Description:: This Plan of Birmingham, survey’d in the Year 1795, was sculpted (engraved) and published Sepr. 11 1795 by C. Pye, Birmingham. New building was in decline by 1793. A few new streets and street extensions are shown to the west of Great Hampton Street, beyond the canal to the east of Walmer Lane [Newtown Row] and by the Digbeth branch canal terminus where it was joined by the new Warwick Birmingham canal.
Plan of Birmingham surveyor unknown 1795 MAP/331752
This Plan of Birmingham, survey’d in the Year 1795, was sculpted (engraved) and published Sepr. 11 1795 by C. Pye, Birmingham and appeared as a fold-up insert in Pye’s Birmingham Directory 1795. Despite the existence of later maps it was also used in some versions of the third reprint of the third edition of William Hutton’s History of Birmingham in 1806 and in the fourth edition published in 1809.
Although Charles Pye took credit for engraving the plates and publishing the two maps he made no reference to their surveyor. After trying his hand at such diverse careers as watch-making, tax collection and selling wine Charles Pye, at the age of 36, set up as a publisher. Beginning with a New Directory of Birmingham in 1785, he produced further editions in 1787, 1788, 1791, 1795, 1797 and 1800 on four occasions including maps. For the several books on provincial copper coins and tokens and on medals which he published he engraved all of the illustrations using his own extensive numismatic collection.
As with the 1792 plan this map has 3o East of North at the top and the borders enclose an area of 3.7km x 2.7km centred on the south-east side of Colmore Row, opposite Livery Street.
The map clearly uses the same plate as the 1792 map with new streets added with minimum effort for the engraver, i.e. without no attempt to erase the edge lines at their junction to existing streets
The building boom which had started in the 1780’s and reached its peak between 1790 and 1792 was in decline by 1793 following the outbreak of the war with France. Despite this a handful of new streets appear for the first time on this map.
In the High Town a Stamp Office opened in Cherry Street, not selling postage stamps but collecting stamp duty.
Hockley Street extended across Great Hampton Street and across a new street Branston Street, built on Inge land.
Between Walmer Lane or Newtown Row and Aston Road (the road from Lichfield), beyond the canal, a network of new streets was laid out beyond the Britannia Brewery with the as yet unnamed Brewery Street and Manchester Street, Blews Street, Pritchett Street and New John Street.
In July 1795 Gooch land was sold to the Warwick and Birmingham canal company. The map shows the termination of their canal at the Digbeth branch of the Birmingham Fazeley canal. New streets were laid out near the junction: the as yet unnamed Banbury Street, and Andover Street. Fazeley Street is shown extending across the river Rea passing Cooper’s mill and crossing Cooper’s Mill Lane [Heathmill Lane]. Another new street, Alison Street, crossed between Digbeth and Bordesley Street