n. The favourite
seat of the two friends was in the temple-like summer-house, near the
large pool in Mr. Quilter's pleasant grounds. The village of Aston was
as country-like as if located twenty miles from a large town. Perry
Barr was a _terra incognita_ to most Birmingham people. Erdington,
then universally called "Yarnton," was little known, and Sutton
Coldfield was a far-off pleasant spot for pic-nics; but, to the bulk
of Birmingham people, as much unknown as if it had been in the New
Forest of Hampshire.

Broad Street was skirted on both sides by private houses, each with
its garden in front. Bingley House, where the Prince of Wales Theatre
now stands, was occupied by Mr. Lloyd, the banker, and the fine trees
of his park overhung the wall. None of the churches now standing in
Broad Street were at that time built. The first shop opened at the
Islington end of the street, was a draper's, just beyond Ryland
Street. This was started by a man who travelled for Mr. Dakin, the
grocer, and I remember he was thought to be mad for opening such a
shop in so outlandish a place. The business is still carried on by
Mr. D. Chapman. Rice Harris then lived in the house which is now the
centre of the Children's Hospital, and the big ugly "cones" of his
glass factory at the back belched forth continuous clouds of black
smoke. Beyond the Five Ways there were no street lamps. The Hagley
Road had a few houses dotted here and there, and had, at no distant
time, been altered in direction, the line of road from near the
present Francis Road to the Highfield Road having at one time curved
very considerably to the left, as anyone may see by noticing the
position of the frontage of the old houses on that side. All along
the straightened part there was on the left a wide open ditch, filled,
generally, with dirty water, across which brick arches carried roads
to the private dwellings. "The Plough and Harrow" was an old-fashioned
roadside public-house. Chad House, the present residence, I believe,
of Mr. Hawkins, had been a public-house too, and a portion of the
original building was preserved and incorporated with the new portion
when the present house was built. Beyond this spot, with the exception
of Hazelwood House, where the father of Rowland Hill, the postal
reformer, kept his school, and some half-dozen red brick houses on the
right, all was open country. Calthorpe Street was pretty well filled
with buildings. St. George's Church was abou