Wienerberger Architects Bus Tour: Birmingham

Architects’ Bus Tour:

Birmingham September 2012

Architects’ Bus Tour: Victoria Square Birmingham and Midland Institute Selfridges Building Victoria Law Courts Gilded Bronze Statue Flares Nightclub Jewellery Quarter The Chamberlain Clock Beetham Tower / 10 Holloway Circus St Chad’s Cathedral

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Birmingham

Wienerberger, the leading provider of wall, roof and landscaping innovations, hosted an architectural bus tour in Birmingham, which saw 25 architects climb aboard an open-top double decker bus and visit the city’s key architectural landmarks.

Our expert guide, Alan Griffiths, architectural historian and former partner of The Harry Bloomer Partnership, guides us through the gems in Birmingham’s architectural portfolio, uncovering the heritage and importance of these structures in the city’s long and illustrious history.

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Victoria Square Victoria Square, formerly known as Council House Square was renamed on 10 January 1901, to honour Queen Victoria. After a statue of her was erected and unveiled at the site, she died just 12 days later.

The square is often considered to be the centre of Birmingham and is the point from where local road sign distances are measured.

Plans were made to pedestrianise the area and to create a public focal point.

An international design competition was held for a central water feature in the square, which was won by Dhruva Mistry.

Construction commenced in 1992 to develop and update the square and was completed in 1994. Victoria Square was officially opened by Princess Diana.

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Birmingham and Midland Institute Designed by F. Barry Peacock of Cossins, Peacock & Bewlay to accommodate the Birmingham Library (private members library), the Birmingham & Midland Institute moved to the premises when its former building in Paradise Street was demolished.

Built with red brick in a Jacobean style the building is Grade II* Listed. The interior has been altered but retains the entrance hall and main staircase. In 1972-3, Associated Architects extended the building into No. 95 Cornwall Street.

The RIBA West Midlands Regional Office is located on the ground floor of the BMI.

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Selfridges Building Forming part of the Bullring Shopping Centre and housing the Selfridges Department Store, the building was designed by architecture firm Future Systems.

The building stands four storeys high, and is covered in a seamlessly curved outer skin decorated with 15,000 spun aluminium discs, inspired by a Paco Rabanne sequinned dress!

The building is now often used in promotional pieces for the city having become somewhat of an icon of the city.

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Victoria Law Courts Designed by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, who won a competition to design the new court building. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria on 23 March 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. Built by Birmingham firm, John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened on 12 July 1891 by the Prince & Princess of Wales.

The detailed exterior work is by Aumonier.

The arched entrance has arts and crafts style gates and the great hall has two large stained glass windows. Standing at the northern end of Corporation Street, the court building is complemented by the similarly coloured Methodist Central Hall, which stands opposite.

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Gilded Bronze Statue The gilded bronze statue of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch, were famous for improving and developing the steam engine, was created

by William Bloye and Raymond ForbesKings in 1956. The statue stands on a plinth of Portland stone and is located outside the old Register Office on Broad Street.

It is known locally as The Golden Boys after its colour, or The Carpet Salesmen after the partially rolled-up plan of a steam engine which they are looking at.

The statue was restored and re-gilded, and replaced in its old position in September 2006.

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Flares Nightclub Far from its original purpose, the nightclub Flares is housed in a former Presbyterian Church on Broad Street. The building is Grade II listed and is constructed in a blue brick and natural stone. Built

by J R Botham of Birmingham in 1848 – 49.

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Jewellery Quarter Historically referred to as the Hockley area. The Jewellery Quarter has been known for over two hundred years for jewellery and silverware production.

Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is home to the world’s largest Assay Office, which hallmarks around 12 million items a year.

For three years English Heritage undertook an in depth survey into the Jewellery Quarter which identified the area as one of the last surviving industrial quarters in Europe.

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The Chamberlain Clock The clock tower, located centrally in the Jewellery Quarter was erected in 1903 in honour of one of Birmingham’s most respected public servants, Joseph Chamberlain, MP for the area in the late 1900’s.

The clock has recently been restored to its original glory after falling into a state of disrepair, having stood in its original condition for over 80 years.

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Beetham Tower / 10 Holloway Circus 10 Holloway Circus (also referred to as the Holloway Circus Tower or Beetham Tower) is a 399-foot (121.5 m) tall mixed-use skyscraper in Birmingham city centre. It is named after the developers, Beetham Organisation, and was designed by Ian Simpson and built by Laing O’Rourke. It is the tallest building in Birmingham and the 26th tallest building in the UK. The front façade of the building is floor-to-ceiling glass decorated in “tiger stripes” which are used to enhance the vertical impact.

The lower 19-floors are a Radisson Blu hotel, which opened to guests in January 2006.

The upper 20 floors contain 158 apartments.

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St Chad’s Cathedral This is an internationally significant building designed by Pugin. The cathedral opened in 1841, the first Catholic cathedral to be built in the UK since the reformation.

George Myers, ‘Pugin’s Builder’ constructed the building; Herbert Minton made the tiles, and John Hardman Junior’s company, in Birmingham, contributed the metalwork and the later stained glass windows. One of the finest neo-gothic church buildings in England.

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