Entries for June, 2006
June 15, 2006All About BIRMINGHAM Posted at 03:19 PM  Brief History ========= -is a city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands -considered as the largest of England's core cities, and is generally considered to be the UK's second city -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" or the "city of a thousand trades" -the name of Birmingham indicates that in Saxon times the family (ing) of Berm (man�?�¢??s name) made their Ham (home) here -the Birmingham area was occupied in Roman times, with several military roads and a large fort -it started life as a small Anglo-Saxon hamlet in the Early Middle Ages and was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village -in the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a charter to hold a market, which in time became known as the Bull Ring -as a convenient location for trade, Birmingham soon developed into a small but thriving market town People, Culture and Population ====================== Demography: 70.4% White 2.9% Mixed 19.5% Asian 6.1% Black 0.5% Chinese 0.6% Other -by 1890 Birmingham was home to 2,178 public houses which were often judged by the quality of their "stingo" (beer) -Birmingham's earliest food trade connections with the West Indies involved the importation of limes and cocoa during the mid- to late- 1800s -famous food brands that originated in Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Birds custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate and HP Sauce -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 -the city's largest single-day event is its St. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin) -it is unusual in supporting two local newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Evening Mail -considered the hub for various national ethnic media, including The Voice, The Sikh Times, Desi Xpress, The Asian Today and Raj TV (based in the Mailbox) SPORTS ====== -a cricket club was in existence in Birmingham as early as 1745 -the first ever game of lawn tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859 -the city is home to two of the UK's oldest professional football teams: Aston Villa (1874) and Birmingham City (1875) -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 -is thought by some to have the highest concentration of Martial Artists in the UK -has been awarded the title National City of Sport by the Sports Council Famous People =========== Local inventions and notable firsts include: gas lighting, roller skate wheels, the Baskerville Font, questionnaires, 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 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 of a type of electroplating. SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT ====================== -the old Bull Ring complex (once a notorious architectural eyesore) was demolished to make way for a large shopping centre that includes Selfridges -lesser known shopping centres located near the Bull Ring complex such as the Pavillions Shopping Centre, The Mailbox and the Pallisades (The Mall), which is located directly above New Street Station -principal shopping streets are New Street, High Street and Corporation Street -the Jewellery Quarter, to the north of the city centre, specializes in jewellery and contains many small workshops and retailers -Birmingham has a large number of pubs and clubs. The club scene is mainly around Broad Street and Hurst Street but bands perform regularly in many live venues around the city. GETTING THERE =========== -due in part to its central location in England, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail, and canal networks -local public transport is by bus, bicycle, local train and tram - Birmingham International Airport has flights to cities across Europe and several Asian and North American destinations |
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