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Old Wharf

This picture has been on the forum many times.It shows the wharf offices,it was on Easy Row and directly opposite Paradise Street.Moss
 

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Thanks Viv and Mike - I was just trying to see what the site of Baskerville house looked like on the earlier map - maybe would have helped if I had said that in my post - silly me!!
 
I have seen that photo before MossG. But seeing it again after the photo of the Old Wharf puts it into perspective.

Judy
 
You will notice that the Town Hall and Central Library are not in place yet. This is the best map so far of the features before these buildings. Baskerville was moved from his tomb by then?
 
These two maps might also be worth putting on this thread. They're both from the same report. Still looking for it and will give the reference when I find it. The maps aren't enlarging very well, so I'd like to find it to get a better copy of them all. But meanwhile here are the two maps; one 1778 and the other 1855. Also I think Baskerville was buried under the windmill mentioned earlier for a short while, but I seem to remember his body being moved to different places. Viv.
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In the 1841 census my gg grandfather's address was listed as "Towing Path Ladywood". He was a boatman but then in 1851 he was a licensed victualler at the Tindal Arms King Edwards Road - so I assume the 1841 address was around the Old Wharf. Think the pub would be about where Sea Life is now.
 
On the older map, the Worcester Canal is not built yet. Two Canal companies met here at the Worcester Wharf and there was a bar between them that did not allow passage of boats for quite a while. So goods being forwarded had to be unloaded and passed over the bar and reloaded on boats on the far side. The canal waters were separate I believe and did not drain into each other back then. You want to hang on to your water level. I think this information was posted on this forum on 'the canals of birmingham' way back by Cromwell. New Hall St. actually led right to the New Hall. Baskerville was buried in a tomb in the garden of his house in a little temple I believe and had to be dug up when the Baskerville Wharfs were put in. It seems like the drive up to his house was kept but most of the premisses were built over by the look of the maps. Although there were riots and his place was burnt down also. There was a fairly long tunnel that led to these wharfs and a lock and pump system also. You can see the tunnel on one map. Actually there are wharf offshutes all over the place...everyone wanted door to door sevice I bet. The 'narrow' nature of the canals and boats made service easier. So whilst we did not have the grand canals...we had the little ones with smaller boats and perhaps by chance of not wanting to move more dirt than necessary...they were just right. There were over 2,500 miles of them mostly linked and still 2000miles today I believe. (might be 3000 my memory is not what it was). I think the weight of dirt moved would have been more than the weight 17 great pyramids. I made the calcs. one time on the back of an envelope...weell you know what happens to such things.
Too bad the Pharoes did not spend their time building canals...might have had a green dessert by now. Actually this brings to mind a TV program on the Raj in India. Seems we Brits thought canals would be good there too so they built some. However the inovation did not work too well...the stagnant water spread malaria apparently.
 
That's a lot of interesting info Rupert. It's so good to have members who can interpret these maps and make sense of all the info. I notice that Broad Street isn't marked on Hanson's 1775 map, just a lane surrounded by open land at that stage. This really was the outskirts of the town. Viv.
 
Have tried to sharpen it a bit
mike

areaaroundoldwharf1828A.jpg

Thanks Mike that's better. Don't know what's going on with the focussing. Viv.
 
Yeah, when the industry arrived, the well to do moved further west to be up-wind of the smoke. The older maps show gardens everywhere...most of the houses had them and I opined that they were mostly kitchen gardens rather than floral. There is a streetscape of Bingley Hall and a whole streetscape of Pinfold Street of the older period on here somewhere. Finding it is the problem. Pinfold was nothing to write home about. I wonder what the people thought about Cadbury's moving out to Bournville...well they had a steam engine and smoke stack no doubt...'there goes the neighbourhood' do you think.
 
Viv
It wouldn't have been called Broad st then anyway. the 1795 map calls the part by the old wharf Easy Hill, with the other end near fiveways Islington. Later the Easy Hill end was called Broad St, but only for part of the present Broad st . tehn finallt the whole became Broad St
 
Thanks Mike. Rupert - I'll bet Cadbury's promise of a model village at Bournville would've outweighed the industrial aspects it would bring with it! A cheeky method still used today. Viv.
 
Although the immediate area of the Bournville factory was farmland (see plan on original sale below), the area was not far from industry. Allbright & Sturge had built a factory in Selly oak in the 1840s, and later one at Lifford . Breedon had a number of factories So it was not dumping large chimneys into completely virgin countryside, though certainly expanding into a greenfield site.

sale plan of Bournbrook land .site of bournville factoryA.jpg
 
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Have to agree with David. Actually if you GE it today you can pick out some features of the 18th century map. The old house has gone but gardens remain and a decorative pond is about where the ponds were on the old map. North of there is a cricket pitch and the Brook runs through the factory and although the fish pond with bird sanctuary is gone...there is another constructed pond next to the factory. A lovely area. Not country but still beautiful in a different way. Well worth a look. Type 'Stirchley after the railway bridge' in GE.
 
The Wharf was bought by the City Council in the 1920s and was filled in. This pic in 1931 shows it as a car park. Viv.

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i would like to say thankyou to all of you who took so much trouble to help with my querie.. it has bought to life a boring adress and given me a history lesson at the same time.. thanks to all of you..
 
This advert caught my eye; an attractive little drawing of William Burgum, coal merchants based at Old Wharf. It specifically advertises Staffordshire coal and interestingly covers all forms of transport in such a small ad. The whole thing looks quite picturesque, but in reality it must have been pretty filthy. A way of life now long gone ...... Viv.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1372090499.602217.jpg
 
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