Description:Produced when he was twenty-six, Town of Birmingham, John Kempson Surveyor, St Paul;s Square, Birmingham, Published January 1st 1808 is the only one of the four surviving isses of this map surveyed by him to bear a date. It is the first map to show the complete canal network around Birmingham in its true position. It is also the first map to show toll gates on Spring Hill, on the road to Dudley and on Great Hampton Street, on the road to Soho, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury. Sheep Street near Gosta Green is missing.
TOWN OF BIRMINGHAM JOHN KEMPSON 1808 MAP/384604
The following advertisement first appeared in Aris's Birmingham Gazette on December 28 1807
NEW PLAN OF BIRMINGHAM
JOHN KEMPSON, Land Surveyor, St. Paul's Square, respectfully informs his Friends and the Public, that on Friday next, January 1, 1808, will be published, Price 1s. 6d. a new and accurate PLAN of the TOWN of BIRMINGHAM; to which is attached, a LIST of the HACKNEY COACH FARES, allowed by the Commissioners.
The map has 21onorth of west at the top and the borders enclose an area 3.14km x 3.77km centred on the north side of Colmore Row between Church Street and Livery Street.
At the bottom left is a table of hackney carriage fares. Along the base of the map is printed, ‘Published January 1st 1808 by J. Kempson.’ and the cartouche in the bottom right states’John Kempson, surveyor, St Paul’s Square, Birmingham.
In 1808, at the age of 26, after serving an apprenticeship with his father Henry, a land surveyor with offices originally in Bath street and then later in Spring Hill, John Kempson set up on his own, in St Paul’s Square, as a ‘land surveyor, auctioneer and agent to the County Fire & Provident Life Offices.’
Trade directories tell us that by 1815 he had moved to Cherry Street but in November of that year a notice appeared in Aris’s Birmingham Gazette,
‘John Kempson respectfully informs his friends and the public, that he has removed his office from Cherry Street to the Timber Wharf, Saturday Bridge,.’
[Saturday bridge crossed the Birmingham Fazeley canal on the road to Dudley. The town end of the road, Congreve Street, was originally called Friday Street. Hence the bridge over the Newhall canal arm had been dubbed ‘Friday bridge’ and the later bridge on the same route ‘Saturday bridge.’ Congreve Street became Summer Row at Friday Bridge and Parade after Saturday Bridge]
By 1821, he had offices in St Pauls Square and New Street. His retained his New Street office, working with his son John from 1835 until his death 16 April 1846 at the age of 64.
The map has 58o west of north at the top and covers an area 3.14km wide by 3.77 km high centred between the north-east corner of St Philip’s and Colmore Row.
Kempson’s 1808 map shows extensive growth of the town from Sherriff’s maps with over at least 20 new buildings, and 30 new streets: in Hockley and the Jewellery Quarter; on both sides of Broad Street near to the canal; near the brewery off Newtown Row; and around the Digbeth branch of the canal. Strangely, it omits Sheep Street, near Gosta Green.
Pudding brook is shown on the map just to the south of Bromsgrove Street. Arising in Mr Wheeley’s Meadow, on the Birmingham/Edgbaston border just to the west of Bristol Road, it ran down Spring Vale across Bristol Road turned and ran north-east to the west of Sherlock Street. Just to the east of Pershore Street, beneath Bromsgrove Street, it crossed over another stream, flowing south by the Parsonage moat, before turning east to flow into the manor moat.
The other stream, ‘Dirty Brook’ is said to have risen in or near Wharf Street, flowed across Suffolk Street and Hill Street, down Vale Street and Dudley Street, through the Froggary, across the junction of Dudley Street and Edgbaston Street, passed the Parsonage Moat, crossed under Pudding Brook beneath Bromsgrove Street, flowed south-west parallel with Pudding Brook until Benacre Street then turned east to flow into the River Rea near Vaughton’s Hole.
Birmingham thus had the spectacle of two brooks flowing in opposite directions, barely 2 metres apart, for nearly 700 metres with a footpath running between them.
The synagogue in the Froggary, later renamed Little Colmore Street, appeared for the first time. Birmingham’s small Jewish community moved their place of worship in the following year, 1809, to the new synagogue, in Severn Street. The Jews burial ground can be seen on Granville Street, by the side of the Worcester canal.
It incorrectly shows Newhall Hill running from Graham Street opposite Frederick Street to meet George Street between Holland Street & Parade, an unidentified street from Newhall Hill to Graham Street/Mount Street, and an extension of Martin Street across Graham Street to the unidentified street.
Turnpikes appeared on the map for the first time with toll gates on Spring Hill, [Dudley turnpike,1771), and on Great Hampton Street [Wednesbury turnpike 1727]. By 1808 there had been about 3000 Turnpike Acts in Britain passed by Parliament covering some 15000 miles of road.