So where in Lichfield Road was ‘Ten Row’? This 1884 1:10,000 mapping shows a ‘Seven House Row’ – some confusion, perhaps? Click for a larger version.Image from NLS archive.
Reader Adam Hill has been in touch with a very interesting question related to house names on the Lichfield Road, Brownhills, after studying his Grandmother’s birth certificate from 1916.
Adam wrote:
Hello Bob
I have just recently came in to possession of my Gradmothers birth certificate, it lists her place of birth as being 10 Row, off of Lichfield Road, Brownhills. However I can’t seem to locate this location on Google Earth and there does not seem to be info online either pertaining to said location.
My Great Grandfather was a Miner and am wondering if this was property cheaply built specifically for the Miners and hencevbo longer being there. Can anyone help with any information they may know. My Grandmother was born 1916, so that is the time period am looking for.
Thanks.
My first reaction was there must be a word missing in ’10 Row’, then looked at the mapping of the time, and found something odd – there is a row of terraces marked on the 1884 1:10,000 map called ‘Seven House Row’ – note the difference to the current ‘Severn House’ near Silver Court.
This begs the question why Seven House Row? From the map, there are clearly seven dwellings – so was there a later row of ten? I can’t find such an arrangement on mapping of the day, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Can anyone help please? If you can, please comment here out mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks – and cheers to Adam Hill for a very interesting enquiry.
This 1915 1:2,500 mapping shows a lot of houses sprouting up on Lichfield Road, but no rows of ten, although ‘Seven House Row’ is still there, but unnamed on the map. Click for a larger version. Image from NLS archive.
RSS - Posts
In 1899 there was a question of water supply to Ten House Row, Brownhills. Later clip it is referred to as Ten Row.
In 1910 the good Dr Maddever stated that in former reports he had condemned the houses known as Ten Row and Five Row….insanitary state…no water supply…if not remedied they should be condemned.
In 1897 the council discussed a sample of water taken from Ten House Row, Ogley Hay.
In June 1903 the Council discussed the state of property in Ten House Row, which had been before the Council for some time. The owner had proposed alterations…the Council thought that the only way to make tenable was to make the 10 into 5. Chairman said he had visited and did not realize that such places existed…a disgrace.
In 1910 Dr Maddever submitted a report to the Council about insanitary conditions at Ten House Row, situated of Lichfield Road Bhills….
Site down for Mtce….more when back…
(Cont)….the row was owned by J Woodhouse of Burntwood..first consisted of 10 dwellings built back to back with no thought of ventilation…an order was issued to convert from 10 to 5, and had been partly complied in so far as doorways were provided in the dividing wall to each Back to Back rooms on the ground floor, but no communication made between the back to back rooms on the 1st floor…..defective staircases, windows and doors, floors and drainage….statuary notice issued on April 30 had not been complied with…property condemned as not fit for human habitation and unless remedied it was proposed to close…allowed a month to complete work.
J Woodhouse had been at the Council meeting and when he had left Mr Bradbury said similar promises had been given for 10 years, and the properties were now worse than ever….Clerk said summons was to be issued…Mr Bradbury said if nowt was done he would never attend another meeting!
n my childhood world the seven row was just past school avenue can i put the cat among the pigeons also there was a row at the top of lichfield rd a row on the left hand down seeds lane before you got to the one on seeds lane corner you will note several new properties were built wilf smith timber yard chalises walker etc was thi land developed but to me the severn row was always at the school avenue corner barnets foxalls then harry fisher the cobbler have fun as i did as a nipper in lichfield road god bless thanks for the memory
Does anyone by any chance have any photographs they can post of that particular area back Then? Would be interested in knowing when was finally demolished and approximately where it’s location would-be today? Also is there anyway to discover info pertaining to the Miners whom worked the local pits back then? My Great Grandfather surname was Lydall. Would be very interested to learn more if so.
is this a clue on the second map if my old eyes dont deseve me it shows ten properties in seeds lane also there was a lydall family lived in first avenue they had a son keneth just a thought if it helps
The ‘Severn row’ on Lichfield road brownhills used to be next to fishers cobblers going down towards school avenue. I know this because I was born in the end house of the Severn row at the school avenue end of the terrace no.122a.