Birmingham Daily Photo

Model boat III

2008-10-01T18:36:00.000+01:00

Another model boat belonging to a member of the Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club.

Model boat II

2008-09-30T12:00:00.000+01:00

Another model boat belonging to a member of the Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club.

Model boat I

2008-09-29T12:00:00.002+01:00

A model boat belonging to a member of the Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club.

Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club members

2008-09-28T12:00:00.001+01:00

And here they are - the members!

Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club building doorway

2008-09-27T12:00:00.002+01:00

A closer view of the club building from yesterday.

Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club building

2008-09-26T12:00:00.003+01:00

A small wooden building provides the base for Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club.

Behind me when I took the photo is a small lake/large pond with boats sailing on it. In fact, only the club members are permitted to sail their model craft on the water.

Hard disk corruption

2008-09-25T12:15:00.002+01:00

My hard disk has corrupted. All my photos are on it. Is there no end to this?

I shall carry on posting for as long as possible - I have some uploaded and I shall try and take some more.

I hope this wont be the last straw for my readers :(

Bournville's high street

2008-09-25T12:03:00.001+01:00

If we move further towards Bournville's high street, we find a lovely row of old-fashioned shops.

Bournville Rest House

2008-09-23T12:00:00.000+01:00

This rest house was biult to celebrate the Silver Wedding Anniversary of George and Elizabeth Cadbury, but first I should maybe explain about Bournville and its relation to Mr. Cadbury and his now world famous chocolate.

Bournville must be one of the nicest places in Birmingham. To understand how it came to be so, one needs to look back to 1879 when George and Richard Cadbury moved their chocolate factory from Bridge Street (near The Mailbox) in the centre of Birmingham to a rural area near Bournbrook Hall in the hope that it would be easy to develop and there was a canal and railway station nearby, which would be necessary for the transportation of their products. They named this new place after Bourn Brook (known now as The Bourn).

At the time, most workers were paid poor wages and their living conditions were cramped and the working conditions very hard. However, the Cadburys were Quakers and they believed in providing their workers were better accommodation and working conditions (although still nowhere near today's standards). A similar set-up can be found at Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Village near Manchester.

The rest house is now used to house local information.

Athletic Pavillion, Bournville

2008-09-22T09:39:00.002+01:00

Also known as the Cadbury Cricket Pavillion and the Coronation Cricket Pavillion (it was given in commemoration of the coronation of King Edward VII), this impressive building was a gift to the Bournville Cricket Club (from whom, I don't know) and was opened in June 1902.

Vain statue!

2008-09-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

The statue is admiring its own reflection!

I don't think that's the idea, but I don't know who the statue is supposed to be of, so you never know!

The statue is outside the Cadbury World building, Bournville.

Cadbury World, Bournville

2008-09-20T17:04:00.005+01:00

Yesterday's building behind the fence was Cadbury World - a visit to which involves a tour around a museum about the history of chocolate, the Cadbury familiy and their products.

Through the fence

2008-09-19T10:38:00.004+01:00

Does anyone know what the well-known building behind the fence is?

Juvenile ducks, Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Bournville

2008-09-18T09:00:00.002+01:00

Still by the canal, but this time a group of juvenile ducks. Strictly speaking, they're not much to do with Birmingham except that they're Birmingham ducks, but here they are.

Falstaff, Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Bournville

2008-09-17T09:00:00.004+01:00

I've posted two canal pictures already, but I may as well show you one more.

Is 'Falstaff' the name of the boat, or an indication as to its manufacturer or model?

Afternoon sunlight on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Bournville

2008-09-16T09:00:00.002+01:00

Another canal photo for you!

Barge on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Bournville

2008-09-15T16:35:00.002+01:00

About a month ago, I went to Bournville and Selly Oak, in response to a comment from someone asking for photos of the canal there. Unfortunately, I cannot find the comment, so I don't know who posted it, but I can finally say here is a photo!

Finally!

2008-09-15T15:55:00.003+01:00

The phone line has finally been mended!

I'm so sorry for such a long delay, especially after the delays caused by the computer breakage.

As with the previous problems, it may take a while to get back to normal, so please still expect sporadic posting for a (hopefully) short time. Catching up with your posts will also take a while.

Thank you for your patience and for sticking with the blog!

:-D

Complete loss

2008-08-12T13:48:00.003+01:00

We have now have a complete loss of service. I am posting this at my workplace (although I'm not actually at work per se). BT are still doing nothing about it.

Apologies again

2008-08-08T18:00:00.002+01:00

I'd just like to apologise for yet another delay in posting to this blog. Our house and four others in our road have an almost complete loss of the use of our telephone lines. The internet connection is slow and very sporadic, involving a lot of browser refreshing, loss of work and loss of patience! Apparently the road needs to be dug up to replace some corroded or damaged cables. The fault was first reported on the 30th July and over a week later nothing has been done about it.

Aside from the fact that we may be missing some important phone calls, I can't post to my blog very easily at all! So, my apologies to you again - sorry for delays so soon after the last problems!

For those of you (Americans *ahem*) who are about to post 'you're on DIAL-UP?!' I want to say that no, I'm not. I don't know what you have over in the States, but using a telephone line for one's internet connection does not necessarily mean dial-up. Just thought I'd let you know, because someone on a forum I belong to was astonished when I told him about the problem and told me to 'get with the times'!

School Road

2008-08-06T12:00:00.002+01:00

You may be forgiven for thinking this photo shows a lane in small village. In fact this is School Road, Moseley, running past a surgery (St. George's, not St. Georg's!), a florist, a hairdressers' shop and a tailor's, before reaching Cambridge Road Methodist Church on a small island with four other roads leading from it.

These long-established shops are some real gems in a country of chain stores and five-minute-wonder independent shops and are even more amazing given that they are in Birmingham. I hope they remain.

Cambridge Road: leaning lamppost

2008-08-05T20:06:00.004+01:00

A lamppost leans rather precariously on Cambridge Road, Moseley!

Big Dickens Wood forest school

2008-08-04T09:00:00.002+01:00

Tucked away in Big Dickens Wood, Dickens Heath is a 'forest school' belonging to, and built by, Tidbury Green School. The forest school is a small area of woodland marked out with blue rope and contains within the boundaries a fire place surrounded by log seats and fences made of logs and sticks from the wood. Around this there are materials suitable for building small shelters. The area is also used for physical education lessons. The school has given the local cubs permission to use it. May I point out that not only is this highly irregular in England in this day and age of over-zealous health and safety, this is downright astounding in Birmingham!*

*Actually it's Solihull, but it has a B postcode, so it's still astounding!

Tidbury Green wheat field

2008-08-03T09:00:00.004+01:00

A field of wheat belonging to Tidbury Green Farm, Tidbury Green, Solihull. Nearby is Big Dickens Wood.

House extension

2008-08-02T17:34:00.004+01:00

It's summer - the time when everyone seems to feel the need to enlarge their houses and so the air is filled with the noise of drills, saws and skip lorries. Here a workman delivers breeze blocks to an already doubled-in-size house in Moseley.

Highbury Park dog walker

2008-08-01T09:00:00.003+01:00

A man walks his Dalmatian in Highbury Park, Kings Heath.

Highbury Park is the estate of Highbury Hall which was created and developed by the Chamberlain family from 1879 to 1914.

The grounds of Highbury Hall were twenty five acres and were landscaped by Edward Milner. Field boundaries were removed to create thirteen acres of parkland, although trees were retained and additional trees were planted.

The gardens followed the changing fashions. A new rose garden was planted in 1890, a 'Dutch' gardern with beds of bulbs edged with terracotta tiles and paths, with a surrounding holly hedge 1901 and an 'Italian' garden in 1902.

By 1903, the grounds extended to over 100 acres, some leased from Richard Cadbury.

Josheph Chamberlain died in 1914. Most of the grounds became a public park in 1930.

Highbury Park has entrances on Alcester Road, Shutlock Lane and Moor Green Lane.

Birmingham City Council van

2008-07-31T09:00:00.001+01:00

Birmingham City Council appear to have applied a new livery to their fleet of vans, roadsweepers etc. Vehicles which used to be white are now green and have the Birmingham coat of arms on the sides. Here's one such van (sorry the front is cut off) on the corner of Blenheim Road and Billesley Lane.

Lamppost base (green and silver)

2008-07-30T09:00:00.000+01:00

There are several different styles of lamppost in Birmingham. This particular one can be found on Blenheim Road, just off Billesley Lane, Moseley.

Although painted in new colours relatively recently, this was almost certainly made before 1977, as the coat of arms are emblazoned using the design granted in 1889 and used until 1977.

See post Birmingham coat of arms - Council House gate for more information on heraldry and the Birmingham coat of arms.

Onboard a Birmingham bus

2008-07-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

Back seat of a Travel West Midlands Dennis Trident 2, complete with the usual litter.

Victoria Wine --> Threshers

2008-07-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

I reported on Friday that Victoria Wine was repainted red. Actually, the post was a bit late because I (shock horror!) schedule some posts in advance, and that one got posted later than I had inteded, so by the time it was posted, I knew the secret of why it was red anyway.

So, anyway, it's tme to show you some photos of its transition.

The new signs and a pile of old letters.

Now this one makes me cringe. I'll tell you why. When taking photos of people, especially random people in the street, you have to be confident and friendly and you have to communicate well if they take being photographed the wrong way. Unfortunately, while I can communicate well (I think!), I'm not very confident, so when these men turned round, I got really worried and I think I asked them in a weak voice 'do you mind?' (!) and mumbled something about a photoblog, when what I really meant was 'do you mind if I photograph you for my photoblog?'. I hope they didn't take it the wrong way. Personally, I think they just thought I was nuts!

The completed Threshers.

Bus shelter at night

2008-07-27T09:00:00.004+01:00

Today, rather than show you parks and nice old buildings, I thought I'd show you something a bit more Birminghamesque - a dirty, graffitied bus shelter.

This one is outside Solihull College, Blossomfield Road.

Victoria Wine...but it's red?

2008-07-26T09:00:00.004+01:00

Victoria Wine is traditionally green, but here's one which has been newly painted--but it's red.

They need to sort the 'R' out too!

(Billesley Lane/Southlands Road)

See map

Telephone Boxes: No. 2 in a series

2008-07-25T09:00:00.002+01:00

An old red telephone box on the corner of Billesley Lane and Southlands Road, photographed at night.

Sadly, the telephone box is often vandalised. I just hope they don't remove it.

2008-07-24T14:54:00.004+01:00

I received a reply today (24th July) from the council about the second pool in Swanshurst Park (mentioned on the 20th July post 'Swanshurst Park: Fenced off'):

Hello [name] - thank you for your recent enquiry regarding pools in Swanshurst Park. The second pool identified on the website relates to a pool/boggy wetland area located in the bottom portion of the park. During winter this is quite a large body of shallow water but in drier months tends to dry out and become more boggy.

Hope this answers your question

regards
sue

Swanshurst Park: Don't fall in!

2008-07-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

The water's so shallow you could probably stand up in the middle and they've recently built up the sides with gravel to make it even shallower at the edges. But still, here's a life belt just in case you need it!

Swanshurst Park: Mallard with duckling

2008-07-23T09:00:00.003+01:00

There are many ducklings on the water at Swanshurst Park, some tiny, some this size. The duck and duckling shown here are mallards.

You're probably quite familiar with the mallard as it's very common, but just in case you're not, here's some information.

Mallards are widespead and very common throughout the UK. The male has a dark green head, a yellow beak, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill. Mallards eat seeds, acorns, berries, plants, insects and shellfish.

Swanshurst Park: Afternoon sun

2008-07-22T09:00:00.002+01:00

The houses behind line Yardley Wood Road.

Swanshurst Park: Baby coots

2008-07-21T09:00:00.002+01:00

Two baby coots with their mother (or possibly father).

In case you don't know much about coots and would like to know a little more, I'll give you some quick facts. The coots in the UK are year-round residents, although they are not present in the far north and west areas of Scotland. They are known as the common coot or the Eurasian coot, with the scientific name Fulica atra. They are black all over, except for their white beak and 'shield' above the beak. Instead of having webbed feet, their toes have lobes of skin. They eat vegetation, snails and insect larvae.

Swanshurst Park: Fenced off

2008-07-20T11:46:00.013+01:00

This new fence at Swanshurst Park is a typical example of excessive safety measures put in place by Birmingham City Council and is also typical of the emerging 'nanny state'. Thankfully, the fence is only around part of the lake/pond.

Swanshurst Park is a fairly small park off Swanshurst Lane and Yardley Wood Road, comprising a sloping field, a few grassy paths and a path around a small lake/large pond.

Until the end of the Second World War, the park was used as common grazing land, then the land was given to the City as parkland and a nine hole pitch and putt were added in the 1950s. In the 1990s this was closed down and most of the site has returned to its more natural heathland condition making it an important nature conservation habitat.

According to Birmingham City Council's website, there are two large pools within the park, but I only know of one and Google Maps shows only one. I've sent an enquiry to the council about this - it will be interesting to hear from them about it.

EDIT: I received a reply today (24th July) from the council:

Salvation Army: A moment of reflection

2008-07-05T12:00:00.002+01:00

Another photo of the Salvation Army in the city centre

Radisson SAS, Holloway Head

2008-07-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

It's a hotel, apparently - that Radisson SAS hotel to be specific. It's a good example of a building which looks modern now but will probably look terribly dated in a few years time.

It's situated opposite the pagoda on Holloway Circus and has thirty-nine stories comprising 211 bedrooms. It also has free broadband (including wireless), a health and fitness centre, conferencing facilities, an Italian cuisine-inspired restaurant and a bar.

Telephone boxes: No. 1 in a series

2008-07-03T12:00:00.005+01:00

An unusual black and yellow specimin on Ladywell Walk in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham city centre.

No respect for the dead

2008-07-02T12:00:00.001+01:00

I thought I'd just return to All Saints Church just to show you the bus stop outside. The church has a graveyard around the front and side (I don't know about the back), with a low wall bhind the bus stop. People waiting for the bus sit on this wall and as Kings Heath has its fair share of rather unsavoury characters, the gravestones are often spat on and covered with litter and chewing gum. Many of the gravestones are flat ones embedded horizontally in the ground, but graveyard or not, spitting and littering is disgusting. But that's Kings Heath for you...

Hedges Buildings

2008-07-01T12:00:00.000+01:00

I expect that most people walking along Kings Heath High Street don't look up at the buildings they are passing - they probably see a row of shops, but if they look above the shiny windows and illuminated signs, they might just see a hint of what the buildings were before.

Look up...

...a bit higher...

...and a bit closer...

And at the corner...

These are, obviously, known as the Hedges Buildings. They are Victorian Buildings, but other than that I don't know much about them, so I will try to find something out.

Hare & Hounds windows

2008-06-30T12:00:00.003+01:00

Close-up of York Street windows of the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

Clock dome

2008-06-29T12:00:00.002+01:00

Close-up view of the clock dome of the Hare & Hounds pub.

Up and running again!

2008-06-28T19:27:00.003+01:00

The computer is up and running!

I will do my best to catch up with the many days of missed posts but it won't be easy!

Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience :)

Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath II

2008-06-28T12:00:00.002+01:00

Another view of the Hare & Hounds.

According to a review submitted to Google Maps, UB40 played their first gig at this pub in 1979.

Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

2008-06-27T12:00:00.001+01:00

The Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath is a Grade II listed building situated on the corner of the High Street and York Road.

It was built in 1907 to replace the previous pub, the building of which was completed between 1820 and 1824. Originally the corner of the building was separate and used as Kings Heath's first police station by Wocestershire Rural Police in the 1840s and 1850s.

The great bank in the sky

2008-06-26T12:00:00.000+01:00

View of upper part of HSBC bank building, Kings Heath

Hole in the Wall

2008-06-25T12:00:00.001+01:00

Wall detail of HSBC bank, Kings Heath

HSBC, Kings Heath High Street

2008-06-24T12:00:00.005+01:00

Entrance to Kings Heath High Street's HSBC bank.

HSBC was formerly Midland Bank.

Vicarage Road and Kings Heath High Street: a comparison

2008-06-23T12:00:00.004+01:00

The corner of Kings Heath High Street and Vicarage Road in 1932.

How it looks today.

The lamppost in detail.

Source for 1932 picture: The History of Kings Heath

All Saints Church, Kings Heath

2008-06-22T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hidden behind some of the few trees on the corner of Kings Heath's High Street and Vicarage Road is All Saints Church, for which I have no information.

Crossing Vicarage Road

2008-06-21T12:00:00.002+01:00

A woman looks across Kings Heath's high street as she crosses Vicarage Road.

Church of St Martin in the Bull Ring

2008-06-20T12:00:00.003+01:00

Situated next to the Bullring shopping centre and competing for attention is the church of St Martin in the Bull Ring.

The present church is Victorian, but there had been church there previously since at least the thirteenth century but possibly since the twelfth.

The windows of the Victorian church were all of stained glass but not much of the original windows remain due to bomb damage sustained on 10th April 1941. None of the windows survived apart from one which had been removed and stored in boxes earlier that day, by order of Dr. W.E. Barnes, the Bishop of Birmingham at the time. It is now reinstalled in the building and can be seen with the rest of the church's interior from 10-5 every day of the week.

St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Grade II* listed building.

Visitors enter the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

2008-06-19T12:00:00.002+01:00

Two visitors to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery enter through the large doors from Chamberlain Square on a sunny day.

Eastern LGV & PCV Training lorry

2008-06-18T12:00:00.000+01:00

Vehicle make, model and registration number unknown.

Pictured outside Kings Heath and Moseley Baptist Church, Alcester Road, Kings Heath. The company is based in Tyseley, Birmingham.

Candies sweet shop, Birmingham back to backs III

2008-06-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

Candies sweet shop, Birmingham back to backs II

2008-06-16T12:00:00.000+01:00

Candies sweet shop, Birmingham back to backs

2008-06-15T12:00:00.006+01:00

Hurst Street's back to backs comprise the last surviving court of its kind in Birmingham. Purchased by the National Trust in 2004, they have been carefully restored and reflect the many different people who lived there since they were bulit. The houses are furnished in the styles of four different periods, from 1840 to 1977.

The first back to backs were built in 1802. Each had three rooms, one above another, and were built around a central courtyard. There were around ten people to a house. They were crammed together, hence the name, and disease was rife, but despite that thousands were built in the nineteenth century.

They were declared unfit for habitation in 1966 but in 1988, it was realised that they were an important part of history and became listed buildings.

Some of the houses are open as a museum, while 52 Inge Street is open as a Victorian styled holiday cottage, with prices starting at £132 for two nights.

Pictured here is Candies, a 1950s sweet shop open to the public selling Sela sweets. 52 Inge Street is to the right and the entrance to the rest of the court is a few doors down to the left.

Three glass cube fountains, St. Martin's Square

2008-06-14T12:00:00.005+01:00

There are a bit of a mystery to me, as I can't find much information about them anywhere. All I can find is this piece of information from cabe.org.uk:

The glass boxes used in the water feature in St. Martin’s Square [...] employed innovative techniques. The walls, structural supports and roof are all constructed from glass, requiring close collaboration with structural engineers, Dewhurst MacFarlane and Partners, and, as part of the design development, the construction of a full size mock up of the smallest cube.
Full article: http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=1114&aspectid=6

Each cube is a made of glass and contains a coloured light box which is illuminated at night. Water pours out the tops of the cube and runs down the sides. They are located in St. Martin's Square, outside Borders, Bullring.

South American/American Indian performers III

2008-06-13T17:46:00.001+01:00

South American/American Indian performers II

2008-06-12T12:00:00.003+01:00

Another view of the performance outside Marks & Spencer.

Lady on bike, Victoria Square

2008-06-11T12:00:00.003+01:00

A lady cycles past the Town Hall, Victoria square on a folding bike. Surprisingly, cycling is allowed in some of the pedestrian precincts which is different from most of the rest of cyclist-unfriendly Birmingham.

ICC ceiling

2008-06-10T12:00:00.001+01:00

The modern design of the ICC ceiling with glass and criss-cross bars.

Canal barge

2008-06-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

Another boat on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Birmingham city centre.

(Backdated)

Gas Street Basin and the James Brindley

2008-06-08T12:00:00.000+01:00

A view of Gas Street Basin showing some canal barges, with the James Brindley pub in the background.

James Brindley was an eighteenth century engineer who specialised in canals.

I have seen another photo of this pub with an M&B sign underneath the name, but I don't know what happened to that.

Apologies

2008-06-08T11:08:00.001+01:00

Awaiting arrival of new computer. Please accept my apologies for sporadic and delayed posting.

Gas Street Basin footbridge

2008-06-07T12:00:00.003+01:00

This bridge is not as old as it looks - it was made recently in the style of the other Birmingham canal footbridges which were made by Horseley Ironworks.

The bridge links Gas Street with the Worcester Bar which separates the Worcester and Birmingham Canal from the Birmingham Canal Main Line. It was built in 1792 to prevent water being lost to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. It reamined there for several years, during which time cargo had to be transferred across the bar to another boat. The bar was replaced with a lock in 1815 to allow boats through.

The basin used to link the 'Worcester & Birmingham Canal' to the 'Birmingham Canal Main Line'. The Worcester Bar, built in 1792, separated the two canals for 30 years so that the Birmingham Canal Navigations company didn't lose water to the Worcester & Birmingham canal.

Hard a-starboard

2008-06-06T12:00:00.001+01:00

Pictured is a canal barge on the Worcester and Birmingham canal, in Gas Street Basin, Birmingham city centre.

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal links, as its name suggests, Worcester and Birmingham. It starts at the River Severn in Worcester and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. It is 29 miles (47km) long.

The canal slopes upwards towards Birmingham and requires fifty-eight locks altogether, including the thirty Tardebigge Locks - one of the largest lock flights in Europe.

The construction of the canal was finished in 1815.

Kings Heath and Moseley Baptist Church

2008-06-05T09:00:00.003+01:00

There had been a church on this site before this one, but the building of the present Kings Heath and Moseley Baptist Church began in September 1897. It cost £7000 to build and it was planned that a spire would be added when more money became available, but it appears this was never the case. The church, built to accommodate 500 people, was opened in May 1898.

'Modern grocer'

2008-06-04T09:00:00.000+01:00

Opposite Friendly News - on the other side of Goldsmith Road, but on the same side of Addison Road - is this old grocer's shop, only identifiable by the peeling remains of the paint above the door.

Friendly News

2008-06-03T09:00:00.001+01:00

As the Salvation Army marches off to another part of Birmingham, we'll move on too, this time to Kings Heath.

This old, boarded-up shop is at 91 Addison Road B14 7EP. I don't know how long it's been closed for, but the upstairs flat isn't boarded up so it's possible that part of it is still in use, although from what one can see from the ground, even this looks fairly empty.

I almost posted a photo showing more of the shop to show what a dump Birmingham is, as it included no fewer than nine bags full of rubbish dumped by the bin outside, but I decided to concentrate on the shop itself.

Salvation Army: onward march

2008-06-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

Marching along High Street for evening prayers at 24 St. Chad's Queensway.

Salvation Army: singing in High Street/New Street

2008-06-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

The Salvation Army is of course not unique to Birmingham by any means, but I feel obliged to give a brief outline of their history nevertheless.

The Salvation Army was founded by a Nottingham-born man called William Booth. When he was thirteen years old, he started working in a pawnbroker's shop as an apprentice to help support his family and as he did so, he became more aware of the terrible poverty around him. This would affect his later life. Soon he became a Christian and spent what spare time he had trying to convert others.

He moved to London once he had completed his apprenticeship and continued to work as a pawnbroker. While there, he joined a local Methodist Church and later decided to become a minister, in which role he spent several years travelling around the country, preaching and sharing God's word. He didn't feel this was enough, however and so resigned and returned to London, determined to do more to help ordinary people.

One day, aged around thirty-six, when he was preaching in the street outside the Blind Beggar pub in the East End, some missioners were impressed by hs powerful speeches and invited him to lead some of their meetings in a tent in Whitechapel.

In July that year, the first meeting took place, and Booth gave hope to some the poverty-stricken East Enders with his speeches. Following these meetings, he formed his own organisation and called it 'The Christian Mission'.

With a lot of time and hard work, the mission began to grow but it still seemed insignificant amongst the other hundreds of charitable and religious groups trying to help in the East End.

In 1878, The Christian Mission changed its name to The Salvation Army and people suddenly took more notice. The concepts of an army fighting sin and of belonging to something special and powerful appealed immensely and many people joined up in attempt to do something good with their lives. In fact, The Salvation Army grew to be so popular that it spread abroad and by 1912 The Salvation Army had extended to fifty-eight countries.

Today, The Salvation Army's work continues and according to their own website, they provide a range of programmes and support:
3,000,000 meals served every year at community and residential centres
79,000 prisoners visited each year in 134 prisons
3,000 homeless people given food and shelter every night in 59 centres
776 local church and community centres
636 elderly people accommodated every night in 17 residential centres
300 youth clubs providing a caring environment for young people
120 drop-in centres offering support and help for people in need
70 day centres for elderly and disabled people
50 nurseries and playgroups
20 Red Shield support centres for military personnel in the UK, Germany and the Falkland Islands
12 people reunited every working day with their families through the Family Tracing Service
6 residential centres for victims of alcohol and drug abuse
6 centres for families and one community home for children
2 centres for people with special needs
2 employment training centres
1 centre for women escaping from domestic violence

In the photograph, the Birmingham Citadel Band is singing in the middle of the large junction of High Street and New Street.

Travel West Midlands

2008-05-31T09:00:00.005+01:00

Travel West Midlands (West Midlands Travel Ltd.) are part of the National Express Group and are the largest bus operator in the West Midlands, carrying nearly one million passengers per day on over 1800 buses. They have recently changed their name to National Express West Midlands and are gradually applying new livery to their vehicles. This caused problems for a while as many people mistook them for buses belonging to Diamond Bus as the new livery was very similar to the existing livery of the other company. To make matters worse, the company apparently ran out of branding stickers, so to show that the buses belonged to Travel West Midlands, they set the destination display screens to intermittently display the company name and logo.

The company has recently scrapped several of their old buses, in particular the MCW Metrobuses which caused a bit of a stir amongst bus and transport enthusiasts and lovers of the old and retro. Enviro 400s seem to be a favourite with the company at the moment and after trialling one since around 2005, they have purchased fifty-nine more.

The remaining Metrobuses still sport the old livery of blue at the top, a narrow red stripe*, white in the middle, a narrow blue stripe, a red stripe*, a narrow white stripe and blue at the bottom. The Envrios are completely red. Most of the buses are painted blue, red* and white, but some have a diagonally red front, with two thirds of the rear in white and some are white with blue, silver, blue, silver, blue and red stripes running along the bottom and curving up towards the front.
*Sky blue for Coventry

The company operates from eleven garages across the West Midlands: Acocks Green, Bordesley Green, Birmingham Central, Lea Hall, Perry Barr and Yardley Wood (Birmingham); Pensnett, Walsall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton (Black Country); Coventry (Coventry). Travel West Midlands's Coventry services are operated by Travel Coventry buses.

At the time of writing, a full single adult ticket costs £1.50 and child's (5-15) ticket costs 75p. Day tickets can be purchased for £3 (adult rate) or £2 (child rate) and can be used on Travel Coventry services.

The buses in the photo are on Moor Street. The bus front left is not a Travel West Midlands bus, but is owned by Diamond bus.

Front left to right: Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer (Diamond Bus; fleet number 487), Mercedes 0405N (fleet number 1643)
Back left to right: Enviro 400, Dennis Trident 2, Volvo B7/Plaxton President (possibly)

Symphony Hall and the ICC

2008-05-30T09:00:00.014+01:00

Symphony Hall is siuated inside the International Convention Centre (ICC), although the Hall is a big part of it, as can be seen from its more prominent lettering on the front.

The building took just under four and a half years to complete and was opened in 1991. The venue was used for the 1998 G8 summit.

Symphony Hall seats 2262 people and was very carefully designed so that quiet solos and full-strength orchestras could be heard equally well by all members of the audience. This is achieved using highly accurate shaping of the walls and ceiling, moveable curtains and adjustable reverberation chambers. Above the stage there is also a thirty-two tonne counter-balanced canopy which can be raised and lowered; this too alters the acoustics. The ventilation system uses large, slow ducts to minimise noise and both the building and nearby railway line are laid on rubber cushions, to the same effect.

The hall is the base of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra but is not only used for concerts, but also for conferences, graduation ceremonies and other similar events (about 270 per year).

Previously, the site was the location of Bingley Hall (before that, Bingley House) which was built in 1850 but damaged by fire in January 1984 during a Midland Caravan, Camping and Leisure Exhibition and subsequently demolished.

Bingley Hall was used for the Birmingham Dog Show, various other shows, for circuses, boxing, theatre, cinema, competitions and conferences.

Also on the site was the Prince of Wales Theatre, some houses, an in and a brewery.

In front of the bulding on one side is Centenary Square which is also the location of the Hall of Memory, the Flame of Hope and the Boulton, Watt and Murdoch statue, Birmingham Repertory theatre, the Industry and Genius sculpture and the Spirit & Enterprise fountain.

On the other side is the Birmingham and Worcester canal and Brindleyplace; an 'award-winning leisure and business destination' with various attractions.

Hall of Memory: Navy

2008-05-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

In Centenary Square behind Paradise Forum and the Central Library is the Hall of Memory. This is a small domed building surrounded by four bronze statues by Albert Toft representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Women's Services. Depicted here is the statue of the Navy.

The hall itself, now a Grade II listed bulding, was designed by SN Cooke and WN Twist and built by John Barnsley and Son in the 1920s to commemorate the many thousands of Birmingham citizens who died or were injured in World War I, then known as the Great War.

The hall is open to the public at certain times during the week.

South American/American Indian performers

2008-05-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

Many city daily photo bloggers seems to have photos of this group, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and post one too.

Although this group is dressed in stereotypical American Indian clothes, have cloths depicting American Indians draped over their CD display stands and perform American Indian dances, their music and instruments are South American.

The group travels around the country, playing in various towns and cities. I have also seen them in Solihull, but here one of the group is depicted playing outside Marks & Spencer in High Street.

Impromptu beakdancing at the Bullring

2008-05-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

A crowd was gathering and as a newly self-appointed amateur photographic reporter for Birmingham, I decided to see what photos I could get from whatever was going on. Three or four boys had started breakdancing on the wide precinct between two parts of the Bullring. They had no music - they made an attempt at rhythmic oral sounds. It didn't seem to be organised and they didn't seem to be working to any choreography and kept stopping and starting. The crowd, soon realising this, began to slowly disperse. I wonder what that was all about!

Graffiti on Holloway Head

2008-05-26T09:00:00.000+01:00

Is this something to do with the Chinese-Tibeten protests?

Holloway Circus pagoda

2008-05-25T09:00:00.000+01:00

This seven-story granite pagoda was donated to Birmingham by the Wing Yip Group and was erected on Holoway Circus in 1998, causing the roundabout to be known as Pagoda Island.

China Court

2008-05-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

Somewhere to the right of the Mapstone building on Ladywell Walk is a (badly photographed, in this case!) Cantonese restaurant called China Court.

Mapstone

2008-05-23T09:00:00.000+01:00

The mystery of Mapstone

If anyone can shed any light on what this building was before or the meaning of 'Mapstone', I'd be ever so grateful.

This building is on Ladywell Walk in the Chinese Quarter. The businesses at the bottom of the photo are Thai and Cantonese restaurants.

Officially recognised in the 1980s, the Chinese Quarter is an unofficial section of Birmingham with a large number of Chinese restaurants, clubs and organisations. The Chinese population was initially due to immigrants after the Second World War. Birmingham's first Chinese restaurant, Tong Kung, opened in 1956 at Holloway Head.

Birmingham coat of arms - Council House gate

2008-05-22T10:00:00.009+01:00

Back to the Council House - this time for Birmingham's coat of arms displayed on the gate. This gate is located on the same side as the Museum & Art Gallery.

Birmingham's first coat of arms was more of a seal and comprised the shield of the de Bermingham family within a wreath, with the motto 'Forward' underneath.

When Birmingham gained city status in 1889, it celebrated by applying for a grant applied for at the College of Arms for supporters (the figures either side of a coat of arms). It was pointed out that as Birmingham's coat of arms had never been officially granted, so in April 1889, the College of Arms granted the city a full, though altered coat of arms.

The alterations included an ermine fess (central horizontal band), taken from the Calthorpe family arms and a mural crown made of bricks which represented local government.

A man's right arm holding a hammer, protruding from another brick-formed mural crown was assigned for the crest to represent industry.

The supporter on the left, representing industry, was a man clad as a blacksmith and holding a hammer, the end of which was resting on an anvil. The supporter on the right symbolised art and was a woman clothed in a white dress and was holding brushes and an artist's pallet in one hand and a red book in the other.

The motto 'Forward' was kept.

This was altered again in between 1930 and 1936 - this time the supporters stood upon a grassy compartment (the area the supporters stand on) and a helm (helmet) with blue and yellow mantling (decorative fabric around the helm) was added underneath the wreath.

In 1974, the old Birmingham corporation changed, this time including the Borough of Sutton Coldfield. This change necessitated yet another alteration of the coat of arms. The fess was exchanged with a cross and the mural crown in the centre of the sheild was replaced by a bishop's mitre (hat). A Tudor rose was added to the mural crown on the crest and the supporters moved to opposite sides of the sheild and the man given a cupel to hold as well as his hammer. A cupel is a tool used in the making of jewellery which is a big part of Birmingham's history. The grassy compartment was removed.

The Birmingham coat of arms is now blazoned thus:

Quarterly first and fourth Azure, a Bend of five Lozenges conjoined Or, second and third per Pale indented Or and Gules overall a Cross Ermine thereon a Mitre Proper. On a Wreath Or and Azure issuant from a Mural Crown Or charged with a Rose Gules charged with another Argent barbed and seeded Proper, a dexter Arm embowed the hand holding a Hammer all Proper Mantled Azure doubled Or. For the Supporters, on the dexter side a Female Figure Proper vested Argent wreathed round the temples with a Laurel Vert tied by a Riband Gules holding in the sinister hand resting on the Shield a Book bound also Gules and in the dexter a Painter's Palette Or with two Brushes Proper and on the sinister side a Man habited as a Smith holding in the dexter hand resting on the Shield a Cupel and in the sinister a Hammer resting on an Anvil all Proper.

Birmingham City Council's website has a short list of heraldic terms used in this blazon, but have a couple of inaccuracies. Here is a more (I hope) accurate list:

argent - silver or white
azure - blue
bend - a band crossing the shield diagonally from dexter chief to sinister base
dexter - the right-hand side (of the wearer, i.e. the spectator's left)
embowed - bent (like a bow)
gules - red
lozenge - a diamond (as on a playing card)
mural - like a wall
or - gold or yellow
per pale - a pale is a vertical band down the middle of a shield. A per pale is a pale consisting only of a line, thus dividing the shield
proper - in natural colours
quarterly - by quarters of the shield in the following order:-
1st - Dexter chief (spectator's top left)
2nd - sinister chief (spectator's top right)
3rd -dexter base (spectator's bottom left)
4th -sinister base (spectator's bottom right)
sinister - the left-hand side (of the wearer, ie. the spectator's right)
vert - green

The gate in the photograph shows the shield from the coat of arms used between 1889-1977.

Waterstones, 128 New Street (Midland Bank)

2008-05-21T10:00:00.001+01:00

Built in 1867-69 and originally the head office of the Midland Bank, 128 New Street is now a branch of Waterstones.

The building was designed in a classical style by Edward Holmes and a five-story office extension was added in 1875. It is now a Grade II listed building.

I'd be grateful for further information.

Needless Alley

2008-05-20T10:00:00.003+01:00

There's no need!

Leading away from the Bullring is New Street which runs to Victoria Square, joined by many other small roads. One such road is Needless Alley.

The first record of Needless Alley was in 1731 but other than that, there isn't a great deal of information available.

Bullring: lower Selfridges balcony

2008-05-19T10:00:00.000+01:00

You ain't see no Brumies yet!

...So here are two standing on the lower balcony of the Selfridges section of the Bullring.

Bullring: upper Selfridges balcony

2008-05-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

Ask any 'Brummie' what the Bullring looks like and they'll probably say 'it's covered in discs'. In actual fact, that's only the Selfridges section and most of it is discless.

There was a lot of hype over the new Bull Ring centre. It had been 'about to be changed' for years but no one saw any difference due to lengthy planning procedures starting in 1987. Until 2000 that is, when demolition of the 1960s Bull Ring Shopping Centre began. In September 2003, the Bullring was finally opened and attracted 276 600 people on its first day.

The Bullring takes its name comes from the sixteenth century when a man named John Cooper was given the right to bait bulls there and therefore the historical spelling is Bull Ring, but the name was changed for the new centre, not without angry protest.

Birmingham has held markets on the site since 1166. The baiting of bulls in this country nowadays is illegal and has been since 1835 but the name still remains and the new Bullring shopping centre is apparently becoming very well known in Europe.

The photograph shows the entrance from the upper balcony which overlooks St. Martin's church.

Anticipation of The Cube

2008-05-17T10:00:00.005+01:00

Next to The Mailbox, work is underway for the building of yet another mixed-use building: The Cube.

The Cube, actually part of the Mailbox development, will be a seventeen-storey tower containing apartments, offices, shops, a rooftop restaurant and a hotel.

The Mailbox

2008-05-16T10:00:00.009+01:00

Originally the site of the Royal Mail's main Birmingham sorting office, built in 1970, this is now Birmingham's largest multi-use building.

The original building was designed by RH Ousman of the Ministry of Public Building and Works, who worked with architects HAE Giddings, E Winters and R Lee. When it was finally ready to use, it was the largest electronic sorting office in the country and, with a floor area of 20 acres, the largest building in Birmingham. The building was connected to New Street station by a tunnel to that letters could be delivered directly to the office.

In 1997, the bulding was bought for £3 million by Alan Chatham who also bought some of the surrounding buildings for £1 million. Three years and £150 million later, The Mailbox, containing offices, apartments, shops, restaurants and bars, was opened to the public.

In 2004, the BBC moved to The Mailbox from their Pebble Mill Studios in Edgebaston. They are located on level 7.

The photograph shows The Mailbox as viewed from the Birmingham and Worcester Canal.

Birmingham Muesum & Art Gallery

2008-05-15T10:00:00.003+01:00

Moving on to Chamberlain Square...

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery was opened in 1885. Its collection is of international importance and covers fine art, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, archaeology, ethnography and local and industrial history.

The building itself is an extension of the Council House which was built less than a decade before. A footbridge connects the museum to the 1911-1919 Council House Extension block (now also part of the Museum and Art Gallery).

There is no entrance fee as it is funded by Birmingham City Council, although donations are very welcome.

Statue of Queen Victoria

2008-05-14T10:00:00.002+01:00

Still in Victoria Square - this time it's a statue of Queen Victoria whom the square was named after shortly after her death in 1901. During her reign it was still called Council House Square. It used to be a busy junction of three main roads: Colmore Row, New Street and Paradise Street.

The square is often considered to be the centre of Birmingham, and is apparently the point from where local road sign distances are measured.

The statue you see in the photo is a 1951 bronze recast by William Bloye of Thomas Brock's original 1901 marble figure. It is located next to the town on the left of the square, when facing the Council House.

Youth of the 'The River'

2008-05-13T08:41:00.004+01:00

The water feature I introduced yesterday was installed in 1993 when Victoria square was pedestrianised and remodelled.

The feature contains four works by Dhruva Mistry, although I don't know whether or not he designed the rest.

Around the rim of the upper pool is a quotation from Burnt Norton, one of the Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot:

And the pool was filled with water out of sunlight,
And the lotos rose, quietly, quietly,
The surface glittered out of heart of light,
And they were behind us, reflected in the pool.
Then a cloud passed, and the pool was empty.

The four works by Dhruva Mistry are as follows:

The River
This is a large 1.75 tonne figure of a woman which is supposed to represent the life force and is located in the upper pool. This is the part which has been nicknamed The Floozie in the Jacuzzi. The River is also a fountain - one of the largest in Europe - with a flow of 3,000 gallons per minute.

Youth
The two figures shown in the photo represent youth.

The Guardians
Also part of the installation are two sphinx-like animals made from the same Darley Dale stone as the Council House and carved by the carving workshop in Cambridge.

Finally, there are two abstract pillars with lamps which were also designed by Dhruva Mistry's design but he has declined to comment on their meaning.

Birmingham City Council House

2008-05-12T09:32:00.005+01:00

Quite unsurprisingly, this is the centre for Birmingham City Council. It is a Grade II listed building and has offices for employed and elected council members, a council chamber, Lord Mayor's Suite, committee rooms and a large and ornate banqueting suite, complete with minstrels' gallery. The balcony you see in the photo is apparently used by visiting dignitaries and victorious sports teams to address crowds assembled below, although I've never seen it being used!

The Council House has its own postcode, B1 1BB.

Outside at the front is Victoria Square and on the left side (when facing the bulding) is Chamberlain Square. The left side of the building has a large entrance which leads into Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, the admission into which is free and is well worth a visit.

The water feature statue in the photo is part of a larger water feature out of shot. The design, by Dhruva Mistry is called The River but is nicknamed and has become more commonly known as The Floozie in the Jacuzzi. It isn't part of the council house and I'll go into more detail in another post.

A little light history

2008-05-12T09:07:00.009+01:00

Before I start, I want to make it clear to everyone form the start...I don't like Birmingham.

Shock, horror!

I make no secret of it: I've never really liked Birmingham, preferring instead the countryside. I live in hope...

So anyway, I'm a 'Brummie' born and bred (although I have only a hint of the usually strong accent). For those of you not in the know, and I think even many Brummies aren't in the know, people from Birmingham are called 'Brummies' as opposed to 'Birmies' because Birmingham was originally Bromwicham which is why in the north-west of Birmingham you will find West Bromwich.

Over the centuries Birmingham has grown from a tiny village on the banks of the River Rea to become the second city in England. The name probably dates from Anglo-Saxon times:

Brem or Berm = an Anglo-Saxon name
ingas = descendants
ham = the home
Thus: The home of the descendants of Brem/Berm

In the 1300s, Peter de Bermingham (his surname being derived from the name of the city - 'Peter of Birmingham') was the lord of the manor. His name was spelt in various ways even in his lifetime. The spelling 'Birmingham' was not used consistently until the 1700s. Today Birmingham is still sometimes referred to as Brummagem or Brum, and likewise the people are known as Brummies.

Here are 144 different historical spellings of Birmingham:

Brumwycham Bermyngeham Bromwycham Burmyngham Bermyngham Byrmyngham Bromicham Brimingham Bermingham Bermicham Brymyncham Bremisham Bremischam Bermengeham Byrmincham Bermicham Bermyncham Bermingeham Burmyncham Bermingham Bremingham Birmincham Bromycham Byrmicham Birmyngeham Bourmyneham Bermynghem Berkmyngham Birmygam Brimicham Bremicham Bremmencham Brimcham Burmingham Bromidgham Brinningham Brimingeham Bermingham Berningham Brummigham Bermecham Brimidgham Burmyngeham Bermynehelham Byrmegham Bormingham Birmyngham Burymyngham Brymyngeham Bremichem Brymyccham Brunningham Bruinidgham Bromwicham Byrmingham Byrmyncham Birmyncham Brumingham Brumingam Brummingham Birmicham Brinnicham Brymegham Birmingham Bromincham Birminchan Bromisham Brimmingham Byrmyngeham Barmegam Burmedgeham Birmingeham Byrmingeham Burmegham Burmygham Burmigham Bormyngeham Bremyngham Burmincham Byrmycham Brymmyngeham Birminghame Birmyngehame Brymicham Bermengham Birmingecham Bermicheham Byrmingecham Brymyncham Byrminham Brimisham Burmigam Brimigam Birmingcham Buringham Beringham Burmicham Brammingham Brumigham Burmyngcham Bremecham Brimechame Bermyngam Brymysham Burmycham Birmyngcham Burmicheham Bermgham Berrmgham Byrmigeham Brimmigham Brymingham Brymyngham Birymincham Brymincham Byrmyngcham Byrmingcham Birmingcham Burmucham Brimmidgham Burmegam Burmycham Brumegume Brummidgham Bromidgome Bremingem Burmegum Brumigam Brumicham Brummingsham Burningham Bermingaham Bremingam Brymynham Brymygeham Bormycham Brymyngiam Bremyngeham Brimyncham Brymmyngham Brymycham Brymyham Brymyscham Brummagem

According to Wikipedia, Birmingham is also known as the 'Second City', 'Workshop of the World' and 'City of a Thousand Trades', the first being a reference to the fact that Birmingham is the second largest city of the UK and the latter two referring to Birmingham's successful industry.

Birmingham, Alabama, USA is named after Birmingham, UK.

Naturally, there's a huge amount of history, but I won't bore you with it all here - I'll try to bore you a bit more with each photo instead!

I hope you enjoy Birmingham Daily Photo (and I hope I can keep it going long enough!)

New blog!

2008-05-04T16:34:00.004+01:00

I'm just starting this blog, so posting might be a bit sporadic to begin with.

I'm still not entirely sure what is expected of a city daily photo blog, but it seems that the photos are less artistic-based and more documentary-based. For more artistic photos, please visit my main blog Shutterspy. The two blogs may share some of the photos from time to time or have similar pictures of the same subjects.

All in all, I hope you enjoy Birmingham Daily Photo :)