hkskyline's BIRMINGHAM (England) photo thread

[hkskyline]

Birmingham is the UK's 2nd largest city and was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution - dubbed "the city of 1001 different trades". It was a manufacturing powerhouse, with its canals full of vessels transporting coal and iron among other goods.

Times have changed. Today, the city centre is a bit rough around the edges although there are many signs of rejuvenation with new residential skyscrapers but still plenty of empty lots awaiting new uses. My first impressions weren't so good. It felt a lot less safe than London and there didn't seem much to do, although the regeneration is quite visible so it'll take a bit more time for the new neighbours to settle and hopefully boot out the homeless and druggies.

Let's start with some skyline views. Beacon Hill is the highest of 4 hills in Lickey Hills Country Park at 298m. This area became a holiday playground for Brummies a hundred years ago already, when trams ran to Rednal from the city centre. You don't even need to hike to reach this place - there is a parking lot nearby and it's a nearly flat walk on the grass to this look-out point.













Now let's check out the city centre. Victoria Square and the adjacent Chamberlain Square stand right at the heart with Town Hall and the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery fronting it. The water feature was added in 1993, with the fountain able to release 3000 gallons of water down the steps in one minute.





















New Street Station is a redevelopment from the 2010s that costed 750 million pounds. The 24m-high atrium brings in plenty of day light, with a stainless steel facade that looks like the building is wrapped in tin foil.









The Selfridges building is part of the Bull Ring shopping mall that opened in 2003, a huge retail-led rejuvenation project costing over 1 billion pounds. The outer skin is decorated with 15,000 spun aluminium discs, reflecting the sequins on a famous Paco Rabanne dress from the 1960s. Inside is a 270,000 square foot store.









Centenary Square is a wide public space fronted by a number of major civic buildings, including the Library, designed by Dutch architectural firm Mecanoo with interconnected rotundas and outdoor observation areas. It's a really nice free observation deck.





Similar to London, Birmingham has a few elaborately-decorated retail shopping arcades.











More photos on my website : Birmingham Photo Gallery

[ColDayMan]

Love those arcades.

[hkskyline]

Digbeth is just to the east of the city centre and used to be a manufacturing area with large industrial complexes. The railways arrived in the mid-19th century and huge viaducts crossed above the streets.

Some of the names from the industrial era are still familiar today, such as Typhoo tea, but nowadays, there is a lot of decay with regeneration taking hold in small steps, driven by construction of the HS2 and tram extension.

While the area looks a bit rough, street artists have arrived and decorated many buildings and railway arches with graffiti, so it is still worthwhile to drop by and explore during the day.









































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/birmingham.htm

[hkskyline]

Alfred Bird invented an eggless custard powder in 1837 to accommodate his wife's allergy to eggs. Used to pour over desserts, it was served at a dinner party and Alfred saw a business opportunity. The Custard Factory opened in 1902 and operated until the 1960s.

Restoration began in 1993 and the Victorian factory is now a creative hub with offices, shops, restaurants, and more.



































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/birmingham.htm

[hkskyline]

The Ikon Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in a repurposed Victorian boarding school. During my visit, there were two exhibitions on offer.
"Break the Mould" focuses on ceramics and experimenting with clay that challenges the traditional boundaries.

At the entrance is Jack Ky Tan's ceramic urns inspired by ceremonial bronzes from the Shang Dynasty.



Halima Cassell's hand-carved ceramic vessels were made with clay gifted by others from around the world, symbolizing nothing is created in isolation.





She also has 3 further works on display here showing the geometric forms, carving, and patterns that define her practice.



Upstairs, Angela de la Cruz collaborated with the Birmingham Royal Ballet to produce this exhibition about the human body, its vulnerability and survival.





South of the city centre, the Midland Arts Centre has put on a show with works from 37 local artists covering a wide range of materials and topics.



















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/birmingham.htm