Cherry Street

[Rupert]

#37 is a photograph is it not. Possibly not long before demolition perhaps. There is a road on the photo #30 entering from bottom right which does not seem to jell with Fore St. Still photo's have been mis-labled before.
Since photography would have been the high tech of the age, maybe there was much interest in recording images of the about to dissappear buildings for posterity...us seemingly, now. I think Cherry Street, Union Street, Little Cherry and Crooked Lane are tremendously interesting to try to put together again prior to Corporation Street. Far from being the ramshackle streets and buildings with sagging roofs that one thought were present when the then renewal scheme was planned...it seems that the buildings were substantial and only worn by time and on narrow streets with side walks.

 

[Phil]

This drawing of The Crown Public House in Cherry St shows a building that can only be the Meeting House to the left of the drawing.

 

[Rupert]

Great, locates two buildings in one go. However that is not Cherry Street but it is Little Cherry Street. Right at the elbow and the meeting house is on the corner where I thought it was. The buildings facing are in the photo in post #16. These again on the same side of Little Cherry described. If you look out of this sketch along the Lane/Street you will be looking down to the Union Passage/Crooked Lane/Little Cherry junction. Caught the number 10 tram there many times after all of this was wiped clean. Gosh! super posts here.
They always located a pub outside a meeting house I heard.
If you walk up to the horse and carriage and look left, you will see the Union Inn at the end of the street.

 

[Vivienne14]

Great posts and pictures everyone. Very interesting and getting a real sense of what the place would have been like.

William West's, History, Topography & Directory of Warwickshire describes the position of the Chapel: "At a short distance from the Dispensary, in a reclining arm of Cherry-street, is the chapel of the Wesleyan Methodists. It is a large, plain bricked building, handsomely decorated within... " So I presume the 'arm' (or Rupert's elbow!) was the junction with Little Cherry

I'm beginning to think that the Union Inn was once the Crown Tavern shown in Phil's drawing and the earlier photo on this thread. Would that be right? Viv.

 

[Phil]

Viv, As the Public Dispensary was in Union Street there is more chance that you are alluding to the Union Hotel, Union Street which was only a short walk from Cherry Street in a much altered City since those days. Here is a drawing of the Union Hotel Yard

 

[Vivienne14]

Wow, nothing like it! Well judging by the rear architecture, looks more medieval. Thanks Phil. Viv.

 

[Rupert]

No. the Union Hotel was at the corner of Union St. right at Corporation. See post 33.
As phil said the Dispensary was also in Union St., at the bottom, close to High St....the building still around in our day amazingly. The tall building. This is looking towards High St. which is just 50 yards down the street. Still not far away from the Crown and Meeting House. Just walk out of the picture a short way to Union Passage, turn right and walk through to Little Cherry and you are there. As you enter Little Cherry (the bottom end thereof) immediately on your right would be Cadbury's first factory. Right by the No.10 tram terminus or rather where it would be.
The second photo is from our time...well mine anyway...smaller view but same spot. The left of the photo shows the far 'square faced' Dispensary pillaster.

 

[Phil]

Here is a photo of the Union Hotel with the Old Library across the road, there is also a drawing of the same scene.

 

[cookie273uk]

Yes Rupert, on close inspection it is a photo !!, some of these old pics tend to look like drawings when compared to modern photographs, not the first time I've been caught out, shows what I know (lol) Eric

 

[cookie273uk]

Phil, RE your 2nd image, it is a drawing very much in the style of the late James Priddy RBSA, FIAL a Birmingham artist who was our BWS president 1959-61, do you know if indeed he was the artist. I was asked to complete a number of monochrome paintings including your 1st image (copyright obtained) for a potential book, have attached same. Eric

 

[Phil]

Cookie, I don't think I can be of any help to you, as I haven't a clue as to who the artist is. I wander around the web collecting photos and if see something that does not say that it is copyrighted then I take myself a copy. For this reason I tend to stay away from collections, which mostly tend to be copyrighted. Though it's as I always say just because the site where I obtained it did not claim copyright does not mean that it is not. Not all sites are as scrupulous as others.

 

[berniew]

There seems to be a name on the drawing Eric Cook but I don't know if this was the artist cancel that the name has 2012 after it

 

[Rupert]

The second picture on post #49 is a stunner and not seen before....Looking up Union Street...wow. Have not seen the right hand part of the street before and even though the angle of it is oblique it is still wonderful. We may be able to determine something from the residences in the background. The entrance behind the Union Hotel no doubt leads to the back yard that is shown in a previous post and I think I have a better copy. Tremendous.

 

[Rupert]

Well, it's pretty certain now that the two houses in the first photo can easily be picked out in the clipped second picture and were indeed demolished for the inclusion of Corporation St. We can see them in place right next to the Union Hotel and probably the first one was actually part of the hotel since it does not have a street entrance. The roof lines are identifiable with the photo as is the short awning..immediately left of the lampost. Wow. Cherry and Union Streets joined and no Corporation in site.

 

[cookie273uk]

Berniew, I may have confused you, I am Eric Cook and I painted that one as a commission last year, the one I was querying was 2nd pic in post 49, trying to establish if it was the Birmingham artist James Priddy. Eric

 

[berniew]

You did for a bit Eric until I noticed the 2012 date smashing picture Eric must be nice to have that sort of talent Bernie

 

[Vivienne14]

Some fascinating info coming out here. The buildings definitely do seem to tally. Looking at the roof styles I wondered if there would originally have been a continuation of the same style of buildings to the left i.e. the Union Hotel. So would the Union be a later building? The yard behind the Union definitely looks much older than the front view. And on a minor point, was wondering why there are all those boards outside the Union on the drawing?

For info, in Francis White's History and General Directory of 1849 it lists streets showing their 'respective situations'. Cherry Street's respective situation is given as 21 Union Street. So that must be on the photo in the last post I.e. the join. Or am I reading this wrongly? Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

Phil, RE your 2nd image, it is a drawing very much in the style of the late James Priddy RBSA, FIAL a Birmingham artist who was our BWS president 1959-61, do you know if indeed he was the artist. I was asked to complete a number of monochrome paintings including your 1st image (copyright obtained) for a potential book, have attached same. EricView attachment 87458

Lovely painting Eric. Must be a joy to work on a subject like that, and especially so as it's a part of the City that no longer exists. Viv

 

[GEFF]

My mother was born in Cherry Street in1884. Her father was caretaker for a company and lived on the top floor of the property in a flat. I have no idea who or what the business was.

 

[cookie273uk]

It is such a shame that we could not have restored and retained one or two of our old city centre streets, there were plenty to chose from, other cities have done so with great success. Just an opinion. Eric

 

[crimble]

#4 You are so right. I love putting people and places together, that`s what I love about this wonderful site. I`ve just found this thread and like Josie my 2nd Great Grandparents were married at St Phillips but in 1837. At the time of their marriage they lived in Wharfe Street. Further along the tree their Granddaughter ( my Great Granma ) was born in Little Cherry Street in 1881. My 2nd Great Grandparents stayed in the central area all their lives, although he was born in Oxfordshire. So it`s lovely to see the photos and read the history of the area. What a lot of changes they would have seen!

 

[Vivienne14]

Taking you back to March 1790 and a lecture at the Coffee Pot Tavern in Cherry Street. On first reading I read "if Monday, Tuesday or Saturday be 'funny' ... ", only to remind myself it reads 'sunny' in ye olde English! I like these snippets of human interest to add to the picture of Cherry Street. (Extract from the RevolutionaryPlayers site). Viv.




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[oldMohawk]

Had a browse through old pics in my computers and must have saved this one before the hack. The photo file name is Cherry St 1972. I think I can see Grenvilles sports shop which I remember well.

 

[Rupert]

Yeah, great cricket bats that made the ones we used look like relics of the G W Grace era. Fly rods that announced a whole different mode of fishing..for some anyway...with no maggots. Hmm...tapered fly lines and flys in a plastic divided box'. I suppose Rackhams was on the right but in my day that would have been The Dolcis.

 

[Anne Watton]

In 1970 I worked at a company called Air Call in Cherry Street. Before mobile phones, it was a company that connected drivers through radio control and pagers i.e. BBC news reporters and I recall Alan Whicker was one of our clients. Some strange people, one chap refused to sign up unless his call sign was 007, Hysterical. As you walked from Corporation Street down Cherry Street it was about 10 yards on the left hand side, we were upstairs in a very old building and they used to film us and transmit the footage to a screen on the ground floor. Hoping to attract new business! Not sure if it worked! Anne

 

[Vivienne14]

Two photos by James Burgoyne from a collection recording the Birmingham Improvement Scheme. The first is the back of the Union Hotel on Cherry St during demolition in 1875. Those ladders look dodgy!



The second is of 14 Little Cherry Street in 1895.



Viv.

 

[Astoness]

cracking photos viv...would think demolision back then was quite dangerous as it was all done by hand...no ball and chains in those days

lyn

 

[Oisin]

Yep, two great shots. I think the upper "ladder" is actually an exposed staircase.

 

[Astoness]

Yep, two great shots. I think the upper "ladder" is actually an exposed staircase.

it could be oisin but its already in the upper bedroom so dont know exactly where its leading to....could be old staircase thats being used as a ladder though

lyn

 

[Wendy]

Great photo's Viv, how they risked their lives in those days doing demolition work!