Victoria Square - View from 103, Key to the City

In June 2022, Elliott was gifted the Key to the City by the lady behind the 103 Colmore Row Twitter and Instagram accounts. He visited 103 Colmore Row for views from the 18th floor balcony four times between June and August 2022. Here are the changing views of Victoria Square. Including during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Having missed the February 2022 meet at 103 Colmore Row, Elliott was promised to get the key to 103 Colmore Row. He was gifted it by the lady who runs the 103 Colmore Row Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Between June and August, he went up four times. Usually as the view of Victoria Square kept changing. He always went on Saturday's.

Every time you arrive, you show your key to one of the Key to the City volunteers. The wait in the foyer could be anywhere between 20 minutes and 50 minutes (especially near the end of the Commonwealth Games). You would get a slot of 10 to 15 minutes to go up the fastest lift to the 18th floor, for views from the balcony.

It was an opportunity to get views of Victoria Square. When street art was painted ahead of the games, Elliott went twice on two Saturday's in July. And one final time in August on Super Saturday, while the 60th Jamaican Independence Day was being celebrated.

 

11th June 2022

General views down to Victoria Square from the 18th floor balcony of 103 Colmore Row.

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River and Youth aka the Floozie in the Jacuzzi was flowing again.

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Hew Locke reimagined the Queen Victoria statue as an artwork called Foreign Exchange (with the IKON Gallery). It would remain here for two months (until the middle of August 2022). Sir Antony Gormey's Iron: Man statue seen to the left.

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The Council House from above.

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Victoria Square House from above.

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The Town Hall from above.

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16th July 2022

Second visit to the 18th floor balcony, to see the artwork being painted called Connections by the artist Anjuli McKenna, in Victoria Square. It was half complete at this point.

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Hew Locke's Foreign Exchange artwork with Iron: Man as it was meant to be seen.

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The Town Hall again, this time with a Perry the Bull banner on Beneficial House behind.

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23rd July 2022

One week on, and the Victoria Square Fan Zone was almost complete, several days before the start of the Commonwealth Games. Also to see the Connections street art in Victoria Square fully complete. There was now a stage in the square, and would be the finish point for the Birmingham Marathona week later. The West Midlands Metro trams were also now running all the way between Wolverhampton St George's and Edgbaston Village.

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West Midlands Metro trams passing Victoria Square and stopping at Town Hall Tram Stop, in both directions.

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See more of that day here Riding trams in Zone 1.

 

6th August 2022

Super Saturday, and the final weekend of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the City Centre was very busy. It was also the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence which was being celebrated in Victoria Square at the time. This would be my final visit to 103 Colmore Row, before Key to the City ended the following day.

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Thank you to 103 Colmore Row, the Key to the City volunteers, to Fierce and Yale Locks.

 

Next up is PoliNations in September 2022, but will have to get views from Victoria Square itself.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown

The World Reimagined - a painted globes trail around Birmingham City Centre

The World Reimagined is a trail of painted globes in Birmingham and other UK cities, from mid August to the end of October 2022. There is eight globes to find in Birmingham City Centre.

 

The World Reimagined Birmingham trail

 

St Martin in the Bullring at St Martin's Square, Bullring

Spirit of the Diaspora by Pauline Bailey

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Cathedral Square - corner of Temple Row and St Philip's Place

Dear Archives by Glory Samjolly

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Unity by Gabriel Choto

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Hippodrome Square at Hurst Street, Southside

A Code For A Better Future by Jess Perrin

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City Centre Gardens off Cambridge Street, Westside

Sacred Healing Wisdom by Gayani Ariyaratne

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The Golden Square near Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter

The Love From Africa by Kassessa Gandara

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Augusta Street at Warstone Lane, Jewellery Quarter

Voyage Of The Guineamen by Donna Newman

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St Paul's Square, towards Ludgate Hill, Jewellery Quarter

Abstraction Be Damned by Tamika Galanis

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Outside of the City Centre there is two more on the trail in Newtown. And there might be more inside of Millennium Point, the Library of Birmingham and at the Roundhouse.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown

Walk with Little Amal in Birmingham on the 23rd June 2022

Little Amal is a 3.5 metre puppet of a ten year old Syrian refugee girl. She walked around Birmingham on Thursday 23rd June 2022 from Victoria Square via Chamberlain Square to Centenary Square. Lots of people followed her, and school children were there as well. She has travelled through over 70 cities in 12 countries. The UK tour of 19th to 27th June 2022.

The Walk (Little Amal)

New Steps New Friends is a tour of the UK from the 19th to 27th June 2022.

She started her remarkable journey in 2021 crossing the Syria / Turkey border, across Europe in search of her mother and to fine a new home. She travelled over 8,000km representing all displaced children, many separated from their families and carried the urgent message "Don't forget about us".

She has travelled through over 70 cities in 12 countries and has been welcomed at more than 160 events, reaching 875,000 people along her route and millions more online.

In June 2022, one year on from leaving Syria she is exploring her new country, visiting towns and cities across the UK, meeting old friends and making new ones.

Today hundreds of thousands of children who have fled war and persecution need our support to get an education and to rebuild their lives. To try to help they have launched The Amal Fund with Choose Love. Visit walkwithamal.org/the-amal-fund/ to find out more.

 

Little Amal walks around Birmingham

Little Amal was in Birmingham City Centre between 11:30am and 1pm on Thursday 23rd June 2022.

The schedule was for people to gather in Victoria Square at 11:30am.

Then the walk began at 12pm and would last until about 12:50pm.

After Victoria Square, she would go around Chamberlain Square.

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Then up Centenary Way past Paradise Birmingham.

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Ending in Centenary Square.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

 

After Birmingham, Little Amal visited Bristol, London, Stonehenge and even the Glastonbury Festival! She ended her journey at Folkestone on the 27th June 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The regenerated Alexander Stadium at the end of May 2022

I had previously tried to see the Alexander Stadium in early January 2022, but didn't have good views. This time, end of May 2022, I walked up the Aldridge Road in Perry Park to Perry Park. And got views from the park, Perry Reservoir, Tame Valley Canal and Walsall Road. Bit of a long walk. So maybe a shuttle bus is needed from Perry Barr Station in July and August 2022?

The Alexander Stadium was completed in Spring 2022 ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, due to take place for 11 days from late July to early August 2022.

You can now see the stadium from various points in Perry Park, from the Perry Reservoir, Tame Valley Canal towpath and the Walsall Road in Perry Barr.

It was around a half hour walk from Perry Barr Station (I did stop for coffee first in Costa at One Stop), via the Aldridge Road to Perry Park. Then another half hour or so down the Walsall Road back to the new look Perry Barr Station.

So the shuttle bus test they did for the Diamond League event, maybe they could do that from the station, as would be a long walk for ticket holders?

 

2nd January 2022

My previous attempt to get into Perry Park during 2022 was from the Walsall Road entrance. Tried to get views of Alexander Stadium over the Walsall Road Allotments, but wasn't much to see from here.

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There was too many trees in the way, and I ended up not getting to the other side of Perry Park at the time, but the stadium was just about visible at the time.

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30th May 2022

A proper look at the Alexander Stadium from multiple views, starting from Perry Park.

 

Views from Perry Park

Trees covering the view of the stand completed in 2011, with the temporary floodlights.

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The stadium looks much bigger now, or it might just be the temporary seating and floodlights that have been erected here.

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The temporary seating goes quite high, this will probably be dismantled after the games end in August.

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Views with Perry Reservoir

The reservoir makes for some interesting reflection shots of the new look Alexander Stadium.

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The stand completed in 2011, with the temporary stands on the right, plus the temporary floodlights with the reservoir.

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Most of these views were from the pedestrian diversion from Perry Park towards the Tame Valley Canal.

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Some of the new seating is permenant, the rest is temporary.

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Views from the Tame Valley Canal

Onto the Tame Valley Canal, the views from the towpath was better than what I saw four years earlier. They have built a training (or warm up) track to the right of the stadium.

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The temporary seating over hanging from the back.

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View of the blue warm up track near the stadium.

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It looks much better than it was before we won the right to host the Commonwealth Games.

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These stands on the right are permanent, and looks amazing!

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So many views from the canal, the temporary and permanent seating stands.

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Workmen were still putting the finishing touches to the stadium. Which had a test event here about a week earlier.

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The Birmingham Diamond League was held here on the 21st May 2022.

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One last view from the canal towpath, including the new permenant stands.

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Views from Walsall Road

After leaving the Tame Valley Canal at the Walsall Road, I wasn't expecting to see any more views, but I got these of the Alexander Stadium entrance.

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This is the entrance to the Alexander Stadium on Stadium Way, from the Walsall Road in Perry Barr.

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Text and photos by Elliott Brown

Floral canopy on Hurst Walk and rainbow bunting at The Arcadian

If you are walking around Southside / the Chinese Quarter during Summer 2022, be sure to check out the floral canopy on Hurst Walk (enter from Hurst Street) and the rainbow bunting inside of The Arcadian. Best viewed from the upper walkway before heading to the steps near Cathay Street and exit to Pershore Street.

Five photos in this post.

Head down Hurst Street from Smallbrook Queensway, and enter Hurst Walk.

It's the one with the rainbow path on it (the other one of Ladywell Walk has been tarmaced over during the Public Realm Works).

Above you, you will see a floral canopy that leads into The Arcadian.

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You now see there is colourful rainbow bunting in the central arena part of The Arcadian. Just walk around the upper path past the bars / restaurants to see from above, or head down the steps. If you stay on the upper path, it leads around to the steps above Cathay Street, and the exit to Pershore Street.

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Photography by Elliott Brown