Birmingham

Birmingham is England's second city. It covers an area of over 20 000 hectares and has a population of over one million.

Although Birmingham is mentioned in Domesday Book there are remains of a Roman settlement in the grounds of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However the town developed only slowly until the 16th Century, by which time it had become a small industrial town notable for its metalworking.

The Industrial Revolution brought prosperity to Birmingham, and the population grew rapidly. It was eventually granted city status by Queen Victoria.

The names of some parts of the city reflect their origins, for example the Gun Quarter and the Jewellery Quarter. Few gunsmiths still work in Birmingham, but the Jewellery Quarter has many small companies making and selling jewellery of quality.

Birmingham has been one of the centres of the motor industry in Britain for many years, and although it has declined in recent years Rover and Jaguar are still based here. Other industry exists to support Rover and Jaguar, and there is light engineering within the city. The Cadbury family established a factory and garden village for their employees in Bournville, now a suburb of the city.

There are three universities in the city; Birmingham, Aston and the University of Central England, as well as several other further and higher education establishments.

Birmingham is one of the few large cities in the world not built on a large river. Its importance as a manufacturing centre meant that alternative means of transport had to be found and Birmingham is at the centre of a large network of canals, the environs of many have been renovated to provide pleasant walks. It is said that Birmingham has more kilometres of canals than Venice!

The city has many places of cultural interest. There is a museum and art gallery in the city centre, several theatres, one of which is home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and of course the Symphony Hall, the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Hall complex is built above the main railway line from New Street Station, and it was a major feat of 20th Century engineering to ensure that the noise and vibration of the trains travelling beneath the Symphony Hall were not audible during even the quietest passages of music. A Botanical Garden was established in Edgbaston in 1831. There are several sports facilities of quality, including the National Indoor Arena and the Alexander Stadium for athletics, Edgbaston Cricket Ground, and two major football clubs, Aston Villa and Birmingham City.

Like most large cities, Birmingham's inner city housing was of poor quality. As the slums were cleared high rise flats were built. Many of these are now being demolished. There is a variety of building styles within the city boundaries. Edgbaston has many Georgian, Regency and Victorian houses, built for the wealthy inhabitants. Smaller terraces also exist. More recently as city dwelling has come into vogue many of the older warehouses, particularly those adjoining the canals have been converted to exclusive lofts and flats.

The city has benefited from much investment in the last two decades, and is now an attractive and thriving place in which to live and work. Examples of the regeneration include the developments along the canal sides at Brindley Place, the Arcadian Centre and the current redevelopment of the Bull Ring.

Birmingham is fortunate in having a population rich in ethnic diversity, each group contributing to the cultural diversity of the city.