A woman and a boy stand in a yard of dilapidated back-to-backs in Thomas Street in about 1882. These houses were soon to be cleared as part of the Birmingham Improvement scheme and show the dreadful conditions highlighted 33 years before by Robert Rawlinson in his report that also emphasised the need for public parks in Birmingham. Photos are from Carlís latest book, ëFree Parks for the People. A History of Birminghamís Municipal Parks, 1844-1974í (Brewin Books).Carl Chinn Mail July 7 2012