Hauled arse and camera up to Brum for a day out yesterday - this is what the place looked like in the spring sunshine...

New Street, ironically named, is the third oldest street in the city, first mentioned in the twelfth century.
http://tinypic.com/2mah4h

The pink terracotta Cannon Street.
http://tinypic.com/2mah6c

The Trocadero in Temple Street, originally an insurance office, was converted into a pub in 1900 with the addition of a fine Art Nouveau mosaic along the ground floor.
http://tinypic.com/2maha8

Colmore Row, traditionally the heart of Birmingham's Banking Quarter.
http://tinypic.com/2mahb8

Yeoville Thomason's 1869 Union Club.
http://tinypic.com/2mahds

In addition to its palatial Victorian banking halls, Colmore Row has a couple of buildings that were milestones in the transition from the Arts and Crafts style of the late nineteenth century to the proto-modernism of the early twentieth. This is the first, WR Lethaby's 1900 Eagle Star Insurance Building...
http://tinypic.com/2mahhg

...and this is the second - Henman and Cooper's Scottish Union and National Insurance Building of 1902.
http://tinypic.com/2mahia

Temple Row.
http://tinypic.com/2mahj5

Surrounded by some of the busiest streets in Central Brum, the lawyer- and private banker- dominated Waterloo Street always seems surreally peaceful.
http://tinypic.com/2mahjq

St Philips, designed by Thomas Archer in 1726, is the finest Baroque church in the UK outside London.
http://tinypic.com/2mahl2

The Hotel du Vin in Church Street.
http://tinypic.com/2mahlf

Victorian town houses in Cornwall Street.
http://tinypic.com/2mahol

One wing of J.H Chamberlain's posthumous masterpiece - the School of Art in Margaret Street, completed in 1885.
http://tinypic.com/2mahp1

Birmingham is famous for its ornate terracotta architecture - these are the 1896 Bell Edison offices by Frederick Martin.
http://tinypic.com/2mahqd

More restrained and understated Victoriana on Edmund Street...
http://tinypic.com/2mahqv

The triumphal arch of the Council House, Birmingham's rather prosaically named City Hall.
http://tinypic.com/2mahrp

The City Museum and Art Gallery in Chamberlain Square.
http://tinypic.com/2mahsg

Anthony Gormley's 1993 "Iron Man" sculpture in Victoria Square.
http://tinypic.com/2mahwm

Selfridges.
http://tinypic.com/2mahx1

Selfridges' interior.
http://tinypic.com/2mahxj

The Bull Ring has been Birmingham's commercial heart since 1166 when Henry II first granted Peter de Bermingham a charter to hold a weekly fair around St Martin's Church. One of its more recent additions is this patinated copper mollusc-shaped coffee shop, based on the Fibonacci sequence and designed in 2004 by Marks Barfield, architects of the London Eye.
http://tinypic.com/2mahy8

St Paul's Church, set in a leafy Georgian square, is the heart of the Jewellery Quarter - an area of small early nineteenth century workshops north west of the city centre that has the largest concentration of specialist Jewelers in the world, intermingled with a wealth of bars, clubs and restaurants.
http://tinypic.com/2mahyo

Brummie terracotta's finest moment - Aston Webb and Ingress Bell's incredibly detailed and terrifyingly red Victoria Law Courts in Corporation Street.
http://tinypic.com/2mahz6

http://tinypic.com/2mahzc

Many of Birmingham's streets, particularly in the city centre, retain their original white-painted cast iron Victorian street signs.
http://tinypic.com/2mahzr

Broad Street, famous (notorious?) for its clubs, bars and drunken weekend revelry. Even the church, if you examine it closely, turns out to be a bar.
http://tinypic.com/2mai2r

Brindley Place, an exemplary mixed-use development north of Broad Street with over 1 million square feet of offices, along with museums, restaurants, hotels and residential buildings. From the left ... CZWG's Cafe in the Square, Stanton Williams' Four Brindley Place, Foster and Partners' National Sea Life Centre. A fine example of how to develop a completely new district into a real slice of city - this photograph is taken at the weekend, remember.
http://tinypic.com/2mai45

JH Chamberlain's former Oozells Street Board School, redesigned as part of the Brindley Place development by Levitt Bernstein Associates into a new home for the Ikon Gallery - one of Birmingham's foremost centres for contemporary art.
http://tinypic.com/2mai5u

Edgbaston, ajoining the city centre to the immediate south west. In Birmingham you can live in a white stucco Georgian or Victorian villa and still be close enough to the city centre to walk to work every morning. As long as you've got enough money, of course...
http://tinypic.com/2mb3m9

http://tinypic.com/2mb3n4

http://tinypic.com/2mb3nk

Victorian Suburbs ... Moseley, about 2 miles south of the city centre
http://tinypic.com/2mb3o3

http://tinypic.com/2mb3p0

... Sparkhill, to the east of the city centre, is officially the most deprived ward in the city.
http://tinypic.com/2mb3ph

http://tinypic.com/2mb3px

Deritend, literally the "Dirty End" of town, was the site of the original boggy ford across the River Rea that was the reason for Birmingham's existance. While Birmingham itself grew as a market town on the nearby hill that became the City Centre, Deritend and Digbeth below spent centuries as Birmingham's workhorses - leaving a gritty but characterful post-industrial district of factories, mills and old-fashioned no-nonsense boozers. This picture shows the factory that made Bird's Custard, slowly developing into a centre for arts, music and alternative shopping, together with Birmingham's oldest pub, the Old Crown, which dates from 1490, and Father Lopez's Chapel, a small victorian church set up by a Catholic missionary to try and save the souls of the area's impoverished residents. Already showing signs of a dramatic rebirth, this area has so much potential it's frightening.
http://tinypic.com/2mb3t1

Holloway Circus Tower, in a short while (and for a short while) to be the tallest tower in the UK outside London.
http://tinypic.com/2mb3te

Fantastic Bileduct.
I lived there for a couple of years (while back mind) and I can't recall 3/4's of those scenes.
A re-visit is on the cards very soon.
What a great pad the Scottish Union and National Insurance Building would make
Cheers.

Northy- Bileducts captions on that other thread have more info on them if you care to look.

The Scottish Union and National Insurance Building is now occupied by Bar 110. It has a smallish and expensive bar on the grund floor ( apparnetly well stokced for premium gins and vodkas), a generally quiet restraunt in the basement and a private morcoccan themed memebers bar upsatirs with a roof terrace.

What a busy day you had. Fantastic pictures. I know this city so well, and yet I've seen new details in those pictures! Thank you. Oh & glad you made it to Edgbaston too, made me proud to see the home turf! :applause: :)

Super stuff bileduct, much appreciated. I have no doubt those photos will surpise a few people who have certain negative preconceptions of what Brum looks like. Enjoyed the more detailed text on the vs. Glasgow thread too. You must've been worn out after taking that lot in though!

great pics those Bileduct !

Fab-u-lous.

Christ, great pics.

I think a visit to B'ham is definitely on the cards for me too. It is the only major UK city I have not had a good look around- and these pictures paint an impressive picture. Should only take a couple of hours from York. What's it like for parking? Or should I just take the train?

Great photos ,I was surprised at the number of nice old buildings in brum on my visit last year. Its reputation as a concrete jungle is unjust.

Cheers everybody - glad you liked them. Sorry if the gamma went a bit awry on a couple. I'll try and sort out the wayward ones and post a few more while I'm at it too.

@Northy, I quite fancy the Norman Shaw-esque red brick checker board thing on Cornwall St myself. Not sure they'd swap it for my 70s flat in Lewisham, mind.

Do you mind if I post your thread on SSP, Mr Duct?

Do you mind if I post your thread on SSP, Mr Duct?
Naah, go for it, Mr Don.

Bostin' pics Bileduct! Those chimnies in Edgbaston (white ones) are something else.

This is the best collection of pics that should completely disspell any misconceptions of Brum being devoid of any beauty. Fantastic Bileduct!

A+

Very Well Done

There are some buildings which are unfortunately covered up with scaffold that would really beef up this collection, like Town Hall, Baskerville and Grand Hotel, but these will be unearthed again soon. The Town Hall is of course our masterpiece, designed by Hansom (of the cab) and is based on the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The only better examples I've seen in the world for myself are the Acropolis in Athens and Eglise Madeleine in Paris. Roll on 2007! Also, Brum's got a nice collection of 20s art-deco bldgs on Great Charles St, plus a gorgeous 30s Riviera-looking beauty on New St opposite Pizza Hut. It's got the zigzig fascias plus ornate balconies. Perhaps somebody might know the name and date of this baby?

This one MSP?

http://tinypic.com/2l9usi

^what the bloody hell's that?!

Can't say I've ever noticed it. Probably too busy staring at Pizza Hut when I stroll past.

Some of the best Brum pics ever :)

Northy- Bileducts captions on that other thread have more info on them if you care to look.

The Scottish Union and National Insurance Building is now occupied by Bar 110. It has a smallish and expensive bar on the grund floor ( apparnetly well stokced for premium gins and vodkas), a generally quiet restraunt in the basement and a private morcoccan themed memebers bar upsatirs with a roof terrace.

Noted fella.

Question is - why haven't none of you locals ever posted owt like this?
Call some of the mancs over zealous but they get the hype machine moving!

Stick these scenes in a posh pahmplet, forget the canals quote and watch your coxis twist like a beast.
Cannon street...Colmore... - beautiful.
Could've foxed me with Glasgow scenes before my visit there.

Bile - perhaps we could pool your lewisham gaff with my withington abode - kids would get ok right? :)

Impressive stuff bileduct :applause:

Grreat pictures there Bileduct!!!

Cheers Nick - that's the one! That is my fave stylised bldg in Brum. The best angle is to look at it from 45 degrees, where the top skylight wraps around.
Northbeach - we're always surprising ain't we? Yeah, I'm sick of the usual canals boast too - we need to mix terracotta gargoyles with aluminium discs for our brochures from now on.

Great pics of our second city, bileduct. I am a big fan of Birmingham - if any other city had those assets it would be shouting about it to the world, but the brummies are self-deprecating. But, maybe they figure they dont need to boast. Please visit Liverpool and take some pics there.

This one MSP?

http://tinypic.com/2l9usi

The building is gorgeous, I want to live in it and work in it and die in it and be buried in it and re-born in it and start all over again in it. What and where is it? I am going to go into it. I am serious. It is the loveliest thing I have seen all week, and I didnt see it when I visited Birmingham.

amazing pics,

where is this glasgow vs birmingham thead ?

Just what have I started here! It's on Upper New St Politan, and it's offices - def should be apartments.

On the World city v city thread 2003!

Thanks MSP, to me it looks like a subversive homage to deco circa 1980, and a bit Meditteranean po-mo-style at same time. I've never seen anything like it before, I cannot wait for my next trip to Birmingham, it's number one on my "to see" list. I'll have a look at those threads you mention, its rare to see something so nice in this country.

Wow! Those pictures have honestly shocked me! I've been to Brum almost every year since 1996 for my trips to Villa Park and St Andrews but ive always gone straight to the stadium and by-passed the City Centre. Those pictures have really impressed me and i too will endeavour to visit the UK's 2nd city this summer!

if any other city had those assets it would be shouting about it to the world, but the brummies are self-deprecating. But, maybe they figure they dont need to boast.

We do boast but no one ever listens ;)

Only kiddin, Brummies are on the whole quite humble (It's one of our better features)... I personally am extremely positive about my place of birth, isn't Bileduct an export?

This one MSP?

http://tinypic.com/2l9usi
I think its called Grosvenor House. Built in 1953 ! :)

Cheers Midge. :)

I've always liked that building. One of my favourites.

What are those illuminations at the front? Are they christmas ones, or all year round? I think when I see it in person, I would be disappointed if they were not there.

they were on top of the massive german xmas market alas not here now

Shame, pics not showing and site has been closed for exceeding bandwidth limits.

Hope they're back soon. Seems like I've missed a good batch.

Sorry about that - my ISP seem to have introduced a fair usage limit on webspace since I last used them for hosting on here. That'll teach me to post smug thread titles about bandwidth, I suppose.

Should be back now, relocated to tinypic

Noted fella.

Question is - why haven't none of you locals ever posted owt like this?
Call some of the mancs over zealous but they get the hype machine moving!

Stick these scenes in a posh pahmplet, forget the canals quote and watch your coxis twist like a beast.


I'm not sure that's fair Northy - mk61 and smileyface (to name just two) are always posting excellent stuff...

http://tinypic.com/pmwax

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%202/Paragonhotel1.jpg

http://tinypic.com/29h8j9

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham/BigJoe.jpg

http://tinypic.com/p1zwx


It would be great to see the back of that Venice bollocks though - they might as well just write "There is nothing here of even slight interest to anyone".

Fantastic photos. I've never been to Birmingham before, but after looking at those pictures i think i'm going to make a weekend break there.

Indeed, marvellous photos there bileduct, you've beautifully captured in some detail most of the areas I tend to skirt around moving between building sites. Lucky with the weather too! :)

There is a photo comp in today's Metro which might interest you guys. There's a Sigma SD10 digital camera up for grabs. See http://www.yellaboutbirmingham.co.uk/

wow, more great pics! How many do you have Bileduct? You have a great eye.

I can't claim any credit for them last few Lpol, they were pulled from other threads by smileyface and mk61. I do have a few more from the other weekend, though. I'll try and post them when I get a moment.

Sorry for my ignorance,,but what is that beautiful clock tower,,it looks like its a cracking building,is that dome part of the same building

That Clock Tower and the domed building are apart of the stunning Birmingham University. It was teh first 'campus' university of its kind in the UK. The clock tower stands alone and is actually the tallest clock tower anywhere in the world, 4 metres taller than Big Ben.

http://www.chem.bham.ac.uk/labs/pikramenou/UoB.jpg

Cheers Munch ,What a beaut,,i love it,,,im coming down to Brum in a few weeks i'll have to go there for a nosey,,,,,i love these older buildings,,,GORGEOUS :)

Everybody - let's meet up with Manchester's finest.....Highriser!

That's the Joseph Chamberlain clock tower at the University of Birmingham. It's about 100m, and built just over 100 years ago.

The domed building is another part of the campus. Not connected though. It's the Aston Webb building.

www.bham.ac.uk has pics :)

Is it possible to get to the top of the clock tower? Anyone here in Birmingham University?

they have every so often opened the tower to the public. however, after a few people who jumped off in the 70's, the tower is now opened only on special occassions!

brilliant pics btw!

i was told that once a chinese man jumped off during the exam period - coz he was so depressed/stressed

:sleepy:

Not sure about that Gaz, a student jumped off a building and commited suicide a while back but I think that was another highrise?

I have access to the buildings but I am waiting for the time to invest in a decent dig cam.

the guy that jumped off was matt wilshaw or something like that... and he jumped off muirhead tower... which is the ugly tall building on campus. Everyone seems to write "R.I.P. Matt willshaw" on the tables in the lecture theatres in that building!

I think the story about it being closed at exam times is a myth.... however... i do like to tell people that on my tours of campus :)

I think the great hall in the aston webb building.. (Domed one) was used on question time last thursday.... saw lots of camera people/bbc setting up out on thursday.....

Good to see you Anishk - another forumer to back Brum - hopefully!

I know there is an area in one of the towers that conceals the dead for Uni experiments, it's quite normal I guess.

My cousins used to sneak through the vents that pop up in the uni grounds and drink 20/20 untill a legionares scare spread through the area... (silly boys). They later went on to spray can art in subways.

A few more pics from my excursion last month...

Bennett's Hill
http://tinypic.com/54g804

More Brindley Place
http://tinypic.com/54g85i

The Bull Ring...

(One of the things that really stood out to me on this visit was the number of people in the centre of town doing absolutely fuck all. Central Brum has always been lively and sometimes stressfully busy for as long as I can remember, but this always generally seemed to be because it was full of people with things to do. Having crowds of people in the Bull Ring or Victoria Square or around the canals who were there for no reason apart from the fact that it's a nice place to be when you're at a loose end seems like something new to me, reminiscent of the way people in Italian cities like Bologna treat their city centres almost like extensions of their front rooms. You certainly wouldn't have thought of the Bull Ring as the sort of place to sit down and read a book ten years ago.)
http://tinypic.com/54g86s

Great Western Arcade
http://tinypic.com/54g8k5

Druckers, and a particularly classy example of a Brummie street sign (sorry ... bit of an obsession with this sort of thing - few things reflect better on a city than lavishing real care on apparently humdrum things like street furniture)
http://tinypic.com/54gea1

More New Street
http://tinypic.com/54g8r6

More Colmore Row

http://tinypic.com/54gbwo

The bottom end of Corporation Street looking characteristically quiet and relaxed
http://tinypic.com/54g8xt

Top end's still a ghost town at the weekend though - badly need to reconnect this with Gosta Green so it becomes less of a dead-end
http://tinypic.com/54g8zb

The Gas Hall
http://tinypic.com/54gaci

A slightly different angle on Cannon Street
http://tinypic.com/54gbbo

One of the city's less well-known multi-cultural monuments - Singer's Hill Synagogue on Blucher Street, is one of the oldest and most architecturally significant purpose-built synagogues in the country, dating from 1856
http://tinypic.com/54hfyw

Er .. more canals than Venice, anyone?
http://tinypic.com/54gbjm

More canals...
http://tinypic.com/54gbog

http://tinypic.com/54gbqs

Detail of the School of Art (I wish they'd got Chamberlain & Martin to do the Council House instead of Thomason - imagine what these guys could have done with a serious budget. Fucking City Council never had any taste, even then)
http://tinypic.com/54gc3p

Queens Corner Detail
http://tinypic.com/54gdqt

Late Georgian turns into Early Victorian in front of your eyes in Charlotte Street...
http://tinypic.com/54ge1g

Say what you like about Birmingham, but it has some very well-hung statuary
http://tinypic.com/54gkts

The Old Library Art Gallery trying to win a "who can have the most understated exterior" competition (with a cameo by yours truly)
http://tinypic.com/54gkg1

Southside. The renders of this seemed a bit of a let down after Howells' jaw-droppingly arresting Timber Wharf in Manchester, but in the flesh it looks absolutely great - subtle, genuinely contextual (rather than just ripping off a few superficial aspects of the surrounding buildings) beautifully proportioned and an object lesson in the virtues of doing the simple things well. Single-handedly transforms Hurst Street from post-apocalyptic to almost Bostonian.
http://tinypic.com/54goiu

Yet another absurdly posh corner of Edgbaston
http://tinypic.com/54gnth

HCT pokes its head up over the Chinese Quarter (does so much of Ladywell Walk really need to be taken up by tarmac?? I'm sure buried under that carpark is another well-designed public space trying to get out)
http://tinypic.com/54gl4z

Bull Ring at Dusk
http://tinypic.com/54hd86

Southside. The renders of this seemed a bit of a let down after Howells' jaw-droppingly arresting Timber Wharf in Manchester, but in the flesh it looks absolutely great - subtle, genuinely contextual (rather than just ripping off a few superficial aspects of the surrounding buildings) beautifully proportioned and an object lesson in the virtues of doing the simple things well. Single-handedly transforms Hurst Street from post-apocalyptic to almost Bostonian.

...again just shows how the gays can turn an area around...any signs of revurban??? i hope the gay community wont be pushed out of the area through these developments though and the new bars and resturants in these developments are atleast gay friendly!!!!!


once again, briliant pics!

Absolutely fantastic! As you say about the extension of our front room, the city is really nice just to sit about in and read and watch and listen.

When we constantly get the bullshit about Birmingham by those who don't even know the place, these pics are a reminder just how fuckin gorgeous this place actually is. Just wish Brummies were more 'in your face proud' of their city in the same way that those from other places are. Its about time more of us extolled Brums virtues ! :) :cheers:

great pics as always bileduct :)

When we constantly get the bullshit about Birmingham by those who don't even know the place, these pics are a reminder just how fuckin gorgeous this place actually is. Just wish Brummies were more 'in your face proud' of their city in the same way that those from other places are. Its about time more of us extolled Brums virtues ! :) :cheers:

hmmmm, i dont know actually. i reckon that brummies are actually quite well know for being proud of their city and their traditions ...just a case of people not appreciating it though as they have never been there themselves!

fantastic images....cant wait til more properties are built around hurst street, love glenn howells work, very subtle. Hope the revurban and BT buildign start soon...this area needs it more than anywhere

Pics look absolutely amazing they really demonstrate the fact that architecturally Birmingham is so diverse, and has so many excellent examples of classical architecture, i mean if you were to show someone a picture of great western arcade they could easily mistake it it for a building in Rome.

Southside looks quality as well, the design is really simple but it has a real quality look, mixed with one or two more adventurous developments and this area will look great soon.

I for one am always singing our great city's praises it has so much to offer, and as long as it continues to change and expand with great new areas then things can only get better!!

Really great photo's there showing Birmingham in a different light than usual. Very nice to see some of the City's complete historic districts. I love the personality these historic buildings - brash, confident, outrageous and fun, just like the city today.

i wonder why all these building are not make so public....why does everyone just assume we're nothing but a load of concrete???? no other city...other than maybe cov...have the same image?!?!?!

Those are fantastic pics Bileduct, what with these and the summer weather upon us I feel like getting my camera out and going on a mad one round the city

Excellent pics bileduct :)

Couldn't agree more with Southside, the reality is much much better than the renders suggested.

Glenn Howells is really looking like a star in the making, isn't he. Be interesting to see what his Mailbox Tower looks like (it getting built would be even more interesting :)).

I really enjoyed my trip - it was the first time in a couple of years I'd gone to Brum just to visit rather than having things I needed to do. The weather helped, but it was lovely just to walk around with a camera and rediscover what a nice place it is to explore. Glad you liked the end result.

Don't think I ever posted these in the end - Brum in the baking summer heat (seems like a long time ago now)

Alpha
http://tinypic.com/i26pzs.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i26q7b.jpg

Church Street
http://tinypic.com/i26qeg.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i26qls.jpg

Old Joint Stock on Temple Row
http://tinypic.com/i26qz4.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i26r7s.jpg

Grosvenor House on New Street
http://tinypic.com/i27bjp.jpg

Pinfold Street
http://tinypic.com/i27bqh.jpg

Old Midland Bank on Bennetts Hill
http://tinypic.com/i27bwk.jpg

Bloke and Floozy ignore each other
http://tinypic.com/i27bzo.jpg

Queen Victoria gets a bit of psychological intimidation
http://tinypic.com/i27c52.jpg

The Waterhall
http://tinypic.com/i27ccx.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i27cid.jpg

School of Art
http://tinypic.com/i27clk.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gqps.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gqvn.jpg

Corporation Square, designed by the same architect as Liverpool's Catholic cathedral.
http://tinypic.com/i3gqwl.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gqxi.jpg

Summer Row
http://tinypic.com/i3gqyg.jpg

Chamberlain Square
http://tinypic.com/i3gr2a.jpg

Piccadilly Arcade
http://tinypic.com/i3gr37.jpg

Midland Arcade (I think?)
http://tinypic.com/i3gr54.jpg

The Rep
http://tinypic.com/i3gr69.jpg

Hall of Memory
http://tinypic.com/i3gr9v.jpg

CBSO Centre
http://tinypic.com/i3grat.jpg

Nat West
http://tinypic.com/i3grc7.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3grdg.jpg

Beatties
http://tinypic.com/i3gsnm.jpg

Smallbrook Queensway
http://tinypic.com/i3gsol.jpg

Was the Bank of England, now the Bank of Scotland
http://tinypic.com/i3gspf.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gsua.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gsvk.jpg

Bournebrook looking eerily quiet
http://tinypic.com/i3gsw9.jpg

Old Joe poking his head up
http://tinypic.com/i3gsx5.jpg

Chancellor's Court
http://tinypic.com/i3gsxl.jpg

Muirhead Tower
http://tinypic.com/i3gt1f.jpg

Sports Centre
http://tinypic.com/i3gt1x.jpg

The Barber Institute
http://tinypic.com/i3gt2p.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gt39.jpg

The Students Union by the utterly bonkers Holland W Hobbiss
http://tinypic.com/i3gtbt.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gtcg.jpg

Deepest Edgbaston
http://tinypic.com/i3gtg5.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gthc.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gtia.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gtj4.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gtmo.jpg

Handsworth
http://tinypic.com/i3gvv6.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gvw1.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gvx0.jpg

Handsworth Town Hall...
http://tinypic.com/i3gw15.jpg

and the fifteenth century cruck-framed 'Old Town Hall'
http://tinypic.com/i3gw1v.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gw34.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gw42.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gw7t.jpg

Lozells ain't all bad
http://tinypic.com/i3gw8g.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gw93.jpg

Pugin's Lozells Convent
http://tinypic.com/i3gw9w.jpg

Five Ways & the Hagley Road
http://tinypic.com/i3gwog.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gwpk.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gwte.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gwuo.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gww0.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx00.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx0x.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx21.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx39.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx79.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx84.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx92.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gx9x.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gxas.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gxeq.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gxfr.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gxgw.jpg

Aston
http://tinypic.com/i3gxkx.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz0i.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz13.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz1y.jpg

Lee Bank
http://tinypic.com/i3gz5t.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz6r.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz7p.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz8k.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gz9i.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gzdl.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3gzew.jpg

Moseley
http://tinypic.com/i3gzfl.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0dc.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0er.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0fm.jpg

Arts and Crafts houses
http://tinypic.com/i3h0jm.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0kk.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0lf.jpg

Balsall Heath
http://tinypic.com/i3h0mo.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0n8.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0nt.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0rb.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0sm.jpg

http://tinypic.com/i3h0tk.jpg

A fabulous set of pics bileduct! Thanks for sharing them with us. I really can't believe how much ground you covered. I particularly enjoyed some of the shots of life on the streets of Handsworth and a few other suburbs - we don't often see pics of these places with people tending to concentrate on the city centre.

A wonderful cross-section of our city. Our "poorer" suburbs are actually richer in detail than the outer "well-off" areas.

Really enjoyed those, Ta!

Great photos, it really makes you look at the city in a different light when you see building you take for granted looking so good (the sunshine helps). Nice to see a photo of Neville House in my opinion one of the best eighties buildings in the city and much overlooked.

That's an extrodinary set of photo's Bileduct, blimey you got around a bit. Someone put me out of my misery and tell me where this shot is taken from coz I can't for the life of me figure it's location? I've walked around Hagley No1 a million times and have never seen that view. MK took the same shot earlier this year and gave a pretty lame explanation as to its location.

http://tinypic.com/i3gx92.jpg

lovely.

The variety of styles is amazing!

I particularly like the fancy victorian terraces you find in brum and i've always been envious whenever i've seen them on TV or on here.

gorgeous photo's too, this one just screams URBAN.

http://tinypic.com/i3h0n8.jpg

I love the georgian terraces too, i love it all, in fact. Brum strikes me as a very odd city, but odd in a good way, It's whole style is unique. I saw a bit of every big city in brum, but it puts its own brutalist, cool edge to it, if you know what i mean?

cheers for the photos :cheers:

That's an extrodinary set of photo's Bileduct, blimey you got around a bit. Someone put me out of my misery and tell me where this shot is taken from coz I can't for the life of me figure it's location? I've walked around Hagley No1 a million times and have never seen that view. MK took the same shot earlier this year and gave a pretty lame explanation as to its location.

http://tinypic.com/i3gx92.jpg

It was a pretty lame explanation, wasnt it? :)

I'll get back to you on that one....

AGGGHHHH!!!! :)

http://tinypic.com/i3gqwl.jpg

What the f... is that?????? :bash: :bash: :bash: Is that a warehouse???
Corporation street is in the middle of the city centre isnt it?????this has to go.....NOW. Call the Royal Airforce.

Talking about Hagley1 as anyone been round the converted almsouses? very strange.

@bileduct- have you see the news about the markets?

http://tinypic.com/i3gqwl.jpg

What the f... is that?????? :bash: :bash: :bash: Is that a warehouse???
Corporation street is in the middle of the city centre isnt it?????this has to go.....NOW. Call the Royal Airforce.

Don't worry, the Birmingham Allience are drawing up plans for it's replacement as we speak (well, maybe not now, it is a saturday). It's a massive site though, so it's taken some time to get the scheme rolling, they've been considering it since they bullring got under way (if not longer).

And an added bonus is that the last we heard, they wanted to build a 25 storey resi tower within the site.

Well, there's a little kid with his light saber to start cutting it up, but at least it's got nice clean lines and isn't brown...

It's the Toy ® US thing at the back that needs blowing up.

and the stupid subways things they put in the 60s, now thankfully filled in don't help, giving a daft double row of shops, hence that daft double railing thing behind the trees, and young luke of course..

I hope you had the correct permit to get into those bits of Edge-BarSton?

Great pics!

That's an extrodinary set of photo's Bileduct, blimey you got around a bit. Someone put me out of my misery and tell me where this shot is taken from coz I can't for the life of me figure it's location? I've walked around Hagley No1 a million times and have never seen that view. MK took the same shot earlier this year and gave a pretty lame explanation as to its location.

http://tinypic.com/i3gx92.jpg

Hi, its behind the flats on islington row.....from five ways island (west side the row of shopw that starts with a lloyds bank) walk down islington row, past teh sandwich shops, newsagents etc

the first road on the right is Frederick Road, the arch is just on the right as you turn into the road, its the entrance to the flats above the shops you just walked past

Hope that explains xx

What the f... is that?????? :bash: :bash: :bash: Is that a warehouse???
Corporation street is in the middle of the city centre isnt it?????this has to go.....NOW. Call the Royal Airforce.I rather like it in some ways, but maybe that's just looking back fondly on buying my drainpipes there in the late 70s...

It's certainly far better than most of the other buildings around the High Street (not saying much), so I hope they make a bit of an effort with the replacement. There's a bad precedent with the Post and Mail building of knocking down the only halfway-decent building in an ocean of utter shit and putting something distinctly underwhelming in its place.

@bileduct- have you see the news about the markets?
Think I must have missed that. Which markets is that? The real markets (should be celebrated as one of the city centres crowning glories and given premises and prominence to match IMO) or the wholesale markets (should fuck off to Hams Hall like the glorified warehousing operation they really are)?

I hope you had the correct permit to get into those bits of Edge-BarSton?Hehe, don't worry - I wore me slippers.

Hehe, don't worry - I wore me slippers.

I use to work in a drug rehab centre in Edgebaston. yes, Work!

Bileduct, I really enjoy looking through your photos. Even though I've walked around the city-centre hundreds of times your photographs always have an element of surprise for me. You seem to pick buildings that somehow go un-noticed or find a new angle that makes me think again as to how I view the building.
For example, this photo of Smallbrook Queensway. I walked down here several times in the past month but never viewed it from this angle - which really emphasises the towers, looming over the road:
http://tinypic.com/i3gsol.jpg
Please, please, please come back and visit Birmingham again soon - and maybe take some more photos.

Cheers Steve - really flattered and glad you enjoyed them.

I don't get to Brum that often unfortunately - I've got young twins and me and my girlfriend both have full time jobs so trips away require logistical planning on the scale of the invasion of a medium sized Middle-Eastern country. That trip took opportunistic advantage of the fact that the kids were away for a few days with their grandparents, but I definitely fancy another visit when one is practical.

Serious good pics Bileduct - you should work for the tourist board!

It startled me just how nice some parts of the city are - and some of the views I have walked through hundreds of times but never had the same aspect as your photos - I shall look more carefully and savour the scenes. Thank you for your good work! :)

KITR - it is always nice when someone compliments our hometown - and it is good to have an alternative viewpoint - I never thought of Brum as having aspects of other cities in in but yes I can see it now!

Soul - the Computer Exchange/Virgin will be up not much longer with Martineau Galleries on the way...

And finally - Grovesnor House on New St is my favourite building in Birmingham :)

http://img324.imageshack.us/img324/4618/i3gtg57zr.th.jpg (http://img324.imageshack.us/my.php?image=i3gtg57zr.jpg)

how much would one of these houses go for???

My Aunt lives in there...!!!!

Wonderful photos Bileduct! I really enjoyed those.

Think I must have missed that. Which markets is that? The real markets (should be celebrated as one of the city centres crowning glories and given premises and prominence to match IMO) or the wholesale markets (should fuck off to Hams Hall like the glorified warehousing operation they really are)?


They are looking to move the wholsale markets.Was thinking of your parky archaelogicaly idea.

They are looking to move the wholsale markets.Was thinking of your parky archaelogicaly idea.
Yeah it would be good if they could do something a bit out of the ordinary on that site considering its significance in the history of the city and the potential for completely transforming the whole area south of the Bull Ring. I'm sure I read somewhere that the foundations and moat of the Birmingham manor house still existed underneath the wholesale markets.

There's this just round the corner too...

http://tinypic.com/ib9bi9.jpg

which may not look much but is Birmingham's last remaining Victorian Music Hall, opened in 1863. Having survived so long by being marooned on a forgotten Digbeth back street, it now finds itself in a prime position right opposite Selfridges.

It's got to have some sort of useful future - how about a live music venue to replace the Hummingbird when that gets flattened by the Martineau galleries? Or maybe a theatre or something?

...which may not look much but is Birmingham's last remaining Victorian Music Hall, opened in 1863. Having survived so long by being marooned on a forgotten Digbeth back street, it now finds itself in a prime position right opposite Selfridges.

It's got to have some sort of useful future - how about a live music venue to replace the Hummingbird when that gets flattened by the Martineau galleries? Or maybe a theatre or something?

Well I never! There are some great buildings around there, including the police station and the fantastic cold store.

I like the idea of the wholesale markets staying - but I agree they should be redeveloped along the lines of Smithfield in London and made public-accessible. After all, many restaurants and pubs in Brum rely on the whoelsale markets to get very fresh produce :)

Great ideas Bio / Bile. The Cold Food Storage needs to be refurbed and used asap.

Cold food store? what that be? (Other than a place for storing cold food)

^^It's, well, erm... and old, cold storage depot just down from St Martins...

OMG! You need to come back to Brum again. Bileduct the talen you have is outstanding. And to really express the beauty of Birmingham we need you...

This thread contains some truly awesome pics. Makes me want to head into town with my camera!

Question is - why haven't none of you locals ever posted owt like this?
Call some of the mancs over zealous but they get the hype machine moving!
Because it's virtually impossible to get a permit from the council and the police to take photos.

I do not want to take the chance of getting arrested and my cameras taken off me just for a few photos. I have seen many tourists get arrested (usually near to the Bull Ring), not good.

This is the first time Ive seen this wonderful thread: truly some of the best most arresting photographs I have ever seen of my city!!

Ive seen lesser publications from the local tourist board and the council but their photos are so linear, boring and totally uninteresting. But Bileduct's photos are just wonderful, so full of life and energy - helped a great deal by some supberb weather too.

Its amazing how many times Ive entered the city centre and surrounding suburbs and hardly batted and eye-lid at the majority of the buildings Biley has snapped: I just took them for granted, especially some of the older more interesting buildings.

Biley's collection also shows up some absolutely horrendous buildings such as the Virgin megastore on Corp. Street, the natwest building on Colmore Row, the Central Library and the 5 Ways Shopping Centre - godawful heaps of drunken cowpats and really must be wiped off the face of the Earth.

But in all seriousness, well done and thanks, Biley, for showing off our city in a very good, positve way. Someone buy that man a pint or 10 :cheers: :cheers:

Biley's collection also shows up some absolutely horrendous buildings such as the Virgin megastore on Corp. Street, the natwest building on Colmore Row,

The Nat West building? That is one of my favourite buildings in the city. Yes, it is big and brutal, but big and brutal is one of the things Brum is. I will be sad to see it go.


But in all seriousness, well done and thanks, Biley, for showing off our city in a very good, positve way. Someone buy that man a pint or 10 :cheers: :cheers:

Amen to that.

The Nat West building? That is one of my favourite buildings in the city. Yes, it is big and brutal, but big and brutal is one of the things Brum is. I will be sad to see it go.

.

I know what you mean: I used to like the NW building too, many years ago. But now that new for more iconic buildings are going up in Brum, the NW tower now looks so dated and ugly. I'm glad its coming down in all honesty. Its replacement may not be as tall but should be a bit more interesting to admire over the next 20 years or so

Biley's collection also shows up some absolutely horrendous buildings such as the Virgin megastore on Corp. Street, the natwest building on Colmore Row, the Central Library and the 5 Ways Shopping Centre - godawful heaps of drunken cowpats and really must be wiped off the face of the Earth.Pah - so my devious ploy of slipping a few sixties ones in there so that people might see them in a positive light too didn't work then :( ;)

Glad you liked the pictures though :cheers:

Thought I would bump this, so we can all enjoy these great images again.

Thought I would bump this, so we can all enjoy these great images again.

You're a star City Living! That's brightened my lunch time up looking at those - it's a shame some of the ones on page 3 have disappeared.

Bile-duct! I hadn't seen those before! Fantastic! It's great that when we get bogged down in all the hype and fuss about how tall this is, or when that'll ever happen, we can look around us and see what a great place Birmingham is!!! Thanks!

I wasn't aware that there was something illegal about photographing a city?
I do it quite often! (Not digital until recentlyso they don't get posted on here)

What's the big deal?