Alongside our archive collection of the British Women’s Temperance Association (BWTA), we also hold records for the Birmingham Temperance Society (BTS), dating back to the formation of the society in 1830. Members of one temperance organisation were often linked to another and it is through these connections that we came to receive this collection.
Recently, I had the opportunity to take a closer look at some of the earliest records we have for the BTS, following an enquiry from New Zealand looking into their family history. It was very satisfying to be able to confirm that this family member had been a member of the Society with a document coming to light showing his signature from the 1850’s.
Whilst retrieving documents for this enquiry, I have uncovered more information about the formation of the Birmingham Temperance Hall Company Limited set up by members of the BTS in 1857, in order to finance the construction of a new temperance meeting hall for the society. The society had been using hired rooms before securing a permanent meeting place in premises in Ann Street (now absorbed into Colmore row), but meetings were becoming overcrowded and they needed more space to accommodate the growing number attending these temperance meetings.
The Shareholder’s Register for the Temperance Hall Company lists Horatio Thomas Whittle – Surgeon, as one of the original founding shareholders. He is recorded as being one of the earliest abstaining doctors in the city. Other shareholders included a steel toy manufacturer, shoemaker, tailor, brass founder and Gutta Percha manufacturer (a type of natural rubber – he was probably manufacturing products made of Gutta Percha). The numerous share documents provide a real insight into the varied trades and industry taking place in Birmingham during the mid 1800’s.
Image from ‘The Builder’ 24th March 1860
Eventually the BTS found a suitable site for the building of a new temperance hall in Upper Temple Street, and designs were produced by the architect Henry Richard Yeoville Thomason. He produced a grand and elaborate design for this moderately small building on Temple Street and later went on to design the classically styled Council House in Birmingham, which was built from 1874.
Tenders were invited for the construction work and the lowest tender from Mr Job Browning of Ormond Street at £2099 was accepted. The building tenders (shown below) are held in the collection.
The new hall was opened on October 14th, 1858, and this early photograph appears to show that the design was followed through, albeit with some apparent differences to the ornamental appearance of the roof line. We can also see a man standing in front of the drinking fountain to the right of the main doorway. This fountain although in the original design, seems to have been added a little after construction.
Newspaper articles from 1859 record that ‘A very elegant drinking fountain has been erected at the entrance to the Temperance Hall.’ It was described as being of stone with beautiful polished granite columns and added ‘greatly to the beauty of the building.’ With so many pubs in the city, this fountain would have provided drinking water to the passer by, as an alternative to the temptation of the pub.
A report from 1862 records that the total cost of the building was £3298 17s 5 ½d, having been raised by a mortgage, debentures, donations, and fundraising.
The hall was not utilised solely by the Temperance Society for lectures and meetings, it was also recognised as a public assembly hall with space to be let, when other buildings in the town were either too big or too expensive. With concerns about so many young people walking about the streets on a Saturday and Sunday and with only the Public House for entertainment, the Temperance Hall was also opened for Lantern Lectures and Sunday Hymn Services.
Forty years on from its construction at the beginning of the 20th Century, the building was deemed as out of date and although there was a plan to sell the hall and build a new central one, this idea never came to fruition and it was decided to modernise the existing building. This included a new elevation, rebuilding of the back premises and a new interior. The new modernised version was opened on 14th October 1901 by the Mayor, Joseph Chamberlain.
The building continued to be used for concerts and meetings of the society and by other temperance organisations and it was also used extensively for various public purposes including concerts, meetings, and lectures. Even national artistes and entertainers came to the hall, such as Catlin’s Royal Pierrots and Billy Manders and the Quaintesques, alongside local celebrities.
This entertainment aimed to provide an attractive alternative to the liquor shops but society was changing with the coming of the cinema and broadcasting, and declining numbers of concerts and meetings meant falling patronage. The First World War and its aftermath brought about further changes and along with newer forms of entertainment the concerts could no longer reach the success of the earlier years.
New government legislation also came into force, meaning that a substantial amount of money would be needed in order to bring seating, lighting, and safety precautions etc up to regulation. In 1931 with these difficulties prevailing, the building was sold to Birmingham Law Society and the BTS only occupied offices in the building, just as tenants. When that office lease expired, the BTS purchased a building in Mansell Road, Small Heath which served as the office and Secretary’s residence. The BTS continued their temperance work well past their 150th year in 1980, eventually ceasing in the new millennium.
So what became of the building in Temple Street? The building does still exist, but is virtually unrecognisable from its ornate beginnings as a temperance hall in the 1850’s. It would be easy not to take a second glance as you walk past it, but for the right hand elevation of the building into Temple Passage.
The four arches reaching up to the roof line as seen in the older images of the hall, are still visible as a reminder of its earlier life. The Birmingham Law Society signage can also be seen above the front left hand door. There may have been some major alterations but a ghost remains of the impressive building it once was.
The building along with the archive records are tangible reminders of the temperance movement in Birmingham. Although it is a far cry from the days of the original gin palaces, the damage caused by drink is ever present and there is real irony in the fact that a bar and restaurant now occupy this building….
Interior image of the Temperance Hall – https://brumphotoarchive.co.uk/image/6603/Temperance_Hall_Temple_Street