There should be a law against circular railway stations, especially those with exits at each point of the compass. The danger is, once outside, visitors don’t know where they are or in what direction they’re pointing. This doesn’t help after a three-hour 200-mile journey from the Debatable Lands about the Scottish border to England’s second city.
If I may blow our own trumpet, our station enjoys only one exit, on the eastern side, unless you want to climb over a stout Victorian sandstone wall and do battle with the old parcels ramp. Exiting east, the eye catches a citadel which leads to the town centre. The crowd only flows one way, following it takes you to the bookies, charity shops and boarded-up retail outlets. Or rather, it doesn’t, as our council is making an effort with the city centre – as is Brimingham’s – sort of.
But getting there can be confusing for the stranger. Birmingham New Street, last described as a squashed tin can is now to be imagined as a crushed pile of outsized chrome hub caps off a Longbridge-built Mini. My wife and I did a complete circuit and retraced our steps to Hill Street to orientate ourselves towards the dead centre of the heart of England.
Victoria Square
A short walk past the old Head Post Office and over the new tram lines brought us to Victoria Square, one of Birmingham’s most prominent and historic public spaces. This serves as a central hub connecting various parts of the city, from its bustling shopping districts to its business and cultural centres. The square is surrounded by some of Birmingham’s iconic buildings and landmarks, making it a key focal point for locals and visitors.
At the heart of Victoria Square stands a statue of Queen Victoria, after whom the square is named. This statue, created by the sculptor Thomas Brock, was unveiled in 1901. An impressive bronze figure, the monarch is portrayed in a regal pose, with the surrounding square named after her, also in 1901, to commemorate her long reign.
Another striking presence is the “Iron: Man” sculpture by renowned artist Antony Gormley. Installed in 1993, this 18-foot-high cast iron figure faces the Council House. The sculpture, which appears to gaze into the distance, is meant as a reminder of the city’s transformation from an industrial powerhouse to a modern urban centre.
A popular and whimsical part of Victoria Square is the fountain and sculpture ensemble called “The River,” sometimes referred to by locals as the “Floozie in the Jacuzzi.” Created by artist Dhruva Mistry, the fountain features a reclining female form surrounded by smaller sculptures representing various aspects of river and water. However, the feature sits idle since being turned off in 2013 due to persistent leakage issues. We assume from the fountain, not the floozie.
Victoria Square is flanked by two of Birmingham’s most important civic buildings: the Council House and the Town Hall.
The Council House
The Council House, is an imposing Victorian building housing the Birmingham City Council and the Lord Mayor’s office. Its ornate architecture, with a grand portico and intricate stonework, is a testament to the city’s historical significance and wealth during the Industrial Revolution.
© Always Worth Saying 2024, Going Postal
Designed by the architect Yeoville Thomason, the building, completed in 1879, is a prime example of late 19th-century architecture, blending classical and Renaissance revival styles. The Council House was constructed during a period of rapid growth and prosperity for Birmingham, its grand design intended to symbolise Birmingham’s newfound wealth and civic pride.
Town Hall
With what elsewhere would be the town hall being called the Council House, the neighbouring Town Hall is just that, a hall and focal point of Birmingham’s civic and cultural life since its opening in 1834. Designed by architects Joseph Hansom, best known for inventing the Hansom cab, and Edward Welch, the building is a prime example of Roman Revival architecture, drawing inspiration from the ancient Roman Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome.
The Town Hall is constructed from Anglesey marble and features a grand portico with Corinthian columns, giving it a monumental and classical appearance. It reflects the aspirations of Birmingham during the early 19th century as the city emerged as a major industrial and commercial centre.
Birmingham Town Hall and Victoria Square,
Gavin Warrins – Licence CC BY-SA 2.0
As early as 1768, citizens instigated a Birmingham Festival to raise money for the General Hospital. Triennial Music Festival concerts were such a success that the Town Hall was constructed to house the performances with the first being held in 1837. Such performances continued until the First World War. For the 1847 event, Mendelssohn (not his real name, Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) composed the oratorio ‘Elijah’. Afterwards, the Leipzig-born composer, conductor and virtuoso pianist toured the country fine-tuning his work.
A performance at London’s Exeter Hall by the Sacred Harmonic Society received sniffy reviews, one suspects because Birmingham got there first.
‘Since the period of the Birmingham Festival, Mendelssohn has been employed in enriching and amending this oratorio, and its completion is but a matter of the most recent date. Whether a work of this large and important character should be given to the public at all before it has been fully considered …’
Oh dear. No doubt Peelers were dispatched from Bow Street and ran through the cobbled streets looking to arrest the mean critic. Back in Birmingham, the inside of the Town Hall is impressive. The main auditorium is known for its excellent acoustics and has been a venue for many significant events.
It once housed the largest pipe organ in the world, built by William Hill & Sons. The auditorium with its high ceilings, grand arches, and expansive seating, creates an atmosphere of grandeur and elegance, making it a popular venue for concerts, performances and gatherings. The hall has also been a platform for significant political and social events, including speeches by influential figures such as Charles Dickens and Joseph Chamberlain.
Throughout its history, the Town Hall underwent various renovations to preserve its architectural integrity and adapt to the needs of modern audiences. In the late 20th century, the building faced a period of decline, but a major restoration project began in the early 2000s, with a reopening in 2007. This restoration not only revitalised the building but also restored many of its original features, ensuring it could continue to serve as a vital part of Birmingham’s cultural landscape.
Two more legends
Not only do the Council House and Town Hall, and Dickens and Menedelssom, stand together on this cultural Holy Ground but during our visit, two legends of BBC Question Time met. In Victoria Square, this humble reviewer of flagship BBC panel shows (my wife will assure the reader I’m a legend in my own mind), bumped into a local QT panellist, Doctor Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah PhD.
Benjamin Zephaniah is commemorated on big boards near the fountain as last December 7th he passed away after a short illness upon being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Following his debut on the Question Time programme in 2000, and despite having been sat beside Janet Street-Porter, the Birmingham-born poet returned to the panel on another eight occasions, his most recent appearance being in 2021.
© Always Worth Saying 2024, Going Postal
Doctor Benjamin had the most expensive education in the history of Question Time. More expensive than Fiona Bruce’s Haberdashers’ Aske’s or Robin Day’s Crypt School, Gloucester, and Bembridge School on the Isle of Wight. More expensive than grammar school boy Peter Sissons, although Benjamin can’t claim to have been at the same junior school at the same time as Peter’s contemporaries Jimmy Tabuck and John Lennon.
By the by, I’m sure I’m not the only Puffin who forgot Peter Sissons chaired the BBC current affairs flagship between 1989 and 1993. In today’s money Mr Zephaniah’s time at approved school, now disguised as local council-funded private sector community homes, can cost up to a wapping £4,000 a week. Despite the expense, Dr Zephaniah left the approved school unable to read and write.
In spite of this, Benjamin became one of The Times newspaper’s fifty top post-war British writers, having published novels, collections of poems, children’s books and plays. Benjamin was also a one-time poet in residence at Michael Mansfield QC’s legal practice and the Africa Arts Collective in Liverpool, and taught at Birmingham University. Much decorated, the Great Man of Words held six honorary degrees and an honorary doctorate but turned down an OBE on principle as the word ‘empire’ made him angry and reminded him of slavery. But he was keen on Brexit.
As every Puffin recalls, it was Elijah who in 1 Kings 19 had had enough of life and wanted to die upon falling asleep beside a broom bush. When waking, he discovered a scone upon a nearby stone. Fortified, he struck out again and forty days and forty nights later reached the holy mountain of Horeb.
Not quite myself and Mrs AWS’s experience of Birmingham – apart from the scone. Thus refreshed we set off through Chamberlain Square and along Centenary Way in search of THAT library. Upon arrival, I became overwhelmed by a surprising sense of deja vue worthy of an Old Testament prophet.
To be continued…
© Always Worth Saying 2024
