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Birmingham

*** Shopping-Tip: Birmingham
:''This article is about the city in England. For other uses, please see Birmingham, Alabama or Birmingham (disambiguation) other places named Birmingham.'' Image:Birmingham (UK) skyline - Centenary Square 700.jpg Centenary Square.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|310px|The city from above [[Centenary Square..html" title="Meaning of right|310px|The city from above [[Centenary Square">thumb|right|310px|The city from above [[Centenary Square.">right|310px|The city from above [[Centenary Square">thumb|right|310px|The city from above [[Centenary Square. {| class="infobox bordered" cellpadding="3" width="250" |+ style="font-size: larger;" | '''City of Birmingham''' |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background: white;"|Image:EnglandBirmingham.png
''Shown within the West Midlands (county) West Midlands'' |- | colspan="2" style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Geography |- ! Status | Metropolitan borough, City status in the United Kingdom City (1889) |- ! Region | West Midlands (region) West Midlands |- ! Ceremonial counties of England Ceremonial county | West Midlands (county) West Midlands |- ! Traditional counties of England Historic county | Warwickshire
(some suburbs from Staffordshire and Worcestershire) |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''Surface area Area'''
- Total | List of English districts by area Ranked 169th
1 E8 mÂ² 267.77 square kilometre kmÂ² |- ! Admin HQ | Birmingham |- ! ISO 3166-2:GB ISO 3166-2 | GB-BIR |- ! ONS coding system ONS code | 00CN |- ! British national grid reference system OS grid reference | {{gbmappingsmall|SP066868}} |- ! Coordinates | 52Â°29N 1Â°54W |- ! Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics NUTS 3 | UKG31 |- |colspan="2" style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Demographics |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''Population''':
- Total (2004 est.)
- Density |List of English districts by population Ranked 1st
992,400
3,706 / kmÂ² |- ! Ethnicity
(United Kingdom Census 2001 2001 census) | 70.4% White
2.9% Mixed
19.5% Asian
6.1% Black
0.5% Chinese
0.6% Other |- |colspan="2" style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Politics |- |colspan="2" align="center"|Image:Birm_1977_arms.png 150px|The Arms of Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ |- ! Local government in England#Councils and councillors Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |- ! Control | Conservative Party (UK) Conservative/Liberal Democrats (UK) Liberal Democrat Coalition |} '''Birmingham''' is a City status in the United Kingdom city and metropolitan borough in the England English West Midlands (county) West Midlands. Generally regarded as England's "second city", it is the largest of England's English Core Cities Group core cities. The city's reputation was forged as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world". To this day over a quarter of the UK's exports originate in the greater Birmingham area. The City of Birmingham has a population of 992,400 (2004 estimate) [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=26205&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=11333 Census Population Information for Birmingham] www.birmingham.gov.uk. It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census) and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. The people of 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. There is a distinctive Brummie dialect and accent (linguistics) accent. Birmingham is an ethnically and culturally diverse city. Around 30% of Birmingham's population is of non-white ethnicity; at the time of the 2001 census, 70.4% of the population was whites White (including 3.2% Ireland Irish), 19.5% Asian or Asian British, 6.1% British Afro-Caribbean community Black or Black British, 0.5% Chinese people Chinese, and 3.5% of mixed or other ethnic heritage. Birmingham's county flower is the Digitalis purpurea foxglove [http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plantlife-discovering-plants-county-flowers.html County flowers in Britain] www.plantlife.org.uk.

History
:''The main article is at History of Birmingham; the following is a summary.'' Birmingham has a recorded history going back 1,000 years. In this time, it has grown from a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village into a major industrial and commercial city. The Birmingham area was occupied in Roman Empire Roman times, with several military roads and a large fort. Birmingham started life as a small Anglo-Saxon hamlet in the Middle Ages Early Middle Ages. It was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings. In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a charter to hold a market, which in time became known as the Bull Ring, Birmingham Bull Ring. As a convenient location for trade, Birmingham soon developed into a small but thriving market town. By the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. In the 17th century Birmingham became an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms. Birmingham manufacturers supplied Oliver Cromwell's forces with much of their musket weaponry during the English Civil War. Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade and was concentrated in the area known as the Gun Quarter, Birmingham Gun Quarter. During the Industrial Revolution (from the mid 18th century onwards), Birmingham grew rapidly into a major industrial centre. Unlike many other English industrial cities such as Manchester, industry in Birmingham was based upon small workshops rather than large factory factories or Mill (factory) mills. Image:Brindleyplace Birmingham.jpg Birmingham Canal Navigations.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|left|250px|The [[Birmingham Canal Navigations between the International Convention Centre (left) and Brindleyplace (right) in central Birmingham..html" title="Meaning of left|250px|The [[Birmingham Canal Navigations">thumb|left|250px|The [[Birmingham Canal Navigations between the International Convention Centre (left) and Brindleyplace (right) in central Birmingham.">left|250px|The [[Birmingham Canal Navigations">thumb|left|250px|The [[Birmingham Canal Navigations between the International Convention Centre (left) and Brindleyplace (right) in central Birmingham. From the 1760s onwards, a large network of Canals of the United Kingdom canals were built across Birmingham and the Black Country, to transport raw materials and finished goods. By the 1820s an extensive canal system had been constructed; Birmingham is often described as having more miles of canals than Venice. Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railway and later the London and Birmingham Railway the railways soon linked Birmingham to every corner of Britain. Birmingham New Street Station New Street Station was opened as a joint station in 1854. And this was soon followed by the Great Western Railway's Birmingham Snow Hill station Snow Hill station. During the Victorian era, the population of Birmingham grew rapidly to well over half a million and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in Britain. It became known as the "''City of a thousand trades''" due to the wide array of industries located there. Birmingham's importance led to it being granted city status in the United Kingdom city status in 1889 by Victoria of the United Kingdom Queen Victoria. The city built its own university in 1900, The University of Birmingham, which became the first of Britain's Redbrick universities. Birmingham was originally part of Warwickshire, however the city expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century, absorbing parts of Worcestershire to the south and Staffordshire to the west. The city absorbed Sutton Coldfield in 1974, and at the same time became part of the new West Midlands (county) West Midlands county. Birmingham suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II, and partly as a result of this the city centre was extensively re-developed during the 1950s and 1960s, with many concrete office buildings, ring-roads, and now much-derided pedestrian subways. As a result, Birmingham gained a reputation for ugliness and was frequently described as a "concrete jungle". In recent years however, Birmingham has been transformed, the city centre has been extensively renovated and restored with the construction of new squares, the restoration of old streets, buildings and canals, the removal of the pedestrian subways, and the demolition and subsequent redevelopment of the Birmingham Bull Ring Bull Ring shopping centre, which now includes the architecturally unique Selfridges building. In the decades following World War II, the face of Birmingham changed dramatically, with large scale immigration from the Commonwealth of Nations and beyond. Birmingham's transition from an industrial centre to a tourism and services economy is best illustrated by the hosting of the first official summit of the G8 at the International Convention Centre (May 15 to May 17, 1998).

Geography
The city of Birmingham is situated just to the west of the geographical centre of England, across an area of relatively high ground, ranging around 150-200 metres above sea level. The main north-south watershed of Britain actually passes through Birmingham. The Birmingham area has recently seen several tornadoes, the most recent of which were witnessed in 2005. The watershed of the River Severn and River Trent can clearly be seen along the Perry Barr area of Birmingham and areas near Erdington where the level and gradient of the land changes significantly. To the south west of the city lie the Clent Hills and Walton Hill, which reach 315 m and have good views over the city.

Economy
Image:New Street Birmingham 700.jpg thumb|145px|right|New Street in central Birmingham :''Main articles: Economy of Birmingham, Birmingham transport history'' Birmingham is an important manufacturing and engineering centre, employing over 100,000 people in industry and contributing billions of GBP pounds to the national economy. Over a quarter of the UK's exports originate in the greater Birmingham area. Birmingham's industrial heritage predates the Industrial Revolution, and up until the 20th Century the city maintained a tradition of individual craftsmen, sometimes working independently in their own back yards or on piecework rates in rented workshops, alongside larger factories. During the Industrial Revolution many factories, foundries and businesses prospered in the city, including the areas known as the Gun Quarter and Jewellery Quarter. Birmingham pen trade Pen manufacture in Birmingham helped revolutionise writing across the world with many companies based in and around the Jewellery Quarter. The Jewellery Quarter is still the largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe, and one third of the jewellery manufactured in the UK is made within one mile of Birmingham city centre. Until 2003, coins for circulation were manufactured in the Jewellery Quarter at the Birmingham Mint, the oldest independent mint (coin) mint in the world, which continues to produce commemorative coins and medals. James Watt improved the Steam Engine while working in the city, and historically the largest manufacturers in the city have been associated with the steam, electric and petrol transport and power industries. The city's workers designed and constructed railway carriages, steam engines, bicycles, automobiles and even – unusually for somewhere so far from the sea – ships, which were made as pre-fabricated sections, then assembled at the coast. Birmingham was home to two major car factories: MG Rover in Longbridge and Jaguar (car) Jaguar in Castle Bromwich. However, the future for the former looks bleak, as MG Rover went into administration in 2005, resulting in the plant being mothballed and the loss of 6,000 jobs at the site, plus more in the supply chain. The city's present day products include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food, jewellery and glass. Scientific research (including research into nanotechnology at the University of Birmingham) is expanding in the city. Other famous brands from the city include Bakelite, Bird's Custard, Brylcreem, Birmingham Small Arms Company BSA, Cadbury-Schweppes Cadbury's chocolate, Chad Valley Chad Valley toys, Halfords, HP Sauce, Typhoo Tea and Valor Company Ltd Valor. Birmingham has over 500 law firms, and is Europe's second largest insurance market. The city attracts over 40% of the UK's total conference trade. Two of Britain's "big four" banks were founded there. Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) began in 1765 and the Midland Bank (now HSBC Bank plc) opened in Union Street in August 1836. In recent years Birmingham's economy has diversified into service industry service industries, retailing, tourism and conference hosting, which are now the main employers in the city. Millions of people visit Birmingham every year, and in 2004 the city was named the second best place to shop in England after the West End of London [http://www.guardian.co.uk/northsouth/article/0,2763,1160740,00.html Birmingham soars up the shopping list (March 3, 2004)] Guardian online. Attractions for visitors include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Millennium Point, Birmingham Bull Ring Bull Ring, Selfridges Building, Cadbury World, Tolkien Trail [http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/tolkien.htm Tolkien's Birmingham] www.virtualbrum.co.uk, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the National Sea Life Centre (Birmingham) National Sea Life Centre.

Architecture
:''Main article: Architecture of Birmingham'' Image:Birmingham council house.jpg thumb|right|275px|City of Birmingham Council House, with Dhruva Mistry's 'The River' in the foreground (commonly known as 'the floozie in the jacuzzi') Although Birmingham has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years, today's city is overwhelmingly a product of the 18th century 18th, 19th century 19th, and 20th century 20th centuries, as the real growth of the city began with the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, relatively few buildings survive from its earlier history. Traces of medieval Birmingham can be seen in the oldest churches, notably the original parish church, St Martin's Church, Birmingham St Martin's in the Bullring, where a church has stood since at least the 12th century. The current church (begun around 1290) was extensively re-built in the 1870s, retaining some original walls and foundations. A few other buildings from the medieval and Tudor style Tudor periods survive, among them ''The Old Crown, Birmingham The Old Crown'' public house in Digbeth, the 15th century ''Saracen's Head'' public house and Old Grammar School in Kings Norton and Blakesley Hall in Yardley, West Midlands Yardley. The city grew rapidly from Georgian era Georgian times and a number of buildings survive from this period. Among them are St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham St Philip's Cathedral, originally built as a parish church, St Paul's Church in the largely Georgian architecture Georgian St Paul's Square, Soho House in Handsworth, West Midlands Handsworth, the home of Matthew Boulton, and Perrott's Folly in Ladywood (which is said to have later inspired J. R. R. Tolkien). The Victorian era saw extensive building across the city. Major public buildings such as the Birmingham Town Hall Town Hall, the Law Courts, the City of Birmingham Council House Council House (see picture) and the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Museum & Art Gallery were constructed, many under the auspices of Joseph Chamberlain's reforming mayoralty. Saint Chad's Cathedral, built in 1839 by Augustus Pugin, was the first Roman Catholic Cathederal to be built in the UK since the Reformation. The characteristic materials of Victorian Birmingham are red brick and terracotta, and many fine Victorian buildings have been retained on New Street and Birmingham Corporation Street Corporation Street in the city centre. Across the city, the need to house the industrial workers gave rise to miles of redbrick streets and terraces, many of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums. Image:Birmingham Selfridges building.jpg thumb|240px|left|The new Selfridges building Continued population growth in the interwar period, saw vast estates of semi-detached houses being built on greenfield land in outlying parts of the city such as Kingstanding and Weoley Castle, but the coming of World War II and the Blitz claimed many lives and many beautiful buildings too. However, the destruction that took place in post-war Birmingham was also extensive: dozens of fine Victorian buildings like the intricate glass-roofed Birmingham New Street Station, and the old Central Library, were razed in the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with modernist concrete buildings. In inner-city areas too, much Victorian housing was urban renewal redeveloped and existing communities were relocated to tower block estate (area) estates like Castle Vale. The planning decisions of the post-war years were to have a profound effect on the image of Birmingham in subsequent decades, with the mix of ring roads, shopping malls and tower blocks often referred to as a 'concrete jungle'. In more recent years, Birmingham has learnt from what many see as the mistakes of the 1960s and instituted the largest tower block demolition and renovation programmes anywhere in Europe. There has been a lot of new building in the city centre in recent years, including the award-winning Future Systems' Selfridges building, an irregularly-shaped structure covered in thousands of reflective discs (see picture), the Brindleyplace development and the Millennium Point science and technology centre. Some fine architects hail from the city such as Glenn Howells and Ken Shuttleworth.

Politics
:''Main article: Government of Birmingham'' '''Birmingham City Council''' is the largest local authority in the United Kingdom UK, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, with 120 councillors representing just under one million people, in 40 ward (politics) wards. After the election of 10 June 2004, there is no overall control, with the 120 seats being divided between the Labour Party (UK) Labour, (45 councillors), Conservative Party (UK) Conservative (40) and Liberal Democrats (UK) Liberal Democrat ("Lib-Dem", 32) parties, with 2 Others, and 1 vacant seat. There is a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition, with Conservative group leader Mike Whitby as Leader of the council and Lib-Dem group leader Paul Tilsley as Deputy Leader. Birmingham's eleven Constituency constituencies are represented in the British House of Commons House of Commons by one Conservative Party (UK) Conservative, one Liberal Democrats (UK) Liberal Democrat, and 9 British Labour Party Labour Member of Parliament#British MPs MPs. An elections scandal in mid-2005 saw three candidtates of the currently ruling Labour party being accused of rigging postal votes. The rigged votes were made mostly on behalf of the large Asian community in certain areas of the city. The acussed have been called to trial. Birmingham is also the seat of the Regions of England Government Office for the West Midlands (region) West Midlands region.

Places of interest
Image:Chamberlain Square, Birmingham.jpg Chamberlain_Square.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|[[Chamberlain Square.html" title="Meaning of 300px|[[Chamberlain Square">thumb|300px|[[Chamberlain Square">300px|[[Chamberlain Square">thumb|300px|[[Chamberlain Square * Aston Hall * Birmingham Back to Backs The Back to Back houses * Barber Institute of Fine Arts * Birmingham Botanical Gardens * Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery * Birmingham Thinktank - Science Museum * Blakesley Hall * Brindleyplace - Canalside development * Birmingham Bull Ring The Bullring * Cadbury World * Cannon Hill Park * Centenary Square * Birmingham Central Mosque Central Mosque * Chamberlain Square featuring a BBC Big Screen * Birmingham Convention Quarter Convention Quarter * Gun Quarter - Once the foremost gun manufacturing community in the UK * Jewellery Quarter - The largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe * Mac (Birmingham) mac * The Mailbox * National Indoor Arena * National Sea Life Centre (Birmingham) National Sealife Centre * Sarehole Mill * St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham St Philip's Cathedral * Star City, Birmingham Star City * Sutton Park * Birmingham Town Hall Town Hall * Victoria Square, Birmingham Victoria Square ''See also :Category:Visitor attractions in Birmingham, England Places of interest in Birmingham''

Famous residents
Neville Chamberlain, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Ozzy Osbourne are a few of the many famous names associated with Birmingham. For a larger list see list of famous residents of Birmingham, England List of famous residents of Birmingham

Transport
Image:Birmingham city centre canal during rainstorm.jpg thumb|right|A canal tunnel, looking towards Gas Street Basin, in Birmingham city centre :''See main article: Transport in Birmingham'' Due in part to its central location in England, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail transport rail, and canal networks. It is served by a number of major roads, including the M5 motorway M5, M6 motorway M6, M6 Toll, M40 motorway M40, and M42 motorway M42 motorways. Junction 6 of the M6 is also one of Birmingham's most famous landmarks, and probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK: Gravelly Hill Interchange Spaghetti Junction, officially called the Gravelly Hill Interchange. Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram (the Midland Metro light railway system between the city centre and Wolverhampton). The number 11A and 11C Birmingham Outer Circle outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe. The city's main station, Birmingham New Street railway station Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national rail network, whilst Birmingham International railway station serves Birmingham International Airport (UK) Birmingham International Airport which has flights to cities across Europe and several Asian and North American destinations. Birmingham is also notable for its Transport in Birmingham#Canals canal system; formerly the lifeblood of the city's industries, their use is now mainly for pleasure. There are 35 miles (60 km) of canals in the city, most remaining navigable. The abundance of canals has led to the frequently made claim that "Birmingham has more canals than Venice". Although this is in some sense correct (Venice has 26 miles), Birmingham is far larger [http://jquarter.members.beeb.net/walk6x.htm Guide to Birmingham Jewellery Quarter], and the types of waterway are very different. Birmingham's canals are comparatively shallow artificial channels, while those in Venice are primarily reinforced natural channels between islands of the lagoon on which the city stands.

Education
:''Main article: Education in Birmingham'' Birmingham has three university universities: the University of Birmingham, Aston University and the University of Central England (UCE). It also has two other higher education colleges (Newman College of Higher Education 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 the arts. The city council is England's largest local education authority, directly or indirectly responsible for 25 nursery schools, 328 primary schools, 77 secondary schools [http://www.bgfl.org/services/nqt/primsec.htm Birmingham City Council Primary and Secondary] and 29 special schools [http://www.bgfl.org/services/nqt/sen.htm Birmingham City Council Special Needs Schools]. It also runs the library service, with 4 million visitors annually [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=1787&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=5255 Facts about Birmingham Library Service] www.birmingham.gov.uk , and provides around 4000 adult education courses throughout the year [http://www.bgfl.org/services/baes/default.htm]. A minority of the city's children receive private education. King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School is perhaps the most prestigious independent school in the city.

Sport
:''Main article: Sport in Birmingham'' A cricket club was in existence in Birmingham as early as 1745, and today the city is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club whose ground at Edgbaston Stadium Edgbaston is also a venue for international test cricket test matches. International athletics meetings take place at the open-air Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, the home of Birchfield Harriers athletic club, which numbers many Olympic games Olympic medallists among its past and present members. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) meanwhile is a major indoor athletics stadium and in 2003 hosted the 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. The NIA also hosts events in many other sports, such as the World Indoor Badminton Championships. The first ever game of lawn tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859; international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club. The city is home to two of the UK's oldest professional Football (soccer) football teams: Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa (1874) and Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City (1875), both of whom currently play in the Premier League. The world's first professional football league was founded at a meeting in Aston on March 22 1885 under the auspices of William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa. Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley Rugby Football Club Moseley RFC, and there is professional basketball, boxing, field hockey hockey, skateboarding, and greyhound racing in the city. Birmingham has been awarded the title '''National City of Sport''' by the Sports Council.

Food & drink
:''Main article: Food & drink in Birmingham'' Birmingham based Brewery Breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells and Butlers plc Mitchells & Butlers. 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 The Old Crown, Birmingham Old Crown in Deritend (circa 1450). The Birmingham Anchor Inn Anchor Inn (1797), is also nearby in Digbeth. Famous food brands from Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Alfred Bird Birds custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury-Schweppes Cadbury chocolate, and HP Sauce which is based within Aston. Alum Rock, Birmingham Alum Rock, Saltley, Birmingham Saltley contains the largest concentration of take-away businesses in Birmingham. Ladypool Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham Sparkhill contains the largest concentration of restaurants in Birmingham and possibly the UK. The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinatown, Birmingham Chinese Quarter. In 1945, Abdul Aziz opened a cafe shop selling curry and rice in Steelhouse Lane. This later became The Darjeeling, the first Indian restaurant in Birmingham. The Balti was invented in the city and has since received much gastronomic acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' of restaurants in the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Ladywood areas. The Balti Belt is also known as the 'Balti Triangle' among locals. The city boasts two Michelin Guide Michelin starred restaurants: ''Simpson's'' and ''Jessica's'', both in Edgbaston. The BBC Good Food Show takes place at The National Exhibition Centre, and is Britain's biggest food event.

Culture and arts
:''Main article: Arts in Birmingham''

Popular music
Image:BlackSabbath.jpg Black_Sabbath.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|[[Black Sabbath.html" title="Meaning of right|[[Black Sabbath">thumb|right|[[Black Sabbath">right|[[Black Sabbath">thumb|right|[[Black Sabbath Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied musical history over the last half-century. In the 1960s, the "Brum Beat" era featured blues and early progressive rock bands such as The Fortunes, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic (band) Traffic, The Move and The Moody Blues. The city is often described as the birthplace of heavy metal music, with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath coming from Birmingham. Robert Plant and John Bonham came from nearby towns, and played in local Brum Beat bands before forming one half of Led Zeppelin. 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 Steel Pulse and later on UB40, The Beat (band) The Beat and Musical Youth. Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading had many hits during this decade. The 1980s brought Duran Duran, possibly the most successful new romantic group, and Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the 1990s the The Charlatans (British band) Charlatans, Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene. Recent chart success has come from Mike Skinner (a.k.a. The Streets), R&B singer Jamelia and Editors. Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK. Party in the Park, a popular chart music event, is Birmingham's largest music festival. Birmingham has also been synonymous in the development of the British electronic music scene. Digbeth, near the city centre, features some of the country`s top dance clubs, and the nearby National Exhibition Centre has played host to the biggest indoor dance events in the country.

Classical music
The internationally-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's home venue is Symphony Hall (Birmingham) Symphony Hall, where it gives frequent performances. Birmingham is one of the few remaining cities in the UK to still have the position of City Organist. Since 1834 only 7 men have held this position, the current holder, Thomas Trotter has been in post since 1983. Free weekly recitals have been given since the organ in Birmingham Town Hall was opened. The recitals are temporarily being held in St. Philip's Cathedral, until the Town Hall organ opens again after restoration in 2006. The equally world-renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet also resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for Dance. The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival took place from 1784 - 1912 and was considered the grandest of its kind throughout Britain. Music was written for the festival by Felix Mendelssohn Mendelssohn, Gounod, Arthur Sullivan Sullivan, Antonin Dvorak Dvorak, Granville Bantock Bantock and most notably Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham. Albert William KetÃ¨lbey was born in Alma Street, Aston in 1875. Birmingham's other city-centre music venues include The National Indoor Arena (NIA), the CBSO Centre, Adrian Boult Hall at Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham Town Hall (currently closed for refurbishment).

Theatre
There are many theatres in Birmingham. The four largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Rep Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old Rep. The Mac and Drum arts centres also host many professional plays. The Fierce Festival teams with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre annually to present a series of quirky performances from local and national companies.

Literature
Arts in Birmingham#Literature Literary figures associated with Birmingham include Samuel Johnson , J. R. R. Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louis MacNeice, Washington Irving, David Lodge (author) David Lodge, W. H. Auden and Benjamin Zephaniah.

Visual art
Image:Birmingham Art Gallery & Museum.jpg thumb|The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Birmingham has one of the largest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world at The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Edward Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham, spent his first twenty years in the city, and later became the president of the Birmingham Society of Artists. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the 2004 ''Good Britain Guide''. For a fuller list of art galleries in Birmingham, see Arts in Birmingham#Visual art Arts in Birmingham. Other famous Birmingham artists include David Cox (artist) David Cox, David Bomberg, and various Afro-Caribbean artists including Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney. Graffiti (or "spraycan art") culture appeared in the early 1980s, and graffiti art competitions are still regularly held. The construction of the Bull Ring, Birmingham Bull Ring Shopping Centre allowed local and international artists to display their work. These included three light wands which were erected at the main entrance, a huge mural on a glass facade located at the entrance facing Birmingham New Street Station New Street station and three fountains in St Martin's square in the shape of cubes, which are illuminated at night in different colours.

Festivals and shows
Birmingham is home to many national, religious and spiritual festivals including a Saint George St. George's Day party. The Birmingham Tattoo is a military show that has taken place in the city for several years. The currently biennial Caribbean- style Birmingham International Carnival was originally the ''Handsworth Carnival'', held in Handsworth Park from 1984, but now takes place in the August of odd- numbered years, parading through the streets of Handsworth to Perry Barr Park. Birmingham Pride takes place in the 'gay village' and attracts up to 100,000 visitors each year. The city also hosts an annual arts festival (''Artsfest'') during September, where people can enjoy many of the regions' arts, free. The city's largest single-day event is its St. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin).

Film and media
Birmingham is unusual in supporting two local newspapers - the ''Birmingham Post'' and the ''Birmingham Evening Mail Evening Mail'' - as well as the ''Sunday Mercury'', all owned by the Trinity Mirror, who also produce ''The Birmingham News'', a weekly freesheet distributed to homes in the leafy surburbs along with ''Forward'', the Birmingham City Council's free newspaper distributed to homes and via community centres and public buildings. The Electric Cinema on Station Street is the oldest working movie theater cinema in the UK, and Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon Cinemas Odeon cinema in Perry Barr during the 1920s. The Birmingham Film Festival takes place annually, and the Birmingham School of Acting won a Royal Television Society award for their short film 'Soul Boy'. StarCity is said to be Europe's largest leisure and cinema complex and is not far from the Britain's only permanent drive-in cinema maintained by T-Mobile; both are in Nechells. The BBC has its regional headquarters, BBC Birmingham, in the The Mailbox Mailbox, in the Birmingham Convention Quarter Convention Quarter (where they relocated from Pebble Mill), and many television and radio programes are produced in the city, including the world's longest running radio soap opera, ''The Archers''. The Carlton Television Central TV and BBC studios are famous for many shows, including Tiswas, Crossroads, Dalziel & Pascoe, Midlands Today, the BBC Asian Network,. Local radio stations include BRMB, Galaxy 102.2 Galaxy, BBC WM and 100.7 Heart FM Heart FM, and Kerrang, Birmingham's first dedicated Rock and roll rock station. Birmingham is also the hub for various national ethnic media, including The Voice, Sikh Times The Sikh Times, Desi Xpress, Asian Leader The Asian Today and Raja TV (based in the Mailbox).

Science and invention
:''Main article: Science and invention in Birmingham'' Local inventions and notable firsts include: gas lighting, roller skates roller skate wheels, the Baskerville Font, questionnaires, Alfred Bird Custard powder, foam rubber, the magnetron (the core component in the development of radar and microwave ovens), the UK electroplating industry, the first ever use of radiography in an operation, and the UK's first ever Atrial septal defect hole-in-the-heart operation, at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Among the city's notable scientists and inventors are: * Matthew Boulton, proprietor of the Soho engineering works. * Sir Francis Galton, originator of eugenics and important techniques in statistics. * Alexander Parkes, inventor of celluloid, the first synthetic plastic. * Joseph Priestley, chemist and radical. * James Watt, engineer and inventor; associated with the steam engine. * John Wright (inventor) John Wright, inventor of a type of electroplating.

Twinning
Birmingham is Town twinning twinned with: {| | valign="top" | *{{flagicon|USA}} Chicago, Illinois, United States USA *{{flagicon|Germany}} Frankfurt, Germany *{{flagicon|South Africa}} Johannesburg, South Africa | valign="top" | *{{flagicon|Germany}} Leipzig, Germany *{{flagicon|France}} Lyon, France *{{flagicon|Italy}} Milan, Italy *{{flagicon|Cyprus}} Limassol, Cyprus |}

Nearby places
*'''Cities''': Coventry, Leicester, Lichfield, Wolverhampton, Worcester, England Worcester *'''Towns''': Bedworth, Cannock, Kenilworth, Kidderminster, Nuneaton, Redditch, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby, Solihull, Stafford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Warwick, Walsall *'''Villages''': Little Aston *See also the Black Country

See also
* Birmingham Coat of Arms * Constituent areas of Birmingham, England Constituent areas of Birmingham * Eurovision Song Contest 1998 * Religion in Birmingham * :List of images/Places/Europe/United Kingdom/Counties/West Midlands/Birmingham images of Birmingham

References
*''Birmingham A Study in Geography, History and Planning'', By Gordon E. Cherry (1994) ISBN 0471949000 *''A History of Warwickshire'', By Terry Slater (1981) ISBN 0850334160 *''Positively Birmingham'', By Johnathan Berg (1994) ISBN 0952317907

External links
{{sisterlinks|Birmingham}}
- Birmingham City Council
- What's-on guide for Birmingham
- BBC Birmingham
- guidetobirmingham.com A guide to Birmingham.
- Virtualbrum.co.uk photographs and information
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/birmingham/ photographs of Birmingham
- West Midlands Local Government Association useful facts (slightly outdated)
- Birmingham: It's Not Shit A humorous celebration of Brummie culture.
- Birmingham Indymedia DiY non-corporate community news, part of the global Indymedia network.
- Polish community in Birmingham Information regarding life, education, transport and culture in Birmingham for Polish community.
- Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham, a circa 1885 "''history and guide, containing thousands of dates and references to matters of interest connected with the past and present history of the town''", from Project Gutenberg.
- Birmingham Restaurants Guide - Birminghamplus - over 1400 reviews of restaurants in Birmingham and the West Midlands, updated daily.
- Birmingham timeline
- Restaurants in Birmingham lists all restaurants in Birmingham and the surrounding area. Users may write a review about any restaurant.
- Birmingham Community Empowerment Network
- Birmingham's industrial history site
- Wikitravel: Guide to Birmingham {{West_Midlands}} {{Districts of Birmingham}} {{English Cities}} Category:Birmingham, England Category:Cities in England Category:Eurovision host cities Category:Metropolitan boroughs Category:Railway towns in England af:Birmingham (Engeland) ar:Ø¨ÙŠØ±Ù…ÙŠÙ†ØºÙ‡Ø§Ù… bg:Ð‘Ð¸Ñ€Ð¼Ð¸Ð½Ð³Ð°Ð¼ ca:Birmingham cs:Birmingham cy:Birmingham da:Birmingham de:Birmingham es:Birmingham eo:Birmingham fr:Birmingham ga:Birmingham id:Birmingham it:Birmingham he:×‘×¨×ž×™× ×’×”×?×? la:Birminghamia lv:Birmingema lt:Birmingemas nl:Birmingham (Engeland) ja:ãƒ?ãƒ¼ãƒŸãƒ³ã‚¬ãƒ no:Birmingham pl:Birmingham pt:Birmingham ro:Birmingham ru:Ð‘Ð¸Ñ€Ð¼Ð¸Ð½Ð³ÐµÐ¼ simple:Birmingham, England fi:Birmingham sv:Birmingham th:à¹€à¸šà¸à¸£à¹Œà¸¡à¸´à¸‡à¹?à¸®à¸¡ uk:Ð‘Ñ–Ñ€Ð¼Ñ–Ð½Ð³ÐµÐ¼ zh:ä¼¯æ˜Žç¿°å¸‚ tr:Birmingham Birmingham can refer to: * :Category:Birmingham, Alabama * :Category:Birmingham, England Note that this is only a :category:Disambiguation categories disambiguation category, '''do not add any articles to it'''.
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