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National Trust Back to Back houses and memories of them

Me too. Ours was small I made dens with it Nan's was double the size. Dad came home with an upight concertina one, that used to come down on you & my fingers. But we had a garden. Nan had a pulley line in the kitchen and over her bath. I forgot about those. I am yet to see one like gran's little half table top barrell. With a beater. She used to put cooking fat to oil her mangle.
 
i can remember 2 of us at the top of the bed and one at the bottom of a big bed crammed into a small bedroom the pillows were double size and mom called them bolsters and we was covered with a big eiderdown and a great coat,a big jug and bowl on the dressing table to wash in
our brewhouse was down the rd next to the loo/
the wooden cloths horse left brown stains on the cloths
 
mw0njm. said:
i can remember 2 of us at the top of the bed and one at the bottom of a big bed crammed into a small bedroom the pillows were double size and mom called them bolsters and we was covered with a big eiderdown and a great coat,a big jug and bowl on the dressing table to wash in
our brewhouse was down the rd next to the loo/
the wooden cloths horse left brown stains on the cloths
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I think you had to wipe it first. I remember the stiff clothes they would stand up on their own. It took me years to realise what a clowzorse actually meant! And the bungole where it was kept.
 
mw0njm. said:
i can remember 2 of us at the top of the bed and one at the bottom of a big bed crammed into a small bedroom the pillows were double size and mom called them bolsters and we was covered with a big eiderdown and a great coat,a big jug and bowl on the dressing table to wash in
our brewhouse was down the rd next to the loo/
the wooden cloths horse left brown stains on the cloths
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A great coat - thats a term from the old days. More often than not I think it belonged to someone that had been in the Army.
 
Astoness said:
love mrs hadley still washing the old fashioned way in 1970...nice video pedro i had not seen it...great thing about the birmingham back to backs is that they have not moved since the day they were built..

lyn
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I have been talking to many over the years, how so many babies were lost during washing day. And not just washing day. So sad. Women worked so hard well everyone did but there were no concessions for them then
 
abigailcasson said:
Hi all!

I am looking for information about the people who once resided in what is now the National Trust's Back-to-Back property at the corner of Inge Street and Hurst Street. The National Trust gives some information on the Mitchell's, the Oldfield's, and claims that a Jewish family, the Levy's, also lived there. I have looked through some of the census records and cannot seem to find any record of the Mitchell's living in Court 15, only at 24 Hurst Street and 53 Inge Street! As for the Levy's, the record shows that they lived at 28 Hurst Street, not in the NT property itself!

I am writing a project for a National Trust internship on "home beyond the four walls" and was hoping to find some evidence of community formed in the courtyards of the back-to-back homes. If anyone has any information regarding the NT property, or stories of community in any Birmingham back-to-back then I would be very grateful to hear it.

Thank you!
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I heard recently that the house numbers were changed but I don’t know when that was. Might this account for differing numbers?
 
Toothypegs said:
I heard recently that the house numbers were changed but I don’t know when that was. Might this account for differing numbers?
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Welcome to the forum, Toothypegs! Generally houses were renumbered when the courts ceased to be referred to. But I think that the names and personal stories in 'Back to Backs' have been selected and arranged to form a representative narrative. They cover a wide time period and it would be interesting to go through the census records systematically.

But I think that different elements were put together to make a representative story of inner city Birmingham. The current museum has been rebuilt and arranged to tell a symbolic story to lead visitors through local history.
 
Stokkie said:
Welcome to the forum, Toothypegs! Generally houses were renumbered when the courts ceased to be referred to. But I think that the names and personal stories in 'Back to Backs' have been selected and arranged to form a representative narrative. They cover a wide time period and it would be interesting to go through the census records systematically.

But I think that different elements were put together to make a representative story of inner city Birmingham. The current museum has been rebuilt and arranged to tell a symbolic story to lead visitors through local history.
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Derek, can you clarify what is meant by “when courts ceased to be referred” means? The rest of your comments, totally agree! Thank you….
 
Richard Dye said:
Derek, can you clarify what is meant by “when courts ceased to be referred” means? The rest of your comments, totally agree! Thank you….
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Richard, the courts or courtyards were sometimes given names or sometimes numbers. Both appear on maps and in addresses, like the census. The courts ceased to be part of the official address sometime in the early 20C. I'm not sure when though.

There is a thread on the numbering of houses with Mikejee's informed comment:
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...cks-courts-and-houses-and-street-names.53233/

So with back-to-back houses each house would have two numbers so 3/244 would be read as house number 3 in the terrace at the back of house 244 in the street. (To use Eric Gibson's example in that thread.)

The names of courts can cease to be used and more regular numbering introduced within a decade or two. Working out who lived where and in which court or terrace can be very difficult.

In the National Trust Back-to-Backs Chris Upton's book Living Back to Back is very useful. His research formed the narrative in the leaflets and information boards there. Court 15 has various houses connected together.
http://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org/our-projects/bct-finished/back-to-backs/

The present address of Back-to-Backs is 55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street as it is on a corner plot.

If I've blundered in my explanation then do correct me anyone. I knew Ladywood which did not have named or numbered 'courts' at least in the early 1960s, but back to backs in terraces.

Derek
 
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Stokkie said:
Richard, the courts or courtyards were sometimes given names or sometimes numbers. Both appear on maps and in addresses, like the census. The courts ceased to be part of the official address sometime in the early 20C. I'm not sure when though.

There is a thread on the numbering of houses with Mikejee's informed comment:
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...cks-courts-and-houses-and-street-names.53233/

So with back-to-back houses each house would have two numbers so 3/244 would be read as house number 3 in the terrace at the back of house 244 in the street. (To use Eric Gibson's example in that thread.)

The names of courts can cease to be used and more regular numbering introduced within a decade or two. Working out who lived where and in which court or terrace can be very difficult.

In the National Trust Back-to-Backs Chris Upton's book Living Back to Back is very useful. His research formed the narrative in the leaflets and information boards there. Court 15 has various houses connected together.
http://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org/our-projects/bct-finished/back-to-backs/

The present address of Back-to-Backs is 55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street as it is on a corner plot.

If I've blundered in my explanation then do correct me anyone. I knew Ladywood which did not have named or numbered 'courts' at least in the early 1960s, but back to backs in terraces.

Derek
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Thank you for that explanation! Actually I thought it was quite good.
I have seen mikes comments which I thought was helpful as was Eric’s.
Thank you again!
 
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