the time of the book (1889). It states that the yard entrance was between nos 224 & 226 Deritend, but had recently been demolished. Another source states that it was demolished during the construction of Milk St. Numbering of Deritend would suggest that it was at the eastern corner of Milk st with deritend.
 
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