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When Everyone Wore A Hat...

Regarding Corporation Street in #264. Can we tell whether the first street lamp on the right-hand side is a gas lamp? Also, somebody seems to be looking up at the lamp. Can't work out whether it is a street-lighter. If it was, then the photo maybe would have been taken in the morning (putting the lamp out) or in the early evening (lighting the lamp). Dave
 
I would say he is looking up and it is definitely a gas lamp
 

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I've just looked at the original in my computer (I had reduced file size of the one I posted) and no one appears to be looking up at the gas lamp. The men standing by the lamp seem to be poorly dressed compared to others in the photo. I've just used the 'sun app' on Google Earth to look at shadows from the sun and it appears to be due south which suggests the time is near mid day.
Capture.jpg
 
Has anyone mentioned the trestles and planks in the background, so the men could be decorators. Sort shadows definitely indicate noon.
 
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Wanna play find the lady? There's definitely at least one in there.
I can see a woman standing against the wall behind a policeman and could almost imagine she has been detained. There is another behind the policeman. I had originally thought that all the men were coming from a meeting at the Central Hall but looking at the group in the second image maybe they are discussing the outcome of a trial at the Law Courts from where maybe, all those men were coming from.
Twoladies.jpg Group.jpg
These old pics often lead me to look up information about things I see in them and I searched about Methodist Central Halls and find we have a thread about it on the BHF although the building cost shown there of £96.165 might be a decimal point/comma error.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-central-methodist-hall.39894/

Edited ref: info in post#286
 
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My impression is they're something to do with the legal system. There were several restaurants around there for lunchtime refreshment, including the one on the corner by the ladders, there was one immediately across the road upstairs and I think there was a very early Veggie restaurant in or near the old county hall building.

I also wondered if the ladders/trestles were anything to do with putting up the fascia for the big chemists that was on that corner. It covered over all the restaurant/bar signs around that corner building. (They've since been uncovered again). Or was the Chemists much later than this? Viv.
 
Viv
184 Corporation st , on the corner was the Court Restaurant in 1900, and still that in 1950
 
I can see a woman standing against the wall behind a policeman and could almost imagine she has been detained. There is another behind the policeman. I had originally thought that all the men were coming from a meeting at the Central Hall but looking at the group in the second image maybe they are discussing the outcome of a trial at the Law Courts from where maybe, all those men were coming from.
View attachment 107917 View attachment 107918
These old pics often lead me to look up information about things I see in them and I searched about Methodist Central Halls and find we have a thread about it on the BHF although the building cost shown there of £96.165 might be a decimal point/comma error.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-central-methodist-hall.39894/

Edited ref: info in post#286
Hi All,
I first discounted Central Hall as it was a religious institution that I thought held church services only. Then yesterday I saw a quiz program which said that the first meeting of the United Nations General assembly was held at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster in 1946. Google tells me that the Methodist Central Halls are sometimes let as Conference venues. I now think that this was possibly the end of a political meeting held at the Central Hall, Women could not vote so presumably would not attend the meetings. Also the suffragettes were very active in the early 20th century which may be why the police officer was questioning the woman.
Old Boy
 
I think this is just an every day scene at lunch time and I think people are reading too much into this. For example there are several men walking the other way outside the building which is, I think, the Coroner's Court
 
My impression is they're something to do with the legal system. There were several restaurants around there for lunchtime refreshment, including the one on the corner by the ladders, there was one immediately across the road upstairs and I think there was a very early Veggie restaurant in or near the old county hall building.

I also wondered if the ladders/trestles were anything to do with putting up the fascia for the big chemists that was on that corner. It covered over all the restaurant/bar signs around that corner building. (They've since been uncovered again). Or was the Chemists much later than this? Viv.

I've got a feeling that someone (Mike?) said on a thread ages ago that, relating to something I'd mentioned, there was a vegetarian restaurant around there. Aplogies if I've got that wrong, Mike.

maria
 
Yes Maria, it was the Pitman restaurant - a very early vegetarian restaurant next to the Old County Court. See the red terracotta building left of the Old County Court marble building in the image below. The building was the Pitman Hotel, more info here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pitman_Vegetarian_Hotel#

Across the road on the corner of Newton St/ Corporation St was Lincoln's Inn restaurant above the Crown pub. There's still evidence today of the restaurant name on the building's facade. See second image below.

So lots of possible places fir those gents to eat at. Viv.

image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
I think this is just an every day scene at lunch time and I think people are reading too much into this. For example there are several men walking the other way outside the building which is, I think, the Coroner's Court
Hi All,
We are all entitled to our different opinions but, to me, there is something strange about this particular photo. Indeed, if it was just an ordinary lunchtime why was the photographer bothering in any case. One thing is certain we are never likely to ascertain the true facts whatever they are. In the meantime let us have some more of these intriguing photos. I think it was Mohawk who posted it in the first place so "Thank you our kid"
Old Boy
 
Hi Old Boy, I seem to often look at an old pic and imagine what people in them are doing. I suppose I could even have been in some of the 1950s/1960s pics if I had been there on the right day !
I have my favourites in the old pics and the lady below is one of them ... click her and see her in action ...

oldmohawk
ps. she is a bit off topic .... not wearing a hat ... but someone near her is.
 
Seen here are a group of people in Victorian clothes, all wearing or holding a hat. The photograph was taken at the Birmingham pageant in 1938 in the grounds of Aston Hall. The pageant was to celebrate the centenary of the granting of a Charter to Birmingham in 1838. Those in the photograph are therefore wearing clothes depicting 1838. A couple from the same group are shown separately.P1020698 (2).JPG P1020696 (2).JPG Dave
 
An excuse to look again at this earlier forum pic with it's busy scene at the top of Snow Hill c1912 because everyone in the pic is wearing a hat as was the fashion back then. That man in the centre looks in a hurry but the man pushing the cart is taking it steady.
index.php


pic only visible if logged in.
 
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