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Birds Eye View Of Birmingham

I must have missed this thread when it was posted last week. I am sure glad I spotted this evening.

I was quite impressed with how the City looks today. I have not been there since 1980 and that was only a two day visit. There is much of a very modern feel about it. I did spot a few places I recognized: the Town Hall, Council House, the Anglican Cathedral of St. Philip's and of course the University tower. Although I lived beyond the City boundaries, I did, as a youngster, spend many hours in the "bright lights - such as they were in the years after WW2.
 
I am a Brummie through and through and when people from out of the area hear my accent and ask where |I come form I proudly say"Birmingham". I have read with delight the many sayings and anecdotes, in this Forum, typical of a Brummie. Sadly I have a problem with Brummies telling those who enquire that they are from Birmingham. I live in SWWales and for 7yrs worked as a car park attendant at a popular sea side resort. Often visitors from Birmingham would arrive and from their accents I new they were Brummies. Howerver, when asking where they came from they would invariably say "West Midlands". I was often convinced they were from Northfield, Castle Vale, Yardley etc.
So I would ask "Are you from Birmingham" to which of course they would say "Yes", but in an apologetic way . O n the otherhand visitors from Manchester would assert they were from that city with no hesitation. Smaller tow nship people would say "Yeovil Somerset" for example. During my 7yrs I could count on one hand Brummies who looked me in the eye and said they were from Birmingham. I got the impression people enqiring my home city that when I replied "Birmingham" a look of "well someone has to live there". Is it just me, I don't think so. I think to many non Brummies Birmingham seems to be a lost cause which sadens me. Nowadays it seems strange to think that a town/city without a premiership top of the league football team falls into oblivion. Made in Birmingham somehow vanished yet we still have the engineering expertise.
PLEASE BRUMMIES "WEST MIDLANDS" isn't any SUBSTITUTE for BIRMINGHAH, so shout it loud and clear when asked where you come from!!!!!!!!!
 
anvil man said:
I am a Brummie through and through and when people from out of the area hear my accent and ask where |I come form I proudly say"Birmingham". I have read with delight the many sayings and anecdotes, in this Forum, typical of a Brummie. Sadly I have a problem with Brummies telling those who enquire that they are from Birmingham. I live in SWWales and for 7yrs worked as a car park attendant at a popular sea side resort. Often visitors from Birmingham would arrive and from their accents I new they were Brummies. Howerver, when asking where they came from they would invariably say "West Midlands". I was often convinced they were from Northfield, Castle Vale, Yardley etc.
So I would ask "Are you from Birmingham" to which of course they would say "Yes", but in an apologetic way . O n the otherhand visitors from Manchester would assert they were from that city with no hesitation. Smaller tow nship people would say "Yeovil Somerset" for example. During my 7yrs I could count on one hand Brummies who looked me in the eye and said they were from Birmingham. I got the impression people enqiring my home city that when I replied "Birmingham" a look of "well someone has to live there". Is it just me, I don't think so. I think to many non Brummies Birmingham seems to be a lost cause which sadens me. Nowadays it seems strange to think that a town/city without a premiership top of the league football team falls into oblivion. Made in Birmingham somehow vanished yet we still have the engineering expertise.
PLEASE BRUMMIES "WEST MIDLANDS" isn't any SUBSTITUTE for BIRMINGHAH, so shout it loud and clear when asked where you come from!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
I now live in Newquay Cornwall,there are quite a few Brummies living in this part of the world, I must say, the Brummies down here are glad to be Brummies and not afraid to show it. We get many Brummie holiday makers during the summer, when I hear that accent I always say 'I bet your a Brummie' nine times out of ten I'm right, and they never seem to be ashamed of the fact. If you are in Newquay any time and you come across an old guy sitting on the bench outside Boots, say hello, it might be me.
 
Anvil Man:

I agree with your sentiments and quite a few Brummies live here in Crete. We never lose our accents. But the term "West Midlands" has been forced on us by governments and I'm never sure sure of the boundaries of this fictitious area - they seem to vary from website to website. So many are now living in places like Tamworth or Redditch that it becomes really confusing.

I was born in Aston and my children were all born and brought up in the Bournemouth area - with no noticeable accents - UNTIL as schoolchildren they spent their school holidays with their cousins in Birmingham and came back with broad Brummie accents! Ha ha!

Maurice
 
crego kid...I quite agree that Brummies ARE proud to be so called, as I am. I do think ,though, that Brummie is a "cute" replacement for asserting that one is from the second city of the UK. Perhaps some would feel more comfortable by saying fhey were from Brumwicham, a word I must admit I used as a kid.!!
 
I left Brum in 1967 aged 15. Whenever I go back,or even if I meet another Brummie, I talk in the old twang (accent) straight away. Love it.
Regarding being ashamed of being a Brummie, which I ain't, if you are, I suggest giving Warwickshire as a residence. Birmingham being in Warwickshire. Sounds a lot posher than West Midlands. I used to say Warwickshire in my late teens to impress the girls. Got me absolutley nowhere. That reminds me, I think my old school books (Paget Road) are marked Warwickshire Education Authority. Might be wrong, and I'm not going into the loft to check.
Nothing to do with Birmingham, but on "100years of Cilla Black" t'other night Ringo Starr made an appearance. He said "Cilla has always kept her Liverpool accent, unlike me." which he delivered in a strangled, mouth full of pebbles voice. But still with a Liverpool accent! Bet he comes from "near Cheshire".
 
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