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Birmingham
This article is about the English city. For the U.S. city named after it, see Birmingham, Alabama. For other uses, see Birmingham (disambiguation).
Birmingham (pron. IPA: [ˈbɜ:mɪŋəm] /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'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".[2] The City of Birmingham has a population of 1,001,200 (2005 estimate).[3] It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census)[4] and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. 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.
GeographyBirmingham is situated just to the west of the geographical centre of England on the Birmingham Plateau - an area of relatively high ground, ranging around 150-200 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,[6] 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 [7]. 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.[8][9] 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 (e.g. Moseley, Saltley, Hockley) with names ending in "-ley", an Anglo-Saxon word meaning woodland clearing. ClimateThe climate in Birmingham is quite temperate 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.[10]
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[12]. 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[13]. Relative to other large UK conurbations, Birmingham is a snowy city, due to its inland location and comparatively high elevation[13]. 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.[13] Nearby places
See also: The Black Country. History
 Over the last 1,000 years, Birmingham has grown from a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village into a major industrial and commercial city.[14] Birmingham started life as a small Anglo-Saxon farming hamlet, on the banks of the River Rea in the 7th century. The name 'Birmingham' comes from "Beorma ingas ham", meaning "home of the people of Beorma."[15] Birmingham was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings.[15] In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a royal charter to hold a market[16], 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] 
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[20] and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in England. Birmingham was granted city status in 1889 by Queen Victoria.[21] The city established its own university in 1900.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] In the decades following World War II, the population of Birmingham changed dramatically, with immigration from the Commonwealth of Nations and beyond.[25] The population peaked in 1951 at 1,113,000 residents.[26] Demographics
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[27]. 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.[28] 60.4% of the population was aged between 16 and 74, compared to 66.7% in England as a whole.[29] 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.[29] Places of interest
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.[31] 
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.[32] Cadbury World is a museum showing visitors the stages and steps of chocolate production and the history of chocolate and the company.
There are over 8,000 acres (32 km²) of parkland open spaces in Birmingham.[33] The largest of the parks is Sutton Park covering 2,400 acres (9.7 km²) making it the largest urban nature reserve in Europe.[34] Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a Victorian creation, with a conservatory and bandstand, close to the city centre.
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.[35] See also: Religion in Birmingham.
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.[36] Economy
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.[37] Two of Britain's "big four" banks were founded in Birmingham - Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) in 1765[38] and the Midland Bank (now HSBC Bank plc) in 1836[39] - and today the city employs 108,000 in banking, finance and insurance.[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. Politics
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
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 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 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.[55] There are plans to extend the Midland Metro route further into Birmingham city centre.[56] Birmingham is also notable for its expansive canal system which fed the industry in the city during the Industrial Revolution. EducationThe 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 the University of Central England (UCE). It also has two other higher education colleges (Newman College and the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies). The Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting, both now part of UCE, offer higher education in specific arts subjects. 
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.[62] Matthew Boulton College is also located in the city. In 2005, the Eastside branch of the college was completed and opened. The UCE opened the New Technology Institute facility in the same area in 2006.[63] 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 affected by many high profile incidents such as the 31 January 2007 Birmingham raid, Birmingham pub bombings and the New Year Murders. Crime figures for 2005/2006 showed that Birmingham was above the English average in all fields. For violence against a person, Birmingham had 25.5 per 1,000 of the population compared with 18 for England. The English average for robbery offences was 1 per 1,000 of the population, whilst Birmingham was recorded at 4.7. The city was also recorded at having 6.4 per 1,000 of the population for theft of vehicle offences compared with 3 for England on average, and Birmingham was recorded at 10.7 per 1,000 of the population for theft from vehicles which 8 for England on average. For sexual offences, Birmingham was recorded at having 1.5 per 1,000 of the population compared with 1 for England. For burglary, Birmingham was recorded at having 8.6 per 1,000 of the population whilst the English average was 5.[64] Sport
The city is home to two of the country's oldest professional football teams: Birmingham City (1875) and Aston Villa (1874). Villa won club football's most coveted prize, the European Cup, in 1982. 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. International track and field meetings take place at Alexander Stadium, the home of Birchfield Harriers. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) is a major indoor athletics venue and held 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[65] and ATP international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club.[66] Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley RFC, 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. Birmingham was the first city to be named National City of Sport by the Sports Council.[67] Food & drink
Birmingham based breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells & Butlers.[68] 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.[69] The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinese Quarter[70]. The Balti was invented in the city, which has received much acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' or 'Balti Triangle' [71]. The city boasts two Michelin starred restaurants: Simpson's and Jessica's, both in Edgbaston.[72] Culture and artsMusic
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,[73] 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. Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK.[74] Venues for the festival are also located out of Birmingham in Solihull. It was first held in 1984.[75] 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[76]. Weekly recitals have been given since the organ in Birmingham Town Hall was opened[77] but are now held in St. Philip's Cathedral, until the Town Hall organ opens in October 2007, following restoration. The Birmingham Royal Ballet[78] resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for Dance.[79] 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, Drum Arts Centre, mac, and the Old Joint Stock Theatre also host performances.[80] The Fierce! festival teams with The Rep to present an annual series of performances from local and national companies. LiteratureLiterary 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[81], 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.[82] 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. Festivals and showsBirmingham is home to many national, religious and spiritual festivals including a St. George's Day party. The Birmingham Tattoo is a longstanding 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.[83] The city's largest single-day event is its St. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin).[84] There are also multicultural events such as the Bangla Mela and the Vaisakhi Mela. MediaBirmingham 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,[85] 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,[86] the headquarters of BBC West Midlands and the BBC Birmingham network production centre. The BBC Drama Village, based in Selly Oak, is a production facility specialising in television drama. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
