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Business Quarter
The Business Quarter is in the Ladywood ward in central Birmingham. It is surrounded by the Convention Quarter, the Gun Quarter, the Jewellery Quarter and the Retail Quarter.
The Business Quarter has traditionally been the location of service-based industries such as banking, administration, insurance and the professions. It is probably still the most prestigious office address in Birmingham, but many companies are now based in other areas of the city.
The Business Quarter is characterised by monumental Victorian architecture as exemplified by Colmore Row which provides a visual axis between Birmingham Cathedral and Victoria Square.
The Business Quarter also contains Chamberlain Square, Snow Hill Station, the Town Hall, Council House, Museum & Art Gallery, Courts of Justice and Central Library.
Churches in the Business Quarter
Birmingham CE Cathedral
Birmingham Cathedral on Colmore Row was designed by Thomas Archer in the baroque style; it was built as a parish church in 1715 and did not become a cathedral until the Birmingham diocese was created by the Church of England in 1904.
Saint Phillips is a brick building faced in stone; it was inspired by the baroque Italian school and features a dome, lantern, parapets, balustrades, a convex west tower and rooftop urns.
JA Chatwin enlarged the chancel and added a semi-circular apse in the 1880's. The interior contains several treasures, including stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones, an organ case by Thomas Schwarbrick and chancel rails in the style of Tijou.
T 0121 262 1840 Address: Colmore Row B3 2QB
Landmark Churches Colmore Row Conservation Area Birmingham Cathedral Website
Civic Squares in the Business Quarter
Victoria Square
Victoria Square is the principal civic square in Birmingham; it was created as part of the redevelopment of Colmore Row in the 1870's.
The idea was to create a visual axis along Colmore Row between Birmingham Cathedral and the domed Council House which was constructed as part of the same development.
This plan did not entirely succeed due to commercial considerations; it did, however, create a space in front of the Council House that was enlarged by the demolition of Christ Church (circa 1798) in 1902.
The removal of the church opened the western side of this space to the lateral colonnade of Birmingham Town Hall which was built in the style of a classical Roman Temple in the 1830's.
This space became known as Council House Square, but was renamed Victoria Square after a statue of Queen Victoria was placed outside the Council House in 1901.
Since Victoria Square was located at the junction of Colmore Row, New Street and Paradise Street, it became a tram terminus and traffic roundabout.
This changed in the 1990's when the square was converted into a pedestrian plaza with a spectacular water feature consisting of a naked female figure squatting in a fountain whose overflow trickles down a stepped slope creating the effect of a fast-flowing river.
The slope terminates in a bank of greenery lined by offices.
In addition to the council, several large employers are based on Victoria Square; these include the international lawyers DLA Piper and Lloyds TSB who donated the Iron:Man sculpture by Anthony Gormley which stands outside the Town Hall.
Victoria Square is connected by a short pedestrian walkway to the adjoining Chamberlain Square.
There was a large-scale brawl in Victoria Square on the afternoon of Sunday 25th April as the local derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham was being screened in several bars on nearby Broad Street; it seems that Villa were awarded a debatable penalty (News Archive 27/04/10).
Chamberlain Square
Chamberlain Square in the Business Quarter is named after Joseph Chamberlain, a former mayor of Birmingham (1873-76) who reduced infant mortality by improving the water supply.
The centrepiece of the square is the Chamberlain Memorial which is a curious neo-Gothic monument set in a sunken hollow partially encircled by steps that recede outwards, like an amphitheatre.
Birmingham Town Hall, a colonnaded neo-classical building in the style of a Roman Temple, towers above this sunken space.
Other buildings on Chamberlain Square include the Museum and Art Gallery which features an impressive double Corinthian colonnade and Big Brum, a Victorian clock tower whose chimes can be heard throughout the city centre.
By contrast, the Central Library, on the west side of the square, is a brutalist sixties creation scheduled for demolition; it was built above Queensway (A41) and Paradise Circus Queensway: a semi-submerged traffic island that partially runs beneath Chamberlain Square.
Pedestrians can walk from Chamberlain Square through a precinct beneath the library and cross a footbridge above the unsubmerged part of Paradise Circus Queensway in order to reach Centenary Square in the Convention Quarter.
Pedestrians can also walk from Chamberlain Square to Victoria Square and from there to New Street in the Retail Quarter or to Colmore Row in the Business Quarter.
Chamberlain Square contains several works of art; these include Victorian statues of James Watt and Joseph Priestley and a modern sculpture of the political reformer Thomas Attood who is shown reclining on the steps of Chamberlain Square in preference to standing on his empty plinth.
Courts in the Business Quarter
The following law courts are located in the Business Quarter:
Civil Justice Centre
The Civil Justice Centre on Bull Street contains Birmingham County Court, the Birmingham District Registry of the High Court, the Family Courts and the Probate Registry.
The court is open from 10.00am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
Tel: 0121 681 4441 Address: Bull Street B4 6DS
Links: Lawyers and Courts Her Majesty Court Service Website
Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts
The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts on Newton Road contain Birmingham Coroners Court and Birmingham Crown Court. The complex consists of 16 courtrooms divided between the main building at 1 Newton Street and an annex at 4 Newton Street.
The court is open from Monday to Friday between 9am to 5pm.
Tel: 0121 681 3300 Address: 1 Newton Street B4 7NA
Links: Links: Lawyers and Courts Her Majesty Court Service Website
Birmingham Employment Tribunal
The Birmingham Employment Tribunal is on Newhall Street in Business Quarter, barely 300 metres from the taxi rank at Snow Hill Station and the multi-storey car park on Livery Street
The Tribunal is open between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday; there are bus interchanges on nearby Colmore Row, Priory Street Queensway and Corporation Street.
Tel: 0121 236 6051 Address: Newhall Street B3 3NH
Links: Lawyers and Courts Employment Tribunals Website
Demographics, Housing and Politics in the Business Quarter
This website contains information about demographics, housing and politics in the Ladywood ward which includes the Business Quarter of central Birmingham.
Accident Blackspots in the Business Quarter
Colmore Square
A man was hit by a bus on Colmore Square at approximately 10am on Monday 25 January 2010.
Paradise Circus
A 24 year-old man was discovered with head injuries on Paradise Circus at approximately 5am on 25/12/09. His injuries were probably caused by a hit-and-run driver
Great Charles Street Queensway
A car collided with a barrier in the tunnel beneath Great Charles Street Queensway at approximately 9.30am on 12 January 2010.
Lawyers in the Business Quarter
There is a concentration of major law firms in the Business Quarter, particularly in and around Colmore Row and Victoria Square.
At least 10 of the 100 largest British law firms are represented: DLA Piper UK (5), Eversheds (9), Pinsent Masons (14), Irwin Mitchell (23), Hammonds (25), Wragge & Co (27), Shoosmiths (28), Cobbetts (57), HBJ Gateley Warering (58) and Martineau (99).
There are also barristers chambers on Cornwall Street and Temple Row (Saint Philips).
The Birmingham Law Society, which keeps a large law library, is on Newhall Street. The society was formed in 1818 and is the largest regional association of lawyers in the UK with a membership of over 3000.
Links: Lawyers and Courts
Live Music Venues in the Business Quarter
The Adrian Boult Hall on Paradise Place is the main stage of the Birmingham Conservatoire. The hall stages concerts by student and touring musicians. These are mainly classical sets but some jazz, folk and rock is also performed.
The auditorium contains a single tier of 520 seats. There is also a bar, coffee lounge and exhibition space. The hall will be demolished as part of the redevelopment of Paradise Place, but will be replaced by a new performance venue in Eastside.
Links: Birmingham Conservatoire Website
The Town Hall (1834) has been refurbished as a modern venue for rock, pop and classical concerts. The hall, which has a capacity of around 1,100, contains a 6,000-pipe organ, the largest of its kind in the UK.
Links: Live Music Venues Town Hall Website
Nightclubs in the Business Quarter
Snobs is a nightclub on Paradise Street Queensway that contains two music rooms and four bars. The club tends to cater for the indie, student and alternative scene.
Links: Nightclubs Snobs Website
Museums in the Business Quarter
The Birmingham Museum is located in the Council House Extension on Chamberlain Square. It contains sections dedicated to antiquities, applied art, ethnography, coins & medals and local & social history.
The facilities include a shop and a licensed Edwardian tearoom. Admission is generally free although a charge is sometimes made for temporary exhibitions.
Links: Birmingham Museums
Pubs & Bars in the Business Quarter
All Bar One
All Bar One on Newhall Street serves spirits, long drinks, fine wines, classic draught & bottled beers and simple international cuisine.
43 Newhall Street B3 3NY 0121 212 2551 Map
Briar Rose
The Briar Rose on Bennetts Hill is a child-friendly Wetherspoon pub & lodge with wi-fi and TV screens.
25 Bennetts Hill B2 5RE 0121 634 8100 Map
Chi Bar
The Chi on Newhall Street contains a lounge bar, a New York loft-style cocktail bar and a private function room with a jacuzzi and vast 80-seat sofa.
61 Newhall Street B3 3RB 0121 233 3150 Map
Pubs in Birmingham City Centre
Metro
The Metro on Cornwall Street is a bar and grill serving pasta, seafood, steak, salad, champagne, cocktails, fine wines, real ales, chilled lagers etc.
73 Cornwall Street B3 2DF 0121 200 1611 Map
Old Contemptibles
The Old Contemptibles at the junction of Livery Street and Edmund Street is a traditional Victorian pub serving bar food and real ales.
176 Edmund Street B3 2HB 0121 200 3310 Map
Pubs in Birmingham City Centre
Old Joint Stock
The Old Joint Stock on Temple Row West is a Fullers Ale & Pie pub set in a domed ex-banking hall with an upstairs theatre and function rooms.
4 Temple Row West B2 5NY 0121 200 1892 Map
Old Royal
The Old Royal is a traditional Victorian corner pub at the junction of Cornwall Street and Church Street.
53 Church Street B3 2DP 0121 200 3841 Map
Pubs in Birmingham City Centre
Pub Du Vin
The Pub du Vin on Church Street is a hotel cellar bar in the style of a traditional pub serving bar meals and real ale.
25 Church Street B3 2NR 0121 600 0600 Map
Red Bar
The Red Bar on Temple Street is an exclusive lounge bar serving cocktails, champagne, fine wine and an international menu that includes smoked salmon, sushi, oriental seafood etc.
Temple Street B2 5BN 0121 643 0194 Map
Subside
Subside on Fletchers Walk off Chamberlain Square is a rock & alternative music bar with upstairs pool tables and regular live music sets.
Fletchers Walk B3 3HJ 0121 212 0211 Map
Utopia
Utopia on Church Street is a country bar with function rooms that serves cocktails, fine wines, champagne, breakfast, bar bites, sandwiches etc.
16 Church Street B3 2NP 0121 233 3666 Map
Wellington
The Wellington on Bennetts Hill is a specialist real ale pub with sixteen hand pulls.
37 Bennetts Hill B2 5SN 0121 200 3115 Map
Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons on Paradise Place off Chamberlain Square is a child-friendly pub with wi-fi, TV screens and an outside licensed area.
Paradise Place B3 3HJ 0121 214 8970 Map
Yardbird
The Yardbird on Paradise Place is a jazz & funk bar in the style of a Chicago jazz cafe with DJ's, late dancing and live bands.
Paradise Place B3 3HJ 0121 212 2524 Map
Retail Malls in the Business Quarter
Great Western Arcade
The Great Western Arcade is a grade II listed retail mall in the Business Quarter with entrances on Temple Row and on Colmore Row, opposite Snow Hill Station.
The arcade, which was built above Snow Hill Railway Tunnel, features a monumental Victorian entrance on Temple Row, an original 19th century clock with a peal of five exposed bells and a glazed barrel-vault roof that replaced the original, destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1940.
The arcade contains 42 units, mainly speciality independent retailers; these include a bakery, newsagent, pen shop. gift shop, shoe shop, sweet shop, art gallery and several boutiques.
0121 236 5417 Colmore Row B2 5HU
Shopping Great Western Arcade Website
Key National Retailers in the Business Quarter
Rymans
Rymans is @ 20 Temple Street B2 5BG, T 0121 244 7711
Thorntons
Thornton's is at 9 North Western Arcade B2 5LH, T 0121 236 4219
Art Galleries in the Business Quarter
The Birmingham Art Gallery occupies the same Council House extension on Chamberlain Square as the Birmingham Museum.
The gallery features a world-class collection of paintings, including Baroque and Renaissance masters, and major works in practically every conceivable style from Cubist to Realist and Impressionist to post-Modernist.
It also contains the world's largest collection of work by Edward Burne-Jones and a major collection of Pre-Raphaelite pictures. Modern Art is displayed in an annex, the Waterhall Gallery, and visiting exhibitions in Gas Hall.
There is a shop and a licensed Edwardian tearoom. Admission is free, although a charge may be made for some events.
Links: Birmingham Museums
Whitewall Galleries is a commercial art gallery chain with a branch on Colmore Row. The gallery offers contemporary art from across the globe with an emphasis on quality and individuality. It also advises upon the purchase and display of artworks.
Links: Guide Art Galleries Whitewalls Website
Visual Edge International is an art consultancy and commissioning agency at 1 Victoria Square.
Links: Visual Edge International
Bus Routes through the Business Quarter
The following bus routes serve the Business Quarter: 1, 7, 10, 10H, 16, 22, 23, 24, 29, 46, 46S, 65, 74, 79, 80, 81, 82, 87, 89, 101, 104, 105, 108, 110, 112, 114, 115, 116, 120, 126, 126A, 127, 128, 129, 140, 140A, 141, 141A, 192, 424, 807, 902, 904, 905, 907, 914, 915, X62, X64, X73, X90
Railways in the Business Quarter
Two railways run through the Business Quarter: the Midland Metro and the Leamington-Worcester Line.
Midland Metro
The Birmingham terminus of the Midland Metro is at Snow Hill Station in the Business Quarter. The Midland Metro is a 12.5-mile tramway between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
Services run at 6-8 minute intervals during peak periods; they are less frequent at the evening and weekends. The typical journey time to Wolverhampton is 35 minutes.
Tel: Tel: 08457484950 (rail enquires) 0121 254 7272 (Metro) Address: Colmore Row B3 2BJ
Links: Midland Metro Metro Website
Leamington-Worcester Line
The Leamington - Worcester Line runs through the Snow Hill Tunnel beneath Birmingham city centre and emerges at Snow Hill Station in the Business Quarter.
Heading westwards from Snow Hill, the line travels alongside the Midland Metro on a viaduct above Queensway before entering the Jewellery Quarter.
Links: Leamington-Worcester Line Midland Metro
Snow Hill Railway Station
Snow Hill Station was built in 1987 on the former site of a splendid Edwardian station that was demolished in 1977 after the Snow Hill Tunnel beneath the city centre was closed.
However, this meant passengers living in towns on the east side of Birmingham, such as Leamington Spa and Solihull, could no longer reach towns on the west side, such as Worcester and Stourbridge, without alighting at Moor Street and walking to New Street.
Moreover, commuters from places such as Leamington and Solihull could not easily reach the Business Quarter and had to alight at Moor Street and either catch a bus or walk the final mile.
In order to solve these difficulties, Snow Hill was rebuilt and the Snow Hill Tunnel re-opened. The new station is ugly and draughty and its platforms and concourse are entombed beneath a multi-storey car park.
The station is equipped with waiting rooms, CCTV, a seated area, baby changing, shops, refreshment booths, payphones, a taxi rank, 3 rail and 2 metro platforms.
Main Destinations: Birmingham Moor Street, Dorridge, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, London Marylebone, Stourbridge Junction, Shirley, Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill and stations to Wolverhampton on the Midland Metro Line.
Tel: 08457484950 Address: Colmore Row B3 2BJ
Links: Business Quarter National Rail Enquiries
Restaurants in the Business Quarter
Ashas
Ashas is an international contemporary Indian restaurant chain with an outlet on Newhall Street. It is associated with Bollywood star Asha Bohle.
12-22 Newhall Street B3 3LX 0121 200 2767
Athens
Athens serves a cosmopolitan and typically Greek menu at 31 Paradise Circus accompanied by live table music, floor shows, belly dancing, plate-smashing and a late-night disco.
31 Paradise Circus B1 2BJ 0121 643 5523
Bugis Street Brasserie
The Bugis Street Brasserie serves mainly Malaysian and Singaporean dishes at the Copthorne Hotel on Paradise Place.
Paradise Place B3 3HJ 0121 200 2727
Restaurants in Central Birmingham
Caffe Uno
Caffe Uno on Colmore Row is a restaurant, grill and pizza parlour serving classic Italian dishes.
126 Colmore Row B3 3AP 0121 212 0599
Jojolapa
Jojolapa on Newhall Street serves authentic and contemporary Nepalese.
55-59 Newhall Street B3 3RB 0121 212 2511
Metro Bar and Grill
The Metro on Cornwall Street serves grills, steaks, pastas, salads, seafood and light dishes.
73 Cornwall Street B3 2DF 0121 200 1911
Nandos @ Paradise Forum
Nandos serves Portugese/Mozambique food, particularly peri peri flame-grilled chicken, at Paradise Forum.
Paradise Forum B3 3HJ 0121 212 0511
Opus
Opus on Cornwall Street serves seasonal English dishes made from locally-sourced ingredients; the restaurant has won numerous awards and is generally considered one of the best in Birmingham.
54 Cornwall Street B3 2DE 0121 200 2323
Purnells
Purnells is a fine dining restaurant with 45 covers that mainly serves English dishes. It was awarded one star in the Michelin Guide 2010.
55 Cornwall Street B3 2DH 0121 212 9799
San Carlo
San Carlo on Temple Street serves authentic Italian cuisine in luxurious surroundings. It has a reputation for good service and is generally regarded as one of the best Italian restaurants in the Midlands.
4 Temple Street B2 5BN 0121 633 0251
San Carlo RestaurantThai Orchid
Thai Orchid on Bennett's Hill serves authentic a la carte and lunchtime buffet menus.
7 Bennetts Hill B2 5ST 0121 212 1000
Victorian Restaurant
The Victorian mainly serves traditional English dishes at the Great Western Arcade off Colmore Row.
16 Great Western Arcade B2 5HU 0121 236 8312
Restaurants in Central Birmingham
Woktastic
Woktastic on Paradise Place is a fusion sushi and noodle bar.
Paradise Place B3 3HJ 0121 236 3130
Budget Eateries in the Business Quarter
McDonalds
There is a McDonalds hamburger restaurant at Paradise Forum beneath Central Library off Chamberlain Square. It has a mirror-glass facade that reflects images of the Town Hall, Chamberlain Memorial and James Watt statue.
Paradise Forum B3 3HJ
T 0121 212 1717Cafe Chains in the Business Quarter
Caffe Nero
Caffe Nero is at 42-47 Waterloo Street B2 5QB, T 0121 233 9800
Costa Coffee
There is a Costa Coffee booth at Snow Hill Station on Colmore Row
Starbucks
There are two Starbucks cafes in the Business Quarter, located at: (1)
31 Colmore Row B3 2AU, T 0121 200 2559 and (2) 125 Colmore Row B3 3SD, T 0121 236 2660Cafes & Fast Food Starbucks Website
Skyscrapers in the Business Quarter
Colmore Gate
Colmore Gate is a 70 metre office tower with 15 floors on Colmore Row which was completed in 1992.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Colmore Plaza
Colmore Plaza is a 54 metre commercial tower with 14 storeys that was built in 2008 on the site of the former Post and Mail Building on Colmore Circus.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Edmund House
Edmund House at the junction of Newhall Street and Edmund Street is a 50 metre office tower with 12 storeys.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Embassy House
Embassy House on Church Street is a 50 metre office block with 12 floors.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
45 Church Street
45 Church Street is a 63 metre office tower with 14 floors that was completed in 2006.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
National Westminster House
National Westminster House at the junction of Newhall Street and Colmore Row is an 80 metre commercial tower with 23 floors that was constructed in 1976.
This building is vacant and has been earmarked for demolition; it will be replaced by a 163 metre/35 storey office skyscraper. Demolition was scheduled for 2010 with the new building being finished in 2013. However, the recession has cast doubt over this timetable. (News Archive 26/11/09)
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
1 Colmore Row
1 Colmore Row is a 51 metre commercial tower with 12 floors that was built in 2004.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
1 Snow Hill
1 Snow Hill is a 57 metre office building with 12 floors; there are retail units on the ground floor.
This building features translucent insulated glazing and an unusual slanting elevation that overhangs the car park on Livery Street.
It forms part of a new mixed use development next to Snow Hill Station.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Temple Point
Temple Point on Temple Row is a 59 metre office tower with 14 floors.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Snow Hill Residential Tower
The Snow Hill Residential Tower is currently under construction as part of the Snow Hill development next to Snow Hill Railway Station.
This building will be 138 metres tall and contain 332 apartments on 43 floors.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Snow Hill Hotel Tower
The Snow Hill Hotel Tower is currently under construction as part of the Snow Hill development adjoining Snow Hill Station.
It will be an 82 metre building with 23 floors that will contain a five star hotel and spa.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Snow Hill Office Block 2
Snow Hill Office Block 2 is currently under construction as part of the Snow Hill development adjoining Snow Hill Railway Station.
It will be a 75 metre building with 15 floors.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham
103 Colmore Row
103 Colmore Row is an unbuilt skyscraper that has been approved as a replacement for the 80 metre National Westminster House which has been earmarked for demolition.
The new building will be 160 metres tall with 35 floors.
Skyscrapers in Birmingham Map
Theatres in the Business Quarter
There is an 80-seat studio theatre above the Old Joint Stock pub on Temple Row. The theatre, which is owned by Fullers Brewery, stages plays, live music and stand-up comedy.
Links: Theatres Old Joint Stock Website
Hotels in the Business Quarter
The Briar Rose is a Wetherspoon Lodge at 25 Bennetts Hill. The lodge, which contains 40 ensuite rooms, adjoins a Wetherspoons Pub of the same name. Breakfast and dining facilities are in the pub which opens at 7am Monday-Friday and 8am at weekends. The pub closes at 1am on Friday and Saturday and midnight every other night of the week.
The Briar Rose is barely 200 metres from New Street Station. There is no car park and so guests have to pay for parking at New Street Station.
Links: Wetherspoons Website
The Copthorne Hotel is located on Paradise Circus, barely 250 metres from Broad Street and the International Convention Centre.
The hotel, which is part of the Millennium & Copthorne Group, contains 212 rooms with satellite television.
The facilities include a bar and brasserie: the Goldies, which serves ales, cocktails, and speciality coffees etc. There are 7 conference and banqueting suites; the largest of which can hild up to 220. Business support is available.
On-site parking is limited so guests may have to use the chargeable multi-storey on nearby Brunel Street.
Links: Hotels Millennium Hotels Website
The Hotel du Vin is a converted Victorian building with a splendid sweeping staircase that was once the Birmingham Eye Hospital; it is located at 3 Church Street, near Colmore Row and Snow Hill Station.
The hotel consists of 66 rooms and boutique suites arranged around an internal courtyard. The facilities include a cellar bar, bistro, gym, spa and 4 function rooms, the largest of which is a mirrored hall that can hold up to 100. Parking is chargeable at a daily tariff.
In April 2010, a 28-year-old restaurant manager employed by the hotel complained to the Birmingham Employment Tribunal that he had been improperly suspended after being punched by a guest (News Archive 15/04/10).
Serviced Apartments in the Business Quarter
Burne Jones House is a Georgian mansion on Bennett's Hill; it is the birthplace of Edwin Burne-Jones; the property has been converted into 29 serviced apartments.
Links: Serviced Apartments City Quarters Website
Universities & Colleges in the Business Quarter
Conservatoire
The Conservatoire on Paradise Place, which teaches music-related courses to around 500 full-time students, is part of the Faculty of Performance Media & English of Birmingham City University.
It contains a cafe, refectory, practice rooms, recording studios, a specialist library, the 518-seat Adrian Boult Hall, the Recital Hall and Arena Foyer.
The Conservatoire will re-locate to a new campus next to Millennium Point in 2013.
Paradise Place B3 3HG 0121 331 5901 Map
Birmingham City University Conservatoire Website
School of Art
The School of Art on Margaret Street is a department of the Institute of Art and Design which is a faculty of Birmingham City University.
The school was formed in the 1840's by the Birmingham Society of Artists and was taken over in 1877 by Birmingham Corporation which built the Gothic grade-one-listed building on Margaret Street in 1885.
The school teaches courses in art & education, fine art, art health & well-being, contemporary curatorial practice etc. Students often exhibit at the Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace.
The school contains workshops and studios including a naturally-lit glazed extension on Cornwall Street.
Margaret Street B3 3BX Map
Guide Business Quarter School of Art Website
Colmore Row & Environs Conservation Area in the Business Quarter
The Business Quarter contains the bulk of the Colmore Row & Environs Conservation Area. Colmore Row provides a visual axis between Birmingham Cathedral and the Council House in Victoria Square.
The Conservation Area also includes Chamberlain Square, the Town Hall and the surrounding street pattern which is characterised by monumental late Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
Links: Colmore Row Conservation Area
Listed Secular Buildings in the Business Quarter
Bell Edison Telephone Exchange
The Bell Edison Telephone Building is located at the junction of Newhall Street and Edmund Street. It was designed in the Venetian Gothic style by Chamberlain & Martin in 1897; the exterior features elaborate terracotta mouldings.
This building, now an office block, housed the city centre telephone exchange between 1897 and 1936. The National Telephone logo still adorns the porch. The basement was converted into a nuclear bunker in the 1950's.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
Big Brum is a 46-metre-high clock tower that forms part of the Council House extension on Chamberlain Square. It was designed by Yeoville Thomason and built in stone with a tiled roof in 1885.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
The Council House is in Victoria Square; it is a grade-2-listed building that was designed by Yeoville Thomasen in 1874-79; the main facade consists of a 3-bay portico flanked by 8-bay wings whose projecting outer bays are capped by segmental pediments.
A unifying dome, lantern and spire stands above the apex of the central portico; the interior contains the Council Chamber, Mayoral Suite, Banqueting Hall and Grand Staircase.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
The Eagle Insurance Building is on Colmore Row; it was built in 1900 to a design in the arts and crafts style by William Lethaby. The building features classical elements such as the pilasters that divide the windows, and the segmental and triangular pediments above the 3rd storey Romanesque frieze.
However, the architect has dispensed with the traditional central portico; instead there is a vast ground floor window flanked by twin doorways; other innovative touches include a chequered facade and eagle sculpture on the attic storey.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
Queens College, established in 1828, relocated to this building on Paradise Street in 1843; it remained there until 1925 when it relocated to Edgbaston.
The old college building was then redeveloped as offices behind its magnificent facade which features an ogee arch, canopied niche and statue of Queen Victoria.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
This building at 98 Edmund Street was designed in the Decorated Gothic Style as the Birmingham School Board Office by the architects Chamberlain and Martin. It was built in red-brick with terracotta and stone dressings in 1875.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
The main facade of the School of Art is is on Margaret Street; its side elevations are on Cornwall Street and Edmund Street.
The School of Art was designed by Chamberlain and Martin in their Decorated Gothic Style and built in red-brick and terracotta in 1881-85.
The main facade features 3 asymmetrical gables: the left gable has a roundrel and art nouveau foliage; the central gable contains a mosaic above trefoil lancets; the taller right gable has a three-lancet roundrel.
A tiled frieze depicting lilies and sunflowers completely encircles the school; the roof features a bracketed eaves cornice and decorative ridge tiles; the interior contains mosaic floors, carved capitals and stained-glass.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
The Town Hall was built in brick in 1832-34 and is faced with Anglesey marble. It is rectangular in shape, sits on a rusticated podium and has an external Corinthian colonnade.
The design was based on the ruined temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome. However, the architects Joseph Hansom and Edward Welch did not fully understand how to recreate a ruined classical building and the project was completed by Charles Edge.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
The former Union Club is located at the junction of Newhall Street and Colmore Row; it was built in stone to a design by Yeoville Thomasen in 1868-69.
The building features a rusticated ground floor, an open Corinthian porch, an array of triangular and segmental pediments, a foliage frieze beneath the eaves cornice and a decorative roof balustrade with urns.
The interior has been redeveloped as office space; a mansard roof has added another storey whilst preserving the roofline of the original Victorian facade.
Links: Secular Listed Buildings Colmore Row Conservation Area
Public Art in the Business Quarter
The Chamberlain Memorial in Chamberlain Square is a monument built in Portland stone with a twenty metre crocketed spire and corner pinnacles flanked by gable arches.
The memorial, which features reliefs, mosaics and a medallion portrait, commemorates Joseph Chamberlain who, as Mayor of Birmingham in 1873-1876, succeeded in improving the water supply in the face of vested interests, thereby greatly reducing child mortality.
There is a statue of Charles Gore, the first Bishop of Birmingham, outside the west door of Birmingham Cathedral on Colmore Row.
The Council House on Victoria Square contains a mosaic by Salviati of Venice in the tympanum of its central portico.
The mosaic features an allegory of Britannia who is flanked on both sides by three allegorical representations of Birmingham's trades and manufactures to whom she presents scrolls of stability and power.
There is a statue of James Watt on a plinth outside Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square. It was carved by Alexander Munro in 1868.
A statue of Joseph Priestley, the 18th century scientist and natural philosopher, stands outside Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square. It is a bronze cast (circa 1951) of the original marble which was carved by Francis Williamson in 1874.
Priestley is shown holding the letter "O", the symbol of oxygen, with whose discovery he is credited. Priestley was driven out of Birmingham in 1791 after he held a banquet in celebration of the second anniversary of the French Revolution.
The statue of Queen Victoria which stands outside the Council House on Victoria Square is a bronze cast (circa 1951) of the original marble carved by Thomas Brock in 1900 and donated by William Barber, a successful property speculator, in 1901.
The unveiling of the statue, which took place on 10 January 1901, was followed by the Queen's death on 22 January 1901.
The River in Victoria Square is a water feature consisting of an upper basin containing a statue of a cross-legged woman - the Floosie in the Jacuzzi - who irepresents life force and a lower basin that contains two allegorical sculptures who represent youth.
Water cascades down a stepped terrace, from the upper to the lower basin, presumably symbolising the fleeting nature of life. The lower basin is inscribed with verses from T.S. Eliot's Burnt Norton, a philosophical poem about the temporary nature of existence.
The Thomas Attwood Memorial consists of a statue of the 19th century political reformer reclining on the steps of Chamberlain Square and an empty plinth from which he has just descended in order to address an open air meeting. His despatch box, which has been dropped nearby, has overturned and its contents flutter in the wind.
The Iron:Man is a modern sculpture in Victoria Square. Designed by Anthony Gormley, the moulding joints have been left intact, there is a slight tilt, and the sculpture is meant to oxidise. The Iron:Man symbolises Birmingham's industrial heritage and prompts questions about the future of its workforce.
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