The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-27 00:00:00

A MIDLAND CRYSTAL PALAO E.

BIRM 111 C II TUESDAY. —A. project (originating with
Mr. Samuel Beale, the deputy-chairman of the Midland
Railway Company) has been started for erecting in
Sutton Coldfield-park, a public edifice after the plans of
and for similar purposes to those of the New Crystal
Palace at Sydenham, and moreover there appears to be
every probability of its success. A very numerous and
most influential meeting of magistrates, merchants, and
manufacturers of the borough, at which the Mayor
presided, was held at the public office this morning,
when the proposal of Mr. Beale was fully discussed and
unanimously approved. Sutton-park, by road, is about
seven miles from Birmingham, or nearly half-way
between this town and Lichfield. It is proposed
that the corporation of Sutton, in whom the park
is vested, shoull convey at a nominal rental,
for a period of 999 years, 200 acres of land—
the park being a beautiful tract of several thou-
sands, unoccupied and useless, except for the grazing of
a few cattle—on the condition that the corporation of
Birmingham should erect an ample and magnificent
building for the reception and accommodation of the
people of Birmingham and the surrounding districts,
and as a repository for the exhibition of specimens of
the manufactures and artistic works of the midland
counties ; the property to be vested in the corporation
of Birmingham, but the inhabitants of Sutton, who
would be largely benefited by the establishment of the
institution, to enjoy the same privileges as those of Bir-
mingham. It was understood that if the project was
adopted by the corporations of the two towns, the Mid-
land Railway Company would, in all probability, con-
struct a branch line from their station at Broomford-
forge, and thus provide, at nominal rates, an easy
and ready access from Birmingham to Sutton. The
distance would be less than from the centre of Lon-
don to Sydenham. Mr. Beale, Mr. C. Shaw, Mr.
Muntz, M.P., and other gentlemen who addressed the
meeting, argued that provision for the recreation and
instructive information of the working classes of Bir-
mingham and its neighbourhood was absolutely re-
quired, but that, in consequence of the high price of
land, it was impossible to obtain it immediately con-
tiguous to the town. The leading gentlemen of Sutton
had intimated their wish to enter cordially into the pro-
posed scheme, and Mr. Muntz advised that the men and
corporation of Birmingham should "strike while the
iron was hot," and secure the great advantages now
presented to them. It was calculated that a rate of a
halfpenny in the pound would pay the outlay, and re-
deem the building in twenty years ; but the general
.
opinion was, that the receipts would be more than suffi-
cien to pay the outlay and management within that
period, to say nothing of the excellent moral effect it
would in the meantime produce upon the neighbouring
population. A deputation, consisting of the mayor, Mr.
P. H. Muntz, Mr. B. Baldwin, Mr. Beale, and Mr. H.
Smith, was appointed to confer with the inhabitants of
Sutton, and to put the matter into such a shape that it
might be clearly and definitely placed before the corpo-
rations of that town and Birmingham. Votes of thanks
were then passed to Mr. Beale and the mayor, and the
meeting separated.