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Birmingham planning 1918

G

GEFF

Geff
SOME 50 ODD YEARS AGO MY FATHER GAVE ME A COPY OF A PLAN TITLED "HOW SHOULD THE CITY BE REPLANNED" IT IS 30" SQUARE AND THERE ARE 2 DESIGNS ON IT, ONE IN PINK AND ONE IN BLUE. THE PINK ONE WAS DRAWN BY A SURVEYOR, FRED. J. PEPPER IN 1918. IT WAS VERY FUTERISTIC IN DESIGN I.E. BUILD AN AERODROME OVER NEW STREET RAIL STATION WITH 2 RUNWAYS, ONE GOING NORTH EAST THE OTHER GOING NORTH WEST. HE QUOTED
"THOSE CITIES THAT DO NOT PROVIDE AN AERODROME IN THE CENTRE OF THE CITY WILL END UP LIKE THOSE TOWNS THAT REFUSED TO HAVE THE RAILWAY THROUGH THEIR TOWNS" HE ALSO FORECAST THEIR CHILDREN WOULD IN THE NOT TO FAR DISTANT FUTURE HAVE W/ENDS ON THE CONTINENT AND ANNUAL HOLIDAYS WORLDWIDE. HE WAS RIGHT ON THE BUTTON WITH THAT. THE BLUE ONE IS BY THE CITY SURVEYOR IN 1944 ALSO FOR REBUILDING THE CENTRE. NOT HAVING LIVED IN BRUM FOR 50YEARS I CANNOT TELL WETHER THE BLUE PLAN WAS EXECUTED OR NOT. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MY FATHER CAME TO POSSESS IT. I DID OFFER IT TO THE BIRMINGHAM CITY ARCHIVES BUT WAS TOLD THEY DID HAVE THEIR OWN COPY. CAN ANYONE SHED LIGHT ON IT. GEFF
 
I have two maps from 1943 about Birmingham of the future designed by Thomas Sharp and one by W.H.Harvey They are a load of rubbish. Never seen one as early as you have though
 
Hi geff
if you could scan it and send a picture it would give us more idea
Jerry
 
Robert I have a busy day tomorrow but I will scan and show you all I have as soon as possible
If I forget remind me
 
This was how the Jewellery Quarter could look if it was knocked down and rebuilt
Bottom two was what they were going to do with the Slums (and they did,but not the plans below, and it was worse than the slums)
 
HI JERRY, REF.B,HAM PLANS, IF YOU CAN TELL ME HOW TO GET A 30"X30" PLAN ON TO AN A.4. SCANNER I WILL DO IT FOR YOU WITH PLEASURE. GEFF
 
HI CROMWELL, THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY AND PHOTOS . I'M BEGINNING TO THINK I AM VERY LUCKY NOT TO BE LIVING IN BRUM ANYMORE GEFF
 
Geff those plans never went through and Brum is the best place on Earth (for the people )
 
This discussion gets my memory cells ticking. Some time soon I must copy some drawings I did in early 1956 when I worked in the City Architect's Dept for redevelopment of the Civic Centre area. They were overtaken by later events, but some of the ideas came to fruition and they may be of interest. I don't suppose they've ever been published before, and I don't think the Council can object on copyright grounds if I put them up now. Some time next week perhaps.
Peter
 
Geff Ive attached your map and altered your posting to suit. Many Thanks
 
Re: BIRMINGHAM CITY WRECKERS

Geff, that map has me really confused, but I don't think I'm the only one. I didn't know that anyone had produced a pland for remodelling the city centre as early as 1917, though I don't doubt there were many idealists who put their ideas on paper during WW1. Certainly the Manzoni inner ring road scheme was developed to about that stage by 1943, and so that composite drawing could not have done before then. Also in the bottom right hand corner is the name of Pepper in the title panel, so I suspect that he or his firm produced it after that date, I would guess as a more radical or 'bolder' alternative to the rambling Manzoni scheme. The fact that the lettering is all done with UNO stencils makes me think that it dates from the 40s or later, and that the draughtsman was an engineer rather than architect or town planner. Architects would still have lettered by hand in those days, and probably wouldn't underline titles as ebgineers usually did.
Although my affection for the Birmingham of my youth has been rekindled through this website, I also don't really regret having left it nearly 50 years ago. I've been coming back quite frequently in the last few months to take another look at things I'd forgotten about for so long, which I enjoy, although it is depressing to see so much of the city reduced to a maze of roads.
Earlier I wrote that I had some drawings for the Civic Centre Redevelopment which I did while working in the City Architect's office in 1956. I've been looking for them without success, and think that I may have weeded tyhem out about 20 years ago when I knew I would never need them to get another job, but didn't know that I would like to look at them again. Perhaps I put them somewhere else, but I can't think where.
Peter
 
peter, the plans for the civic centre that you mentioned, was this the square surrounded by four civic buildings with baskerville house as the only one of the four that was constructed?
 
Slatertim, the plans for the New Civic Centre were never carried out for some reason or other like you said only Baskerville house was constructed (photo 1) but the grand plan was scrapped (photo 2)
 
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