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St Martin's Meat Market Site

Tried to improve it slightly. But where exactly would that have been?
 

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Would it have been somewhere like in red area?
 

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  • map c 1951 showing possible site of fruit and veg market built just pre war.jpg
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Mike

I think that it could be the only place possible, being what became the old Rag Market. It's the only place that would have had ARP shelters built into the basements. There wouldn't even have been cameras to record the Market Hall being built. If you look over to the right you can just make out St Martins Church and the St Martins Hotel.
 
Viv

I don't agree that it is Smithfield, if it were St Martins Church would not be where it is, I agree with Mike the photo was taken looking up Gloucester Street.
 
Not sure if it ever became the fruit and veg market Viv. Pedrocut does not say, but I think the picture was from a 1939 paper.
 
Apologies it was the site of St Martin's (......) market (opposite Smithfeld) which closed in 1938 according to lencops post in the link I posted above. Misread the post. Oops. Viv.
 
Losing my marbles tonight! But what I'm trying to say is the site must have been that of St Martin's market. So was the later 1939 market also called St Martin's? Personally I've never heard of it before. Viv.
 
The bit of land between the pink area and Jamaica Row, was St Martins meat market. So it probably was that plus at least some of the pink area
 
I dont think it would have been finished before the war and was probably used for other purposes during the war.
 
Surprised the Council thought it wise to build a wholesale market (filled with important food supplies to keep Birmingham people fed) over ARP shelters? It would have become a prime target in 1939 onwards. Doubtless the shelters were planned to provide protection to a very large number of people in the markets area. Viv.
 
Hi mike
Personasly i think you will find it a around Dean Street and pershore
Which some one said about the rag alley which if my memo corectly there was the under ground storage
Where the Barrow boys used to go and bring all fruit and veg from down dean street
And bring it by st martins in the thirtys and fortys it was a heavvy going job
To come up from below ground zero with barrows and hand pushed karts up the slopes
And through the crowds of the public they used to struggle as i recall as a nipper
Mike I Presume you have got the book titled the Bull Ring remembered
By Victor J Price because you have the same map showing as i have got in front of me
Of his book as well and looking at your red marker you are very close indeed
It would have facing the old road and fruit and veg market the orignal one
Which later became the meat market as well
Worcestershire street and and Gloucestersire street and the Narrowing of old Jamica row
But it was cefinaely out side of the old orinignal rag alley
There was a wall or in todays terms a subway a Narrow one that went down deep
Only the market police and traders were allowed down it was the under ground storage
And it was as you see it yards before st martins church
This book tells you the history of the forming of the bull ring
The Bull Ring first recorded as such in the mid 16 th Century takes
It,s Name from an Iron Ring, set in the ground just be.ow the row of
Butcher,s shops to which the Bull would have been tethered and then slaughtered.
For many Centuries there has been an open Air market, on this site
And let there be No Doubt that the Bull Ring is the Pulse of the Brummie, together with ST Martin,,s
Our Parish Church. Multi million pound developments must not be allowed to
Destroy this, our inheritance,
I feel sure that this book will help to keep in the forefront of peoples
Mind,s not only the bull ring nostalgia , but also its historical foundation,
Enabling future generations to understand just what kt means to be a brummie,
Not only while celebrating the citys first century but in knowing that Birmingham,s history,
And the Bull ring in particular,
Goes back probaly 10 Centuries
I recommend this book to every Brummie,
Best wishes Astonian,,

Excerpts taken from The BULL RING REMEMBERED by Victor J Price
 
Is this the same place referred to in the original photo on this thread ? It calls it St Martin's Toll Market. Not heard of that before. The interesting point about this Evenng Despatch clip is that it's dated 18 October 1938 - a year before WW2. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
viv i dont think i have heard of this shelter...wonder where it was exactly reading the snippet it seems that a new underground car park can double up as the shelter
 
From https://www.ragmarket.com/?page_id=411:
St. Martins Lane opened in 1883 and was divided into two sections, the larger upper part forming the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market, and the lower part, bordering Moat Row was initially used as a toll market for farmers and growers and for the retail ‘Rag’ Market each Tuesday and Saturday afternoons, selling clothing, hardware and manufactured goods.
 
Can anyone tell me if this was the old St Martin’s Meat Market on Jamaica Row ?

(Details of the old meat market. It opened in 1851, built on Jamaica Row opposite Smithfield Fruit & Vegetable market. Closed 1897).

Viv.
2D422BB9-63F6-48BB-83BA-2C42282A8D43.jpeg
 
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