September 15th – Returning to Birmingham via Snow Hill station, an absolutely remarkable view up Great Charles Street to Paradise Circus over the Queensway Tunnels. Several styles of architecture here from Victorian to Brutalism.
And beneath it all, a beautiful, glorious city lives and breathes.
This is my Birmingham.
March 14th – I headed back home from Birmingham through Smethwick, West Bromwich and the Sandwell Valley. The sun was dying and it was starting to get overcast when I got to Rushall Junction, but the scenery on the way was beautiful.
Galton Bridge still fascinates – I wonder how many folk stand on that station platform, not knowing they’re on a seemingly precarious shelf bolted on the the side of a viaduct?
The back-street architecture of the Black Country remains gorgeous, and the little-appreciated green jewel of the Sandwell Valley was beautiful. I loved to see the cormorants lallygagging on the rail in the lake, without any concern for their audience.
The flotsam wrapped around the fence next to the Tame at Ray Hall was a reminder that the spring is fragile, and bad weather not so far away…
Birmingham and the Black Country dull? Be off with you…
July 18th – Commuting, security and bike racks. In preparation for tunnelgeddon hitting Brum at the weekend – when the city’s Queensway tunnels are closed for six weeks for refurbishment and traffic chaos is expected to ensue – Birmingham City council have been encouraging car or public transport commuters to take to their bikes instead. This is a good idea, and to support it, bike racks have been springing up around the city centre like mushrooms. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
But then there’s what you do when you get to a rack. I was intrigued by the bike I spotted on the way to work this morning, which had no less than three locks wrapped around the seatpost. Only 2 looked like they were used regularly, and the third is made of cheese. That’s serious extra weight to be carrying.
An odd thing, indeed.
October 20th – My love for Birmingham’s canals has been well recorded here, but this to me is the essence of the city. This tunnel lies – largely unnoticed by those passing above it – beneath Proof House Railway Junction, to the north of New Street Station. The tunnel itself is functional, grubby and bleak, but is actually beautifully lit and is a veritable refuge in the heart of the city. The canals show you life from the back; old factories and yards mingle with scrubby wastes and the margins of city life. And they are charming and fascinating for it. All of Brum is here, and I love every brick of it.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 