Bull Ring Square in Birmingham
The Bull Ring Square in Birmingham is very ancient — it can be seen even from the name. And in fact, this is the oldest market square in the city. The first market here officially opened in the middle of the 12th century, after the grant of a market charter from the king to Lord de Birmingham.
Birmingham Library
The Birmingham library makes a strange impression and does not look like anything at all: its three towering levels look like gift boxes stacked on top of each other and from a distance seem lacy.
Birmingham Town Hall
Birmingham town Hall has confused many tourists with its name — after all, in Britain the town hall is usually called the residence of the mayor of the city, and usually not modern, but historical. But here the situation is different: Birmingham Town Hall is a concert hall.
St. Philip’s Cathedral in Birmingham
The Cathedral of St. Philip in Birmingham looks a little strange for Britain: Still, classical Italian Baroque in its so pure form is not so common here. The impression is quite justified.
The Cathedral of St. Chad’s in Birmingham
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas was built. It was built in 1841, and it is the first Catholic cathedral built in Britain after the Reformation (which took place in the 16th century). It was designed by architect Augustus Pugin in his favorite style — neo-Gothic.
The Saracen’s Head Complex in Birmingham
The Saracen’s Head complex near Birmingham, in the village of Kings Norton, got its name from a pub that at one time (almost 200 years) occupied one of the buildings. These are several buildings dating back to the Late Middle Ages.
Blakesley Hall Estate in Birmingham
Blakesley Hall near Birmingham is a must—visit place in this region if you want to see “good old England”. Blakesley Hall is a Tudor country house, so it’s the real thing here.
The Brindley Place area of Birmingham
Initially, it was an industrial zone filled with enterprises during the industrial revolution. After the war, all of them fell into disrepair, closed down, and the area stood abandoned for a long time. Finally, in 1980, a project was put forward to turn this place into an office, cultural and entertainment area.
St. Martin’s Church on the Bull Ring in Birmingham
The Church of St. Martin-on-the-Bull-Ring in Birmingham often surprises tourists: most of them consider it medieval. Unsurprisingly, it looks very Gothic: a tall thin spire, arched windows, gloomy dark stone.
The Clock Tower of the University of Birmingham
Tourists rarely know about it, but Birmingham has a very interesting university bell tower. It was built on the model of Italian universities, but if in ancient Italian universities such were done for practical purposes.