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Compasses Tavern Alcester Street, Aston

Mr Zippy

master brummie
Hi

In 1861 my ancestors lived next door to the Compasses Tavern in Alcester Street, Aston. I have been unable to find any information about this pub. There was a Compass Inn in Brearley Street, but this is not the same location. Any one heard of it?
 
Is the pub showing next door to your ancestors on the census? If so it may help if you give the name of the people who are running the pub.
 
Here are two mentions of the Compasses Inn, Alcester Street in the Birmingham Daily Post. Both are from later years than your ancestors were there but at least they prove it was there.
The first one about the theft is from Friday 9th January 1874
The second one about the death of Mr Woodall is from Wednesday 10th November 1886


They are quite interesting - what was the Bickley Glee party I wonder?
 

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Now I am confused - I have just found a mention of The Compasses in Alcester Street Deritend - which means the above articles may be about that one and not the one in Aston.:upset:
 
Hi pollypops
Yes it was the one you are speaking about in the digbeth side of alcester rd I had to think myself where it was I think I am on the right track in alcester street
If you go Bradford street and turn off the Bradford street at the junction of alcester street turning right into alcester street and go along for a couple of hundred
Yards on your right hand side of the red you would have passed it years later it was used for commercial use of some factory like premises
And area years later in the sixties or just before that it kept the name up and eventually it got slightly change of name to the light out
This was after the old doss house the routine house as they called it closed down and. It change the name and it took in the men whom was down and out very poor men and it open end up as a cafe as well for certain times of the day it could only manage about six to twelve men at the time
As I said it open end up after the big routine house closed down and sold off for what now is an hotel but that now is not doing to good use beast wishes astonish
 
Hi pollypops
Yes it was the one you are speaking about in the digbeth side of alcester rd I had to think myself where it was I think I am on the right track in alcester street
If you go Bradford street and turn off the Bradford street at the junction of alcester street turning right into alcester street and go along for a couple of hundred
Yards on your right hand side of the red you would have passed it years later it was used for commercial use of some factory like premises
And area years later in the sixties or just before that it kept the name up and eventually it got slightly change of name to the light out
This was after the old doss house the routine house as they called it closed down andit
 
Hi pollypops
I think if we check the records it was in fact cheap side of digbeth and it was 142 alcester road way back long ago in the sixties or the seventies the property was standing running as I said be bore the paragone hotel that is there now astonian
 
Polly
At that time Deritend was, as far as the census and other things were concerned, a part of Aston parish, so all the articles would be concernming the same pub
 
Astonian thank you for the Information and your memories of the building.

Mike - I didn't realise that Deritend used to come under the parish of Aston - no wonder I was confused! Thank you.

Mr Zippy- Yes - the Tavern you were looking for in 'Aston' is the one in Alcester Street, Deritend.

Here is another article from The Birmingham Daily Post - dated 29th September 1869 so a bit closer to the time your ancestors were there.
It seems they were auctioning off the contents of the 'Compasses'
 

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Mr zippy was correct to say Aston because if you look at the Birmingham history of the late era of Birmingham such as the 1800s
Birmingham was only run by parishes and Aston being the biggest part of the parish owned and cheap side parish and the deritend parish
Should you ever go up that alcexter street there is some orinional property's of the tested years going back to the late 1800s brick work
And just looking at the building as it was with its frontage you would have seen it for yourself of what it was looks in those days
It had not changed its frontage since the early 1900s with the given OK and brick work as I recall it as I worked around there when I was a young guy doing the council repairs of the old property's but as I said in the sixties it opened up as habit of a shelter for the down and outs but it was only at certain times you could get the bed and breakfast and a bed for the night it was not a perment stop for every night if you was there for the Saturday and Sunday you would have to go as it was giving other guys a chance of rest and food but they done the way wood travelers as we call then
M a breakfast or a dinner at lunch time as the street was crawling with these poor souls of down and outs the rootinhose as it was called held about 200 men
But they was of the poorest state of affairs in rags some would not be allowed in in years later it was closed down and sold on I think it might have been the council whom decided to sell it as they brought family's and kids into the area and they did not want them begging and stealing from the people and lower the tone of the street we have area members whom lived only yards from it all there life whom was the orinioanal remnants of the demoke street and alcester street bottom end whom could tell you more than me but and so yes mike is an expert on our site he as a very good knowledge and maths of all most every where
But Mr zippy as it in one as he was told it was Aston I am an Aston lad myself and seen Birmingham change my grand parents did not live to far from there either
And I thought about the distance from my point of home to where it was and unit was really walking distance for me so I thought its is Aston cross to there
As mike said it was truly parishes of three and the Aston one covered most of brum in those days best wishes astonian
 
Mr Zippy

This map pinpoints the position of The Compasses on the corner of Deritend High St & Alcester St.
 

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Isn't it strange I have just looked at the 1861 Census as well, and my ancestors William & Patrick Day were lodgers next door to your ancestors Mr Zippy.

My ancestors lived at 140 Alcester Street, your ancesters at 141 and the Compasses Tavern was at 142 Alcester Street

My maiden name being Hunt as well !!
 
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