Wooden Roads

[dav19390]

Re Mike Fisher's comment about rubber blocks near Lewis's - yes, I remember that the Minories raodway was made out of rubber blocks. They were quite hard, and didn't flex when you stamped on them, but definitely made of rubber.

 

[maxwell bullivant]

I have just finished reading Graham V.Twists Excellent book " a Birmingham Backstreet Boyhood" here is a little about wooden roads. Max

 

[chocks2]

I have just finished reading Graham V.Twists Excellent book " a Birmingham Backstreet Boyhood" here is a little about wooden roads. Max

Brilliant Max. That's just the sort of info I was looking for. It sounds pretty much like the story I read when I started this thread, and confirms my thought that Brum would have been pretty much the same as London was regarding the roads.
Thanks Max

Chocks.

 

[Rupert]

Station Street and Queens Drive are the same street perhaps. Re-named maybe...Is that not the same street off Worcester Street facing the back of the old market building. It was the terminous for some Midland Reds at one time 144 I seem to remember to Worcester was one.

 

[Phil]

I came across this the other day, its a photo of wooden paver's being relaid near the General Hospital dated 1930. It doesn't say what road. It also states that the pavement is being relaid, but it sure looks like the road to me.

Phil

 

[motorman-mike]

Corporation Street had them and as far as I know are still under the surface at New Street end, having been asphalted over in the early to mid 1960's. Sometimes they were uncovered as the new surface wore through, usually during the winter months, but were soon covered over and now have several layers of asphalt over them.

 

[mikejee]

Birmingham seems to have mixed different road surfaces and opinions changed with time. The following are from the Settmakers & Stonemasons Journal, which obviously did have an interest, (here pence are old pennies)
In 1895 Birmingham had 23 miles laid with stone setts, 6 miles with wood and no tarmac.
In 1899, reporting on a survey of different towns:
The cost of paving with granite was 12 shillings/sq,yard, which was in the middle of the range of costs for other towns, the setts were grouted with cement, the cost of maintenance was 1penny /sq.yard annually, and the cost of washing and cleaning was 4 pence/sq.yard annually. No figures were given in Birmingham for the life of the setts under heavy trafiic, but figures for other towns ranged from 9 to 50 years .
When wooden setts were used, Birmingham used creosoted deal blocks which were 9x6x3 (presumably this is inches) which cost 11 shillings/ sq. yard. . Some authorities (eg Wolverhampton) used harder woods (redwood or oak) . Birmingham seems to have been unusual , in that they grouted the blocks in cement, whereas most used pitch and creosote oil. The cost of maintenance in Birmingham for a 21 year contract at 7 -9 pence/ sq.yard, seems higher than other authorities, though the life of the setts seems longer.
In 1901 it was proposed to spend £100,000 on extending wooden setts on the main bus rotes out of town, but this was postponed as it was stated that major reconstruction of sewers, and new water mains and tramways were shortly anticipated.
In 1904 it was decided that in the repair of Corporation Street the surface would be changed from tarmac to stone flags, due to the cost of resurfacing in tarmac rising from 2pence to 7pence /sq.yard. In the same year the suppliers of stone setts were somewhat disparaging on the "new" wooden blocks.
In 1906 the tramway authorities came to the same conclusion with regard to wooden blocks as it found it took £200-£250 more per mile to maintain the track where it was paved with wooden rather than stone setts.
In 1913 it was decided to replace tarmac surfaces on a number of streets with granite setts, presumably because of maintenance and replacement costs.
In 1917 Birmingham declared their preference for granite setts, saying that they would last 30 years under normal traffic, compared to ahrdwood at 15 years, and creosoted deal at 11 years, and that even after 30 years they could be taken up , redressed and reused.
In 1928 a new innovation, in that Icknield street is to be partially reconstructed on a bed of reinforced concrete, though still surfaced with granite setts.

 

[Richard Dye]

Birmingham seems to have mixed different road surfaces and opinions changed with time. The following are from the Settmakers & Stonemasons Journal, which obviously did have an interest, (here pence are old pennies)
In 1895 Birmingham had 23 miles laid with stone setts, 6 miles with wood and no tarmac.
In 1899, reporting on a survey of different towns:
The cost of paving with granite was 12 shillings/sq,yard, which was in the middle of the range of costs for other towns, the setts were grouted with cement, the cost of maintenance was 1penny /sq.yard annually, and the cost of washing and cleaning was 4 pence/sq.yard annually. No figures were given in Birmingham for the life of the setts under heavy trafiic, but figures for other towns ranged from 9 to 50 years .
When wooden setts were used, Birmingham used creosoted deal blocks which were 9x6x3 (presumably this is inches) which cost 11 shillings/ sq. yard. . Some authorities (eg Wolverhampton) used harder woods (redwood or oak) . Birmingham seems to have been unusual , in that they grouted the blocks in cement, whereas most used pitch and creosote oil. The cost of maintenance in Birmingham for a 21 year contract at 7 -9 pence/ sq.yard, seems higher than other authorities, though the life of the setts seems longer.
In 1901 it was proposed to spend £100,000 on extending wooden setts on the main bus rotes out of town, but this was postponed as it was stated that major reconstruction of sewers, and new water mains and tramways were shortly anticipated.
In 1904 it was decided that in the repair of Corporation Street the surface would be changed from tarmac to stone flags, due to the cost of resurfacing in tarmac rising from 2pence to 7pence /sq.yard. In the same year the suppliers of stone setts were somewhat disparaging on the "new" wooden blocks.
In 1906 the tramway authorities came to the same conclusion with regard to wooden blocks as it found it took £200-£250 more per mile to maintain the track where it was paved with wooden rather than stone setts.
In 1913 it was decided to replace tarmac surfaces on a number of streets with granite setts, presumably because of maintenance and replacement costs.
In 1917 Birmingham declared their preference for granite setts, saying that they would last 30 years under normal traffic, compared to ahrdwood at 15 years, and creosoted deal at 11 years, and that even after 30 years they could be taken up , redressed and reused.
In 1928 a new innovation, in that Icknield street is to be partially reconstructed on a bed of reinforced concrete, though still surfaced with granite setts.

Mike, great article!

 

[rosie]

Dudley Road had wooden blocks. (My husband was born in Heath Street). He had to gather them up when they were removed and store them in the cellar for his mom to use for firewood.
rosie.

 

[mikejee]

From the same source as my earlier post. Not connected to wooden blocks, but still possibly of interest, this report from 1924 shows that increased costs for contracts is not just a modern disease, but was encountered then for the construction of the Birmingham Wolverhampton New Road.

 

[Vivienne14]

Wooden block laying in New Street delayed by Bank Holiday in 1879. Viv.