Horse Shoe Inn in St Martins Lane

[Joseline]

Hello,
Does anyone know the exact location of the Horse Shoe Inn in St Martins Lane. It is said to be the last place Edward Bermingham (the last Lord of the Manor) lived before he died.
I am also looking for a drawing or painting of the Horse Shoe Inn.
Thank you in advance.
Joseline

 

[mikejee]

The horse Shoe was at 4 St Martins Lane. It would appear that then the numbering went from the Edgbaston St end of the Lane, though later it went from the Digbeth End. No very detailed maps are available at that time (though the pub was next to Horse Shoe Yard), but it would have been at a position where the red arrow points on the c1824 map below

 

[Joseline]

Thank you so much Mikejee.
Do you think it the Horse Shoe Inn is the building adjacent to the swan with 2 necks. I know that the Horse Shoe Inn was rebuilt in the Victorian era. So it might that tall victorian building in the photo. What do you think?
Thank you.

 

[mikejee]

The Swan with two necks was at 8 St Martins Lane , so not next door. am not sure, but would guess that the Horse Shoe would be one of those in the centre of the drawing

 

[Joseline]

The Swan with two necks was at 8 St Martins Lane , so not next door. am not sure, but would guess that the Horse Shoe would be one of those in the centre of the drawing

Thank you so much Mikejee. You have been really helpful. Have a nice day.
Joseline

 

[Vivienne14]

Not a definite reply, but the building to the right of the tall building has a swinging sign, similar to a pub sign. (The one with the three figures outside). Could the Horseshoe Inn be that building ?

I'm attaching other images from forum contributors, all I think, using the same source material.

 

[Joseline]

Not a definite reply, but the building to the right of the tall building has a swinging sign, similar to a pub sign. (The one with the three figures outside). Could the Horseshoe Inn be that building ?

I'm attaching other images from forum contributors, all I think, using the same source material.

View attachment 200331View attachment 200332View attachment 200333View attachment 200334

I think you are right Vivienne. The Inn was probably named the 3 horse Shoe because it had 3 gables.
It was built for Elena Ferrers (nee Bermingham) and her 1st husband, Lord Edmund Ferrers, who was for a time the Lord of the manor.
Thank you very much for your input Vivienne.

 

[Vivienne14]

I don't think it was an Inn that was built for Elena. It seems from the extracts below it was a house named "Horse Shoes" - a reference to the Ferrers family name (presumably originating from ironworking or blacksmithing). I expect it was on the site of the house, or the house later became an 'inn'

Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Vivienne14]

This painting was discussed on another thread here (post below extracted from that thread): https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/st-martins-lane-rear-court.56865/#post-805589

I'm wondering if this is the yard at the rear of the Horse Shoes ? I may be way off on this, but the taller building to the right has some architectural aspects that make me think important 'medieval'. (Or maybe I'm wishful thinking !) Could it even be Horse Shoe Yard depicted in the painting?

 

[Vivienne14]

An alternative suggestion to that in post #6. Does this David Cox drawing dated 1827 show a little of the Horse Shoe Inn/former Ferrers home (below blue dot) ? Or is St Martins Church obscuring too much of St Martin's Lane ? (Perhaps the ancient building is further to the left ?) A close-up from Cox's drawing is attached.

Closer inspection shows the low-level building (blue dot) has dormer windows set into the roof. In fact, the tall building to the right seems to also have windows of a medieaval style, quite similar to the tall building in the courtyard in post #9. The buildings also echo those of the original de Bermingham's Moat House on the extract of the 1731 map attached.

It's difficult to work out a more exact position of these buildings on St Martin's Lane because of the angle of the view drawn.

 

[Joseline]

This painting was discussed on another thread here (post below extracted from that thread): https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/st-martins-lane-rear-court.56865/#post-805589

I'm wondering if this is the yard at the rear of the Horse Shoes ? I may be way off on this, but the taller building to the right has some architectural aspects that make me think important 'medieval'. (Or maybe I'm wishful thinking !) Could it even be Horse Shoe Yard depicted in the painting?

View attachment 200360

Hello Vivienne, Elijah Walton drawing seems to be a representation of the courtyard shown with the blue arrow. And it might well be the Horse Shoe Courtyard. As you said the house on the right looks "expensive-medieval." Also the Horse Shoe was right in the middle of St Martins Lane. So I would say I am 80% convinced Elijah's drawing is the Horse Shoe Yard.
All the buildings on that part of St Martins Lane (except for the Woolpack) were demolished in 1859. So he probably painted the Horse Shoe to immortalise it with a brush before demolition ? Just a theory..

 

[Vivienne14]

During the riots of July 1839, newspaper reports mention the "the Horseshoe gateway in St Martin's Lane". I've marked on the map the only place where I think that this gateway could have been (blue dot). I've also attached the account of the person caught up in the riots who took refuge in the gateway. I think the gateway would have given access to Horseshoe Yard.

 

[Astoness]

View attachment 200415
Hello Vivienne, Elijah Walton drawing seems to be a representation of the courtyard shown with the blue arrow. And it might well be the Horse Shoe Courtyard. As you said the house on the right looks "expensive-medieval." Also the Horse Shoe was right in the middle of St Martins Lane. So I would say I am 80% convinced Elijah's drawing is the Horse Shoe Yard.
All the buildings on that part of St Martins Lane (except for the Woolpack) were demolished in 1859. So he probably painted the Horse Shoe to immortalise it with a brush before demolition ? Just a theory..

you could very well be correct

lyn