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Landuse Map of Woodgate in 1840 - presented in full colour for the first time!

A

Andy Underscore

Brummie babby
Hi All,

My most recent project has been working on a map of the Woodgate area of Birmingham - based on the tithe map of 1840.

The map is coloured according to the recorded landuse at the time and labelled with each field name.

"Woodgate" is defined here as the area south of the Bourn Brook, west of Weoley, north west of Bartley Green and east of Halesowen (Lapal).

Woodgate - Land Use 1840 compressed.png

A full resolution version of the map can be viewed here
 
I really like these, great alternative prospective on maps and place. I was fascinated by all of the field names, and wondering what stories are behind them.

Where does this data come from?
 
Mort,

The field names date back hundreds of years and the black & white maps can be found in the Archives. Andy has done a brilliant job in making these more readable and putting them online. There's a reason for every field name, of course, and these are sometimes carried forward into building and street names. The field maps enabled me to trace the location of my great grandfather's house in Avenbury, Herefordshire, that stood in the late 1700s and early 1800s. but was demlished in Victorian times. A valuable resource indeed.

Maurice
 
Hi Janice, yes have seen he Moseley Bog blog post, its very good. Andy mentions a track up to the windmill, that got me thinking about those drone photos I took in the hot summer. There does seem to be a faint track on one image.

Hi Maurice, thanks also. I certainly agree, Andy has done an amazing job with the maps. The field names have really got me thinking now.
 
Mort,

In my case, the house was labelled Champles Field on the 1841 Census, but on the 1851 it no longer existed. I took a chance and ordered up the Avenbury area field map and there it was, right opposite the schoolhouse. :)

Maurice
 
Andy Underscore said:
Hi All,

My most recent project has been working on a map of the Woodgate area of Birmingham - based on the tithe map of 1840.

The map is coloured according to the recorded landuse at the time and labelled with each field name.

"Woodgate" is defined here as the area south of the Bourn Brook, west of Weoley, north west of Bartley Green and east of Halesowen (Lapal).

View attachment 128799

A full resolution version of the map can be viewed here
Click to expand...
Thank you Andy. These have taken me back 70 years to my childhood. I spent many of my pre-school years in the original Kitwell Farmhouse, in Florrie Baylis' kitchen, before it was demolished and she and Harry moved to a new council house in Kitwell Lane. I used to play in those fields and the grounds of Kitwell House before that was demolished too.
 
Broad Hidley Farm was part of the land owned by Birmetals Ltd. Although I never actually visited the farm while I worked at Birmetals in the early 1970s, I know that the farm house was used as offices by divisional management within the Birmid Qualcast Group.
 
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