Search results

Re: Where did all the bodies go......? St Thomas, Bath Row and the Old Meeting House Jane, I'm glad you found my map interesting. I'm afraid it doesn't really lend itself to enlarging on the forum's attachment system. Perhaps these two maps may give you more detail. The first was published by...

Re: Where did all the bodies go......? St Thomas, Bath Row and the Old Meeting House I can't be certain, but I would think it's very likely that the bodies from the Old Meeting House Graveyard, which after 1882 became the top part of Station Street, were transferred to Witton Cemetery, which...

A fascinating picture, but it must date from after 1923, because the London Midlands & Scottish Railway was not formed until that year out of the older companies. From the style of the ad for the 'Futurist' and the clothing, I would guess it was taken about 1930. Peter

Lloyd, When I started to work in the General Section of the City Architect's office in September 1955, I remember that a colleague was working almost full-time 'snagging' the new bus garage. There were still quite a few loose ends. Peter

Mike, Many thanks for unearthing the piece about the old Trocadero. I remember it from the 1950s when it was a lively fascinating place, but a bit camp. Pity I have no pics of the impressive interior. It has been extensively refurbished in the last few years, but the outside is still moreorless...

Following the discussions on this thread, during a break in North Wales recently, my memories went back to my first visit to Rhyl in Easter 1945. Today there is an almost continuous trailer park along the coast from Abergele to Prestatyn, but I was thinking of that motley collection of pre-war...

Thanks very much, Tacitus for your last contribution. It would be interesting to see the last line or two of the account of the foundation stone laying. That is certainly a quaint list of participants in the ceremony. Reverting to bobbyb's post #166, I think we should bear in mid that...

Dek and Dave M, I think you're both right. Since the tram days, the Sutton Road island was raised, with three courses of brickwork running inside the kerb, and earth was stocked inside it to make an efficient barrier to errant motor vehicles. you can see the brick wall still there. You did not...

Thanks Tacitus and Mikejee for the last contributions After the references to Hansom’s possible connection with the People’s Hall, I have been looking for supporting evidence, which I quote from various sources, mostly internet sites, some of dubious accuracy. Joseph Aloysius...

Morning, all I've been down the bottom of the barrel again and have found this reference to Dr Church's steam carriage in Langford's 'Century of Birmingham Life', quoting from Aris's Gazette: "DR. CHURCH'S STEAM CARRIAGE. This carriage made a successful trip on Saturday, on the London Road...

Congratulations, Thylacine, on locating a copy of Jenson's book while I was in the middle of copying out the last post. But, with respect, isn't it past your bedtime? Peter

Volume 1 of Conrad Gill's 'History of Birmingham', published in 1952 has the usual three-quarter view of Dr Queen's coach opposite page 291 which has the following text. "In Birmingham two inventors made and worked steam carriages as early as the 1830s. First in 1832 Heaton ran a coach about...

Thylacine, It is certainly a pity that Alec Jenson's 'History of Road Transport in Birmingham' never got beyond Volume 1, ending abruptly in the 1880s. It isn't a very readable book, but it does contain the result of his lifelong study of the subject in 1978. Unfortunately the presentation is...

Thank you Tacitus for your latest find. Further scraping the barrel brings out the following brief references to the People’s Hall, all taken from J A Langford: ‘Modern Birmingham and its Institutions, 1841-1871. Report of J Pigott Smith to the Streets Commissioners, March...

Doing a bit or research into the People's Hall I found the following on the web site 'History On Line' https://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22967#n70 "One of the first writers on adult education cited Birmingham experience to reveal the existence of...

Ewan, Blews Street is shown on maps going back at least to 1895. Peter

Hello Ewan, Below are two maps, the first showing the area around St George's Church as it was in 1913, and the second a recent overprinted aerial photo from Google Maps, which shows Tower Street running across from Great Hampton Row/Wheeler Street past St George's Church to New Town Row. A map...

Thylacine, you don't have to thank us, we have to thank you for giving us the vast amount of research you are doing on early Midland Red history. Peter

First of all, many thanks to Lyn for finding that super photo of the building in the Library yesterday. It was taken in 1949, just before the buses were diverted away from Loveday Street, after which I passed that corner less frequently. The picture means a lot to me, especially spending a few...

Betty, According to Carl Chinn's excellent book 'Brum Undaunted', the first major raid on the United Kingdom was over Birmingham in the night of Sunday 25 August 1940, when the centre of the town was attacked by 50 bombers. Among the large amount of damage done, the Market Hall was hit. I don't...