Samuel Holme (1801-1872) was born in the centre of Liverpool to parents of limited means. His grandfather was an orphan who had been brought up as a market gardener in Kirkdale, a near-by village by relatives. His father trained as a bricklayer and gained a reputation for the quality of his work. Samuel followed the same trade and showed considerable initiative and enterprise in developing a business, initially bricklaying but ultimately as a contractor and civil engineering concern which at one stage was the biggest employer in Liverpool.
Samuel became the main contractor for the building of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool when the initial contractor became bankrupt. To build such an edifice might be considered now to be a pinnacle of achievement but to use Samuel’s own words he could ‘never look at St. George’s Hall with any pleasure’ owing to all the problems it brought him. Another of his achievements was the initial building work on the railway works at Crewe which was, as he writes, ‘nothing but green fields, with here and there a scattered cottage for a considerable distance’.
During his life he was a member of the town council and an alderman. He was elected mayor of Liverpool 1852, an honour which brought him considerable delight. He was also responsible for the development of Rivington Pike as a source of water for Liverpool, a topic which was a source of major political debate and much acrimony at the time.
This handwritten autobiography, which comprises three volumes and over 500 pages, has been handed down in Samuel’s family over the years and only recently it has been transcribed. It reveals a fascinating story, not only of family origins but also descriptions of Liverpool in 1809 and revealing details of his experiences with the schools of the day. He describes building, banking and election practices in the early part of the nineteenth century together with his experiences of some of the major events of that period. Particularly revealing is his description of a journey through France and Italy in 1823, only a decade after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.
Samuel became the main contractor for the building of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool when the initial contractor became bankrupt. To build such an edifice might be considered now to be a pinnacle of achievement but to use Samuel’s own words he could ‘never look at St. George’s Hall with any pleasure’ owing to all the problems it brought him. Another of his achievements was the initial building work on the railway works at Crewe which was, as he writes, ‘nothing but green fields, with here and there a scattered cottage for a considerable distance’.
During his life he was a member of the town council and an alderman. He was elected mayor of Liverpool 1852, an honour which brought him considerable delight. He was also responsible for the development of Rivington Pike as a source of water for Liverpool, a topic which was a source of major political debate and much acrimony at the time.
This handwritten autobiography, which comprises three volumes and over 500 pages, has been handed down in Samuel’s family over the years and only recently it has been transcribed. It reveals a fascinating story, not only of family origins but also descriptions of Liverpool in 1809 and revealing details of his experiences with the schools of the day. He describes building, banking and election practices in the early part of the nineteenth century together with his experiences of some of the major events of that period. Particularly revealing is his description of a journey through France and Italy in 1823, only a decade after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.
