One of the smaller collections in our archive, referenced as MS 1462, consists of three journals recording various journeys in the late 1800s around the United Kingdom by an unknown diarist.
The first details a journey going from London to Derbyshire. The second, trips to Shrewsbury, Haughmond Abbey, Llangollen, Chester, Dolgelly, Cardigan Bay, Harlech Castle, Lichfield and Birmingham; and the third, visits by the same person to Weymouth, Portland and Chesil Beach, Worcester, Droitwich, Tewkesbury, Hereford, Durham, Louth, Mablethorpe, Boston, Grimsby. The journals are dated 1874, 1877, and 1881.
The diarist travelled at times with an ‘Annie, George, and Bessie’; recording their travels, describing various walks and detailing their journals with various pasted-in commercial prints and illustrations.
The journal referenced as MS 1462/2, dating to 1877, covers their time in Birmingham. They travel to Birmingham from Litchfield, in late October. They initially visit Elkington’s silver manufacturers, a pin factory, and a metal button factory – the diary highlighting how visiting places of manufacturing were considered a part of visiting industrial Birmingham.
Over several days, the group travel and walk around various other places in the city. Firstly, Cannon Hill Park, seeing how it is ‘very pretty; laid out like Battersea Park’. They visit St. Martin’s Church, describing the church as a ‘fine old church’ and they walk to Edgbaston Old Church, St. Bartholomew’s, describing it as ‘a pretty village church, covered in ivy’.
May is Local and Community History Month and what better way to celebrate than to highlight some of the local history groups in Birmingham.
When starting research on a particular area, the first thought is often the archives. Community Libraries in Birmingham have strong links to the local communities they serve, and some are even used as a base for local history groups to meet, share research and give talks on a variety of subjects on the history of their area.
To highlight a few in Birmingham, Acocks Green History Society sees the importance of heritage for the local area:
Heritage is an important tool at the disposal of other community forces for good. When allied with efforts to improve the environment, natural history, amenity value, infrastructure and attractiveness of an area it adds substantially to the overall energy and impact of the community’s work to improve quality of life.
Acocks Green Village after reconstruction, Birmingham, 1928. [WK/A1/89]
They have a wealth of information on the history of the area on their website, and contributed content to the Acocks Green Heritage Trail which received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. From September to May, they meet once a month in Acocks Green Library – contact details are on their webpage if you want to know more!
Birmingham has a strong history of humanitarian and philanthropic citizens, some of whom are more well known than others. The Sturge family is well known, for instance, as being an influential Quaker family that moved to Birmingham in the early 19th century. Joseph Sturge was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist; Charles Sturge was mayor of Birmingham.
The women of the Sturge family were equally as influential and active in the community. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the theme of which this year is Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, I was intrigued to find out more about one particular member of the Sturge family, Dr. Mary Sturge.
Birmingham‘s industrial and commercial heritage is at the heart of the city’s identity. It’s reported that during the nineteenth century, a third of all patents issued in the United Kingdom originated in Birmingham – the city is referred to historically as the ‘Workshop of The World’ – no one trade defined the city’s industrial output and productivity.
Our Birmingham trade catalogue collection of nineteenth and twentieth century businesses reflects the diverse array of manufactories and trades which helped to form the city’s rich industrial heritage. The collection contains catalogues for some of the more well-known Birmingham companies such as BSA, Cadbury and Webley & Scott along with those which have slipped beneath the historical radar.
Trade Catalogue for Daniel Manufacturing Co. Ltd; silversmiths, 1939 (Reference: LS 10/D/262)
Amid such frenetic commercial and industrial activity, in a pre – digital world, how did individuals know where to go to find the goods and services they needed. Firstly, they could have consulted a trade directory – for further details see the blog we posted in 2020 on our Trade Directory Collection . Ultimately, they would want to have access to information about the goods and services a supplier was able to provide.
Yates and Sons Silver Plate List of Prices trade catalogue, dated 1872 (Ref: LS 10/Yates, John, and Sons)
Think back to a time before online shopping and websites selling you everything you didn’t know you really wanted. How would you let people know what you had to sell. Trade catalogues first appeared in the eighteenth century as the wheels of industrialisation gathered pace. In essence, a trade catalogue is a calling card, an advertisement for a manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer wanting to promote a line of products and services to individuals wishing to purchase goods and wares. Individuals would acquire a copy of the catalogue, peruse it at their leisure and then contact the company to start the ordering process.
Trade catalogues vary in size and content. Many are very simple price books with illustrated examples of products – as shown in the example from the Yates and Sons Silver Plate List. Others like to express the cultural legacy of the company, and often as an aside contain a history of the firm. This helps to assert the reliability and heritage of the business. Others are also works of art. We recently posted a tweet about the firm of Reuben Heaton who traded in fishing rods. Stand back and admire this alpine vista –
Reuben Heaton & Sons – Salmon and Trout Reel Makers, 9, 7, 10 Hospital Street, Birmingham. (Ref: LS 10/H/192/14)
It’s almost as if a trade catalogue can offer a patina of respectability to the operations of a company which may otherwise be engaged in less genteel activities. No one likes to continuously wade in the dirt and muck of back breaking graft. There’s a strong tradition of industry empowering and supporting the creative arts in the nineteenth century and the arts offering sanctuary away from the toil and thrust of business transactions.
We’re going to be posting more examples from the collection across there next week – so keep an eye on @TheIronRoom on X/Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Checking the Catalogue
You can search the online catalogue to our archive Calmview to identify the trade catalogues we hold. There are two routes you can take. Firstly, enter the name of the company in the Search box on the top right of the Homepage.
Alternatively, click on the Advanced Search tab at the top of the Home Page. In the Ref. No. field enter – LS 10 – the collection level reference for the collection. This will take you to the beginning of the catalogue. Then click on LS 10 in the next Ref. No. field and then again on the next page until you reach the page with the heading – Advanced Search > Search Results > Record > Hierarchy Browser. You should then see a series of headings such as A : Businesses Beginning with A. Click on the + sign to open up the branches of the catalogue for a list of the companies we retain trade catalogues for.
There’s a guide on how to navigate the catalogue
Examples of other Business Literature
Cotterill’s Specification for the Manufacture of Flour, 1843, patent 9714
Trade Card: Marley Brothers; locksmiths brassfounders (Ref: MS 4834/179)
To set you on your way, here are a few examples of the other types of Birmingham business literature we hold – chiefly trade cards and patents
10 February 2024 marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year remains a significant event in Birmingham’s cultural calendar. Focused on the Chinatown district on the southside of the city centre, the celebrations attract around 30,000 visitors annually.
Archives and Collections holds a range of resources documenting the Chinese community and the Lunar New Year events over the years.
Chinese migration and settlement in Birmingham: a brief background
Although a small population existed in the region before World War Two, Chinese migration to the West Midlands increased significantly in the decades thereafter. Covering a small area around Hurst Street, Ladywell Walk and Pershore Street, Birmingham’s Chinatown district took shape from the 1950s onwards.
Most of the incoming migrants came from the New Territories of Hong Kong, then a British colony. Many worked in the hospitality sector or set up restaurants and associated shops, businesses, and services.
Chinese New Year programme 1993 [LS 4/35/22]
Chinese New Year in Birmingham
As the Chinese community established itself and families began to settle, social and cultural organisations were set up. The Chinese Community Centre (founded 1977) played a major role in organising the city’s Chinese New Year celebrations in the early days.
The Arcadian Centre, a multi-levelled piazza of restaurants, bars, and shops at the heart of Chinatown which opened in 1991, has since become the focal point for the celebrations.
Street festivities were interrupted for two years in the wake of the Covid pandemic, returning in 2023. Information on the forthcoming festivities can be found here, a full programme will be announced in January.
Sources documenting Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations
The following resources are in our collections and may be viewed by appointment in the Wolfson Centre unless otherwise stated.
Full reference numbers are provided where applicable. Most items (except photographs) can be found in our online catalogue, CALMView, links are provided where applicable. To search CALMView, use text Chinese New Year or variations.
Text sources:
Newscuttings/Ethnic Minorities (most of which are indexed) are a good place to start – they include articles about New Year celebrations past, particularly from the 1980s
LS 4/35/22 [Ephemera Festivals/22] Chinese New Year programme 1993
MS 2512/1/76 Flyer for exhibition at Midland Arts Centre, c1990s: ‘Reflections.’ A celebration of the Chinese New Year through visual arts’
MS 2512/1/77 Poster for exhibition of photographs by Terry Lo at Central Library, 1995:’From Cathay to Pershore Street: The Chinese Community in Birmingham’
Dancer performing on stage at the Chinese New Year Celebrations at the Arcadian Centre, Birmingham, 2000. Photograph by Nicola Gotts Image used with kind permission of photographer [Our reference: MS 2363 ]
Visual sources:
MS 2363 Photographs by Nicola Gotts showing cultural events (including Chinese New Year) around the Arcadian, 1990s-2000s. Image below is on the Photo Wall, Floor 3, Library of Birmingham
MS 2512 The Terry Lo Collection. Biographical information with digital images can be found on Connecting Histories here
MS 2683/B/1/2/1 Album of photographs by Russ Escritt – includes 2002 Chinese New Year celebrations in the Arcadian
Oral history:
MS 4738 Records of the ‘Chinese Lives in Birmingham’ project, playing copy CDs available (no transcripts or full catalogue). Please contact Birmingham Archives and Collections for further information
General sources relating to Chinese history in Birmingham:
A good general overview is given in research undertaken by Dr Malcolm Dick and Dr Chris Upton, republished on our blog in 2021. Article here
LF 21.85 BIR Birmingham City Council, The Chinese in Birmingham: A community profile (1996)
BCOL 21.8 Sue Baxter, The Chinese and Vietnamese in Birmingham. Research commissioned by Birmingham City Council (1986) [Open Access, Floor 4]
Items from Aviss Hutt’s archive [Our Reference: MS 5089]
A new accession
Not specifically relating to New Year, this is an opportunity to showcase a new accession that came to us last year, providing an interesting record of China just after the Communist revolution in 1949.
The archive comprises a small collection of personal papers and photographs belonging to Aviss Hutt (1917-2010), documenting her part in the Birmingham People’s Peace Committee Peace Mission to China.
Between 1947 and 1960 Hutt lived in Moseley, Birmingham. She was active in various peace campaigns in the West Midlands during the 1950s. In 1955, and as Secretary of the Birmingham group, she was invited on a non-government goodwill mission in 1955.
The delegation stayed in China a fortnight, with the aim of studying issues around peace, international relations and Anglo-Chinese cooperation. She recorded her travels and activities in diaries, correspondence, and photographs, all of which are in the collection.
All the records are open and may be consulted in our archives by appointment. For more information see entry for MS 5089 in the catalogue.
The Everything to Everyone project was a collaboration between Birmingham City Council and the University of Birmingham to reinvigorate the Birmingham Shakespeare Collection held at the Library of Birmingham. The aim was to make the collection more accessible and highlight its importance as one of the worlds great Shakespeare collections whilst also celebrating its connection to George Dawson and the special place it has in the history of the city.
I was lucky enough to be part of the project as the archivist where I worked with a librarian and an amazing team of volunteers to bring the old, printed catalogue into the 21st century and online via the Archives and Collections Catalogue.
There is still work to do on the catalogue such as adding in detailed entries for each photograph, playbill, and pamphlet but over the last 3 years we managed to create entries for 38,000 items from the rarest items in the collection and unique scrapbooks of 19th Century illustrations to items you may not expect us to have such as Macbeth: The Video Game.
As well as being able to focus on documenting the collection it was also a great opportunity to work with the fantastic project team who created an amazing series of events celebrating this remarkable collection. As the project draws to a close, I wanted to share a few of my highlights.
Louis Braille, the inventor of one of the most recognisable systems of tactile writing was born on the 4th of January in 1809. The United Nations celebrates this day every year to mark the importance of Braille as a means of communication, education, freedom of expression and social inclusion for supporting the human rights of people who are blind and partially-sighted.
Although World Braille Day was only inaugurated in 2019 the history of printing innovations to assist people who are blind or partially-sighted has a long history. This is reflected in the Birmingham Shakespeare Collection which has over 80 books in a variety of embossed writing systems.
Detail from Merchant of Venice : from the Globe edition / edited by W.G. Clark and W.A. Wrightage, 1916, National Institute for the Blind [our reference: S 336.1916 362522]
Frontpiece from Merchant of Venice : [in embossed type for the blind-Moon], 1887 [our reference: S 336.1887 90078]
As early as the 16th century educators had experimented with reading and writing systems for the blind, including alphabets rendered in pin-pricks, or string glued to paper: both approaches were laborious and impractical. It was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that a number of more efficient and economic methods of reproducing text for the visually impaired were realised.
In 1871, the Worcester-based Society for Providing Cheap Literature for the Blind (SPCLB) printed, at their own offices, Bowdler’s family edition of The Merchant of Venice. The book was produced using a process of embossed roman letters and was based on a method of tactile printing invented in 1786 by Valentin Hauy (1745-1822). Haüy was the founder of the Institute for Blind Youth, Paris, and, for the benefit of his pupils, he devised a system of printing text which could be read with the fingertips. The process was simple: it used ordinary metal printing type pressed against the back of the paper to create embossed roman letters.
Detail from Merchant of Venice : Bowdler’s text [in embossed type for the blind-Lucas’s], 1871 [our reference: S 336.1871 238383]
The SPCLB publication was not the only instance of Shakespeare’s plays being made available to visually impaired readers in the 19th century. Between 1884 and 1916, the National Institute for the Blind (NIB) published the ‘Globe Series’ of Shakespeare’s plays. Edited by the Shakespearean and classical scholars William G Clark (1821- 78), and William A Wright (1831-1914), the plays appeared as individual volumes and were printed using the braille system in which raised dots represented the letters of the alphabet.
Detail from the first page of Merchant of Venice / from the Globe edition edited by W.G. Clark and W.A. Wright, 1887, National Institute for the Blind Our reference
Invented in 1824 by Louis Braille (1809-1952), a student of Hauy at the school in Paris, the braille system of dots was much easier for blind readers to discern through their fingertips than the raised roman letters. Other systems emerged, including a method of using ‘arbitrary’ characters and symbols assigned to represent letters. The most popular of these was Dr Moon’s Type for the Blind, a simplified system of embossed reading using symbols primarily derived from the roman alphabet, but simplified. Moon published more than 300 works using his embossed type.
The volumes of tactile Shakespeare in the Birmingham collection demonstrate the dominant 19th-century tactile printing systems available for the blind. The inclusion of such materials clearly bears out the ‘everything to everybody’ ethos of the Library’s founders.
Dr Caroline Archer-Parré, Professor of Typography, Co-director of the Centre for Printing History and Culture at Birmingham City University / University of Birmingham
Detail of title page fromMerchant of Venice : [in embossed type for the blind-Moon], 1887 [our reference: S 336.1887 90078]
You can access the Forgotten Treasures book at the following libraries.
The Iron Room 