Junction Inn - 123 Wheeler Street

[Lasulk]

Brilliant Mike, the maps are really useful to see where the pub was actually located. I enjoyed reading about how pubs were often used to 'keep'' dead bodies and a base for holding inquests. I was amused by the article re the inquest about the poor man killed in Deritend. It seems those attending were more horrified about being seen going into a public house than viewing the wrong body. Most pubs, I imagine, were not seen as very respectable at this time and I suppose being a licensed victualler was not viewed favourably by many during the time Wallace Winkles was involved in the trade. Would you think most people then would not want to set foot in a public house, or do you think it depended on the establishment or its location?

 

[mikejee]

In answer to your question I think it depends to a certain extent on where we are talking about, Pubs did , at that time, often have rather dubious connotations to many, as indeed did music halls. But this occurred in Birmingham in particular because of the large number of nonconformist followers in the city with their temperance connections. Of course this was probably in many cases very hypocritical, as are many "upright" citizens today (for example Co-op chairman Paul Flowers. "respectable" Methodist bible thumper while gorging on male prostitutes , ketamine and cocaine). It was stated in court in 1864 that there were in Birmingham an estimated over 160 licensed premises open overnight , most of which were dubious and centres of immorality, and this was when the town was much smaller than today, probably just over 300,000

 

[Lasulk]

I hope Wallace was not too immoral. I have noticed his son Albert was a barman on the 1891 census and they had a domestic servant, as by this time his wife Eliza had unfortunately died and his young grand daughter, my great grandmother, was living with him . I presume pubs then were run for and by men and Eliza when she was alive and his daughters, would have had very little to do with the pub even though they clearly lived on the premises. I would hope the Junction Inn was a well run establishment with a reasonable reputation!!

 

[mikejee]

Sometimes wives did have a lot to do with the running of pubs, but this was more in the case of the smaller beerhouses. Certainly a search in the newspapers in this period for "junction " and "wheeler St" together produced no hits, which would seem to indicate that it was not a pub continually having problems

 

[pollypops]

Here are the adverts for the Junction Inn for auction - I would think it was a pub that was well run and had a good reputation as it is described as valuable.
1) Thursday 31st March 1887
2) Tuesday 27th September 1892

 

[pollypops]

Lasulk, There are lots of Winkles buried in Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries - thats an amusing sentence isn't it! :adoration:

You can find a list of the Burials at https://www.jqrg.org/

Just select Burial index on the main page and then put Winkles in the search box
There are also some Winkles graves with headstones - select Memorial Record on the main page and put Winkles in the search box to read the inscriptions.

 

[Lasulk]

Pollypops- I found these adverts really interesting. It does seem on evidence that the Junction Inn was a good investment and a sound business for my ancestors. They lived and worked there for a number of years and since there is no bad press either, I feel quite confident that it was a nice pub in a good friendly area. My great grandmother Marion Kirby, later Johnson, Wallace Winkles' granddaughter, who lived with him, was very hard working and honest all her life. I would imagine she would share her grand parents'' values. All in all I am very happy! x

 

[carolina]

Lord Byron

 

[Pippa Ann]

Thank you both for replies. Here was me believing my Wallace Winkles was the only one! (Apart from his son of course) It looks like Wallace's brother William also called his son Wallace too. I don't know who the Wallace Winkles the glass engraver is. There probably is a link. Thanks for the interesting information anyway. Also I have looked at Wheeler street thread which is very interesting. I am going to try to locate the Junction Inn on a map so I can visualise where it was located on Wheeler st exactly. If anyone knows that would save some work! I believe it may have been quite a large imposing pub x

I've been browsing this site while researching family history. I came across your posts about Wallace Winkles and believe we have common ancestors in his parents - John Winkles (1840-41) & Eliza Smith (1880-1885).

My Great Great Great Grandfather was James Orlando (1928 - 1900) an older brother of Wallace. James Orlando was a Silversmith by trade but the 1871 census shows him as the Licensed Victualler at the Sir Robert Peel pub in Peel Street, Winson Green and his youngest daughter Eliza Amelia as barmaid.

I have done quite a bit of research on the Winkles family and am happy to share with you if you are interested.