Corporation Market Building St Martin's Tavern

[mikejee]

The second picture of the "Corporation Market buildings" would be of what was known later as St Martins Tavern or St Martins Hotel on the corner of St Martins lane

 

[Paul Walton]

The second picture of the "Corporation Market buildings" would be of what was known later as St Martins Tavern or St Martins Hotel on the corner of St Martins lane

From memory I believe these buildings were the subject of an application to get them listed and a court injunction to stop demolition, the application was rejected, but with leave to appeal. This was on a Friday before a Bank Holiday weekend, the appeal was scheduled for the next court session on the Tuesday morning. Everyone involved in the moves for preservation thought everything was safe, afterall no one works Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday's do they? Well the Birmingham City Council of the time had other ideas and the bulldozers moved in on the Sunday morning, by the time of the court appeal on the Tuesday morning the demolition team had reduced enough of the buildings to rubble so as to prevent any hope of preservation.

 

[mikejee]

Sounds like par for the course !

 

[oldplumber]

I used to go to this pub in the 1940's early 1950's on a friday nights to Trade Union meetings,we did a lot of talking but a lot more drinking

 

[Vivienne14]

This was the Corporation Market Building when it was new in 1886. Can someone explain which roads are shown please ? Thanks Viv.

 

[mikejee]

Viv
Below is a map c 1889 . Blue arrow shows approximately the artist's position

 

[Vivienne14]

Thanks Mike. Makes you realise how vast the Smithfield Market complex was. Viv.

 

[mikejee]

Here is a photograph from the same position