Ceramic tiles, terracotta detailing, floral motifs and carved cornices all contribute to the architectural vocabulary of two unique buildings on Constitution Hill which have a distinctively Italian feel against the backdrop of the historic Jewellery Quarter. Over the past couple of months I have been volunteering for the Birmingham […]
A photographic blog post of John Madin’s Central Library prior to it’s demolition. John Madins Central Library is now in the progress of being demolished as it makes way for the redevelopment of the Paradise Circus area. I was saddened when I first heard the news and when the demolition […]
The architectural features & historical details of the Jewellery Quarter. The Jewellery Quarter is a unique place which is steeped in historical, architectural and social history. Its narrow streets are packed with old brick workshops and factories; a physical reminder of Birmingham’s industrial heyday. Recently I have been carrying out some […]
I have been asked to write some blog posts about Birmingham Architecture for the Grand Central Birmingham website. Please check out my first post: ‘Bold & Beautiful- Birmingham is exciting’. This is part 1 of 3 for a blog series about ‘The Changing Faces of Birmingham’ where I look briefly at how […]
This evening the winner of the prestigious Stirling Prize 2014 will be announced…and the most sought after prize in architecture could be awarded to a building right here in good old Brum. The bold, ‘bling-tastic’ and slightly Marmite offering that is the Library of Birmingham by Dutch Architects Mecanoo […]
Alpha Tower is granted grade II listed status by English Heritage . There was good news this month when it was announced that the 28 storey Alpha Tower building at the bottom end of Broad Street/Suffolk Street has been given grade II listed status by English Heritage. This […]
Last night social media and the local news were inundated with very sad images showing the former home of George Cadbury on fire. Tucked away at the back of Manor Farm Park, Northfield Manor was home to the Cadbury family from 1894 until George’s death in 1922. His […]
Discover the stories and secrets of Brum’s Hidden Spaces. As part of the RIBA Love Architecture Week there is a photography exhibition on at the moment running until Sunday 29th June called ‘Birmingham’s Hidden Spaces’. The aim of the exhibition is to reveal the stories and secrets behind the façades of many well-known […]
There are many interesting buildings in the historical Jewellery Quarter and unfortunately many are in a bad state of disrepair…however for one building a new chapter is about to begin…. Last weekend I went on a behind the scenes tour of the latest Birmingham Conservation Trust project; The Standard Works on Vittoria Street in the Jewellery […]
Whether it’s the impressive tiled interior of the Victorian ‘Barton Arms’ or the grade II listed glazed frontage of the ‘Trocadero’ there are plenty of interesting examples of pub architecture to be seen in the West Midlands. Birmingham and the Black Country have a wealth of interesting public […]