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Snow Hill Station
- Thread starter Alf
- Start date
As promised elsewhere, a few pictures taken about 1975 in the tunnel from Snow Hill station. The tracks had been removed and the track bed used as a car park. There were no barriers so it was easy to walk into the tunnel. It seemed huge, with side 'rooms' everywhere which I guess were part of the sidings. P1 is an assemblage of stuff found in some of these 'rooms'. I contemplated snagging the 'Platform 5' but wasn't sure if the car park was being watched from anywhere. P2 is looking back into the tunnel from the other end.
Attachments
Mark Tooze
master brummie
Brilliant photos - thank you for posting them - do you have any more? By the time I got there a few years later (78/79) the station buildings had been demolished and the tunnels had been blocked up with rubble, but it was still possible to find things if you looked hard enough:-
Local auctioneers advert and behind what looks like a newspaper headline board for either the Daily Mail or Daily Express
Base of what may have been an old platform bench on the right (not sure???)
I think these may be pulleys for routing the cables to the roof mounted semaphore signals - again not sure???
I posted my full set of photos from the tunnels on an earlier thread.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
he site of the last public hanging in Birmingham in 1806 at the archway under Birmingham’s Snow Hill railway station. A small plaque high up on a wall at the bottom of Great Charles Street is missed by most passers-by, but is the only reminder of one of the city’s most macabre chapters. Because it was near this very spot, on August 22, 1806, that the last – and only – public street execution in Birmingham took place.
Platform 5, possibly around 1910 ish (?)
Richard Dye
master brummie
Anything Snow Hill is a great photo!
i agree richard but it was a great loss to the city...sorry if this video has been posted before
Richard Dye
master brummie
Brings back great memories of what I remember and loved about Snow Hill!
Richard Dye
master brummie
Looks like a very early roof system.
Lloyd
master brummie
This view is of the second (1871) station, looking north. The passenger buildings are on the left, accessed from Livery Street far left.
paul stacey
master brummie
What an iconic photograph Richard!!
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
in the 50/60s my brother worked at snow hill station parcels NCL, at weekends i would help him but mostly wonder around the underground tunnels armed only with a torch
the lord mayor car was kept in a place under the station were the chauffeur cleaned it and my brothers morris 8 was kept. the main tunnel was very narrow two rail and had recesses in the wall to hide when a train passes by you steem and smoke filled the tunnel the ventiation was not much good. i found wierd and wonderfull items stored in the dark passageways and store rooms under the old city, items ie carbide lamps hats uniform parts cups millions of tickets. some say there was a ghost down there but i never did see or hear one. wish i had saved some of the things i would be a happy dude
there were one hundred and thirty horses stabled at Snow Hill Station with most having stalls under the railway arches alongside Livery Street, but in addition, leading off from Snow Hill Tunnel was a blacksmiths shop and a stable with four stalls. These were for the shunting horses which operated at the south end of the station.
Robert Ferris
the lord mayor car was kept in a place under the station were the chauffeur cleaned it and my brothers morris 8 was kept. the main tunnel was very narrow two rail and had recesses in the wall to hide when a train passes by you steem and smoke filled the tunnel the ventiation was not much good. i found wierd and wonderfull items stored in the dark passageways and store rooms under the old city, items ie carbide lamps hats uniform parts cups millions of tickets. some say there was a ghost down there but i never did see or hear one. wish i had saved some of the things i would be a happy dude
there were one hundred and thirty horses stabled at Snow Hill Station with most having stalls under the railway arches alongside Livery Street, but in addition, leading off from Snow Hill Tunnel was a blacksmiths shop and a stable with four stalls. These were for the shunting horses which operated at the south end of the station.
Robert Ferris
Mark Tooze
master brummie
A few recent shots of Snow Hill Station and sidings taken from Livery St and St Pauls Metro Station:-
Looks VERY different now to when I photographed it in the 70's /80's - but at least it is still there. AND - relics may still be there - for example is this a piece of tramway overhead wiring apparatus hanging off the viaduct in Livery Street? I need to go and take a better look...
Looks VERY different now to when I photographed it in the 70's /80's - but at least it is still there. AND - relics may still be there - for example is this a piece of tramway overhead wiring apparatus hanging off the viaduct in Livery Street? I need to go and take a better look...
paul stacey
master brummie
WOW!! it certainly has changed!! I left there aged 15 to join up, used to come and go all times of the day and night, to me.. The old victorian station will always be precious to me, , I have my memories, (well at the moment anyway), I am glad of that.
Mark Tooze
master brummie
At least it is good to see the tunnels I posted so may sad and derelict photos of in other threads now back in busy use:-
This the other end of the tunnels at Jewellery Quarter:-
Relics here too - painted white wall behind where semaphore signals used to be, so they stood out:-
This the other end of the tunnels at Jewellery Quarter:-
Relics here too - painted white wall behind where semaphore signals used to be, so they stood out:-
Great Photos
Richard Dye
master brummie
Just think about the level of effort it took to build those tunnels and supports 150 years ago! No CAD systems, no dozers , no power shovels just pure hard work.
They are absolutly super Mark
Radiorails
master brummie
I would hazard a guess that the tunnels were built using the 'cut and cover' method as used in the early method of the London underground system.
If it was constructed in a open cutting it would nave been done by Centering using wooden foamwork
sadly i have only ever had to do this once on a 5 FT span footbridge over a steam i removed the timber
after a few days it held up well with people bikes and wheel barrows going over it
i loved to have had a go at Centering a tunnel on the scale of Snow Hill
sadly i have only ever had to do this once on a 5 FT span footbridge over a steam i removed the timber
after a few days it held up well with people bikes and wheel barrows going over it
i loved to have had a go at Centering a tunnel on the scale of Snow Hill
Richard Dye
master brummie
Some great comments below regarding tunnel methodology: however looking at Marks photos the amount of structural masonry work is extensive. Not just where did the bricks come from ( there were no brick making machines then) but the work has stood the test of time over 150 years which is threefold (almost) current expectations.
Not trying to be argumentative, just to recognize the level of creativity and effort so many years ago,
Not trying to be argumentative, just to recognize the level of creativity and effort so many years ago,
There were large numbers of brickmakers in Birmingham at this time. Looking at the 1855 directory the largest conglomerations would have been Yardley, northfield, Balsall Heath and especially Garound Garrison Lane. There was even one in Easy Row, , very near, though possibly rather small.fry
They were blue engineering bricks they don't absord water easily