Description:The fourth and final issue of Kempson’s town plan bears the legend TOWN OF BIRMINGHAM JOHN KEMPSON SURVEYOR & Land Agent BIRMINGHAM but again no date. The gas works (Gas Street), New Union Mill (Mill Street) and the Union brewery (St Peters Place) were all completed by 1817. The Manor House has been removed and the moat filled in (1815-1816), St Martins Place, St Peters Row and Cambridge Street are named, Mill Street has appeared and finally Sheep Street has been added. This map post-dates the 1818 3rd issue. The additions shown on this map when compared to other contemporary [dated] maps suggest a date of c.1819.
TOWN OF BIRMINGHAM JOHN KEMPSON c.1819 MAP/308391
The cartouche on the bottom right of the 4th issue of Kempson’s town map reads ‘JOHN KEMPSON SURVEYOR & Land Agent BIRMINGHAM’ but no date appears anywhere on the map.
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.
The 4th issue shows changes and additions to the 3rd issue. Regents Place is shown in it’s correct position but not labelled. The manor moat and it’s buildings, removed in 1815-1816, are no longer shown but Sheep Street which should have been there from issue 1 has been added but Miss Colmore’s canal arm is still omitted.
Additions can be seen along Broad Street. Between Cambridge Street, now labelled, and Broad Street, the Union Brewery, built in 1817, is first shown and St Peter’s Row and St Martin’s Place are labelled as such for the first time. On the opposite side of Broad Street, across a street [Gas Street] from the Worcester canal, the Gas Works, built in 1817, is shown. Further along Broad Street, off Sheepcote Lane, between a new unlabelled street [Mill Street] and the canal, a new steam-driven flour-mill, the New Union Mill, built in 1816-1817, is shown.
Comparison with other contemporary dated maps [see map 19 & map 22] suggests a date of circa 1819, however a copy in Warwick County Record Office (CR1086/6) has been dated as 1820.