JoPro
proper brummie kid
Hi, does anyone know how the house numbering system worked in first half of the 19th century Birmingham?
I'm looking at maps and directories from 1810-1820, and while some of the later directories sometimes state actual house numbers for some businesses, it's not consistent. But it looks like it wasn't a case of evens on one side, unevens on the other, as this entry of a silversmith business from the 1816-17 Commercial Directory suggests (I figure a business might have occupied two adjacent properties, but not on both sides of the street):
![1721393351873.png 1721393351873.png](https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/data/attachments/114/114738-8ebd61aba5c0cf590f0bd344bcf326ec.jpg?hash=jr1hq6XAz1)
I saw this interesting web page which suggests that house numbering was a bit hit and miss and not regulated before 1855, but I am hoping someone is in the know about what it was like in Birmingham before then: https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/house-numbering/
There is also this article (which doesn't mention Birmingham but could be interesting for someone interested in the topic): https://journals.openedition.org/histoiremesure/3942?lang=en
I saw this post which refers to house numbers on rate maps: https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...covering-an-old-road.48893/page-4#post-619935
Where can these maps be viewed?
I'm looking at maps and directories from 1810-1820, and while some of the later directories sometimes state actual house numbers for some businesses, it's not consistent. But it looks like it wasn't a case of evens on one side, unevens on the other, as this entry of a silversmith business from the 1816-17 Commercial Directory suggests (I figure a business might have occupied two adjacent properties, but not on both sides of the street):
![1721393351873.png 1721393351873.png](https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/data/attachments/114/114738-8ebd61aba5c0cf590f0bd344bcf326ec.jpg?hash=jr1hq6XAz1)
I saw this interesting web page which suggests that house numbering was a bit hit and miss and not regulated before 1855, but I am hoping someone is in the know about what it was like in Birmingham before then: https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/house-numbering/
There is also this article (which doesn't mention Birmingham but could be interesting for someone interested in the topic): https://journals.openedition.org/histoiremesure/3942?lang=en
I saw this post which refers to house numbers on rate maps: https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...covering-an-old-road.48893/page-4#post-619935
Where can these maps be viewed?