History and Information on Lawley Street at Duddeston in Birmingham in the County of Warwickshire.
www.midlandspubs.co.uk
Some history of Lawley Street
More information on Lawley Street to follow. I probably created the page as I had a link to Lawley Street from another page. When building the site it is easier to place links as they crop up rather than go back later on. I realise this is frustrating if you were specifically looking for information on Lawley Street. There is information on Birmingham dotted around the website - click here for a suitable starting place. There is also a general page for Aston.
Street Scenes in Lawley Street
Genealogy Connections
If you have a genealogy story or query regarding Lawley Street you can contact me and I will post it here in addition to including your message within the website pages for Birmingham Genealogy.
Have Your Say
If you would like to share any further information on Lawley Street - perhaps you drank in one of the pubs in the past? Or maybe knew a previous publican running one of the boozers? Whatever the reason it would be great to hear of your stories or gossip. Simply send a message and I will post it here.
Related Newspaper Articles
"Shortly after twelve o'clock yesterday a shocking accident occurred in Lawley Street, whereby two men lost their lives, and another was
injured so badly that he is said to be beyond recovery. The London and North-Western Railway Company resolved some time ago to widen their line from Curzon Street to
Aston by laying down additional metals for the purpose of facilitating the traffic. The contract for the work was undertaken by Messrs. Nelson and Co., of Liverpool, who
subsequently sublet a portion of it to Mr. John Swift, contractor, 71, Winson Green Road. Part of Mr. Swift's engagement was to erect the piers for the extension of
the width of the heavy viaduct which spans Lawley Street, and is carried continuously towards Aston. Preparatory to the work being commenced on the Aston side of Lawley
Street a public house known as the Railway Tavern, which had been acquired by the railway company, was pulled down, about a fortnight or three weeks ago, by a dealer in
old building materials; but after the house was razed to the ground nothing was done to shore up the adjoining three-storey houses. This property, which belongs
to Mr. Colbert, of Kyott's Lake Road, consists of a void tenement fronting Lawley Street, numbered 172, and at its rear a house inhabited by a man named James Woolley
and his wife. Woolley's house forms a portion of Court 36, the whole of the houses in which belong to the same landlord. The character of the tenements is similar to
the ordinary class of small house property; but the buildings have become worn by age, and the party-wall which divided Woolley's house and the void residence
from the Railway Tavern was only four-and-a-half inches thick. The consequence was that a considerable amount of danger was risked in not leaving the houses
protected by means of shoring. On Monday morning Mr. Swift's men took possession of the Railway Tavern site, and commenced to lay in the foundations for the piers to
be erected for the support of the bridge; but no attempt was made to shore up the adjoining property. Yesterday morning sixteen men were employed in the work, either
as bricklayers or labourers. The majority were engaged on piers a short distance at the rear, but about twelve o'clock six were employed on the piers which were being
erected on the ground fronting the street. These six men were William Clews [40], bricklayer, 1, St. James's Place, Vauxhall Road; Harry Manning
[35], labourer, 71, Allison Street, Digbethț Paul Poole [42], bricklayer, 38, Angelina Street; W. Coton, bricklayer, Windsor Street; Alfred
Alldrick, labourer, Cromwell Street; and Jesse Barrow, labourer, I Upper Trinity Street. Near them was Mr. Swift himself, employed in removing a jamb from a chimney
breast which had remained attached to the wall. This labour necessitated a considerable amount of hammering, which loosened the gable wall from the foundation upwards.
The wall was suddenly heard to crack, and some pieces of plaster fell. The attention of the foreman who was working a short distance away, was attracted by the noise,
and he at once shouted to his fellow workmen who were employed at the foundations. Unfortunately the warning came too late, and the loud cracking noise of the wall
parting from the houses was immediately followed by a crash as the wall and chimney breast fell outwards on to the foundation of the piers. As soon as the workmen were
warned they endeavoured to escape, and Swift, Coton, Alldrick, and Barrow saved themselves by rushing to the rear; and others into the street. Unhappily the three
men - Clews, Manning, and Poole - were not so successful. They ran from the falling wall, but towards the wall of the viaduct with the result that there was no
chance for their escape. The gable end came down from top to bottom as clean as though it had been planed off, and several hundred-weight of bricks and mortar struck
down the three unfortunate men, and buried them in the ruins. The other workmen speedily ran to the rescue, and soon extricated their colleagues, whose injuries, it was
at once apparent, were of a grave character. The poor fellows were fearfully crushed, and their heads were terribly battered. Two gentlemen who were driving past at once
volunteered to take the injured men to the General Hospital. One was placed in each trap and driven off, and the third was conveyed in a cab. On arriving at the hospital
it was found that Manning was already dead. The other men were insensible, and an examination revealed the fact that Poole was suffering from a severe fracture of the
skull and other injuries; while Clews had sustained, in addition to scalp and other wounds, severe abdominal injuries. There was not the slightest hope of recovery
in either case, and although every attention was given the poor fellow Clews succumbed to the shock shortly before two o'clock. Information of the accident was taken
to Duke Street Police Station, and Police Sergeant Dowling [D8] and Police Constable Fletcher [D34] hurried to the scene, where they assisted in
maintaining order among the large crowd of people who were attracted to the spot by the screaming and shouting which followed the fall. Several people had exceedingly
narrow escapes of being injured. Two of the bricklayers who ran into the street were struck by falling masonry, but, fortunately, neither was seriously hurt. The
occupiers of the houses in the adjoining court were naturally considerably alarmed, and Woolley and his wife were especially terrified. Woolley, who is in the employ
of the Corporation, had a remarkable escape. He was asleep at the time of the accident, the head of his bedstead being against the wall. He was awoke by the screaming
of his wife and the falling of a number of bricks on to his bed. Fortunately the masonry found a resting place on either side of his head, and he personally was
uninjured. The fact, however, that the bedroom wall had completely vanished, and that his room was filled with bricks and mortar, so terrified him that he rushed
downstairs and into the yard. Mrs. Woolley was in the kitchen, when she was alarmed by the cracking of the plaster, and after calling to her husband she also escaped.
Part of the wall of the kitchen remained standing, but there is a huge gaping opening in one corner. For some time it was thought that Woolley's house would come
down, and Police Constable Fletcher, assisted by neighbours, removed the furniture, a portion of which was broken and damaged by the falling bricks and the goods were
stored in the houses of friends. Woolley and his wife say that they have been afraid the house would fall ever since the public house was pulled down, and they
communicated their fears to Mr. Swift and his workmen, but were assured there was no danger. The three men Clews, Manning and Poole are married, Clews being the father
of three children, and Manning four."
"Fall of Building in Lawley Street"
Birmingham Daily Post : January 17th 1889 Page 7
