Birmingham - Wienerberger

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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