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Newspapers : From Birmingham Post 150 years ago

I was wondering why the Great Western Railway would have run an excursion train into New Street Station rather than their own Snow Hill Station. However on checking I find that Smethwick Junction Station (later renamed Smethwick West) was not opened until 1867 so I assume that the connection to the Snow Hill line was not open at that time.
 
10.12.1863
Big fire in Bradford St

fire_in_Bradford_St.jpg
 
11.12.1863
Further details of the Bradford st fire. From directories, this must have been at no 312, just west of thenjunction with Rea St, on the south side.
I'm sure burglars aquire much "useful knowledge", but am surprised that this includes where to search for wills
I rather like the language the reporter uses here.

fire_in_bradford_st~0.jpg


invaluable_knowledge.jpg


language.jpg
 
12.12.1863
Comment on the purchase of Aston Park by the Council. There have been many previous reports, but all have been very long, too long to include in this thread. This, sort of,
summarises the psoition
Facilities for the workers of at what will become part of GKN

purchase_of_Aston_Park.jpg


leisure_facilitues_at_London_works_smethwick.jpg
 
In the article on the Bradford Street fire, it said that the building had been converted into shopping. This did not mean retail shops but workshops which were then let out to artizans.
 
14.12.1863

Soldiers not appreciated in Bingley Hall. I suspect the response would have been different for a major, rather than a sergeant-major
Attending a Prize Fight sounds quite an experience. I think they were supposed to be illegal and the fighters often got fined, but didn't seem to have much of an effect.(This is divided into two parts).
The idea of fragile glass attachments like this don't sound too safe.

soldiers_not_appreciated.jpg


report_of_prize_fight_1.jpg


report_of_prize_fight_2.jpg


glass_ssprays_on_hats.jpg
 
I had never heard of the peacock tail hat decorations made of spun glass, they do sound dangerous, I wonder if any have survived?
rosie.
 
17,12,1863

I wonder how young men of today would care to be put in "boys juvenile dresses"
The Alhambra circus is mentioned in a book on Google at https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...nepage&q="alhambra circus" birmingham&f=false .
Walsall obviously envisages a library as an advertising hoarding, Surprising thia has not been suggested today
An image appears in my mind of a group of policeman hiding behind the door of a pub, whilst it is raided by another group.

boys_juvenile_dresses.jpg


alhambra_circus.jpg


library_as_an_adveertising_hoarding.jpg


Sedgeley_pub_harboured_policeman.jpg
 
#1206/1, sounds like a BSM, RA, the medal pinned on him by the Queen would have been for " Meritorious Service", in some form.paul
 
18.12.1863

Suggestion for a site for a new wholesale market.
An experience probably best not repeated.
Cheeky burglar.

site_for_market.jpg

interesting_journey.jpg


cheeky_burglars.jpg
 
22.12.1863

Presumably the transport to Monmore Green was by passenger carrying canal boat. I am a bit mystified that, if the story was true, why the kind stranger only paid for her to get to Monmore Green, unless, of course, that was as far as the boat was going.
Pugilism defended. Presumably one might expect bull baiting , cock fighting and simialr to also become more respectable if more refined terms were used, and of course, if no riff-raff were allowed to participate

young_girls_adventure.jpg


pugilism_justified.jpg
 
23.12.1863
Thongers patent labels were designed to distinguish bottles which contained poisons so that they would not be consumed by accident. They were intended for the general public, but infact must have been one of the first products whose design also aided the blind. The principle was that the written part of the label would be surrounded with sandpaper, easily felt with the fingers.
"Perfume by Rimmel". What has perfume got to do with a pantomime that it has to be acknowledged?
Description of the new London museum Concert Hall
Drunken policeman seems to have had quite a night.

Thongers_patent_labels.jpg


Theatre_royal_perfume_28129.jpg


london_museum__concert_hall.jpg


drunken_policeman.jpg
 
24.12.1863
Opening of the Alhambra circus.
I minor advert, but an early event in the buildup of the Kynoch empire
Harry Gem's rackets club advertised.

alhambra_opening.jpg


Kynoch_partnership_broken_up.jpg


harry_gems_rackets_club.jpg
 
25.12.1863
Bet these Scrooges were popular ! Whitfield's apparently made fireproof safes, amongst other things. Maybe they thought it dangerous to accept gifts in their trade.
Example of military justice .

Scrooge.jpg


military_justice.jpg
 
26.12.1863
Fire in pub early Christmas morning. Apparently caused by leaving the plum pudding boiling overnight. This is an excert of a much longer piece describing every detail.
Satire on temperance

little_hill_st_fire__exert.jpg


satire_on_temperance.jpg
 
28.12.1863

Report on the new Royal Alhambra Circus.
I did not know the story of the cats on boats.

Report_on_Alhambra_circus.jpg


cats_on_ships.jpg
 
Interesting point about the cats. I'd assumed they were taken on board ships simply to keep down rats.

First time I've heard about the Circus in Carrs Lane. Must have been a permanent structure too. Viv.
 
29.12.1863

This piece of cardboard must have great sentimental value for him to go to all the cost and trouble of advertising
Monmore Green Station opens. It must have been a bit of an effort collecting tickets for wolverhampton before this station was opened

great_personal_value.jpg


Monmore_Green_station_opens.jpg
 
30.12.1863
Great Western Hotel envisaged.
I know the spelling is slightly wrong, but can't help thinking of the inappropriatness (or perhaps appropriatness) of a Fishmonger named Rotton. The defendent was also a rotton poultry picker.
Hope George Osborne doesn't get any ideas from this - or maybe he has seen it already.

Great_Western_Hotel.jpg


Rotton.jpg


jail_for_refusing_to_work.jpg
 
Yes agree Mike, think Osborne the Philanthropist already has this in mind. If the extension of the pensionable age doesn't kill you, the hard labour certainly will . Viv.
 
Nothing like having a fish business with a surname of "Rotten", very encouraging, 82 years old in 1863, was surely like" METYHUSALOR", for that era, 21days hard labour seems very excessive.Paul
 
4.1.1864

Book on The ship in Camp Hill
The opening of one of the first free libraries in Birmingham at Adderley park
Parrot in court as witness
The Victorian version of the 3D printer

The_Ship__book_review.jpg


opening_of_Adderley_park_library.jpg


parrot_in_court.jpg


victorian_version_of_the_3D_printer.jpg
 
Four very interesting clippings. Must have been unusual to find a landlord historian - pamphlet sounds worth reading. The Parrot case - I expect the parrot witness raised a few smiles in court. I realised that libraries had newsrooms, but a museum too! It makes sense though. Maybe our (remaining) local libraries are missing a trick. And the article on 3D imaging, well how innovative, way ahead of it's time. Viv.
 
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