Chapter XVII: Conclusion

There is now little or nothing further for me to say, save to put a tag to my small story, and make my little bow to my readers. Birmingham, like other modern enterprising centres, goes moving on "down the ringing grooves of change." The city means to forge ahead, and will not permit anything to impede its progress. Scaffolding seems more conspicuous than ever, and before the ink is dry upon my page, more old buildings will be down and more new buildings will be up. Since I began these chapters (which have appeared in _The Midland Counties Herald_ during the past months) some important, notable changes have taken place. For instance, the Birmingham Old Library in Union Street, associated with the names of many Birmingham worthies, has disappeared, and its site is occupied by the new City Arcades. That conspicuous landmark, Christ Church, with all its memories and curious belongings and characteristics, is now no longer to be seen. Old narrow streets are being widened, old buildings are bulging out, and large new buildings are being erected in all directions. The municipality have taken in hand some important housing schemes which may be advantageous to the working classes, and result in the erection of some of those new artisans' dwellings which, so far, have not been conspicuously numerous. In the meantime local debts go on merrily, or I should say seriously, swelling. Ratepayers have to be squeezed to find the necessary funds for the increasing outgoings; but best-governed cities in the world must pay a price for their advantages and pre-eminence, and the citizens thank the gods that they have men who will devote thought and energy to laying out public money, and fervently hope that this may be done wisely and well.

Some of our public men who are so ardent in forwarding new schemes and improvements can, of course, say that if these developments mean higher rates and growing assessments, they themselves have to bear their share of the burdens. This, of course, is so, but it must be owned that when we have a hand in spending large sums of money with the influence and importance that accompany the process, we pay our quota of the financial imposts if not cheerfully, at least without the grudging feeling of those who merely have to pay, pay, pay.

Gentle, and I trust forbearing, reader I have written my story, and have added to my iniquity by publishing it in book form, but I indulge a small hope that it may possibly interest a limited number of those who, like myself, have watched with their own eyes the rapid growth and almost amazing development of Birmingham during the last forty or fifty years. Writing almost entirely from my own observation and memory, I may have made some slips and mistakes, but I have tried to be careful and accurate, and have endeavoured to verify my facts and figures from authentic sources when possible. I therefore venture to hope that my errors are not very many, and not of any serious moment.

Writers, we know, are often prone to say that if their readers experience as much pleasure in reading their pages as the writers have had in writing them, the said readers will be rewarded for their time and pains. I am not going to repeat this pretty formula, I am rather inclined to say that if my readers experience my feeling that I have said enough, they will not be sorry to see these last words of my final page.

INDEX.

Artisans' Dwellings Act 3, 21 Aston Hull 5, 113 Assize Courts 120 Atkins, James 198 Attwood, Thomas 1

Barnett, J.F. 210 Big Ben of Westminster 177 Birmingham and Midland Institute 186 "B'ham Belgravia" 95 Birmingham Bishopric Scheme 75 _Birmingham Daily Gazette_ 126 _Birmingham Daily Mail_ 128 _Birmingham Morning News_ 126 _Birmingham Daily Post_ 125 _Birmingham Daily Press_ 123 Birmingham Old Library 223 Birmingham Workhouse 110 Board Schools 93 Bright, John 12, 52, 192 Brougham, Lord 188

Cambridge StreetWorks Schools 198 Chamberlain, Arthur 71 Chamberlain, Austen 65 Chamberlain, Herbert 72 Chamberlain, John Henry 49, 95 Chamberlain, Joseph 11, 32, 33 Chamberlain, Richard 70 Chamberlain, Walter 72 Christ Church, Birmingham 110 Church of the Messiah 76 Collings, Jesse 79 Costa, Sir Michael 212 Costa's "Eli" 206

Dvorak's "Requiem" 219

Edgbaston 90 Eld and Chamberlain 95 Elkington and Co. 145

Gas and Water Purchase 16 Gas Profits 57 Gillott's Factory 147 Giuglini 208 Glass Making 160 Goring Thomas 220 Gothic Houses 96 Great Tom of Lincoln 177 Great Western Railway Station 4

Handsworth 117 Harcourt, Sir William 47 Hector, Edmund 110 "Highbury" 64 Hobday, L.N. 182 Holtes 113

Improvement Scheme 20

Jaffray, Sir John 195 Jewellery Trade 151 Johnson, Dr. 110

Keep Bros. 202 Kenrick, W. 73 Kingsley, Rev. Chas. 190 King Street Theatre 109 Kossuth 186

Lablache 207 Lady Huntingdon's Chapel 108 Ladywood Lane 199

London and North-Western
Railway Station 3

Mario, Signor 206-7 Martin & Chamberlain 93 Modern Shopkeeping 29 Moilett and Gem 202 Moseley 115 Municipal Debt 14 Municipal Reforms 8 Muntz, G.F. 1

Nettlefold & Chamberlain 66 New Meeting House 75, 77

Old Birmingham Men 104 Old Square 110

Palmerston, Lord 52 Pearsall, Wm. 174 Pemberton and Sons 202 People's Park 187 Prince Consort 186 Prosperous Manufacturers 99 Pudding Brook 113 _Punch_ 52

Queen's Visit to Birmingham
in 1858 187

Rabone Bros. 202 Radicals and Royalty 61 Reeves, Sims 206 Richter, Dr. 217 Rigby, Vernon 214 Russell, Lord John 189

St. Martin's Bells 170 St. Martin's Church, Birmingham 177 Sandwell Park 118 Sanitary Improvements 15 Schnadhorst, F. 83 Sheffield 54 Smallwood and Sons 166 Steel Toy Trade 162 Stockley, W.C. 214 Sturge, Joseph 193 Sullivan, Sir Arthur 209

Taylor, S. Coleridge 220 Tea Drinking 170 Thackeray 190 "The Dream of Gerontius" 220 "The Elijah" 205 Timmins and Sons 162 Titieus, Mdlle. 213 Town Hall 109 Trebelli, Madame 213

Unearned Increment 97 Unitarians 74, 75

_Vanity Fair_ 51 "Vaughton's Hole" 113

Walker's (T.F.) Ship Logs 159 Welsh Water Scheme 58 Williams, Powell 81 Winfield and Co., R.W. 196 Winfield, John Fawkener 198 Wynn and Co. 162

"Yule Tide" 214

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