birmingham 1820's

[Lyndar]

My ancestor W.Selkirk lived at 5 Soho Hill Birmingham in the early 1800's. Would this have been a good area in which to reside?

[mazi]

You can see soho hill here. https://maps.nls.uk/view/101597708.

Top right corner of the map, although this is later 1800s.
If you move further down the right hand side of the map you will see the housing becomes much much more crammed in, so by the standards of the day I would say better than a lot of workers.

Mike

[hanes teulu]

Aris' Birmingham Gazette, 4 April 1825
ADVERT
"HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE, SOHO HILL, HANDSWORTH
To be sold by Auction ... upon the premises, Soho Hill, opposite Soho Park, ... a portion of the neat and genteel Chamber and Parlour Furniture, Piano-forte by Tomkisson, China, Glassware, Brewing Vessels, Kitchen effects &c, belonging to a Gentleman who is changing his residence ...".

Of course, he could have been leaving because the area was on the way down!!

[Lyndar]

Thank you hanes teulu and mazi,
If this was Mr. Selkirk, he moved to London, definitely not from necessity as he was a wealthy man.
I live a long way from Birmingham- are any of the original houses still on Soho Hill? I have a picture of one Rose Hill, which looks rather grand.

[jim1]

Soho Hill was an area lived in by the wealthy. Matthew Boulton lived there & his house still exists today.
In 1820 it would have been sparsely populated.
On this 1831 map it was at the time in the Parish of Aston Manor not B'ham.

[Lyndar]

Thank you Jim 1. 4 generations of William Selkirks worked as engravers etc. in Birmingham, having workshops in the Jewellery Quarter. Not all were as wealthy as this one! Lyndar