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The Shakespeare Tavern (Known as Bragg's Vaults) beneath the Theatre Royal, New Street,

Above - The Shakespeare Tavern, also known as Bragg's Vaults, situated beneath the Theatre Royal, New Street, Birmingham - Photograph held in the Birmingham Reference Library - Courtesy Lesley Close whose Great Great uncle, George D. Bragg, ran the Shakespeare Tavern in the 19th century, and whose obituary is reproduced below.

Death of Mr. George D. Bragg

Birmingham Daily Post, Friday January 12th 1900

Death removed yesterday a somewhat remarkable personage, and one of the oldest tradesmen in the city, in the person of Mr. George Davey Bragg, wine and spirit merchant, of New Street. Mr. Bragg, who was over ninety years of age, had been in failing health for some time, but until a month ago, when he had an attack of bronchitis, he regularly attended business.

Right - The Shakespeare Tavern, also known as Bragg's Vaults, situated beneath the Theatre Royal, New Street, Birmingham - Photograph held at the Birmingham Reference Library - Courtesy Lesley Close whose Great Great uncle, George D. Bragg, ran the Shakespeare Tavern in the 19th century.

Bragg’s Vaults, known officially as the Shakespeare Tavern, are situate under the Theatre Royal, and are of an old-fashioned character. The business was established by Mr. Bragg’s father, who, at an early age, took his son into partnership, and at his death, in 1851, at the age of seventy-four, the deceased gentleman had more money invested in the business than its founder.

Originally the business was entirely of a family character, and the customers who called and gave orders had a drink given to them. Such a reputation did this system secure, that customers took to calling without the excuse of an order, and paid for their drinks. A more retail business was consequently done, and a few years ago the quaint old tavern, with its cobwebs and dirty whitewashed walls, was a popular house of call with many of Birmingham’s leading tradesmen.

Above everything did the old man object to be interfered with, and his greatest enemy was the Health Inspector, who once a year, or less, insisted on the whitewashing of some of his cellars. As the little man of rather mean, if not shabby, exterior was driven away from his premises in a carriage of a long passage, drawn by a horse that matched it, no one would have suspected his great wealth or the fact that he was at one time a great dandy, and one of the most dashing horsemen of his day.

His real hobby was, however, shooting, and as a youth his pocket-money was spent in this pursuit. He was a man of remarkable activity, and until the last conducted the important work connected with his business. At eighty years of age, with a handful of dry biscuits in his pocket, he would tramp over the Welsh hills of his Moellogan estate and exhaust his keepers with walking; while, when close on ninety years of age, he bagged four brace of pheasants, a hare and a rabbit – ten kills out of twelve shots. To the last the old sportsman adhered to his muzzle-loader, and it was his love of shooting that led him to invest his capital in the way he did. For the
indulgence of his sporting proclivities, he also purchased estates in Gloucestershire and at Sutton Coldfield. He was a large landowner at Perry Barr, where he lived on the Birchfield Road. As indicated, Mr Bragg was of a quiet disposition, and never identified himself with public work. He never married, and had no close relations. His only sister married Mr. Samuel Hammond Turner, whose descendants are his nearest kin. The remains will probably be interred in the family vault at Great Barr, in which the bodies of his father and mother, taken from the catacombs of Christ Church, were recently placed.

Above text from the Birmingham Daily Post, January 12th 1900 - Courtesy Lesley Close whose great great uncle was George D. Bragg.

Lesley Close writes: 'The man mentioned in the last paragraph, Samuel Hammond Turner, is my great great grandfather. The remarkable thing is that he, the Mr Turner who married Mr Bragg's sister, died in 1841, almost 60 years before his brother in law, yet still merits a mention. As the article also mentions, George Bragg's father (also called George) ran the business before his son took over. George died in 1851 and documents from the time he was in charge suggest that the place of business was the Shakespeare Tavern beneath the theatre from very early on.' Lesley Close.