• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

New Street Station 1967

The Pallasades Shopping Centre provides the first point of entry to the City Centre and is situated above New Street Station and commonly regarded as “the gateway to the city”. It opened in 1971 and was formerly known as Birmingham Shopping Centre. It is currently owned by Birmingham City Council, who purchased it on 30 March 2009 from the Agora Max Shopping Centre Fund, a property fund of Warner Estate. It was sold to Agora Max by the previous owners, The Mall, in October 2005. The Pallasades is the place in the city if you are on the look-out for great buys and value for money. The centre has an average weekly footfall of over 250, 000 per week and major names include Claire’s, Footlocker, Holland & Barrett, New Look, Tesco Express, The Carphone Warehouse, The Perfume Shop and many more. The main entrance to the Shopping Centre is from New Street up the ramp, further stores are located on Stephenson Street and the centre has a connection from New Street Station up the escalators into the Pallasades and access to the Bullring link. The Pallasades works closely with the local community and supports a number of initiatives running throughout the year including Local Heroes, Baby of the Year, Schools Awards and events covering key calendar dates. The major transformation of The Pallasades Shopping Centre is now well underway to revamp it into Grand Central Birmingham. The Pallasades will remain open for business during the works and we appreciate your understanding throughout this period of development. Access through the centre will be maintained for pedestrians throughout the works, including access to Birmingham New Street station via escalators. The sort of shops which will be attracted into Grand Central Birmingham will complement those already in Bullring and Mailbox, bringing new shops and restaurants into the heart of the city and making Birmingham city centre the place to find everything you need.

Seems like shopping malls/centers are pretty much the same all over the planet! :cool:
 
Seems like shopping malls/centers are pretty much the same all over the planet! :cool:
I'd rather shop in one out of the centre, Redditch's Kingfisher Shopping Centre has excellent car parking and access to bus and rail passengers as well (it is a shame that the line south was closed, serving Studley, Alcester and Evesham).
 
I'd rather shop in one out of the centre, Redditch's Kingfisher Shopping Centre has excellent car parking and access to bus and rail passengers as well (it is a shame that the line south was closed, serving Studley, Alcester and Evesham).
We prefer smaller venues, or strip type malls where there is close parking. We always like to support local stores/companies where we can.
 
We prefer smaller venues, or strip type malls where there is close parking. We always like to support local stores/companies where we can.
So do I really, local shops (for local people!) within a short walking distance and a medium sized shopping district a couple of stops bus ride away are my usual purchasing areas, my comments above were based on my very rare use of malls / shopping centres.
 
me and my brother used to mooch down the GPO tunnels.linking platform to platform and the sorting office. watch we never got run over by the small trucks and trailers carying post/mailbags.like the one below1667750286673.png
 
This is labelled as c1965, so must have been taken near the time New Street Station was being redeveloped. Looks to me like the platform still has the old canopy. Viv.
The correct caption is "Steam billows around the London Midland & Scottish Railway Class 2F Ivatt locomotive 46522 at New Street Station, Birmingham as passengers along with onlookers prepare for a sentimental last journey to Harborne, 2nd November 1963."
'S.L.S' on the headboard is the Stephenson Locomotive Society, which was founded in 1909 for the study of rail transport and locomotives.
The platform canopy is one of the post war ones erected in replacement for the original overall span which was severely damaged by bombing in WW2.
 
Last edited:
The correct caption is "Steam billows around the London Midland & Scottish Railway Class 2F Ivatt locomotive 46522 at New Street Station, Birmingham as passengers along with onlookers prepare for a sentimental last journey to Harborne, 2nd November 1963."
'S.L.S' on the headboard is the Stephenson Locomotive Society, which was founded in 1909 for the study of rail transport and locomotives.
The platform canopy is one of the post war ones erected in replacement for the original overall span which was severely damaged by bombing in WW2.
I thought it would have been the trip to Harborne in 1963. This trip also took in Halesowen.
A poor quality cine film is available on YouTube
A better quality film of the 1959 tour is
 
I suppose if there has to be a bit of 'Brutalist' concrete in the city, the New Street Power Box is far better than Madin's library. For attractive brutalism (no, its not all bad), look at Preston's bus station.
 
The fact is that the signal box has served its purpose and is no longer of use for what it was originally designed for. Over the years control of the signalling on the railways in the West Midlands has been moved to Saltley and the final act following the recent re-signalling of New Street would be for the signal box to be taken out of service.
 
For anyone wishing to visit the signal box on Friday 31st March, you can apply for two tickets in the ballot - details here..

 
For anyone wishing to visit the signal box on Friday 31st March, you can apply for two tickets in the ballot - details here..

Thank you - 2 tickets booked. Its not a ballot by the way - first come first served by the looks of it
 
well done sir thanks for trying.....that is suprising morton they quite good as a rule
 
Last edited:
Might be the telecoms side still has security implications? I gather there's a big PABX, just because Birmingham have moved to full digital doesn't mean the whole of the UK has. I'd imagine this is a hardened building. With luck Network Rail will have taken photos, but they are not made public.

When it was working this building was of strategic importance, I imagine that there is as much below ground as above, perhaps a bunker and connections to the emergency exchange Anchor? While Anchor is generally known about I think contemporary fibre-optic cables run in the old tunnels. Secrecy is endemic to officials, sometimes there is good reason. But is is good that some of us will be able to go inside.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top