davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
As recently I've been asking for help genealogically-wise, I thought I should try to redress the balance by posting some historical info.
I picked up a book during the summer by Bryan Holden - "Birmingham's Working Horses" - and here are some photos.
We all know that there used to be many coaching inns in the city centre. The flying coaches, as the stagecoaches were originally called, started from many inns. Here's a map showing some (if not all). Unfortunately I don't have a date for this map although I do know that this business started around the 1740's and was still extremely important through the mid 19th century until the railways became established and took over mail distribution.
On the map, if you look on High Street you can see there were 3 coaching inns, the Castle, the George and the Albion. They stood where today we have Marks & Sparks.
Moving on, we have a photo from 1885 taken on Queen's Drive, New Street Station. The horse is pulling a LNWR station bus.
This photo shows a horse-drawn bus going along the Stratford Road in Sparkbrook in 1912.
This last one shows the horses doing a job a number of us older members will recall, the milk delivery. It was taken in the mid 1920's at Handsworth Dairies.
I'll put some more on in a day or so as I'm just off Birmingham for a stint in the Library and then later will be shouting myself hoarse (no pun intended!) at St Andrews.
I picked up a book during the summer by Bryan Holden - "Birmingham's Working Horses" - and here are some photos.
We all know that there used to be many coaching inns in the city centre. The flying coaches, as the stagecoaches were originally called, started from many inns. Here's a map showing some (if not all). Unfortunately I don't have a date for this map although I do know that this business started around the 1740's and was still extremely important through the mid 19th century until the railways became established and took over mail distribution.
On the map, if you look on High Street you can see there were 3 coaching inns, the Castle, the George and the Albion. They stood where today we have Marks & Sparks.
Moving on, we have a photo from 1885 taken on Queen's Drive, New Street Station. The horse is pulling a LNWR station bus.
This photo shows a horse-drawn bus going along the Stratford Road in Sparkbrook in 1912.
This last one shows the horses doing a job a number of us older members will recall, the milk delivery. It was taken in the mid 1920's at Handsworth Dairies.
I'll put some more on in a day or so as I'm just off Birmingham for a stint in the Library and then later will be shouting myself hoarse (no pun intended!) at St Andrews.
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