Birmingham Street Commissioners
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Street Commissioners were created in Birmingham
, England
by the Birmingham Improvement Act 1769. Subsequent Improvement Acts 1773, 1801, and 1812 gave increased powers to the Street Commissioners. In 1812, they became responsible for the repair and drainage of roads.
The Street Commissioners (elsewhere also called Improvement Commissioners
or Pavement Commissioners) were given the power to ensure clean streets and to provide lighting by oil lamps. Roads could also be widened by the demolition of buildings and removal of cellar entrances.
(banker), John Taylor (banking partner of Sampson Lloyd), Dr. Ash (founder of the General Hospital), and John Baskerville
(printer). Replacement commissioners were chosen by the commissioners themselves.
was created on the moat of the old manor house. This handled cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, hay and straw.
In 1824, they purchased the Manor and rights to the markets from the lord of the manor.
The Market Hall was opened in 1835 for general merchandise. It was destroyed by bombs in World War II
.
, but had insufficient funds. In 1783, the commissioners were supervising private watchmen who looked after specific properties. In December 1789, thirty winter night watchmen were appointed, this number being increased in 1797, 1798, and 1801. By 1830, the watchmen covered the day as well.
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The Public Office, designed by William Hollins, was built in Moor Street in 1806 encompassing offices, magistrates' courts and a prison.
In 1818, some streets were lit by gas
, replacing the oil lamps which had been used from 1780.
In 1834, the Birmingham Town Hall
was built.
led to the first elected councils. Birmingham was incorporated in 1838 and the new corporation worked alongside the Street Commissioners.
In 1851, a new Birmingham Improvement Act gave Birmingham Corporation the functions of the Street Commissioners.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by the Birmingham Improvement Act 1769. Subsequent Improvement Acts 1773, 1801, and 1812 gave increased powers to the Street Commissioners. In 1812, they became responsible for the repair and drainage of roads.
The Street Commissioners (elsewhere also called Improvement Commissioners
Improvement commissioners
Boards of improvement commissioners were ad-hoc boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom. They were an early form of local government.The first Improvement Commission was the Manchester Police Commission, established in 1765...
or Pavement Commissioners) were given the power to ensure clean streets and to provide lighting by oil lamps. Roads could also be widened by the demolition of buildings and removal of cellar entrances.
Members
The Board of Street Commissioners consisted of fifty residents, unpaid, each of whom owned property with a rateable value of over fifteen pounds. They included Sampson LloydSampson Lloyd
There are three generations of Sampson Lloyd in the Lloyd family of Birmingham, England. The second co-founded Lloyds Bank.Sampson Lloyd I and Mary , Quakers of Welsh origin, moved from their Leominster, Herefordshire farm in 1698 to Edgbaston Street in Birmingham.After the death of Sampson I in...
(banker), John Taylor (banking partner of Sampson Lloyd), Dr. Ash (founder of the General Hospital), and John Baskerville
John Baskerville
John Baskerville was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and typographer.-Life:...
(printer). Replacement commissioners were chosen by the commissioners themselves.
Markets
One of their early targets was the control and reorganisation of the markets, moving them towards the area now known as the Bull Ring. In 1817, the Smithfield MarketSmithfield, Birmingham
Smithfield was an inner-city area of Birmingham, England, southeast of the Bull Ring markets.-Smithfield Market:The area was originally the site of the Birmingham Manor House in which the De Birmingham family had lived for centuries...
was created on the moat of the old manor house. This handled cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, hay and straw.
In 1824, they purchased the Manor and rights to the markets from the lord of the manor.
The Market Hall was opened in 1835 for general merchandise. It was destroyed by bombs in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Policing
The commissioners were empowered to appoint watchmenWatchmen (law enforcers)
Watchmen were groups of men, usually authorised by a state, government, or society, to deter criminal activity and provide law enforcement. Watchmen have existed in various guises throughout the world and were generally succeeded by the emergence of formally organised policing.-Early origins:An...
, but had insufficient funds. In 1783, the commissioners were supervising private watchmen who looked after specific properties. In December 1789, thirty winter night watchmen were appointed, this number being increased in 1797, 1798, and 1801. By 1830, the watchmen covered the day as well.
Building works
In 1818, some streets were lit by gas
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
, replacing the oil lamps which had been used from 1780.
In 1834, the Birmingham Town Hall
Birmingham Town Hall
Birmingham Town Hall is a Grade I listed concert and meeting venue in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It was created as a home for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival established in 1784, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the General Hospital, after St Philip's Church became...
was built.
Demise
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
led to the first elected councils. Birmingham was incorporated in 1838 and the new corporation worked alongside the Street Commissioners.
In 1851, a new Birmingham Improvement Act gave Birmingham Corporation the functions of the Street Commissioners.
Sources
- Localhistories.org - A Brief History Of Birmingham
- 'Economic and Social History: Markets and Fairs', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham (1964), pp. 251-52.
- The Real History of Birmingham, Volume 2, J. P. Lethbridge, Newgate Press, 2002, ISBN 0-9512227-8-3
- Birmingham Buildings, The Architectural Story of a Midland City, Bryan Little, 1971, ISBN 0-7153-5295-4