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Snow Hill Station

An early view of Snow Hill station with Hotel which may be pre 1900. It shows the cable tramway and horse drawn omnibuses

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Sorry,it's not Snow Hill Station,it's opposite there,it's the entrance to the Great Western Arcade,which was destroyed by bombing during WW2...Here's another photo of it,also showing the Great Western Vaults pub next door.
 

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So it would seem that the 1880's image is of the front of the Great Western Arcade and the wall to the right would be consistent with the wall of the Blue Coat School. The tramway came up Snow Hill and turned into Colmore Row then according to the o/s maps, but accounts of the cable tram have stated it terminated at Snow Hill.

The double deck cable trams had two staircases, one at either end of the vehicle
 
The Colmore Row to Hockley Brook route was converted to cable traction in March 1888, because of the steep climb up Hockley Hill, and extended in April 1889 to Handsworth. Information from https://localtransporthistory.co.uk/fleetlists/birmingham1/

This information therefore is contemporary with dating of the map.

The above website also gives information which I had not previously found in any books that a horse drawn tram line ran from Hockley along Colmore Row, Paradise Street, Suffolk Street and Bristol Road from 1876.
 
The Colmore Row to Hockley Brook route was converted to cable traction in March 1888, because of the steep climb up Hockley Hill, and extended in April 1889 to Handsworth. Information from https://localtransporthistory.co.uk/fleetlists/birmingham1/

This information therefore is contemporary with dating of the map.

The above website also gives information which I had not previously found in any books that a horse drawn tram line ran from Hockley along Colmore Row, Paradise Street, Suffolk Street and Bristol Road from 1876.
That fits with my understanding of the cable tramway terminating at Snow Hill Station, while horse trams did go along Colmore Row. If the cable cars went further, there would be photographs of them in Colmore Row, but none show them further than outside the station (or the Arcade, which is the same place but on the other side of the road. A map from between 1890 and 1910 would show the terminal arrangement.

I imagine that horse trams climbing Hockley Hill or Snow Hill would require a 'trace' horse to be added to assist with the climb.
 
Framed Print £60 from Media storehouse.
They really have a check don't they! The one shown is about the same quality and we got it for free and it can be sharpened up with, AI.
 
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