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hill street.

The book is called 'All About Victoria Square' by Joe Holyoak, published by The Victorian Society Birmingham Group. There is another really good book, but I cant lay my hands on it right now, so will have to get back to you. The painting I mentioned earlier is also on the cover of the book 'A History of Birmingham' by Chris Upton, it's nice because it shows the colours that you can only guess at in the photo's.
Jenni
 
Thanks for reminding me of Chris Upton's book A history of Birmingham, Cuppa. He is one of my favourite authors. I had meant to buy a copy for some time & not got round to it. It looks as though it is out of print as not even Phillimore have it available on their site, but there are second hand copies available on sites such as Alibris, Amazon & AbeBooks:
https://www.find-book.co.uk/0850338700.htm
 
corbettshotel2june1887.jpg
 
It is a great photograph, and also shows what the wooden edifice on the front is that was commented on after Lyn's photo. anyone any idea what the tall pole is with crosspieces above the roof sign. that shows on lyn's photo as well and seems to be set in the middle of the roof from the two views. If it wasn't so early i would have thought it was a Telegraph pole !
mike
 
hi cuppa..what a find..thats a suburb pic thanks for posting it...mike..could it be a flag pole ?

lyn
 
I can't think of anything else it could be , but wondered what he cross pieces were for
Mike
 
could be just to stabalise the pole mike....other than that im stummped...


lyn
 
What a brilliant photo so much detail. The long pole I would say is a flag pole but what is the small one with cross pieces above the 'Montseratt' board, I think this is the one Mike is talking about. It looks like a tv aerial but much to early!
 
p.s. I'm very grateful to Mike for pointing that out, I hadn't noticed! I guess the sending and receiving of telegraph's would have been important to the business....
Thanks!
 
Joe Hillman was an important personality in the late 1880s. His business was mainly in licquour, on and off the premises. There is a book I can't find at present which contains more information, but I attach a caracature of him, published at the same time as Joe Chamberlain got similar satirical treatment. They were both very enterprising people.
So far as the telegraph post is concerned, it seems clear to me that the two diagonal struts were stays to keep the post upright.
Those were the early days of wireless telegraphy, and Joe Hillman being what he was, he would want to be involved. He could well have been contracting to Her Majesty's General Post Office, as they erected their new building on the site of Corbett's hotel soon after.
What also intrigues me about the picture is the tram track (by then disused) which was briefly used for a horse tram service from West Brom to Selly Oak. Business on the Bristol Road was not too good, and the horses found the gradient in Suffolk Street too much for them. So the Bristol Road end was cut off to the bottom of the hill, just past Navigation Street.
Peter
 
This is a most interesting thread. It just shows what can be found in a photo. Peter as always very informative.
 
A nice picture of Christ Church as well. This was a very large church demolished in about 1899.
 
AnnStreetcirca1871.jpg


Found this one of Ann Street, which faced Corbett's Temperance Hotel. The shops are all boarded up prior to demoloition before the building of the Council House.
 
hi cuppa....that is one seriously brillient pic...well i have never seen it before anyway....cant beleive thats what it looked like before the council house was built...thanks very much for posting it...

lyn
 
What a stonking picture, Cuppa. How well it illustrates the way in which the small scale was winkled out of the city centre. All these pictures are building up an excellent idea of the area.
 
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