New Birmingham 1950/1960 planning booklets

[dwilly]

New Birmingham booklet based on articles in the Birmingham Mail by Alderman Frank Price see post #19 for extracts


Have been given a booklet titled The New Birmingham, looking at it it is either a 50's or 60's publication and is made up of articles from The Birmingham Mail. Before I go and post all the pages would people be interested in it? The pages may not scan very well either as they are not A4 but an odd size. Will attach the front page and if anyone interested will post the rest.

 

[db84124]

It makes fascinating reading, dwilly. I'm sure your hard work will be appreciated by a great many members. I'd date it as mid-1950s. Thank you. db84124

 

[Richie]

This is excellent. On Page 5 ("Birds Eye View") can someone indicate which way we are looking and from where to where Bristol Street/Road travels?

I might have some close-up details of individual buildings from about the same period.

Thanks, Richie.

 

[dwilly]

The message in the box on page 5 reads "In a vast area of cleared ground, these flats which are already occupied, stand on the hill overlooking Bristol Street"

 

[Elizabeth Redmond]

These are amazing thanks for sharing them

 

[guilbert53]

Rather ironic this publication is called "The New Birmingham".

Seems every generation we have somebody who plans "the new Birmingham" and knocks down lots of buildings, and builds new ones (even Chamberlain did this).

Then THOSE buildings are knocked down, and more new buildings are built.

And so it goes on.

Even today we have plans for "the new Birmingham" with major projects all over the city - Eastside, Paradise Circus, Arena Central etc etc.

I wonder if it will ever get finished, or will we still be getting "the new Birmingham" in 100 years time when we are all all dead and gone.

 

[GeorgieG]

Have been given a booklet titled The New Birmingham, looking at it it is either a 50's or 60's publication and is made up of articles from The Birmingham Mail. Before I go and post all the pages would people be interested in it? The pages may not scan very well either as they are not A4 but an odd size. Will attach the front page and if anyone interested will post the rest.

Hi Dwilly, Many thanks for posting this on the Forum...I am having problems with trying to print this.. I can click the images to get full size on my screen but when I print it will only print the top section of the page. Is anyone else having problems with printing.. Georgie

 

[mike-g]

Go to top of page. Thread tools.. drop down menu. print page.

 

[GeorgieG]

Thanks Mike-g but that isn't working either for me. The drop down menu on Thread Tools = Show printable version... but it only prints out all that people have said... I can't get into the attachments at all that way.
Georgie

 

[GeorgieG]

Hi Dwilly... Can you possibly put page 12 on a pdf file for me... I would like to print out the bottom pic of Norfolk House... this is where I went to school in the 60's. I have been able to print the cover page out that you put on the Forum so this should be fine for me. Many thanks.. Georgie

 

[guilbert53]

Hi Dwilly... Can you possibly put page 12 on a pdf file for me... I would like to print out the bottom pic of Norfolk House...

Just view the picture as normal, and while you are viewing it RIGHT click on it, and from the menu select "Save Picture as" and save it to your hard disk.

Then you can easily print it.

You can use "Save Picture As" on almost any picture on the interent (unless a web site has disabled it)

 

[Peter Walker]

Thank you, Dwilly, for putting all those PDFs on the site, which have given me a real attack of deja-vu. I had a copy of that booklet when I was working in the City Architect's Department in the late 1950s. I became so disenchanted with what I was doing I moved to London, but I kept that book for many years. Then about 20 years ago I cleared out a lot of old stuff, as we do. It wasn't until 2003 that I accidentally googled on this forum, which has rekindled my interest in the city. So I am especially glad to see it again.
What promises they made!
Peter

 

[Aidan]

It makes fascinating reading, dwilly. I'm sure your hard work will be appreciated by a great many members. I'd date it as mid-1950s. Thank you. db84124

There is a video of the demolition of the Theatre Royal in 1957 at https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=24024&p=318968#post318968 and the middle attachment of post#5 above shows conception of the new Woolworths, so I would say late 1950s.

Thanks Dwilly for sharing these - loads of interest.

 

[dwilly]

As requested

 

[GeorgieG]

Hi Dwilly, Thank you for going to all that trouble . When I read your initial Post it said Pages 12 - 16 and I didn't check but you have Page 16 first... and I thought it was Page 12. So it is Page 16 that I require... and it is the picture of Norfolk House, Smallbrook Ringway (at the bottom of the page)... the piece is A Venetian touch for the Future. Dont worry if it is going to be a problem. Georgie

 

[dwilly]

As requested, no problems.

 

[GeorgieG]

Thank you so much Dwilly... Georgie

 

[Vivienne14]

Does anyone have a copy of this please ? Viv.

 

[Oldun]

Booklet: The New Birmingham based on articles from the Birmingham Mail by Alderman Frank Price

 

[Oldun]

Booklet: Our Birmingham: The Birmingham of our forefathers and the Birmingham of our grandsons published by Cadbury Bros

To the Moderator-I thought I would give this a go,but I understand that if you see a problem it will be removed.Our Birmingham 1943.I know the early pages dealing with the past are well covered in many papers but I thought the later pages may be of interest and it was best left entire.

 

[Oldun]

Ps.I entered the above in order,and don’t know why they ended up jumbled and back to front.Hope it is still of interest.I feel if I did it again the same would happen.

 

[Oldun]

Booklet: Our Birmingham: The Birmingham of our forefathers and the Birmingham of our grandsons published by Cadbury Bros

Our Birmingham,1943.The first three pages in order,I hope.Plus the back page.

 

[Oldun]

Just want to highlight Page 43.The 1943 vision for the Jewellery Quarter.

 

[Brian Homer]

I think I used to have a copy of this. Thanks for posting! Brilliant insight into the pros and cons of the planners ideas.

 

[Vivienne14]

That was a close call on the JQ plans. Thankfully it didn’t see the light of day ! Viv.

 

[Brian Homer]

Yes they only built the Big Peg - originally called the Hockley Centre. Thank goodness they then stopped,

 

[Vivienne14]

I’ve annotated the posts showing the extracts of the booklets to acknowledge the sources of these pages and to give credit to those who produced them. Viv.