| Description | A new comprehensive survey of the borough of Birmingham was undertaken following the Council's absorption of the street works and other functions previously undertaken by the Commissioners of the Streets, this body having been abolished under the provisions of the Birmingham Improvement Act, 1851.
In a report of the Public Works Committee to the Council Chamber on Tuesday 30 October 1855 it was reported:
'The New Survey of Birmingham is now so near completion as to admit of a reduced Map being prepared, shewing every Street, Road and Thoroughfare in the Borough, and as this will give much valuable information, and enable distances to be computed, your Committee have caused such Map to be prepared and copies published at a reasonable charge, and they recommend that they be authorised and instructed to transmit a copy thereof to each Member of the Council.'
(L 34.1 Proceedings of the Council 9. Nov. 1854 - 13. Oct. 1857: Special Meeting of the Council, Tuesday 30 October 1855, minutes 1084-1085 [p. 230])
There is a set of photocopies of the original maps. The respective Local Studies and History map sheet number refers to the number map sheet at the top right hand corner of each sheet - this is also duplicated in the title of each map sheet in the catalogue (i.e. 'Birmingham Sheet 10') as well as the map key grid on the Map Tables in the Heritage Research Area on Floor 4 of the Library of Birmingham. Occasionally researchers want to access the original maps, which would be at the discretion of Archives Staff.
The Description fields in the catalogue records for each map sheet provides information relating to the area of Birmingham the sheets cover (i.e. Edgbaston, Hockley etc), any major thoroughfares, all major transportation infrastructure named (i.e. railway lines, canals, stations and goods depots) and all public and commercial buildings actually named on the map sheet (for example Winson Green Prison, St Paul's Church, Lloyds Bank etc). Map sheets adjoining each sheet to the north, south, east and/or west are delineated on each map sheet and included in the descriptive fields for each sheet; again, this in in accordance with the original Sheet Number and not its new BCC Catalogue Reference Number.
For example, the Description field for map BCC/1/DO/D/2/7/3/1/2 [Birmingham Sheet / LSH Serving Copy 10) reads as follows, with the layout of descriptive information standardised in format each item record - Scale of Map (always 10 feet to one Statute Mile) on the top line, description of area covered on the next line, and map sheets adjoining on the final line:
'Scale: 10 feet to One Statute Mile.
Winson Green. Great Western Railway at junction of Handsworth New Road and Nineveh Road.
Map sheet adjoining Sheet 11 (East) Map sheet adjoining sheet 17 (South) and Sheet 9 (West).'
PLEASE NOTE: The Description field for each map will not name every street on every sheet or even every major building of note, researchers wanting to look for a smaller residential street for example may need to be encouraged to look at the map key in the Heritage Research Area to pinpoint the street and its corresponding map sheet. However, there may be enough information in the on-line catalogue for a researcher to order one or more maps remotely, particularly if they are looking for an area of Birmingham around a particular building.
For example, for anyone looking at the area at the area of Birmingham around the Anglican Cathedral, St Philip's Cathedral and grounds, is marked up in the catalogue record for map sheet BCC/1/AO/D/2/7/3/1/89 [Birmingham Sheet / LSH Serving Copy 110], along with nearby railway infrastructure towards Snow Hill and key buildings (with street locations) named on the map, including the County Court Buildings, National Provincial Bank Birmingham Bank on junction of Waterloo Street and Bennetts Hill. Branch Bank of England on Bennetts Hill, amongst many others. The Description field also tells us that Birmingham Sheet / LSH Serving Copies 94 (North), 111 (East), 126 (South) and 109 (West) adjoin, should the researcher require wider geographical coverage of the area beyond the one shown in Sheet 110).
ALSO PLEASE NOTE: the map refers to the borough of Birmingham as it existed in 1851 following the Borough Improvement Act of that year, and does not encompass outlying suburbs that were incorporated later (i.e. Handsworth, Yardley, Northfield).
A comprehensive street index (which points to the original sheet number, or Finding Number, relating to specific sheets) was created by a researcher as a Microsoft Excel document. This file has been turned into a PDF file and attached to this catalogue record (below). |