The Acorn at 32 Temple Street dated from 1750. Its first known owner was a Mrs Rawley, a widow, who with her death in 1766 was succeeded by Charles Friend. John Roderick, an auctioneer, bought the house in 1824. He purchased the premises next door too, and the Acorn Inn became the Acorn Hotel. Roderick kept the house until 1832, when his brother-in-law, Thomas Chambers, a former draper in Bull Street, took over. Later licensees include William Evans, a former footman to Birminghams first MP, Thomas Atwood. Thomas Prideaux followed him as licensee in I851. He opened the Acorn Vaults in the rear of the hotel, facing onto Needless Alley. These same Vaults were updated from the drawings of architect William Hale from plans prepared by him on 8 August 1878. James Clements, another auctioneer, took over the hotel from Prideaux, expanding into 33 and 331/2 Temple Street. Local historian Eliezer Edwards, in his Old Taverns of Birmingham, wrote of the Acorn: ONE of the most pleasant of the old taverns, the Acorn, in Temple Street, now in the centre of the busy life of modern Birmingham was, in its early days, in the very outskirts of the town. The east side of that street WaS occupied by a continuous line of houses, having gardens s running back to Needless Alley. On the opposite side, near the bottom, there was built in Queen Annes time, a stately Mansion, which forty or fifty years ago was the residence of the great Whig politician Joe” Parkes. Part of it remains, and is used as offices. From this point this street for SOme distance was open to the fields, but there were a few houses near the top, and at the corner, on the site of the Clarendon, there was another old tavern, the Globe. Between the roadway and the footpath, on the West side of Temple Street, was a row of trees from New Street to the top. From the hospitable doorway of the Acorn the eye looked across the fields, which then existed where Waterloo Street now stands, to the Coney Grove, which gave its name to Congreve Street, and whose site, where the the rabbits hid in the thickets, is now occupied by the Council House. Beyond, a little to the left, was a glorious landscape rising gradually until it culminated in the tree-covered heights of Warley and the Lightwoods. From the tree tops opposite was heard the Song of the throstle and the blackbird, whilst through the open windows of the Acorn came the sweet breath of the bean blossoms from the fields on Bennetts Hill, or the fragrant odour of newly made hay, borne by the westerly from the pleasant park of the Colmores, of the New Hall. No country Inn of modern days looks upon a more luxuriant landscape than then lay before the old house known as the Acorn, in Temple Stret In alcoves and harbours of the garden at it’s back sat, in summer evenings, the quiet and steady going lorimers and buckle makers, who, as they solemny smoked their long pipes, talked over business with London or Bristol merchants, or arranged a barter with a chapman from Hull or Liverpool. Before the floor was lowered, the height of the smoking room was only seven or eight feet. It was lighted at night by candles, one of which, with its necessary accompaniment, a pair of snuffers, stood on each table. The candlesticks in which they were placed were nearly two feet high. When the tall candles which were used were first lighted the flames reached to within a short distance of the ceiling. When there were a dozen or twenty smokers at work the atmosphere of the low room was so dense that it was not easy to distinguish the features of those who sat far away. In Mr Rodericks time he always sat in the centre chair at the top of the room, the table which stood there being distinguished by having two candles. At eight oclock of every evening, except Saturday and Sunday, silence was called, and he proceeded to read aloud the most interesting items of the London evening papers of the previous day. Saturday was excepted because on that evening there was what was then called a free-and-easy.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:48:56 +0000