In 1825 J Drake published ‘The Picture of Birmingham’, described as “being a concise but comprehensive historical and descriptive account of that place” within the book were five illuminating rambles through the streets of Birmingham. Rather than taking a historical view of Birmingham, I have taken inspiration from Drake by incorporating my data records together with archived Newspapers, I want to create a series of an expressive preamble though the streets that lead you on a imaginative journey, to offer a unique glimpse into the past, to weave together the stories of the buildings, people, their occupations and reflection of their lives.
It's fascinating to observe how cartographic representations can shape our perception of a place over time. William Westley's 1731 survey, emphasising a pleasant market town with churches and orchards, contrasts sharply with the industrial reality of Birmingham's rapid growth. Cartographers often leaned towards portraying picturesque illusions rather than the gritty industrial landscape, highlighting the evolving cultural identity of the town.
The shifting landscape of Birmingham, depicted through the relocation of St. Martins Church into the bustling Bull Ring and the emergence of fashionable districts like St. Philips, reflects the town's transition from an industrial hub to a more modern, classical look in the eighteenth century. The influence of individuals like John Pemberton and the release of land on the outskirts shaped the socio-economic structure, with craftsmen residing on the outskirts while wealthier individuals concentrated in the centre. Notable figures like Matthew Boulton and John Baskerville, however, deviated from this trend.
Rambles One
A little self-indulgent but our first walk is exploring my ancestral roots starting in Lower Tower Street, where my great-great grandfather lived in Lower Tower Street and ending end at Sand Pits and New hall Hill on the corner of George Street. New Hall Hill is the site of Birmingham’s site for political campaigning, where demonstrations usually took place when mass meetings occurred with the most famous being 'The Gathering of the Unions' in May 1832.
Our route will take us through the following streets:
Lower Tower Street
Ward Street
Cecil Street
Hanley Street
Cliveland Street
Lower Loveday Street
Shadwell Street
Bath Street
Snow Hill
Lionel Street
Newhall Street
George Street
Ward Street
Households 48
Total Number of People 222 averaging 4.63 per household
Adults 116
Children 106
Children Working 13
Widows 12 (25%)
The Streets Poverty Line Ranking is 33rd. The oldest person working is 76 years old Thomas Shaw, who lives at 3 Court 8 House with his wife Susana. Starting our first ramble, we leave Lower Tower Street and enter Ward Street, which ideally captures the realities of life in 19th Century Birmingham and the challenges faced by families. It highlights the economic hardships and the necessity and obligation for young children to contribute to the family income.
If you enlarge the image on the right, there are a few families highlighted. William Blakney, William Mason the Butcher at No.09, and William Whitehouse and his family, are all households with 10 individuals living at the property. Along with the additional information about young children such as John Blackney in the Jewellery Trade, Henry Hicken, and Robert Green working as errand boys, provide a glimpse into the hard realities of the time.
The mention of the Welch family in the Birmingham Mail in 1881 adds a layer of drama and local gossip, shedding light on the criminal activities and challenges faced by individuals in the community, perhaps due to economic pressures or maybe other circumstances.
expand below to read the article:
Birmingham Mail - Thursday 05 May 1881 - Theft from a shop
Birmingham Mail - Wednesday 01 February 1882 - Thefts Juveniles
The first article reflects James name not being in the 1881 Census and highlights the realism for individual families, 4 years in a reformatory ‘a youth detention centre’ is brutal for stealing handkerchiefs.
The next article though after reading, brought home how tough life was for children in those days. The sentence the eight year old received, blimey!
Ward Street is only the start of our journey and there will be many more streets to further investigate. This initial snapshot however, captures the complexity of daily life, of the struggles the families faced, and the broader socio-economic context of 19th-century Birmingham. It reflects the stark reality of poverty, the importance of child labour in sustaining households, and the challenges that families navigated to make ends meet.
As we wander through the various Streets, exploring the trades associated with each household is fascinating to me. As mentioned above regarding the Welch family, it's intriguing to see that their sister Sarah and her occupation as a French Polisher, and being only 16 years of age adds an extra dimension to the story of the household. Could Sarah be a twin to William as they are the same age ?
The number of persons working as Cabinet Makers & French Polishers in the UK in 1881 was 78,500, of which 2800 were women under the age of 20. Sarah being just 16 would suggest she had managed to obtain a more desired occupation, especially considering the prevalent roles for young women. The statistics reveal that most young ladies were engaged as Domestic Servants, of which there were 1,012,000 employed out of a total of 1,951,000. 51.81% of all Domestic Servants in the UK were women under 20. When you compare this to Sarah’s trade, Nationwide 10.82% for Cabinet Making & French Polishing were women under 20. [1]
Birmingham was known for its high-quality craftsmanship, people who worked in the woodworking Industry , creating furniture and cabinetry, were skilled craftsman. In the 1880s, Birmingham was a thriving industrial city, and various trades and crafts, including French Polishing, were integral to the local economy. French Polishing is a technique used to finish and enhance the appearance of wooden surfaces, often furniture. They were likely to be employed in the surrounding workshops or may have worked as independent artisans and their services would have been in demand to cater for a growing market.
Cabinet Making including; Furnishing Trades, Artisans and Polishing accounts for 2.89% of all the trades In the 101 Streets I researched. It is the fourth ranking sector employment. Out of the 222 people living in the street, 72 are in employment with just one person stating they were unemployed or had no occupation. The unemployment therefore, in the street compares favourable with the district as actually 'unemployment' is the highest ranked and more than any other trade category.
These Ward Street Images Kindly provided by Birmingham History Forum link here
The photograph on the right is Court 9, which is next door to 'The Hope and Anchor' Pub. Drunkenness was a major issue in streets with back-to-back houses, you only have to look at the number of pubs in the streets to see that it would have been very difficult for the working man at that period of time to resist. It is easy to say they should have avoided going to the pubs but where there is poor quality of housing, overcrowding, dire sewage & sanitary conditions, malnutrition and disease, is it easy to see that many individuals, at the end of a working week and flush with cash disappeared to the local boozer.
Aris's Birmingham Gazette Saturday 27 May 1865 - Hope & Anchor
Completing our first Street in our ramble to New Hall Hill, our last article shows the investment opportunities for landlords offered a great return. In reality, the truth was if you were poor and poverty stricken, back-to-back offered the most affordable accommodation to live in. The influx of people into the city centres, encouraged the building of jerry-built houses. Incompetent and shoddy workmanship, using weak, flimsy materials were used, creating, shabby and rotten from the outset at completion. Many were built on poor foundations with mortar composing of dirt and sand. The Industrial Revolution brought economic growth but also a divide between wealthy industrialists and the working class.
Further Newspaper articles can be viewed here
Written by Andrew Yarwood - Part Two will follow