Advertisement placed by Cadbury in The Nursery World advising parents on how to prevent children suffering from war worries
Cadbury advertised their Bourn-vita drink as a nutritious product that would help children sleep and avoid war worries. Child psychologists and the general public were very concerned about the effects ...
Advertisements in Edgbastonia Magazine
This page from Edgbastonia offers clothing from head to toe: milliners Emilie Maison Francaise, ladies tailor Robert Speerli and Hodges bootmakers.
African Barkcloth Beater
This barkcloth beater, made from wood and horn, was collected in Africa by the traveller and diarist Helen Caddick, who lived in York Road, Edgbaston.
Analysis of Water from Gloster Cottage, 30 Metchley Lane
The Calthorpe Estate was still being developed during the 1880s as a comfortable retreat for the wealthy; but within its boundaries were many farms and small dwellings that pre-dated the Victorian expansion. ...
Ann Street School, Birmingham
Oil painting by Alfred H. Green (c.1822-?).
Past schooling is brought vibrantly to life in this painting. We can see infants sewing, reading, listening, watching, falling asleep, crying, putting on ...
Application Book of Middlemore Homes, 1903-1914 giving the reasons Henry was admitted
Henry is case number 2576. He was described as a ‘Healthy looking boy very ragged, Street Arab type’. Street Arab was a common derogatory term for poor children who roamed the streets.
Application of Alice Cumbley, Institution for the Blind, Birmingham
Alice Cumbley was at Birmingham Institution for the Blind in the early 1900s. The Institution kept detailed records for each child from admission to leaving.
Autobiography of Richard Bennett, chimney sweep, written for the Birmingham Association for the Suppression of Climbing Boys
In the 1830s John Cadbury led a campaign in Birmingham against the employment of climbing boys. He called a meeting of all the sweeps in the town and tried to convince them to use machines instead. He ...
Baby sitting in a pram
Back-to-back slum house, near Watery Lane, Small Heath, Birmingham.
Belgian refugees at Moor Green House, Moseley
Birmingham and District War Refugees Committee, Register of Belgian refugees
During World War 1 thousands of refugees escaped from war-torn Belgium and many settled in Birmingham. The Birmingham War Refugees Committee chaired by Elizabeth Cadbury found work for adult refugees, ...
Birmingham Blue Coat School Boys
The Blue Coat School stood at the east end of St Philip’s churchyard. It was founded as a charity in 1723 to board and educate the children of the poor. Boys and girls were taught to read, write and do ...
Birmingham Blue Coat School Girls by Sir Benjamin Stone
The children were clothed in distinctive blue uniforms. The photographs are particularly important as the names of the children are included. These can be cross referenced with the other school records. ...
Birmingham Boys and Girls Union Report
The caption underneath this photograph of boys who attended the junior boys club organised by the Birmingham Boys and Girls Union illustrates the anxieties that many middle-class reformers had about working-class ...
Birmingham Bus Crew Member
This photograph was taken some time after Birmingham City Transport abandoned it’s ‘colour bar’ in 1954 (see 'Transport Workers in South-West Birmingham'). Immigrants often chose to record their status ...
Birmingham City Council Improvement Committee Minutes
The appointment of the Improvement Committee in July 1875 marked the earliest initiative by the City Council to tackle Birmingham’s slums. The originator of the scheme was the mayor, Joseph Chamberlain, ...
Birmingham City Transport Report
Recruitment in Eire 1951
This report reflects a major aspect of Birmingham’s dependence on immigrant labour in the 1950s and beyond.1 Key sectors became associated with the Irish workforce, including ...
Birmingham Mail Charity Boots
From 1889 the Birmingham Mail newspaper ran a Christmas appeal. One of the causes it supported was buying boots for poor children who would otherwise go barefoot. The first distribution of boots was made ...