Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
Cheers Wendy, and here's one for the Musical members of our gang...
In Westley's 1731 Map you can clearly see what Eliezer Edwards calls “a pleasant dwelling house” in the middle of ‘Walker’s Cherry Orchard’. There is also a funny conical Building in the left corner that looks like one of those children’s slides in a fairground, and I’d love to know what it was supposed to represent - anyone?
But evidently, when Cherry Street was cut after the building of St Philips Church, it passed quite close by this dwelling, and he notes at this point “the surface of the roadway was raised some eight to ten feet above the natural ground. This alteration necessitated some alterations to the old building, and part of it may have been pulled down”. But some a hundred and fifty years later in 1879, when Edwards was writing his tome, he noted that “A considerable portion of it remained however, and it was now occupied by Messrs Kenworthy and Bailey, the picture frame makers and dealers in works of art”. And they allowed Edwards to make an inspection of the premises, which got him all of a quiver...
The cellaring eight feet below was once at ground level, and had signs of bricked up windows and doors, but with the original plastering of ceiling and walls still extant, plus signs of another cellar room once being an ancient kitchen. As he excitedly noted “the wide open-mouthed chimney still exists, exactly as when the house stood amongst the cherry trees. Within it’s ample embouchere (!) one may still stand upright and look through the capacious flue to the sky overhead”. The charred bricks of the raised hearth and the cast iron “dogs” to contain the fuel were still there, as was the old brick oven. He went off on another big nostalgic one at that point….
Interestingly though, when all this happened, the House became a Tavern, which afterwards became known as “Cooke’s in the Cherry Orchard”. The very same one that played a part in the Union Inn story I will enlarge upon in the "Alleyways" Thread at some time soon...
McKenna’s 'Central Birmingham Pubs' book quotes it as also being known as the ‘Bowling Green Tavern’, or the ‘Golden Coffee Pot’, but he also testifies to the large meeting room therein, that got Edwards’ attention so keenly…
The parish rating books of 1756 and 1777 attested to the ownership by James Cooke, and other architectural features of the then neighbouring properties (a derilict old paper warehouse) of the Kenworthys, sealed its provenance as the famous “Cooke’s”
Edwards then waxes lyrical about the connection to this old house and the establishment of the famous Birmingham Music Festivals, aided and abetted by some documentary treasures given to him by two brothers, of their father’s recollections, that proved he was the founder of same. His name was James Kempson, a performer of “no mean order”. Kempson was lead chorister at St Bartholomew’s Church after its opening in 1749, and he was wont to practice along with many friends at “Cooke’s”. It became quite popular and in 1762 the increasing attendances led to the inevitable formation of a Club, “The Musical and Amicable Society”. Of course with power comes responsibility, at least it did in those days, so there had to be RULES. Twenty paragraphs of them no less…and plenty of these refered to the paying of subs and what might happen upon default. Ouch. There was also the Society’s motto:
“To our Musical Club Here’s long Life and Prosperity
May it flourish with us, and so on to posterity
May Concord and Harmony always abound
And Divisions here only in our Music be found.
May the Catch and the Glass go about and about
And another succeed to the Bottle that’s out.”
Amazingly, the Musical and Amicable Society is STILL going today. Join here: https://www.amicables.co.uk/mas-now/mas-then/
Any way, a year after formation of the MAS, the “seven years war” with France ended, but the ensuing privations and hardships endured by many parts of Brummie's poorest folks didn’t.
Briefly, Kempson suggested a Christmas Festival of Music at St Bartholomew’s, with collections and the dispensation of any moneys going to the local poor. This proved quite successful and soon became an annual event. The accounts were fascinating and reproduced below…and some items looked suspiciously like it may just be the same now! - “some members of the choir refused to sing unless they were paid” springs to mind…
In 1766, three years in, the first stone of the General Hospital was laid. Money was tight, so one again Kempson and his singers leapt into the fray, and a Board of Trustees was set up to disburse funds and generally oversee fair play and progress with construction. The Board members reads like a who's who in Brum History, and included John Taylor (Lloyds Bank founder), Isaac Spooner, Dr John Ash, H. Carver and Mr Brooke-Smith. The first series of events saw the music including the ‘Messiah’, and ‘L’Allegro’ played in assorted venues, and accompanying elegant balls held at “Sawyers in the Old Square”. The profit from these first ventures was £299 – a Kings ransom in those days - no doubt the Hospital chaps were delighted.
During the following years Kempson became famous and feted everywhere. In 1777, the foundation stone at St Paul’s “Chappell” was laid, financed somewhat by his endeavors, and for this he was offered and accepted the post of clerk and choirmaster of the “Chappell Choir”
However, since the first General Hospital donation twelve years before, financial matters had evidently slowed down, so one again, Kempson rallied his fundraising team and the famous Triennial Music Festivals were born, continuing until 1912, and attracting new works by famous composers, many now being in the standard choral repertoire. The Chappell Society continued its existence until 1847, providing a large group within the massed choirs of the festivals. It is likely that the remaining members became the nucleus of the recently formed Birmingham Festival Choral Society which began life in 1843 and is still one of the main choral societies in Birmingham today...and mentioned in despatches by Walter Showell in his Dictionary of 1885 thus:
James `Daddy` Kempson was held in great affection by his choirs and in his later years the Chappell Society commissioned a portrait of him by Henry Wyatt. Many special musical events were held in subsequent years, Handel being the favoured composer. Some of the performances were an integral part of a church service. Some were to raise money for charity or a new organ, of which there were several. James Kempson was buried in St. Paul’s churchyard
He even had his portrait painted by Henry Wyatt, a most promising pupil of Sir Thomas Lawrence, and will always be revered as JAMES KEMPSON (1742-1822) - the Musical Father of Birmingham.
In Westley's 1731 Map you can clearly see what Eliezer Edwards calls “a pleasant dwelling house” in the middle of ‘Walker’s Cherry Orchard’. There is also a funny conical Building in the left corner that looks like one of those children’s slides in a fairground, and I’d love to know what it was supposed to represent - anyone?
But evidently, when Cherry Street was cut after the building of St Philips Church, it passed quite close by this dwelling, and he notes at this point “the surface of the roadway was raised some eight to ten feet above the natural ground. This alteration necessitated some alterations to the old building, and part of it may have been pulled down”. But some a hundred and fifty years later in 1879, when Edwards was writing his tome, he noted that “A considerable portion of it remained however, and it was now occupied by Messrs Kenworthy and Bailey, the picture frame makers and dealers in works of art”. And they allowed Edwards to make an inspection of the premises, which got him all of a quiver...
The cellaring eight feet below was once at ground level, and had signs of bricked up windows and doors, but with the original plastering of ceiling and walls still extant, plus signs of another cellar room once being an ancient kitchen. As he excitedly noted “the wide open-mouthed chimney still exists, exactly as when the house stood amongst the cherry trees. Within it’s ample embouchere (!) one may still stand upright and look through the capacious flue to the sky overhead”. The charred bricks of the raised hearth and the cast iron “dogs” to contain the fuel were still there, as was the old brick oven. He went off on another big nostalgic one at that point….
Interestingly though, when all this happened, the House became a Tavern, which afterwards became known as “Cooke’s in the Cherry Orchard”. The very same one that played a part in the Union Inn story I will enlarge upon in the "Alleyways" Thread at some time soon...
McKenna’s 'Central Birmingham Pubs' book quotes it as also being known as the ‘Bowling Green Tavern’, or the ‘Golden Coffee Pot’, but he also testifies to the large meeting room therein, that got Edwards’ attention so keenly…
The parish rating books of 1756 and 1777 attested to the ownership by James Cooke, and other architectural features of the then neighbouring properties (a derilict old paper warehouse) of the Kenworthys, sealed its provenance as the famous “Cooke’s”
Edwards then waxes lyrical about the connection to this old house and the establishment of the famous Birmingham Music Festivals, aided and abetted by some documentary treasures given to him by two brothers, of their father’s recollections, that proved he was the founder of same. His name was James Kempson, a performer of “no mean order”. Kempson was lead chorister at St Bartholomew’s Church after its opening in 1749, and he was wont to practice along with many friends at “Cooke’s”. It became quite popular and in 1762 the increasing attendances led to the inevitable formation of a Club, “The Musical and Amicable Society”. Of course with power comes responsibility, at least it did in those days, so there had to be RULES. Twenty paragraphs of them no less…and plenty of these refered to the paying of subs and what might happen upon default. Ouch. There was also the Society’s motto:
“To our Musical Club Here’s long Life and Prosperity
May it flourish with us, and so on to posterity
May Concord and Harmony always abound
And Divisions here only in our Music be found.
May the Catch and the Glass go about and about
And another succeed to the Bottle that’s out.”
Amazingly, the Musical and Amicable Society is STILL going today. Join here: https://www.amicables.co.uk/mas-now/mas-then/
Any way, a year after formation of the MAS, the “seven years war” with France ended, but the ensuing privations and hardships endured by many parts of Brummie's poorest folks didn’t.
Briefly, Kempson suggested a Christmas Festival of Music at St Bartholomew’s, with collections and the dispensation of any moneys going to the local poor. This proved quite successful and soon became an annual event. The accounts were fascinating and reproduced below…and some items looked suspiciously like it may just be the same now! - “some members of the choir refused to sing unless they were paid” springs to mind…
In 1766, three years in, the first stone of the General Hospital was laid. Money was tight, so one again Kempson and his singers leapt into the fray, and a Board of Trustees was set up to disburse funds and generally oversee fair play and progress with construction. The Board members reads like a who's who in Brum History, and included John Taylor (Lloyds Bank founder), Isaac Spooner, Dr John Ash, H. Carver and Mr Brooke-Smith. The first series of events saw the music including the ‘Messiah’, and ‘L’Allegro’ played in assorted venues, and accompanying elegant balls held at “Sawyers in the Old Square”. The profit from these first ventures was £299 – a Kings ransom in those days - no doubt the Hospital chaps were delighted.
During the following years Kempson became famous and feted everywhere. In 1777, the foundation stone at St Paul’s “Chappell” was laid, financed somewhat by his endeavors, and for this he was offered and accepted the post of clerk and choirmaster of the “Chappell Choir”
However, since the first General Hospital donation twelve years before, financial matters had evidently slowed down, so one again, Kempson rallied his fundraising team and the famous Triennial Music Festivals were born, continuing until 1912, and attracting new works by famous composers, many now being in the standard choral repertoire. The Chappell Society continued its existence until 1847, providing a large group within the massed choirs of the festivals. It is likely that the remaining members became the nucleus of the recently formed Birmingham Festival Choral Society which began life in 1843 and is still one of the main choral societies in Birmingham today...and mentioned in despatches by Walter Showell in his Dictionary of 1885 thus:
James `Daddy` Kempson was held in great affection by his choirs and in his later years the Chappell Society commissioned a portrait of him by Henry Wyatt. Many special musical events were held in subsequent years, Handel being the favoured composer. Some of the performances were an integral part of a church service. Some were to raise money for charity or a new organ, of which there were several. James Kempson was buried in St. Paul’s churchyard
He even had his portrait painted by Henry Wyatt, a most promising pupil of Sir Thomas Lawrence, and will always be revered as JAMES KEMPSON (1742-1822) - the Musical Father of Birmingham.
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