Birmingham

I

Introduction

Birmingham, city and seat of the West Midlands metropolitan council, central England. Birmingham borough council is the largest unitary authority in the country. Birmingham has a Crown Court, and is the headquarters of the West Midlands Police Force. It is a major industrial centre and the second-largest city in Great Britain. Population 976,400 (2001 estimate).

II

Economy

During the 1980s the economy of Birmingham diversified from its previous reliance on manufacturing. Only 28 per cent of the workforce is now employed in manufacturing, the rest being employed in the service industries, of which the professional, financial, and tourist industries comprise a significant part. It is still the hub of the British metal goods industry, manufacturing motor vehicles and parts, machine tools, brassware, household utensils, jewellery, and guns. The Assay Office (1772) and the Gun Barrel Proof House (1813) are used nationally. Electrical equipment, glass, rubber products, and chemicals are also manufactured.

Birmingham's central location has led to its growth as a conference centre. The International Convention Centre hosts conferences from around the world, and has 11 major meeting halls. The National Exhibition Centre is the largest in the United Kingdom, is linked directly to the airport, and has its own railway station. It attracts more than 4 million visitors annually to a complex of 21 exhibition halls occupying 200,000 sq m (more than 2 million sq ft) of floor space.

The city has always been the focal point of the contemporary transport network. Birmingham is renowned for the number of canals that crossed the city, later followed by the railways (New Street railway station is in the centre of the city), and then the motorways, including the “Spaghetti Junction” interchange. It continues to be the focal point of a modern communications network, and the rapidly expanding Birmingham International Airport has direct scheduled flights to about 110 destinations.

The city is the major shopping centre for the region. The Bull Ring, one of Britain's first purpose-built shopping complexes, opened in 1964. However, the original building was demolished in 2001 and a new retail and residential development centred on St Martin's Church, renamed as the “Bullring”, opened in September 2003. The city's Jewellery Quarter has more than a hundred shops selling gold and silver items.

III

Places of Interest

The city is a centre of educational and cultural excellence. The University of Birmingham was founded in 1900 from Mason College (1876) and the School of Medicine and Surgery (1825). Aston University (1966) developed from the Municipal Technical School (1895), while the former Birmingham Polytechnic became the University of Central England in Birmingham (1992). King Edward's School was founded in 1552. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery houses an outstanding collection of Pre-Raphaelite art; the Barber Institute also has a fine collection of Renaissance and Impressionist works of art. The Museum of Science and Industry reflects the region's technological achievements. Aston Hall is one of Britain's first Jacobean country houses. The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists was granted Royal status in 1868. The neo-Classical Town Hall (1834) was the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra until Symphony Hall was built in 1991. The Birmingham Royal Ballet and the D'Oyly Carte Opera company have both made their homes in Birmingham. Three theatres regularly stage major productions. St Philip's, an 18th-century baroque church with windows by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones was made a cathedral in 1905. St Martin's-in-the-Bull-Ring was rebuilt in 1873 on the site of a 13th-century church. St Chad's is a Roman Catholic cathedral by Augustus Pugin. Modern attractions include: Cadbury World, based at nearby Bournville Village, where visitors can learn about the history of chocolate; and Brindleyplace, home to the National Sea Life Centre and the Ikon Gallery.

Birmingham is the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, whose ground at Edgbaston is a Test match venue. Birmingham City and Aston Villa football clubs are also there as is the National Indoor Arena, which regularly stages international athletics and other sporting events, and can seat 13,000 spectators.

IV

History

The Romans established a small fort there; for a long time it was a Saxon settlement, later to be recorded in the Domesday Book (1086). In 1166 the town of Birmingham was granted a market charter. By the 16th century it had become a thriving manufacturing centre specializing in metal goods. At the time of the English Civil War, Birmingham produced some 16,000 sword-blades for the Parliamentary forces; as a result the town was besieged and taken by the Royalists. Because of its manufacturing capacity, Birmingham assumed a position of great importance in the late 18th century during the Industrial Revolution. Soho House, the home of Matthew Boulton, a British engineer, was the meeting place of the 18th century scientific Lunar Society. Active in the town at that time were a number of influential inventors and scientists, including the inventor of the steam engine, James Watt, and the chemist Joseph Priestley. In 1838 the railway finally linked Birmingham to London and Liverpool. During the late 19th century, under its mayor Joseph Chamberlain, the city became known for its outstanding urban reforms establishing public utilities and clearing slums. His son, Neville Chamberlain, became prime minister. At this time, the city's engineering background made it a logical base for the infant British car industry: Dunlop, Jaguar, Lucas, and Rover all had factories there.

Lloyd's Bank was founded there in 1765; the Bank of England made its home in Birmingham in 1827; in 1916 the city created the Municipal Bank, the only one of its kind, which amalgamated with the Trustee Savings Bank in 1967; it has the world's oldest mint. City status was granted in 1889.