Birmingham Back to Backs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Birmingham Back to Backs |
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The courtyard behind the Back to Back Houses
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| General information | |
| Type | Houses |
| Architectural style | Back to Back Houses |
| Location | 50–54 Inge Street and 55–63 Hurst Street, Birmingham, |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′27″N 1°53′50″W / 52.4743°N 1.8972°W |
| Opened | 1840 |
| Owner | Owned by the National Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Red Brickwork with slate roofs |
The Birmingham Back to Backs are the last group of back-to-back houses left in the city. These special homes were built very close together around shared courtyards. They show us how thousands of people lived during the time when Britain's towns were growing fast due to new factories.
These houses were built in a unique way for British terraced housing. However, they were later seen as not good enough for healthy living. Because of a law passed in 1875, no more of these houses were built. Today, the Birmingham Back to Backs, located on Inge Street and Hurst Street, are a historic house museum. The National Trust takes care of them.
Many back-to-back houses, usually two or three floors high, were built in Birmingham in the 1800s. Most of them were in busy city areas like Ladywood and Aston. Even though many were in good shape, almost all of Birmingham's back-to-back houses were taken down by the early 1970s. The people who lived there moved to new council homes or flats.
Contents
History of the Houses
How the Land Was Used
By the late 1700s, different families owned the land where these houses now stand. The Inge family owned the land on one side of Inge Street. The Gooch family owned the land on the other side, where the back-to-backs were built. This piece of land was about 50 yards long and 20 yards wide.
In 1789, Sir Thomas Gooch rented the land to John Willmore, who made toys. They agreed that Willmore would build at least two large houses within a year. But Willmore didn't finish the work. So, other builders who came after him built Court 15 and the nearby Court 14. When John Willmore passed away, his sons Joseph and John Willmore split the land. This is why the houses ended up looking a bit different.
Building the Homes
Court 14 was finished in 1802 by Joseph Willmore, who worked with silver. It had six houses facing the street and eleven houses at the back, plus some workshops. This court was later taken down.
At the same time, John Willmore, a carpenter, built a house and workshop for himself. By 1809, the rest of the land had workshops for nail makers and coopers (barrel makers). There was also a place for old horses and donkeys. By 1821, one house at 50 Inge Street was changed into two back-to-back homes. More houses were built around 1830. The row of houses along Hurst Street was built in 1831.
Who Lived Here?
For most of the 1800s, workers from many different jobs lived in Court 15. These included button makers, glassworkers, tailors, and skilled people who made jewelry or small metal items. Many of them worked right from their homes. Over 500 families have called Court 15 home!
From the 1830s to the 1930s, the Mitchell family, who were locksmiths and bellhangers, lived in the court. They even used a workshop in the court for over 70 years.
In 1851, Joseph Barnett, a traveling jeweller, lived at 35 Inge Street with his wife and four children.
The houses were often very crowded, with whole families living in just one small home. For example, in 1851, Sophia Hudson, a widow who drilled pearl buttons, lived in one house with her five children and her mother. Ten years later, a glass eye maker named Herbert Oldfield lived in the same house with his wife and eight children! Even with little space, some families could afford to have a servant.
By 1900, the ground floors of some houses were turned into shops. You could find a bike maker, a hairdresser, a fruit seller, and a furniture dealer here. The upper floors of some shops were used as workshops instead of homes.
George Saunders, who came from St Kitts, opened his own tailor shop here. If you visit today, you can see his restored shop. A recording of George's voice plays inside, sharing his life story in Birmingham. This helps show the history of the Windrush generation.
Bringing the Houses Back to Life
In 1988, the court was given a special status to protect its history. This meant it was a Grade II listed building. In 1995, the city council started a project to study and record the houses.
The Birmingham Back to Backs were carefully fixed up by the Birmingham Conservation Trust. They opened to the public on July 21, 2004. A TV show was even made about their restoration! Each of the four houses is decorated to look like a different time period: the 1840s, 1870s, 1930s, and 1970s. You can only visit these houses by booking a guided tour.
How the Houses Are Designed
The court has three pairs of back-to-back houses on Inge Street and five houses on Hurst Street that don't have windows at the back. They form an L-shape. All the buildings have three floors, with one room on each floor.
Number 50 Inge Street, built first, is the tallest and largest house. It might have started as one big home, but it was used as two back-to-back houses for most of its life. The attic, for example, runs across both houses but was never divided.
The tunnel that leads into the courtyard is between 52 Inge Street and 54 Inge Street. Each pair of houses shares one chimney on the roof. The two back houses have a bay window to let in more light.
The back entrances to some houses on Hurst Street are reached through a very narrow tunnel from Court 15. Stairs on the back wall of each house led up to the first and second floors. These houses got light from windows on the Hurst Street side. They were heated by shared chimneys. All the houses on the street have shop fronts from the late 1900s, which replaced older ones.
Court 15 might have had a water pump in the courtyard at first. By the 1880s, there was one water tap for everyone. The brick yard has an open drain in front of the three back houses. In the 1930s, two washhouses and outdoor toilets were built in the courtyard.
Images for kids
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A pail closet, an early type of outdoor toilet.
