Information about Birmingham

City of Birmingham
Birmingham Skyline viewed from Centenary Square Birmingham Skyline viewed from Centenary Square
Coat of Arms of the City Council
Nickname: "Brum = Scum", "Brummagem", "Second City", "Workshop of the World", "City of a Thousand Trades"
Motto: Backwards
Birmingham shown within England and the West Midlands Birmingham shown within England and the West Midlands
Coordinates:
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	West Midlands
Ceremonial county	West Midlands
Admin HQ	Birmingham City Centre
Founded	6th century
Municipal borough	1838
City	1889
Government
- Type	Metropolitan borough
- Governing body	Birmingham City Council
- Lord Mayor	Randal Brew
- Council Leader	Mike Whitby (C)
- Council Control	Conservative / Liberal Democrat
- MPs	Richard Burden (L) Liam Byrne (L) John Hemming (LD) Dr Lynne Jones (L) Khalid Mahmood (L) Steve McCabe (L) Andrew Mitchell (C) Clare Short (IL) Siôn Simon (L) Gisela Stuart (L)
Area
- City	0 sq mi (267.77 km)
Elevation	0 ft (140 m)
Population (2005 est.)
- City	(Ranked)
- Density	0/sq mi (3739/km)
- Conurbation	2,284,093
- Ethnicity (2001 Census)	70.4% White 2.9% Mixed 19.5% S.Asian 6.1% Black 0.5% Chinese 0.6% Other
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode	B
Area code(s)	0121
	GB-BIR
ONS code	00CN
OS grid reference	SP066868
NUTS 3	UKG31
Website: www.birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham (pron. IPA: /ˈbɝmɪŋəm/ Burr-ming-um) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham is the largest of England's core cities, and is often considered to be the second city of the United Kingdom.^[1] The City of Birmingham has a population of 1,006,500 (2006 estimate).^[2] It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census)^[3] and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country.

The city's reputation was forged as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades".^[4]

People from Birmingham are known as 'Brummies', a term derived from the city's nickname of Brum. This comes in turn from the city's dialect name, Brummagem,^[5] which is derived from one of the city's earlier names, 'Bromwicham'. There is a distinctive Brummie dialect (distinct vocabulary and syntax) and accent (way of speaking), both of which differ from those of the adjacent Black Country.

History

Main articles: History of Birmingham and Timeline of Birmingham history

Birmingham started life in the 6th century as an Anglo-Saxon farming hamlet on the banks of the River Rea.^[6] The name 'Birmingham' comes from "Beorma ingas ham", meaning "home of the people of Beorma."^[7] Birmingham was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings.^[7]

In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a royal charter to hold a market,^[7] which in time became known as the Bull Ring, transforming Birmingham from a village to a market town. As early as the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established.^[8] By the English Civil War in the 17th century Birmingham had become an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms. Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade and was concentrated in the area known as the Gun Quarter.^[9] During the Industrial Revolution (from the mid-18th century onwards), Birmingham grew rapidly into a major industrial centre and the town prospered. During the 18th century, Birmingham was home to the Lunar Society, an important gathering of local thinkers and industrialists.^[10]

By the 1820s an extensive canal system had been constructed, giving greater access to natural resources to fuel to industries. Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837 with the arrival of the Grand Junction Railway, and a year later, the London and Birmingham Railway. During the Victorian era, the population of Birmingham grew rapidly to well over half a million^[11] and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in England. Birmingham was granted city status in 1889 by Queen Victoria.^[12] The city established its own university in 1900.^[13]

Birmingham was originally part of Warwickshire, but expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, absorbing parts of Worcestershire to the south and Staffordshire to the north and west. The city absorbed Sutton Coldfield in 1974, and at the same time became a metropolitan borough in the new West Midlands county.

Birmingham suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II's "Birmingham Blitz", and the city centre was extensively redeveloped during the 1950s and 1960s.^[14] This included the construction of large tower block estates, such as Castle Vale, the reconstruction of the Bull Ring and the redevelopment of New Street station. In recent years, Birmingham has been transformed, with the construction of new squares, the restoration of old streets, buildings and canals, the removal of the pedestrian subways, and the redevelopment of the Bull Ring shopping centre.^[15]

In the decades following World War II, the population of Birmingham changed dramatically, with immigration from the Commonwealth of Nations and beyond.^[16] The population peaked in 1951 at 1,113,000 residents.^[16]

Geography

Birmingham is situated just to the west of the geographical centre of England on the Birmingham Plateau - an area of relatively high ground, ranging around 150-300 metres above sea level and crossed by Britain's main north-south watershed between the basins of the Rivers Severn and Trent.

To the south and west of the city lie the Lickey Hills,^[17] Clent Hills and Walton Hill, which reach 315 metres (1,033 ft) producing extensive views over the city.

Geologically, Birmingham is dominated by the Birmingham Fault which runs diagonally through the city from the Lickey Hills in the south west, passing through Edgbaston, the Bull Ring and Erdington, to Sutton Coldfield in the north east. To the south and east of the fault the ground is largely softer Keuper Marl, interspersed with beds of Bunter pebbles and crossed by the valleys of the Rivers Tame, Rea and Cole along with their tributaries.^[18] To the north and west of the fault, varying from 45-180 metres (150-600 ft) higher than the surrounding area and underlying much of the city centre, lies a long ridge of harder Keuper Sandstone.^[19][20]

Much of the area now occupied by the city was originally a northern reach of the ancient Forest of Arden, whose former presence can still be felt in the city's dense oak tree-cover and in the large number of districts such as Moseley, Saltley and Hockley with names ending in "-ley": an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "woodland clearing".^[21]

Climate

The climate in Birmingham is a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles, with average maximum temperatures in summer (July) being around 20°C (68°F); and in winter (January) is around 4.5°C (40°F). The weather is hardly extreme, however, there have been a few tornadoes in the area - the most recent being in July 2005 in the south of the city, damaging homes and businesses in the area.^[22]

Occasional summer heatwaves, such as the one experienced in July 2006 have become more common in recent years, and winters have become milder since the 1990s with snow becoming much less frequent. Similar to most other large cities, Birmingham has a considerable 'urban heat island' effect.^[23] During the coldest night recorded in Birmingham (14 January, 1982), for example, the temperature fell to -20.8°C (-5.4°F) at Birmingham International airport on the city's eastern edge, but just -12.9°C (8.8°F) at Edgbaston, near the city centre.^[24] Relative to other large UK conurbations, Birmingham is a snowy city, due to its inland location and comparatively high elevation.<ref name="RCBI" /> Snow showers often pass through the city via the Cheshire gap on North Westerly airstreams, but can also come off the North sea from North Easterly airstreams.<ref name="RCBI" />

Weather averages for Birmingham
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high C (F)
Average low C (F)
Precipitation mm (inch)
Source: United Nations World Meteorological Organization[25] 26 August 2007

Nearby places

Cities

Towns

Villages

See also: The Black Country.

Demographics

Religion	Percentage of population
Buddhist	0.3%
Christian	59.1%
Hindu	2%
Jewish	0.2%
Muslim	14.3%
Sikh	2.9%
No religion	12.4%
No answer	8.4%

Main article: Demographics of Birmingham

Birmingham is an ethnically and culturally diverse city. At the time of the 2001 UK census, 70.4% of the population was White (including 3.2% Irish & 1.5% Other White), 19.5% British Asian, 6.1% Black or Black British, 0.5% Chinese, 2.9% of mixed race and 0.6% of other ethnic heritage.^[26] 16.5% of the population was born outside the United Kingdom.

The population density is 3,649 people per km² compared to the 377.2 people per km² for England. Females represented 51.6% of the population whilst men represented 48.4%. More women were 70 or over.^[27] 60.4% of the population was aged between 16 and 74, compared to 66.7% in England as a whole.^[28]

60.4% of households were found to be owner occupied and 27.7% were rented from either the city council, housing association or other registered social landlord. The remaining 11.8% of households were rented privately or lived rent free.^[28]

Places of interest

See also: ^[29]

Museums and galleries

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has renowned displays of artwork that include a leading collection of work by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the world's largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones. The group also owns other museums in the city such as Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Sarehole Mill, a popular attraction for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien. Thinktank in the Eastside is one of the newest museums in the city. The Birmingham Back to Backs are the last surviving court of back-to-back houses in the city.^[30]

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is both an art gallery and concert hall. It also has one of the world's most detailed and largest coin collections.^[31] Cadbury World is a museum showing visitors the stages and steps of chocolate production and the history of chocolate and the company.

Parks and squares

There are over 8,000 acres (32 km²) of parkland open spaces in Birmingham.^[32] The largest of the parks is Sutton Park covering 2,400 acres (9.7 km²) making it the largest urban nature reserve in Europe.^[33] Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a Victorian creation, with a conservatory and bandstand, close to the city centre. The Winterbourne Botanic Garden, maintained by the University of Birmingham, is also located close to the city centre.

The city centre consists of numerous public squares including Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square and Victoria Square. The historic Old Square is located on Corporation Street. Rotunda Square and St Martin's Square are two of the newest squares in Birmingham, being located within the Bullring Shopping Centre. Brindleyplace also consists of three squares.

Religious buildings

St Philip's was upgraded from church to cathedral status in 1905. Another cathedral in the city is St Chad's, which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Province of Birmingham. St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Grade II* listed church. There is also a variety of non-Christian religions in the city. In the 1960s, Birmingham Central Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Europe, was constructed for the Muslim community of the city.^[34]

See also: Religion in Birmingham.

Leisure

Two major developments have regenerated two parts of the city in recent years. Brindleyplace is a major canalside development with restaurants and office buildings along with the National Sea Life Centre. The other development was the Bullring Shopping Centre. The Mailbox features many designer stores as well as offices and apartments. The National Indoor Arena is one of the busiest large scale sporting and entertainment venues in Europe. Outside of the city centre is Star City entertainment complex on the former site of Nechells Power Station.^[35]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Birmingham

Although Birmingham grew to prominence as a manufacturing and engineering centre, its economy today is dominated by the service sector, which in 2003 accounted for 78% of the city's economic output and 97% of its economic growth.^[36]

Two of Britain's "big four" banks were founded in Birmingham - Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) in 1765^[37] and the Midland Bank (now HSBC Bank plc) in 1836^[38] - and today the city employs 108,000 in banking, finance and insurance.^[39] In 2007, Cushman & Wakefield stated that Birmingham was the third best place in the United Kingdom to locate a business, and the 21st best in Europe.^[40]

Tourism is also an increasingly important part of the local economy. With major facilities such as the International Convention Centre and National Exhibition Centre the Birmingham area accounts for 42% of the UK conference and exhibition trade.^[41] The city's sporting and cultural venues attract large numbers of visitors.

With an annual turnover of £2.2bn, Birmingham city centre is the UK's second largest retail centre,^[42] with the country's busiest shopping centre - the Bullring.

Although Birmingham has seen strong economic growth overall in recent years, with per capita GDP rising from 2% above the UK average in 1995 to 7% above in 2003,^[43] the benefits have not been felt evenly throughout the city. Many of the higher skilled jobs generated have gone to commuters from the surrounding area, and the two parliamentary constituencies with the highest unemployment rates in the UK - Ladywood and Sparkbrook and Small Heath - are both in inner-city Birmingham.^[44] Growth has also placed significant strain on the city's transport infrastructure, with many major roads and the central New Street railway station operating considerably over capacity during peak periods. Birmingham has a large incineration plant, the Tyseley Energy from Waste Plant which produces electricity for the National Grid through the process of burning waste. It was built in 1996 by Veolia.^[45]

Politics

Main article: Government of Birmingham

Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the UK.^[46] It has 120 councillors representing 40 wards.^[47] There is no overall control, and the council is run by a Conservative/ Liberal Democrat coalition. Birmingham's ten parliamentary constituencies are represented in the House of Commons by one Conservative, one Liberal Democrat, one Independent Labour and seven Labour MPs.^[48] Birmingham City Council operates all aspects of the city's workings through it planning and leisure services. The council deals with all planning applications as well as adding designations for locally listed buildings.^[49]

Law enforcement in Birmingham is carried out by the West Midlands Police, fire and rescue by the West Midlands Fire Service and ambulatory care by the West Midlands Ambulance Service. Birmingham is also the seat of the Government Office for the West Midlands region.^[50]

Transport

Main article: Transport in Birmingham

Due in part to its inland central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail, and canal networks.^[51] The city is served by a number of major motorways and probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction.^[52] Birmingham is home to National Express's headquarters and Digbeth Coach Station forms the national hub of the company's coach network. Birmingham International Airport, located in the Borough of Solihull to the east of Birmingham, is the UK's sixth largest airport, third largest for charter traffic and has the second highest proportion of business traffic, behind London Heathrow.^[53]

Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram. The number 11A and 11C outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe. Bus routes are mainly operated by Travel West Midlands, which accounts for over 80% of all bus journeys in Birmingham, however, there are around 50 other, smaller registered bus companies.^[54] The extensive bus network allows passengers to travel to and from various districts of the city, while there are longer bus routes which take passengers to areas further afield such as Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Halesowen, Stourbridge and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. The only towns in the West Midlands conurbation that currently lack a direct bus link with Birmingham are Tipton, Sedgley, Kingswinford, Wednesfield and Willenhall.

The city's main railway station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national railway network. Birmingham Snow Hill station, another major railway station in the city centre, is also a terminus for the Midland Metro which operates between the station and Wolverhampton, also serving the nearby towns of Bilston, Wednesbury and West Bromwich.^[55] There are plans to extend the Midland Metro route further into Birmingham city centre.^[56] Birmingham has a large rail-based park and ride network that feeds the city centre. Birmingham is also notable for its expansive canal system which fed the industry in the city during the Industrial Revolution.

Education

Main article: Education in Birmingham

The city council is England's largest local education authority, directly or indirectly responsible for 25 nursery schools, 328 primary schools, 77 secondary schools^[57] and 29 special schools.^[58] It also runs the library service, with 4 million visitors annually,^[59] and provides around 4,000 adult education courses throughout the year.^[60] The main library is Central Library and there are 41 local libraries in Birmingham, plus a regular mobile library service.^[61]

Birmingham is home to three universities: Aston University, the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University. It also has a university college (Newman College)^[62] and a college of higher education (Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies). The Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting, both now part of Birmingham City University, offer higher education in specific arts subjects. BCU opened the New Technology Institute facility in the same area in 2006.^[63] King Edward's School is perhaps the most prestigious independent school in the city. The seven schools of The King Edward VI Foundation are known nationally for setting the very highest academic standards and all of the schools consistently achieve top positions in national league tables.^[64]

Sutton Coldfield College merged with North Birmingham College in 2003 and Josiah Mason College in 2006 to form one of the largest further education colleges in the country.^[65] Matthew Boulton College is also located in the city and in 2005, the Eastside branch of the college was completed and opened. Joseph Chamberlain College is the only sixth form college in Birmingham and Solihull to have been awarded both Beacon Status and an overall OFSTED grade 1 (Outstanding).^[66]

Crime and policing

West Midlands Police serves Birmingham and the West Midlands county. It is based in the city centre of Birmingham. Birmingham has been the location for many high profile incidents such as the 31 January 2007 Birmingham raid, New Year Murders and more historically, the Birmingham pub bombings.

Crime figures for 2005/ 2006 showed that Birmingham was above the English average in all fields.^[67] Of the eight major cities in the country (Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol), Birmingham has the lowest crime rate.^[68]

Crime figures for 2005/ 2006 in Birmingham^[68]

Crime	Birmingham statistic (per 1,000 of the population)	English average (per 1,000 of the population)
Violence against a person	25.5	18
Robbery offences	4.7	1
Theft of vehicle offences	6.4	3
Theft from vehicles	10.7	8
Sexual offences	1.5	1
Burglary	8.6	5

Sport

Main article: Sport in Birmingham

The city has played an important part in the history of sport. It was the first city to be named National City of Sport by the Sports Council.^[69] It is home to two of the country's oldest professional football teams: Birmingham City (1875) and Aston Villa (1874). Aston Villa won club football's most coveted prize, the European Cup, in 1982. The Birmingham derby is an event in which the two football clubs play against each other. Aston Villa has won 41 matches as opposed to Birmingham City's 36 match wins.

Birmingham is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, whose Edgbaston ground also hosts test matches. The venue was the scene of the highest ever score by a batsman, when Brian Lara scored 501 not out for Warwickshire.^[70] International track and field meetings take place at Alexander Stadium, the home of Birchfield Harriers which has many international athletes amongst its members. The National Indoor Arena (NIA), opened in 1991^[71], is a major indoor athletics venue, hosting the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships and 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships as well as many WWE wrestling events.

The first ever game of lawn tennis was played by Major Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera in Edgbaston between 1859 and 1865^[72] and ATP international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club.^[73] Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley RFC, who play at Billesley Common, and there is professional basketball team, Birmingham Panthers, as well as professional boxing, hockey, skateboarding, stock-car racing, greyhound racing and speedway in the city.

Food & drink

Main article: Food & drink in Birmingham

Birmingham based breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells & Butlers.^[74] Aston Manor Brewery is currently the only brewery of any significant size. Many fine Victorian pubs and bars can still be found across the city. The oldest inn in Birmingham is the Old Crown in Deritend (circa 1450). The city has a plethora of nightclubs and bars, notably along Broad Street.^[75]

The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinese Quarter.^[76] The Balti was invented in the city, which has received much acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' or 'Balti Triangle'.^[77] The city boasts two Michelin starred restaurants: Simpson's and Jessica's, both in Edgbaston.^[78]

Culture and arts

Main article: Arts in Birmingham

Music

Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied history over the last century. In the 1960s, the "Brum Beat" era featured blues and early progressive rock bands. The city is often described as the birthplace of heavy metal music,^[79] with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath being local. Then later on during the 80's bands such as Napalm Death, joined the Birmingham heavy metal scene. In the 1970s members of The Move and The Idle Race formed the Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. The 1970s also saw the rise of reggae and ska in the city with such bands as UB40. Seminal 1980s pop band Duran Duran are also from Birmingham.

Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK.^[80] Venues for the festival are also located out of Birmingham in Solihull. It was first held in 1984.^[81]

The internationally-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's home venue is Symphony Hall. There is a City Organist; since 1834 only seven men have held this position. The current holder, Thomas Trotter, has been in post since 1983.^[82] Weekly recitals have been given since the organ in Birmingham Town Hall was opened^[83] but are now held in St. Philip's Cathedral, until the Town Hall organ opens in October 2007, following restoration. The Birmingham Royal Ballet^[84] resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for Dance.^[85]

The Birmingham Triennial Music Festivals took place from 1784 to 1912. Music was specially composed, conducted or performed by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvořák, Bantock and Edward Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham. Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius had its début performance there in 1900. Composers born in the city include Albert William Ketèlbey and Andrew Glover.

Birmingham's other city-centre music venues include The National Indoor Arena, which was opened in 1991, the CBSO Centre, opened in 1997, and the Adrian Boult Hall, which was built along with Paradise Forum and Birmingham Central Library, at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Theatre

Among the many theatres in Birmingham, the largest are the Alexandra ("the Alex"), The Rep, the Hippodrome and the Old Rep. The Crescent Theatre and Old Joint Stock Theatre are other city centre theatres. Outside of the city centre are the Drum Arts Centre (on the site of the former Aston Hippodrome) and mac.^[86] The Fierce! festival collaborates with The Rep to present an annual series of performances from local and national companies.

Literature

Literary figures associated with Birmingham include Samuel Johnson who stayed in Birmingham for a short period with Birmingham Central Library holding two thousand volumes of his work. Author Arthur Conan Doyle worked in the Aston area of Birmingham whilst poet Louis MacNeice lived in Birmingham for six years. Washington Irving produced several of his most famous literary works whilst staying in Birmingham such as Bracebridge Hall and The Humorists, A Medley which are based on Aston Hall. Other authors who were born in or have resided in Birmingham include David Lodge, Jonathan Coe and J. R. R. Tolkien, who is said to have been inspired by areas and buildings in the city. Influential poets associated with Birmingham include Roi Kwabena, who was the city's sixth poet laureate^[87], and Benjamin Zephaniah, who was born in the city.

Visual art

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has one of the largest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world. Edward Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham, spent his first twenty years in the city, later becoming president of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the 2004 Good Britain Guide.^[88] The Ikon Gallery hosts displays of contemporary art. Notable local artists include David Cox, David Bomberg, Martin John Callanan, Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney.

Birmingham's role as a manufacturing and printing centre has supported strong local traditions of graphic design and product design. Iconic works by Birmingham designers include the Baskerville font,^[89] Ruskin Pottery,^[90] the Acme Thunderer whistle,^[91] the art deco branding of the Odeon Cinemas^[92] and the Mini.^[93]

Festivals and shows

Birmingham is home to many national, religious and spiritual festivals including a St. George's Day party. The Birmingham Tattoo is a long-standing military show. The Caribbean-style Birmingham International Carnival takes place in odd numbered years. Birmingham Pride takes place in the 'gay village' and attracts up to 100,000 visitors each year. Party in the Park, a popular chart music event, is Birmingham's largest music festival. For several years the city also hosted an annual arts festival ArtsFest, the largest free arts festival in the UK. In December 2006, the City Council announced that it would no longer hold Artsfest.^[94] The city's largest single-day event is its St. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin).^[95] Other multicultural events include the Bangla Mela and the Vaisakhi Mela.

Media

Birmingham has two local daily newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Mail - as well as the Sunday Mercury, all owned by the Trinity Mirror. Forward (formerly Birmingham Voice) is a freesheet produced by Birmingham City Council, which is distributed to homes in the city. Birmingham is also the hub for various national ethnic media.

The Electric Cinema on Station Street is the oldest working cinema in the UK,^[96] and Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in Perry Barr during the 1920s. Star City is said to be Europe's largest leisure and cinema complex and is not far from the Britain's only permanent drive-in cinema; both are in Nechells.

The BBC has two facilities in the city. The Mailbox in the city centre is the location for the national headquarters of BBC English Regions,^[97] the headquarters of BBC West Midlands and the BBC Birmingham network production centre, which were previously located at the Pebble Mill Studios in Edgbaston. The BBC Drama Village, based in Selly Oak, is a production facility specialising in television drama.^[98]

The city is served by numerous national and regional radio stations, as well as local radio stations. These include 96.4 BRMB, Galaxy, Heart FM, Kerrang! 105.2, New Style Radio 98.7FM, Smooth Radio 105.7FM and BBC WM.^[99]

Nightlife

There is a large number of clubs and bars in the city centre, mainly along Broad Street and into Brindleyplace which has now become the city's centre for night-time entertainment. There are many stylish clubs and bars outside the Broad Street area. The Medicine Bar in the Custard Factory, The Sanctuary, Rainbow Pub and Air in Digbeth are very popular. Many bars and club nights exist in areas such as the Arcadian and Hurst Street Gay Village by the Chinese Quarter, Summer Row, The Mailbox, and St Philips/Colmore Row - where once a month there is a party night held for Polish residents in Birmingham - and Jewellery Quarter. There are number of late night pubs in the Irish Quarter.^[100]

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Birmingham

Statue of Lord Nelson on the Portland plinth and railings surrounding it.

Today's Birmingham is chiefly a product of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, as its real growth began with the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, relatively few buildings survive from its earlier history. There are 1,946 listed buildings in Birmingham and thirteen scheduled ancient monuments.^[101]

Traces of medieval Birmingham can be seen in the oldest churches, notably the original parish church, St Martin in the Bull Ring. A few other buildings from the medieval and Tudor periods survive, among them The Lad In The Lane^[102] and The Old Crown, the 15th century Saracen's Head public house and Old Grammar School in Kings Norton^[103] and Blakesley Hall.

A number of Georgian buildings survive, including St Philip's Cathedral, Soho House, Perrott's Folly, the Town Hall and much of St Paul's Square. The Victorian era saw extensive building across the city. Major civic buildings such as the Victoria Law Courts (in characteristic red brick and terracotta), the Council House and the Museum & Art Gallery were constructed.^[104] St Chad's Cathedral was the first Roman Catholic cathedral to be built in the UK since the Reformation.^[105] Across the city, the need to house the industrial workers gave rise to miles of redbrick streets and terraces, many of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums.^[106]

Postwar redevelopment and anti-Victorianism resulted in the loss of dozens Victorian buildings like Birmingham New Street Station, and the old Central Library.^[107] In inner-city areas too, much Victorian housing was redeveloped and existing communities were relocated to tower block estates like Castle Vale.^[108] Birmingham City Council now has an extensive tower block demolition and renovation programme. There has been a lot of construction in the city centre in recent years, including the award-winning^[109] Future Systems' Selfridges building in the Bullring Shopping Centre, the Brindleyplace regeneration project and the Millennium Point science and technology centre. The regeneration of Birmingham has been prompted by the Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme.

Highrise development has slowed since the 1970s and mainly in recent years due to enforcements imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority on the heights of buildings as they could affect aircraft from the International Airport, (e.g. Beetham Tower).^[110]

Second City

Main article: Second city of the United Kingdom

Birmingham has traditionally been regarded by many as the Second city of the United Kingdom. It is the most populous English city and has an important cultural and industrial impact on British life for centuries. A 2007 poll by the BBC placed Manchester ahead of Birmingham in the category of second city of England^[111], but also ahead in the category of third city. Neither categories are officially sanctioned, and criteria for determining what 'second city' means are ill-defined.

Notable residents

Main article: List of famous residents of Birmingham, England

Birmingham has a number of notable residents from various walks of life. Joseph Chamberlain, who was once mayor of Birmingham and later became an MP, and his son Neville Chamberlain, who was lord mayor Birmingham and later the British Prime Minister, are two of the most well-known political figures who have lived in Birmingham. Author J. R. R. Tolkien was brought up in Birmingham with many locations in the city such as Moseley bog, Sarehole Mill and Perrott's Folly supposedly being the inspiration for various scenes in The Lord of the Rings. Entertainers who were born or who have lived in Birmingham include comedians Tony Hancock and Jasper Carrott and the actors Trevor Eve and Martin Shaw. In more recent times, Cat Deeley became a popular television presenter in the UK and USA. Birmingham has also produced a number of popular bands and musicians. UB40, The Editors , Ocean Colour Scene, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Wizzard and Duran Duran were all popular bands, whilst musicians Jeff Lynne, Ozzy Osbourne, John Lodge, Nick Mason, Christine McVie, Roy Wood, Jamelia, and Steve Winwood all were very successful.

The 'Walk of Stars', similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was unveiled in July 2006 to honour the famous residents of Birmingham. The first star to be placed on the walk, which is located on Broad Street, was by Ozzy Osbourne.^[112] The second star, honouring Jasper Carrott, was placed in the walk in September 2007 during ArtsFest.^[113]

See also: Blue Plaques erected by the Birmingham Civic Society.

Science and invention

Main article: Science and invention in Birmingham

Birmingham has been the location for some of the most important inventions and scientific breakthroughs. Local inventions and notable firsts include: gas lighting, custard powder, the magnetron, the first ever use of radiography in an operation, Lewis Paul and John Wyatt's first cotton Roller Spinning machine and the UK's first ever hole-in-the-heart operation, at Birmingham Children's Hospital.^[114]

Among the city's notable scientists and inventors are Matthew Boulton, proprietor of the Soho engineering works, Sir Francis Galton, originator of eugenics and important techniques in statistics, Joseph Priestley, chemist and radical and James Watt, engineer and inventor who is associated with the steam engine. Many of these scientists were members of the Lunar Society.^[115]

Twin cities

Birmingham's town twins^[116] are:

Chicago, Illinois, United States Frankfurt, Germany Guangzhou, China Johannesburg, South Africa

Leipzig, Germany Lyon, France Milan, Italy Ramallah, Palestine[117]

Birmingham, Alabama, USA is named after the city and shares an industrial kinship.^[118] There is also a Treaty of Friendship between Birmingham and Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan from where about 90,000 Birmingham citizens originate.<ref name="town twins" />

See also

• Constituent areas of Birmingham
• Eurovision Song Contest 1998
• Gallery of Birmingham images
• Birmingham military history
• List of songs about Birmingham

References