UK – Birmingham

Birmingham, UK

The city at the centre of the UK industrial heartland. To some not a pretty city due to its industrial, working past.  Now that the past history is being reworked into community sites and historical buildings, a new type of tourism is emerging – one of industrial heritage. Visit the city centre canal area, see the barges and waterways next to the restored industrial buildings and watch as the city centre is emerging out of decades of remodelling and restoration to create a vibrant new outlook. There are numerous great museums here but my favourite is the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and its variety of artworks. Don’t miss the central churches either that tell an important story of the growth of the city.

Birmingham – why blog on this city?

This is my first post on a UK city so will be interesting for me to complete.

It feels weird to be reporting on a place that is literally down the road from me, rather than several thousand miles away. No passport, airport security and plane boarding required. I jumped into my car and was there within 2 hours – again a weird feeling!

What angle am I going to take on this city. I’ve been here several times over the last few years and it has never been a focus of interest for a blog post for me – am I missing something, is the city too bland, is convenience and close association blurring my judgement???

I always remember living in London for 12 years. My mother wanted to come visit me for the first time (she was not a great traveller) and I wondered what we could do apart from the normal catch up and chit chat. I asked her if there was anything she wanted to see here and she said she definitely wanted to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.

At first I had to think if they were really in the Tower as my mum indicated – probably a tourist visiting from Asia or the Americas would know better than me. I looked them up and yes, indeed they were in the Tower of London ….now how do I get to the Tower …….?

That always reminds me of the fact that when you live so close to something it goes off the radar of importance. To me London was just another working city of sights I saw every day, that many tourists save up for months to get tickets to see – they held little interest due to their normality.

The same thing is true for this blog. Birmingham is just down the road, metaphorically speaking. Why would this be an interesting blog post for me compared to the delights of Singapore, the Temples of Tokyo, or even the Roman ruins of Jerash in Lebanon …. I had to get a perspective on the local (to me) city or the post seemed unprintable.

I thought long and hard and came to the realisation that there is so much about the city that I just took for granted. It has a medieval history (none remains), was once one of the biggest conurbations in the world (Victorian Industrial Revolution days), equipment made here eg cutlery, locomotives, steel engines and cotton products ended up around the world. It has a grand history but can I portray this in a blog?

It is the second largest city in the UK – 4 million in its greater urbanisation at the last count and yes, in hindsight it does contain some lovely buildings (old and new), artworks and has a unique history that’s unlike many others, ie its industrial heritage.

A little history lesson on Birmingham

Where does its name come from? Well that’s a simple one. In Old Anglo-Saxon English it was called the “town of the Beormingas tribe”, thus  Beormingaham. (ham =town) – it really hasn’t changed much in name since.

Although there are vague origins of settlement in the area 8000BC and a Roman Fort and roads nearby in 48AD it was relatively uninhabited. It was first known as a medieval town from 1166 and fairly unimportant as it grew in its market town status. By 1327 it was large enough to be of importance as a trading and agricultural centre.

In the 1500s forges and iron furnaces were in abundance and its manufactured iron goods were being exported nationally and even abroad.

It was a centre of anti-parliamentarian action in the English Civil war and by now,it was now a major population, cultural and and industrial centre.

If we jump forward to the 1700s we see its industrial base explode and it flourished enormously. By 1720 it was the 5th biggest UK city. Inevitably this lead to its scientific, musical, political and literary fame in the 1800s – seemingly the city was still on a roll that was to make its name world famous

The UK was then entering into its period of industrialisation and Birmingham rapidly became a centre of manufacturing factories and a major contributor to the Industrial Revolution in the UK

Railways, canals, mills, commercial inventions, financial institutions (Lloyds Bank was founded here) etc, etc abounded – what Birmingham at the time didn’t have was not worth mentioning (apart from the abject poverty and inequality that mass industrialisation brought with it).

Jump forward further to WW2 and the story continues with mass aerial bombings and destruction. Many of its famous and, dare I say, infamous landmarks, rose from the ashes of this destruction in the 1960-70s.

Today a modern city has arisen with the usual trappings of an international airport, huge shopping malls, international conglomerates and major road communications. This and more gives Birmingham an interesting perspective as a “old meets new” city…… Its skyline is still developing.

What to see in Birmingham in a day.

Small enough to see its city centre in a day but too big to see the more outlying areas of the conurbation.

Lets start with some of the older parts of the city first. Not much remains pre 1700 – remember it went through such a period of rapid industrialisation that many buildings were torn down to make way for the factories and mills of the 18th and 19th century. These factories are now much of the focus of the historical context of the city but there are some prime administrative and civic buildings left.

St. Philip’s Cathedral Birmingham.

It was founded in 1715, when the nearby previous major church became too small for the number of worshippers in this growing city, It was consecrated only as a church and remained so until 1905, when it officially became the Cathedral for the city. It is actually one of the smallest Cathedrals in the UK.

It was extensively damaged during WW2 but its famous stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones had been removed in advance of the destruction. They are now proudly back in place for all to see.

The tower was completed after the main body of the building in 1725.

The interior is styled in keeping with the Baroque influences of the time. The nave has two equally long side aisle with classical columns supporting arches and capitals on either side  The altar area has resplendent decorative marble columns with heavy corniches.

There is an upper gallery of wooden seating above each side aisle. White and gold is very much the colour scheme of the interior.

The thing to see here are the stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones. As I said, they were removed at the start of WW2 to prevent them being destroyed if the Cathedral was bombed (fortuitous action as it was bombed and gutted).

Their bright blues, whites and reds light up the interior on a sunny day. If a decorative photo of the day is needed, here are the windows that will provide it!

The flower decorations at the entrance were particularly stunning and warranted a photo in themselves.

No doubt this display changes every week but it was too creative to give it a miss.

A walk down Waterloo Street – a long side street – will take you to the next place I wanted to visit, i.e. Victoria Square, housing two of the cities iconic buildings

City Hall

This is the seat of local government for the city and actually governs the largest area of any council in the UK.

The building dates from 1879 and was built in a palatial classic design of Corinthian columns, large rectangular windows and an impressive central portico, all in local cream limestone.

Above the main entrance, which faces Victoria Square, is a large mosaic and above that, the pediment shows Britannia receiving the manufacturers of Birmingham. More than a nod indeed to the wealth creators of the city.

Old Town Hall (Concert Hall)

The building dates from 1834 and is one of the most impressive examples of Roman Revival civic architecture  It was the meeting place for local government until the nearby Council House (City Hall) opened in the 1870s

Today it is a Concert Hall, despite its name. Click here for concert info etc

Famous musicians have performed here including David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.

Many of the UKs Prime Ministers have given speeches here including Chamberlain, Lloyd George and Margaret Thatcher.

Elgar and Mendelssohn premiere concerts have been played here and Charles Dickens gave a reading of his book “A Christmas Carol” here

The Birmingham Symphony orchestra was based here and its 6000 piece pipe organ from 1834 is still here working……. Its history is clearly long and creative.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

When the City Hall was built a museum adjacent to the main building was designed as part of the structure.

It still has its imposing colonnaded Victorian entrance with the clock tower to one side. Click here for Museum info

The initial entrance area is very baronial in style. Its high walls filled to the ceiling with landscapes and pastoral scenes.

The heavy framed paintings were mainly of local and British artists but there were a few Lowry’s on display that caught my eye. This is a traditional art gallery in design and it has kept its original floor plan clearly. Room leading into room of heavily stocked landscape and Victorian era painters was the norm.

The artefacts are varied and there was even a 200 year old piano. It also houses an informative history of the area with associated finds from the cities origins and its well known inhabitants.

One part of the gallery has an amazing glass roof and the gift shop and café are a welcome relief after a long walk around the exhibits

The works are by and large from the 18th and 19th century but occasionally a more modern pieces creeps in. The galleries are full of not only paintings but sculpture and artefacts – cutlery and table accessories from the silver works factories of Birmingham have a large presence here too.

Centenary Square

Here is what most people would probably consider the heart of Birmingham. It is a modern paved square surrounded by many civic buildings and a few pieces of history as well.

Three Wise Men

They form a scene of the three men pondering over a large plan and represent the industry of the city and its development.  Boulton, Watt and Murdoch, nicknamed ‘The Golden Boys’ or ‘The Carpet Salesmen’ or “The Three Wise Men” and is an incredible “golden” statue. The statue stands in the modern Centenary Square

James Watt’s improvements to the steam engine and William Murdoch’s invention of gas lighting have made them famous throughout the world.

Matthew Boulton, entrepreneur and industrialist, harnessed their talents in a company that made everything from tableware and copper coinage to steam engines.

These three men pioneered the industrial revolution in late18th century England.

Library of Birmingham

This incredibly modern four block layered edifice stands out against those from the 1970s and 1900s.

It was opened in 2013 and despite its unconventional design, has gone on to win numerous architectural awards finished in

It is the largest public library in the UK and the largest regional library in Europe. If that’s not enough, it is also the largest public cultural space in Europe.

Weirdly, its design reminded me of the modern Library in Pristina, Kosovo (which has been called the ugliest building in Europe). The style is very similar, albeit this one has more colour and stepped levels to it.

The square also has the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, The Symphony Hall, The International Convention Centre and the Baskerville Building (commercial offices). If you are looking for one of the best hotels in the city, then the Hyatt Regency sits here facing them all !

Lastly, here also site The Hall of Memory. It is a war memorial erected in 1925 in remembrance of the 12,320 citizens of Birmingham who died in World War I. On the outside, there are four statues to symbolically represent the Army, Air Force, Navy and Woman’s Service. Inside, the structure takes the form of circular hall and in the centre, contained in protective glass, is a book of remembrance of those who died.

Bull Ring Shopping Mall

In the UK, Birmingham is well known for two places that presumably most tourists would not be so interested in – Shopping malls.

One dates from the 1960s and was the UK’s first indoor shopping mall. It was at first marvelled at when finished then deplored at its concrete unattractiveness in later decades. That would be the Bull Ring Shopping Mall. The name Bull Ring referred to the green next to the old corn market  that was used for bull-baiting.

The shopping centre was the busiest in the United Kingdom in 2004 with 36.5 million visitors. and presently houses one of only four Selfridges department stores outside London. It is worth a short detour to visit here.

For a bit of theatre head to the ground floor where you can peer through the glass viewing wall at doughnuts being freshly made in their dozens. There are masses of shops and eateries and the pedestrianised street between the two sections leads down the the well restored  St Martins Church.

The old church contrasts harshly with the ultra modern silver sphere embossed walls of the new Mall extension that houses Selfridges. It is going to be a love it or hate it opinion on that!

Grand Central Shopping Mall

Connecting to the Bullring Mall is a newly completed mall opened in 2015 called Grand Central. This Mall sits above the huge rail interchange station of New Street and incorporates Selfridges rival dept store John Lewis.

This is a rather more upscale Mall with high class eateries including a Champagne bar and international restaurants. The tram network stops just outside if you need to get around the city instead of walking.

Why have I included these two Malls when I would probably never mention their equivalents abroad. Well, for any Brits out there visiting these are two Malls that are so well known that a visit to Birmingham just would not be complete with stepping foot inside them.

Also if you need a meal or a coffee pitstop these Malls are excellent choices. I had coffee and cake at the John Lewis Café (now closed), in the store, and got free wifi and views over the nearby streets in a quite peaceful environment …. yes I did have a wander through their up-market store for a spot of retail therapy too! ….(update August 2020, the John Lewis store has now closed down permanently, but there are plenty of other cafes and eateries in the Mall worth a visit.

What more has Birmingham to offer? 

So much more here to see and experience and the list will be extensive.  Hurst Street is a two-folded centre of activity with a vibrant Chinese Quarter with restaurant’s galore at one end. At the other end is the lively gay scene. It has a Jewellery Quarter where ….. yes, you guessed it the Jewellery trade is centred.

Just past the Symphony Hall is Brindley Place. An area adjoining the old canals with a Sea Aquarium and huge indoor events Arena. Nearby are old preserved canal-side buildings converted into yet more eateries and bars in a peaceful lock-side setting.

This is probably the best area to see Birmingham’s heritage buildings associated with the national canal network. The old warehouse has been converted and the original clock tower still stands in its red brick glory. Here boats will be moored up, often those just passing through. If you want pics of traditional painted barges then here is where you will find them!

So, Birmingham has a lot to offer and its recent extensive city centre refurbishment and improvements are gearing this city up for a yet more graceful and captivating experience.

May 2017