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I finally found a map of Birmingham, dated 1731, which does show Kettle's Steel Houses which are two in number. They are evidently works for the conversion of iron into steel. They are not marked as such on the 1755 map, but there are shapes on that map which correspond Not far away on the...

The Cast Steel furnace is not in Steel House Lane, but the bottom of Fazeley Street, and as noted by the advert was owned by someone outside the West Midlands and yes I agree it became the site of the New Steam Mill. The Kettle property in Steel House Lane may not have been a location for...

It was Hutton in his History of Birmingham published in 1795 that explained the involvement of the Kettles as beginning in the 17th century. It seems that William Kettle was associated with land purchases in the early 18th century including Whitehall Lane, as it then was. The Kettles are...

I did discuss the ironmaking in this area in my book South Staffordshire ironmasters, with the History Press and an article has been submitted to the Black Countryman for possible future publication on Steel Making. But the details of the early steel house in Steelhouse Lane are hard to come by...

The aspect of steel making in central Birmingham probably deserves further research. Joseph McKenna in his Streets of Birmingham mentions that Steelhouse Lane was previously known as Prior's Coneygree Lane(- the lane leading to Prior's rabbit warren) and later Whitehall. later still it became...

The narrow gauge railways serving the sewage works were NOT classed as MINITURE that definition applies to gauges usually less tham 18 in and has power also in miniture

The Jacot Railway Locomotive is shown here

Does anybody recall the Jacot Railway in Handsworth which was in the garden There was a locomotive called Redgauntlet

I saw the trams on trial on Friday and I gather they started to run to the Library on Saturday 12th February. So far have not heard of the reason for the delay this time, but at least they are running now and the next extension will be to Five Ways. The route is still a linear one, but the...

Yes Brown Marshall were initially an independent railway carriage builder. Then part of Met Cam then the site was taken over by Wolseley at a time they started to expand their site. Later it was Morris Commercial. It was an interesting and complex history.

In the 1950's I recall that the moat at Perry Hall had a form of boat that could be hired. By then the hall had been demolished, Does anybody remember this ?

I think you will find that Saltley Viaduct over the Midland Railway, replaced the previous level crossing there. Railway companies in towns started to improve road communications through making viaducts to replace level crossings a contemporary example would be the London & North Western...

Round Oak Steelworks was the last industrial development on the site at Brierley Hill. The closure of the steel works led to demolition and its replacement with the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.

Whilst at the end of January timetables were put up at Grand Central on the metro, no trams have yet to run there and the trams terminate at Bull Street. If you take the I S & O out of FIASCO and add an R and an E you get FARCE

Looking at the crucibles in the early post has led me to think if they did not have another function, that is other than steel. In 1842 the Lifford Chemical works was offered for sale and that sale mentioned a retort house. I have yet to find any examples of steel making close to the Worcester...

The old tram lines were of a narrower gauge, modern trams have a wider gauge and the trams are wider bodied with capacity increased. And yes it does seem that the trams are due to run back to the Library. Last week contractors were repairing parts of the track in Corporation Street

Despite these posts, the present building still is regarded as the station building for the London & Birmingham Railway and even now as contractors dig out the adjacent ground for the diverted services, the structure is called the station by them.

The Department of Transport has advised that Bromford Tunnel is being extended 100 metres on the east side to avoid making a cutting. So changes are still being made.

It would also be of use to note the numerical sequence. (1) would be the original Works and (9) the later works of the company. The word M ..... RAILWAY might indicate Midland Railway or (L) M (S) and that also could help with the date.

With the building of the new Library, I was convinced that the previous one held a prime position as a research centre. Even now the new Library has to reach that status, but then Covid has not helped. There is one aspect of the West Midlands tram saga which seems to have been out of their...