Staffordshire

Lichfield Grammar School, St John’s Street in the early 19th century. The school was originally located in… read more »

Lichfield’s Theatre was opened in Bore Street in 1790 and designed by James Miller. The playhouse was… read more »

Michael Johnson’s Bookselling premises on the corner of Market and Breadmarket Streets. Image from: T G Lomax,… read more »

The Crucifix Conduit built by the Conduit Lands Trust. The Trust was founded in 1546 and contributed… read more »

The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

William Hawkes Smith, Birmingham and its Vicinity as a Manufacturing and Commercial District (London and Birmingham, 1836).

William Hawkes Smith, Birmingham and its Vicinity as a Manufacturing and Commercial District (London and Birmingham, 1836).… read more »

In the mid eighteenth century Lichfield became a ‘city of philosophers’. With contributions from Dr Malcolm Dick… read more »

Dr Erasmus Darwin was at the heart of Lichfield’s rise as a centre of Enlightenment thought. Dr… read more »

ADVERTISEMENT. The following Poem was occasioned by a fact which had recently happened at the time of… read more »

Image: The Spon Lane Schools, Smethwick built by Chance Brothers, Glassmakers (1845) from an original design in watercolour.… read more »

Published in 1802, this Directory is one of the first written accounts of the pottery towns, Tunstall,… read more »

[from “Llangollen Vale with Other Poems”] ( 41 ) TO TIME PAST WRITTEN DEC. 1772. RETURN, blest… read more »

[from “Llangollen Vale with Other Poems”] (22) HERVA*, AT THE TOMB OF ARGANTYR A RUNIC DIALOGUE HERVA.… read more »

Image from: The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

Image from: The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

DUDLEY CHEESE FAIR. WHEREAS great Complaints have arisen from exposing of Cheese to Sale, and weighing the… read more »

The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

The New Illustrated Directory Entitled Men and Things of Modern England, 1858

Stebbing Shaw’s The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire (1798 and 1801) is a major source not only for the… read more »

Image: View of Lichfield Cathedral and part of the Close from Erasmus Darwin House. Image from: Erasmus Darwin House,… read more »

Image: Hyper-radial single flashing light. Typical Illustrations of the Lighthouse Work of Chance Brothers and Co. Limited Birmingham… read more »

Image: Photo taken mid 1950’s. It shows the Stonemason’s Shop with the stonemason, George Farnsworth is shown… read more »

Image: Photo taken about 1940. It shows the welding of a special metal button into a Cathode… read more »

Image: Photo taken about 1940. It shows the right foot of the glass blower ready to press the… read more »

Image: Photo taken during 1945-1946 during the demolition of Number 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses. The rectangular chimney… read more »

Image: Photo taken during 1945-1946 during the demolition of Number 3, 8 and 12 glasshouses. It shows the… read more »

Image from: Photo taken during 1945-1946 demolition. It depicts the glory hole which is integral to the rectangular… read more »

Image: Photos taken about 1950. The works fire brigade was formed in 1848 and this example of a… read more »

Image: Photo taken about 1940. The photo shows two full open pots after cooling and just prior to… read more »

Image: Photo taken about 1940. The same furnace as on photo 2. This shows an empty pot… read more »

Image: Photo taken about 1940. This two pot furnace accommodated 38” diameter covered pots. The furnace number is… read more »

Image: Matthew Boulton by C F Von Breda, 1792. Oil on Canvas. Boulton was the most famous of Birmingham’s… read more »

Image: Joseph Wright (1734-1797), Portrait of Erasmus Darwin (1792). Oil on Canvas. Image from: Wolverhampton Art Gallery Erasmus Darwin, who started… read more »

Image: Print of Samuel Johnson from John Jackson, History of the City and Cathedral of Lichfield (London, 1805). Image from: Local… read more »

Image: Stowe Pool, Lichfield from John Jackson, History of the City and Cathedral of Lichfield (London, 1805). In front of… read more »

Image: St John’s Hospital, Lichfield. Floyer based much of his evidence in his book, The Physician’s Pulse-Watch, from evidence… read more »

Image: South-west view of Lichfield, an eighteenth century print engraved by J Ryland and published in John Jackson, History… read more »

Image: Death of Catherine the Great. Double-headed eagle and bust of the monarch. 1796. Designed by Conrad Heinrich… read more »

Image: Medallion of the Hudson’s Bay Company. 1820. Designed by Conrad Heinrich Kuchler. An example of the high… read more »

Image: “Miss Seward”. John Jackson, History of the City and Cathedral of Lichfield(London, 1805). Anna Seward, the Lichfield poet… read more »

Image: “A Draught of the Curious Clock in the possession of Mr Ricd Green of Lichfield”, one of… read more »

Image: Portrait of Richard Greene. Stebbing Shaw, History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, Vol.1 (London, 1798). Image from: Local Studies and… read more »

Image: “An East View of the Cathedral Church of St Chad’s & Close of Lichfield; Taken from Stow-pool… read more »

Image: Soho Manufactory. William West, Picturesque Views… of Staffordshire(Birmingham, 1830). Engraving by T Radclyffe was based on a drawing… read more »

Text: Olga Baird Image: Russian Medallion to commemorate the erection of Peter the Great’s statue in 1773. Peter the… read more »

Image: An East View of the Cathedral Church and Close of Lichfield, taken from Stowe Pool, near St.… read more »

Image: Frontispiece from Llangollen Vale with other Poems by Anna Seward, London, Third Edition, 1796 Birmingham Central Library 5. Anna… read more »

Image: Engraving of Richard Lovell Edgeworth Birmingham Central Library 4. Anna Seward, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Thomas  Lichfield and… read more »

Image: Engraving of Erasmus Darwin M.D. Birmingham Central Library 3. Anna Seward and Erasmus Darwin 1756 saw the… read more »

Image: Samuel Johnson’s Birthplace, Lichfield Lantern Slide, Birmingham Central Library 2. Anna Seward and Lichfield Society So, how… read more »

Image: The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral Lantern Slide, Birmingham Central Library 1. Anna Seward and her World… read more »

Image: Dr Erasmus Darwin, doctor, scientist and poet and friend of Priestley in the Lunar Society. His Plan for… read more »

Image: Richard Lovell Edgeworth, member of the Lunar Society, inventor and writer. The educational publication, Practical Education was… read more »

Image: Lunar Society member, Thomas Day, humanitarian poet and writer, who tried to introduce Rousseau’s educational ideas into… read more »

Image: 18th Century Birmingham trade token (n.d.). H Biggs halfpenny with a bust of Dr Samuel Johnson and… read more »

Image: Death of Catherine the Great. Double-headed eagle and bust of the monarch. 1796. Designed by Conrad Heinrich… read more »

Image: Front page of Dud Dudley’s Metallum Martis (Reprint of 1665 edition) Text: Malcolm Dick Image from: Local Studies and History, Birmingham… read more »

Chance Brothers of Smethwick reassessed their manufacture of coloured and decorative window glass in the 1860s. In… read more »

Image: On the Lledr by David Cox Used with permission from Wolverhampton Art Gallery Summary: Wolverhampton Art Gallery contains a… read more »

Image: Tithe Map of Smethwick Image from: Birmingham City Archives Tithe maps mark the end of an era. From… read more »

Image: Key from map of Staffordshire, Phillips & Hutchings, 1832. Image from: Local Studies and History, Birmingham Central Library… read more »

DUDLEY, Anciently called DUDELEI IS situated at the northern extremity of the country; but the Castle belonging… read more »

Source: Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, Views of Ruins of Castles & Abbeys in England, Part 2, 1726-1739 (nd),… read more »

This is the earliest surviving print of Dudley Castle. An engraving on copper, it was produced by… read more »

A picturesque view of a gateway and ruins. Six Views of Dudley Castle, Drawn from Nature, and… read more »

This view of Dudley castle is taken from the same perspective as M Burgher in 1686. 200… read more »

The view of the Old Lime Quarry sets the distant castle within a geological and mining context.… read more »

A panoramic view of the Renaissance buildings at Dudley Castle. Six Views of Dudley Castle, Drawn from… read more »

Visitors to the Castle walk and relax in the grounds. An artist sketches in the foreground and… read more »

“This picturesque view of a medieval gateway and Renaissance ruins is the first image in Six Views… read more »

Dudley is one of the four Black Country boroughs, alongside Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Today, the town… read more »

In order to eliminate from the pig-iron the carbon and impurities with which, as it runs from… read more »

Twice in the course of every twenty-four hours the base of the furnace is opened, and the… read more »

The blast furnace, as the reader is probably aware, is allowed under ordinary circumstances to continue burning… read more »

Summary: The Black Country in the British Midlands was a distinct industrial district. It was incredibly rich in… read more »

Advertisement, Men and Things of Modern England… The New Illustrated Directory… (Birmingham, M Billing, 1856)

Source: Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, Views of Ruins of Castles & Abbeys in England, Part 2, 1726-1739 (nd), Arts, Languages… read more »

Image from: Picturesque Views and Descriptions of Cities, Towns, Castles, Mansions and other Objects of Interesting Features in… read more »

Source: Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, Views of Ruins of Castles & Abbeys in England, Part 2, 1726-1739 (nd), Arts, Languages… read more »

Source: Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, Views of Ruins of Castles & Abbeys in England, Part 2, 1726-1739 (nd), Arts, Languages… read more »

Source: Samuel & Nathaniel Buck, Views of Ruins of Castles & Abbeys in England, Part 2, 1726-1739 (nd), Arts, Languages… read more »

A respite during his Majesty’s pleasure has been received at Warwick, for Bartholomew Fisher, one of the… read more »

A Child left. WHEREAS on Friday Evening the 11th instant, a Male Child, supposed to be about… read more »

William Murdock: The Incomparable Mechanic William Murdoch (1754 -1839) was one of most creative and least known… read more »

Josiah Wedgwood: Industrialist Josiah Wedgwood was born in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent in 1730 into a family of long… read more »

Maria Edgeworth: Author and Educationalist Text: Kate Iles Image: Birmingham City Archives Maria Edgeworth was born in Oxford in… read more »

Richard Lovell Edgeworth: Inventor, Educator and Reformer In 1744, Edgeworth was born in Bath into a landowning… read more »

Thomas Day: Humanitarian and Reformer Thomas Day was born in 1748. His father was a landowner and… read more »

Samuel Johnson described Lichfield as a “city of philosophers” where Erasmus Darwinwas the most prominent of an outstanding group of… read more »

Erasmus Darwin: Doctor, Inventor, Poet and Educationalist Erasmus Darwin was born at Elston, near Nottingham, in 1731… read more »

Anna Seward: “Swan of Lichfield” Born in Derbyshire in 1742, Anna Seward was the daughter of Thomas… read more »