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.
Black Ivory. A tale among the slavers of East Africa by Robert M. Ballantyne (1825-1894)
Adventure stories, such as Black Ivory became a popular genre for boys in Victorian children’s literature. It was a genre which also reflected the growth of British power with the adventures opening up ...
Bookcase in University House
This bookcase stands in University House, Edgbaston and represents the love of books and learning demonstrated by Rose Sidgwick and Margery Fry. They had first met at Somerville College, Oxford, where ...
Faces and Places: John Suffield
John Suffield, ‘the liveliest… of the happy band of ninety-year olds’
[Submitted by Maggie Burns]
John Suffield of Birmingham lived to the grand age of ninety-seven. He was born in Old Lamb House, ...
Faces and Places: Thomas Ewart Mitton
Submitted by Maggie Burns, Birmingham Archives and Heritage
Thomas Ewart Mitton, called Ewart (his family name)in this article, born in April 1897, died young. Like most of his generation he enjoyed ...
James Bissett ( 1762?- 1832)
Submitted by Mike Hunkin, Birmingham Archives and Heritage
James Bisset was born in the city of Perth, Scotland, around the year 1762. Not a great deal is known about his early life and family background. ...
Revolutionary Poetry
This image shows the front cover of Pemane Inqlab- a collection of revolutionary poetry by Asar Hoshiarpuri (Jagmohan Joshi's pen name.)
Joshi's poems, all of which are written in Urdu, deal with ...
The House that Jack Built. A diverting story for children of all ages
The earliest books written specifically for children were educational. In the late 19th century children’s literature tended to be limited to the middle and upper classes. However with the development ...
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1866–1943)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was the first of twenty-two ‘little books’ written and illustrated by Potter, with many of them featuring her own pets—Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, and Samuel ...
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
This very popular children’s book was written by Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) in 1862-1863 as part of the campaign against climbing boys. The main character, Tom, is a little chimney sweep who drowns ...