Turkish Food

 

Most things can be found in Birmingham. Turk yemek bile var. So hadi arkadaslar, hemen alis verise gidebilrisiniz. There are actually two Turkish stores along the Soho Road, The International Supermarket and the Diyabakir further along towards the Hawthorns at the top end going out of the city.

Both supermarkets appear to be Kurdish operations but Turkish is spoken here and at the International Supermarket you can find all the sort of food you find at your bakal back home.

The sucuk and tursu is particularly good along with a range of Turkish tea. A fairly comprehensive selection of Turkish food at a reasonable price - we give this one the thumbs up.

Soho Road, Birmingham

Trigate House

 

Trigate House is a landmark office building in Quinton, situated on the Hagley Road West and Wolverhampton Road crossroads. The building provides spacious office accommodation and good access to the city centre and the M5 motorway at Junction 3.

The building has recently been modernised both inside and out. It used to be a fairly plain brick building and not very appealing but the architects have worked wonders with the interior and exterior.

This six storey office block features air-conditioned offices in a variety of sizes for a range of requirements. With suspended ceilings and recessed lighting, the newly carpeted interior and modernised reception and common areas give this building a new lease of life.

Trigate House, Hagley Road West, Quinton, Birmingham.

Further details regarding this building can be found at:

www.trigateoffices.com

Transport Museum

The Birmingham & Midland Museum of Transport has been on its present site for around 25 years. The Museum, which opened in 1980 has two large buildings full of buses, coaches and battery vehicles. The service is run almost entirely by volunteers who devote hours of personal time to the restoration of these vehicles.

 

The museum is particularly proud of its collection of Midland 'Red' buses, a company which produced its own buses for fifty years. There is also a large collection of battery operated electric vehicles such as milk floats.

Visitors can travel on the miniature steam railway or wander around the buses in the halls. Although closely packed together visitors are encouraged to wander around the vehichles which are in various stages of restoration. Many vehicles are actually used to provide bus tours during the summer and you can talk to the volunteers who are restoring and maintaining the collection.

During the year there are several events and classic bus excursions. Admission is not expensive and all funds go to the further development and restoration of the Museum.

Transport Museum, Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs. B47 6JX. Tel: 01564 826471

Transport

 

Birmingham, Coventry, the West Midlands. Once the power house of the Transport Industry with a motor cycle manufacturer for every letter of the alphabet. From Planes to cars, trams, bikes and motorcycles. All made in the West Midlands. The target of German Air Raids in the second world war.

It is arguable that without the dedicated manufacturing might and determination of the West Midlands people, the country would have been brought to it's knees and invaded.

There are literally hundreds of web sites featuring the infamous motorcycle marques of yesteryear. We have listed a few here and it really isn't possible to find them all as it would take a dedicated web site to collate all the transport links associated with the West Midlands Region. If you are interested in any form of transport and the history of transport in the UK then the West Midlands really should be your first point of call.

The National Motorcycle Museum and the Museum of Transport are just two good reasons for a visit. If modern day transport is of more interest to you then the Car Show at the NEC is a must. Whatever your tastes there is something for you here.

Trade Suppliers

 

Awan Plc
Awan Marketing PLC. Khyber Building, Heaton Street, Birmingham. B18 5BA. Tel: 0121 523 2219 Fax: 0121 523 0739

Britannic Warehouse
V N & Britannic Warehouse Ltd, 142 Sandpits, Birmingham. B1 3RJ
Tel: 0121-236 7271 Fax: 0121-236 8266

 

Makro Cash and Carry
Pitcairn Drive ( Off Dudley Road ) Halesowen West Midlands B62 8AZ Tel: 0121 550 7341
Gallager Business Park Silverstone Drive Rowleys Green Coventry CV6 6PA Tel: 02476 360 044
Bearing Drive Off Steelpark Way Wednesfield Wolverhampton WV11 3SZ Tel: 01902 366 200
Web: http://www.makro.co.uk/ie/default.cfm

Computer Suppliers ( Trade )
MT Electronics Unit 19, Gravelly Industrial Park, Birmingham, B24 8HZ

Stax Trade Centre
Brades Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2HN Telephone: 0121 511 2262

M Latif & Sons Ltd
84 Bordesley Street, Bordesley, BIRMINGHAM B5 5PN Telephone: 0870 3501956

Town Hall

 

Designed by architect Joseph Hanson ( renowned for the Hansom cab ) but based on Palladio's Books of architecture, the Birmingham Town Hall is an impressive building.

To look at, you could be forgiven for assuming it's construction to be of stone but like most buildings of the 1830's it is built of brick with stone facing. The brick came from Selly Oak.

The town hall is a Grade I listed building which was purpose built for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival which was established in 1784 to raise funds for the General Hospital.

Joseph Hanson under estimated the cost of the project when he tendered jointly with Edward Welch stating that construction costs would be around £8,000 for the building, a considerable sum in those days. This caused Hanson to go bankrupt during the construction.

Additional funds were found to complete the building in 1834 and the Music Festival went ahead despite the project not being completely finished.The pipe organ was built by Hill of London at a cost of £6,000.

 

The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra were based here until 1991 when they moved to the new purpose built Symphony Hall.

In 2008 the Town Hall re-opened as a concert hall after extensive refurbishment costing £35 million, with £18.3 million coming from Birmingham City Council and the remainder from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Agency.

Throughout the periods of reburbishment which lasted several years, various giant advertising sheets were used to cover the building. The Town Hall is once again used for classical concerts, a general music venue and a variety of local events and meetings.

www.townhall.org.uk

Town Hall, Victoria Square, Birmingham.

Tornado

Update: 30th July 2005

Many houses in Birmingham which have been hit by the tornado are thought to be so unsafe they may now have to be knocked down. Surveying the area just one day after the event the scale of the damage is very obvious to any bystander. Entire parks have been destroyed with trees uprooted and tossed around. Small vans and cars litter the side roads. Many roofs are without their tiles and in some cases complete roofs have been ripped away along with much of the surrounding brickwork rendering these properties unsafe.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "This is a tornado with a rating of T3-T4, that would mean it had wind speeds of between 93-114 mph"

One of the most badly damaged areas appears to be around Ladypool Road and the surrounding Sparkbrook. Some roads are still closed today. Police and volunteers are still guarding the properties and the council have started a major make-safe and clean up operation.

Twenty people were injured - three seriously - after winds of 130mph were recorded in Birmingham on Thursday. It is amazing that no one has been killed. The storm has left a trail of debris across Kings Heath, Moseley and Sparkbrook and hundreds of contractors are working on repairing the damaged buildings and making them safe against rain and further damage.

Vans from local forestry are at the scene with wood cutting equipment and shredders in an effort to get the area returned to some sort of normality.

Many people have been staying at hastily prepared centres at Aston University, Balsall Heath Road and at Kings Heath where they have been informed that they may not be able to return to their homes for at least a week. Some will be even more unfortunate. Around 200 of the 1000 badly damaged properties will probably have to be demolished. Structural engineers are still carrying out assessments in the area.

Several onlookers at the scene of the worst damage around Ladypool Road were almost in tears. Home owners they could only look on helplessly as the workers went about the massive clean up operation. This is the worst affected area.

Two people were heard arguing about the clean up costs. One was saying that the government should pay for those that have no insurance while the other was clearly furious at the suggestion of taxpayers money being spent on a fund to help those that hadn't bothered to insure their homes and who were now bleating about how their own lives had been ruined through their own stupidity.

Birmingham was affected by a similar tornado in 1931 which resulted in one death and severe damage at Hall Green and Small Heath. Whilst this is being called a tornado it is nothing like the scale of tornados found in more volatile regions around the world. This was more like a very powerful whirlwind or mini-tornado.

28th July 2005

Today a tornado hit Kings Heath, Hall Green, Sparkbrook and Kings Heath. Heavy winds and rain gained strength as they hit South Birmingham and large areas of the city were hit by devasting winds and rain.

Trees were uprooted and cars overturned as shops and a supermarket were heavily damaged. Homes in the areas were also badly damaged by the freak weather conditions. Twelve people have been injured, some seriously in a storm that lasted around five minutes. Reports are coming in that this is one of the worst tornados ever to hit the UK.

Battered by thunder and lightning roofs and windows suffered most. Debris and tiling from shattered roofing is scattered over pavements and roads in the area. Many cars have been damaged by the tornado.

Police closed off many roads and traffic congestion was still a problem as people began to leave offices and shops and make their way home.

For photo gallery of the Birmingham Tornado click here

 

Tony Hancock

 

Middle son of Jack and Lily, Tony Hancock was born in Hall Green, Birmingham. Tony lived in Birmingham until he was two years old, then he moved with his family to Bournemouth, where his family bought the Railway Hotel, Tony's father was a semi proffesional entertainer at smoking concerts and masonic functions and many of his friends that visited the hotel were in show business it was here Tony met and was influenced by music hall artistsof the day.

As Tony was growing up his main ambition was to become a comedian like his Dad. Eventually his mother introduced him to a friend of the family George Fairweather, who was in show business to help young Tony find his feet in the world of entertainment. One of Tony's heroes was Max Miller and he used one of Max Millers routines as his first performance, this didn't go down to well, especially as the jokes were rude and Tony himself didn't really understand them. After the bad reception he got from this performance he vowed never to use rude jokes again.

In 1942 after being rejected by the RAF Tony joined a group of comedians, travelling around the war zones entertaining the troops. After the war Tony got his first real break in show business, a six week spell at the Windmill Theatre, his stage work here came to the notice of the BBC and he was given a spot on Variety Bandbox in 1949.

In 1951 he was selected to take over from Robert Moreton as Archie Andrews in the popular radio show Educating Archie, he became well known for his phrase 'flippin kids' and brought him national prominence. Whilst doing this radio show he started to work on a series called 'Happy Go Lucky' which failed miserably but it did bring him into contact with Bill Kerr and Graham Stark, and as a result of its failing two new script writers were introduced to Tony, these were Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Tony's success in Educating Archie eventually persuaded the BBC to give him a prominent part in a show called 'Forces All Star Bill', eventually using the Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as his script writers. This show became so popular that the BBC at last gave Tony his own show 'Hancocks Half Hour' which was first broadcast in November 1954.

The team on this show consisted of many up and coming stars such as Sid James, Hattie Jakes and Kenneth Williams. After several successful series on the radio Hancock tried TV, he was contracted to ITV, his script writer was Eric Sykes but the shows were not very sucessful. Tony returned to the BBC using his original script writers, for five years his TV and radio shows ran concurrently, success was measured by the amount of complaints from publicans and shop keepers who protested that it was Hancock that had emptied their pubs and shops.

Hancock and his script writers went on to have many sucessful shows, but Tony wanted more, he became obsessed with improving himself and hungered for international success. His script writers wrote 'The Rebel', although this was well recieved in the UK, it did not penetrate the American market. Hancock told his script writers to come up with a film script that would have a wider appeal for American audiences. They wrote many, all of which were rejected by Hancock.

Galton and Simpson were not paid by Hancock for all their efforts and eventually wrote comedy scripts for the BBC, one was "Steptoe and Son" which took them off in a different direction ending their partnership with Hancock.

Hancock now decided to form his own company with Phillip Oaks and they co-wrote "The Punch and Judy Man" which was far from triumphant even in the UK. Hancock went back to ITV and made 13 more comedy series which by pure coincidence were broadcast at the same time as Steptoe and Son, although Hancock was reasonably well recieved he could not compete with the sucess of Steptoe and Son and eventually returned to the stage.

Hancock saw this as his career failing and began to take to the bottle, his private life started to suffer, and so did his performance. He started to recieve bad reviews, so he turned to Austrailia to make a series of TV shows but by then his health was poor and his performances left a lot to be desired. Eventually he hit rock bottom and commited suicide on June 25th 1968.

J R Tolkien

 

Although Tolkien was born in South Africa in January 1892 his parents were both from Birmingham, seeing South Africa as a new life for their young family.

At three years old Tolkien came to Birmingham with his mother and brother Hilary to visit his grand parents, it was at this time that Tolkiens father died and his mother saw no reason to return to South Africa. so the family settled in the area of Sarehole, Birmingham.

Tolkien explored as a young boy, the most exciting thing he found was Sarehole Mill, Birmingham's only surviving watermill. Tolkien and his brother spent many hours investigating the mill and surrounding areas, when in later years the Mill fell into decay Tolkien contributed to fund its preservation.

 Tolkien attended King Edwards School in New Street, Birmingham where developed a love of languages and story telling. The journey to school was very long and eventually the family had to move closer to a tram route to the city centre. Tolkiens rural surrounding were now changed to what he described as encroachment of civilisation, with trams, cars and noise. Tolkien explored the surroundings of his new home and found a place that civilisation had missed and that was the mysterious Moseley Bog. This pond was once used as an emergency supply of water for nearby Sarehole Mill, Tolkien and his brother were always found around this area and were always being chased away by the local miller, he was always covered in white dust and the boys described him as the white Orge.

Moseley Bog was nine hectares of dense damp woodland, and is understood to be the inspiration behind the 'Old Forest', and the miller inspiration for 'Wizard Gandalf'.

In 1904 Tolkiens mother died and the two boys were sent to stay with an Aunt, in Sterling Road, off the main Hagley Road, where they remained for four years. Round the corner from this house were two towers one known as Perrott's Folly and the other a Victorian tower part of the Edgbaston waterworks, these towers are said the be the inspiration behind 'Minas Morgul' and 'Minas Tirith' from the second volume of the 'Lord of the Rings' called 'TwoTowers'. During his young life in Birmingham many influences, images and ideas triggered his imagination, and later appeared in his books.

At sixteen he was lodging in Duchess Road where he met his future wife, his guardian at the time felt he was too young for love moved him out to Highfield Road, Edgbaston to end his relationship with Edith, this was to be his last residence in Birmingham as he had won an exhibition to Exeter College, Oxford to study classics. He went to Oxford University in 1911 and this apart from army service and a short time lecturing in Leeds Oxford is where he and Edith settled for the rest of their lives.

Birmingham Rep

 

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre or The Rep as it is known locally, is located in Centenary Square in central Birmingham.

This influential and famous theatre was formed in 1913 by Barry Jackson who broke ranks with theatres of the day by promoting what can only be described as 'risque' productions.

It has faced closure several times in its history and was baled out financially by the Birmingham Civic Society or Birmingham City Council which orginally founded the Repertory Theatre Trust. In 1971 the theatre moved to its present location

.

The Birmingham Youth Theatre performed here during the 1970's and 1980's and the theatre was extensively refurbished during the building of the International Convention Centre.

The Birmingham Rep produces around 20 productions a year and has been host to many internationally acclaimed actors, designers and directors.

www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP. Tel: 0121 245 2000

The Old Rep

 

The Old Rep theatre is located in Station Street and was built in 1912 by its founder Barry Jackson. It was originally the home of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre which is now situated in Centenary Square.

Having opened in 1913 the theatre has a long history and has seen shows from all types of productions. It is close to New Street Station and overshadowed by more recent buildings but it is host to the Birmingham Stage Company and other amateur productions.

This is a traditional theatre with a seating capacity close to 400. It is often the venue for stand-up comedy and small theatrical groups. It is available to hire for both professional and amateur organisations.

http://www.oldreptheatre.org.uk/

Station Street, Birmingham, B5 4DY. Tel: 0121 605 5116

The Drum

 

The Drum is situated on the A34 Walsall Road near the Barton arms. It occupies the site of the former Aston Hippodrome which was demolished in 1980.

The Drum is an established national arts centre for Black British and British Asian arts. The venue is used for music, drama, poetry, media, comedy and dance.

This cultural facility hosts a number of events throughout the year. Features include a 350 seat main auditorium and a smaller studio as well as a cafe bar and multimedia production suite.

The Drum provides a valuable resource in helping to develop and promote contemporary art from within the community. This is a place where the best of Black and Asian arts are performed and are on display.

The Drum provides a wide range of activities, workshops and regular events. For more information please visit the website at:

www.the-drum.org.uk

The Drum, 144 Potters Lane Aston, Birmingham. B6 4UU. Tel: 0121 333 2400

Thai Edge

 

The Thai Edge in Brindleyplace is modern and yet traditional Thai at the same time. Just off Broad Street in the centre of Brindleyplace this little oasis of calm is a true culinary gem.

The staff are attentive and helpful. You really do get the impression that they enjoy working there and that nothing is too much trouble.

The food is presented beautifully and a wide choice of menu ensures that this establishment caters for all tastes. This is a delightful experience and anyone that likes Chinese or Oriental food will adore this restaurant.

This one comes highly recommended.

7 Oozells Square, Brindley Place, Birmingham. B1 2HL. Tel: 0121 643 3993

TGI Fridays

TGI Friday's can be found on the Hagley Road ( A456 ). It opened in 1986 and is an American Restaurant which is part of a chain of restaurants with around 45 outlets in the UK.

It takes its name from the expression "TGIF" short for "Thank Goodness its Friday" The theme in most TGI Friday's is typically American as is the food served. This is a popular restaurant in Birmingham.

In August 2008 it caught fire and brought traffic chaos to the Hagley Road in the morning rush hour.

The roof was completely burned through and over 50 firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control. It remained closed for a number of months while it was refurbished.

The restaurant is now open again and features a "Herbie" VW car as part of its frontage.

180 Hagley Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B16 9NY

Tel:  0844 372 7902

www.tgifridays.co.uk

Symphony Hall

Birmingham's Symphony Hall is an impressive 2,262 seat concert hall in the heart of the city. Located in the ICC ( International Convention Centre ) building, it was officially opened by the Queen in 1991.

The Symphony hall has world class acoustics and an impressive auditorium that must place it amongst the finest in the UK. The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are based here and it is host to numerous international orchestras.

 

It is also a venue for community events and has a diverse programme which includes all types of music, comedy acts, conferences and graduations. Over 300 events a year take place here with nearly 400,000 people visiting the Symphony Hall each and every year.

At a cost of £30 million it was designed by Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants Inc and features state of the art acoustics and 8 inch ( 200 mm ) thick concrete walls and ceilings with dampening curtains and sound reflection equipment.

Many people are unaware that the Symphony Hall is built just 98 feet ( 30 metres ) from a railway line. To alleviate any interference the railway track is mounted on rubber cushions as is the entire hall.

http://www.thsh.co.uk/

St Paul's Square

St Paul's Square in the Jewellery Quarter is dominated by the church which was consecrated in 1779. The spire was added in 1823 by Francis Goodwin but the main body of the church was designed by Roger Eykyn and built on land provided by Charles Colmore.

Matthew Boulton and James Watt would have worshipped here. This is a grade I listed building and has some magnificent stained glass windows designed by Benjamin West.

 

Around the church the Georgian Square would have provided housing for the rich and famous although towards the end of the 19th century it was being encroached by overspill from the Jewellery Quarter and consequently workshops and factories began to occupy much of the Square and surrounding roads.

Investment and restoration in the 1970's did much to improve the situation with a number of buildings being Grade II listed. This pleasant square is popular once again and home to some of Birmingham's most popular restaurants.

 

The Square is home to The Jam House, The Rectory Bar and nearby San Paolo and Pasta Di Piazza restaurants. There are a number of other restaurants and cafeterias nearby.

Visitors can sit and relax in the pleasant atmosphere of the square and its adjoining streets.

Stirchley

 

Stirchley is located on the Pershore Road along a main route in and out of Birmingham city. The area is served by good local amenities and a High Street with smaller retail shops. There is also a Co op superstore that has recently been built here. It is very close to Cotteridge and Bournville with it's Cadbury World.

Stirchley gives the appearance of being pretty run down but it is an established area of Birmingham city. The housing tends to be mostly Victorian from around the turn of the 1900's. Traffic congestion can get quite bad here as the streets are heavily fortified with pedestrian crossings, roundabouts and heavy vehicles which park in the most annoying places as they go about their deliveries.

We struggled to find any websites specifically about Stirchley or the history of Stirchley so if you are aware of any then please let us know.

St Chad's Cathedral

Chad's Cathedral a gothic brick built structure near the city centre just up from Snow Hill Station. It is a Catholic Cathedral and was built in 1839 by Augustus Pugin the architect who is known for his building of the House of Parliament in London. It is one of his important works. This was the first Roman Catholic church to be built in the UK since the Reformation.

Features 19th century stained galss and a 16th century Flemish pulpit. The statue of the Virgin Mary and the largest new manual organ in the UK is also of notable interest. The building looks a little forlorn and out of place surrounded by busy roads and the rush of traffic.

Queensway, Birmingham, Tel: 0121 236 2251

Star City

 

The Warner Village cinema at Star City is just off Junction 6, Cuckoo Road near the Heartlands Spine Road. A massive entertainment complex, it is very close to Spaghetti Junction.

Star City came into being as a result of the regeneration of the Heartlands area of Birmingham. It was opened in 2000 by George Clooney, having been referred to as Warner Village and now as Vue under its new branding.

Star City is a premier destination for family leisure in Birmingham and the West Midlands. There are a host of attractions under one roof including the recently opened Adventure Island Golf which is the UK's first indoor Adventure Golf Complex with two 18 hole gold courses - all with a tropical theme complete with palm trees, volcanoes, caves, waterfalls and villages.

Star City boasts one of the largest Cinemas in Europe alonge with a 22 lane bowling alley, a 5 a side football centre, gym, Laser Station and Climbing Centre. It also has a huge choice of restaurants and a few shops.

The UK's largest Casino is also based here. Star City went through a major redevelopment in 2008 and the venue is host to several shows and events throughout the year. This is no longer just a big cinema. This is an impressive family leisure destination of significant value to the region.

Vue's theatre screens all the usual Hollywood blockbusters and many popular Bollywood films. You can't go wrong with Star City. If the weather is bad and you feel like being cheered up then head straight here.

Official Website: http://www.starcity.org.uk/

St Patrick's Day

Birmingham has long been home to a large and vibrant Irish Community. The Irish Quarter of Birmingham centres around the Digbeth area which is soon to be the scene of a multi million pound transformation with a host of new business and domestic housing projects. The Irish community in Birmingham number around 140,000 people.

This year Birmingham will experience a weekend of organised events to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland and its people. Birmingham hosts the world’s 3rd largest St Patrick’s Day Parade with only New York and Dublin being larger.

If you get the chance you should take part and experience this colourful occassion. You will see live music and entertainment, a parade with floats and a theme titled ‘Come as you came’ which, if you are Irish, should reflect the clothes you wore when you first came to Birmingham. Irish culture will be represented in the form of Irish dancing and gaelic sports will take place and end with a grand finale and the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade with a major Irish music festival in Centenary Square.

This is one of Birmingham’s premier events. Traditional Irish food and drink will be available and stalls representing Ireland and the Irish way of life will be there to provide information and goods.

Birmingham's St Patrick's Day Parade Festival will take place on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of March. The parade of 2003 drew over 130,000 people and got rained out in 2004 with only 70,000 people lining the parade route. Help make this a memorable occasion and support it with your attendance. You don’t have to be from the Emerald Isle to take part. Everyone is welcome.

On Saturday Irish pipe bands and Irish dancing will take place in Victoria square with live music on stage between 11am until 4pm. There will be a regional dance challenge and Irish films at South Birmingham College.

Sunday will kick of at 9.30am with Mass at St Anne’s Church in Alcester Street, Digbeth, followed by the 10th St Patrick’s Day parade which will start at Camp Hill and take the route through High Street Digbeth to the Bullring by St Martin’s Church, back down the High Street and into Meriden Street, through New Canal Street and ending at Millenium Point where there is a concert.

Click here for photos of the St Patrick's Day Parade

 

Spitfire Island

 

Situated near the Jaguar Factory at Castle Bromwich is the Sentinel Spitfire sculpture which was designed by Tim Tolkien, grandson of J.R.Tolkien. Not far from Fort Dunlop and with its distinctive shape representing spitfire aircraft in flight, the sculpture is a well known landmark on this busy highway.

Spearmint Rhino

Spearmint Rhino is a Gentlemen's Club on the Hagley Road. Apparently gentlemen go here to watch topless girls spin around a metal pole.

Spearmint Rhino became massively popular in the USA and tried to set itself aside from the tacky and seedy image of Gentlemen's clubs.

This was in part achieved by setting a standard for quality that almost made it OK for grey haired old men to look at young naked girls no older than their own sons or daughters.

This is the business if you want the most attractive and elegant girls to drool over. They will dance the night away for your ultimate pleasure and you will spend your money and go home happy.

www.spearmintrhino.co.uk

Sparkbrook

Sparkbrook is a thriving and busy community of mainly Asian residents and this is reflected in the local traders. The Halal meat shops and sweet shops of the Asian community and the colourful designs of the clothing shops make this an interesting and pleasant shopping experience. The food markets are of particularly good value and you can find wonderful spices and exotic foods that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Birmingham is full of well known Baltihouses that are generally found in the Sparkhill, Sparkbrook areas of the city. Ladypool Road is one such location where a meal out and a good balti can be found at the most reasonable of prices. These areas are where the best balti houses can generally be found. Many are not licensed for alcohol but you can take your own. The best baltis tend to come from the basic and popular restaurants that are often crowded and known to the locals for the quality of their food rather than the ambiance of the surroundings.

This is an old established area of the city of Birmingham and has many older properties that would have been built from around the mid 1850's through to the turn of the century. The Asian community have made this their home and a visit to this vibrant and popular destination is recommended. Traffic can get quite busy on a Saturday but most of the shops are open on Sunday's too.

South Birmingham College

South Birmingham College is one of the leading providers of education and training in the West Midlands. The College has completed its £16 million redevelopment.

The new college boasts 9000sqm of studios, classrooms, workshops, exhibition areas, a restaurant and cafe and a 500 seat auditorium.

Mission Statement: Our Mission is to provide high quality, post compulsory education and training in response to local need.

Link House, 24 Belmont Row, Aston, Birmingham. B4 7RE. Tel: 0121 694 6330

Soho House

Soho House is an important and historic building. Home of Matthew Boulton one of the great pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. Tastefully and elegantly decorated, it reflects the owners individual character and creativity.

The house is unique in that it was probably the first centrally heated English house since Roman times. Members of the Lunar Society Lunar Society gathered here and held their meetings in this very house. The house, once standing in its own impressive gardens has been restored to its former glory. Anyone remotely interested in the history of the Industrial Revolution will find this a real treat and a joy to walk round. There are displays which depict the products of the Soho Manufactory and the Soho Mint. The visitor centre next door houses a community exhibition gallery.

Matthew Boulton was born in Birmingham in 1728. After the death of his father, Boulton purchased a parcel of land in Soho and opened his first factory for coin-making. Boulton entered into partnership with James Watt. For the next eleven years Boulton's factory produced and sold the famous Watt's steam-engines. These powerful steam engines were used to pump water for the colleries.

It wasnt long before James Watt refined the original design and produced a rotary steam engine. Far more flexible than the older designs the new model could be used in textile production and other manufacturing processes. The machines were popular and efficient and some 500 of Boulton & Watt's machines were installed in Britain's mines and factories. Boulton applied steam power to coining machines in 1786 and was soon producing coinage for the UK and foreign markets.

The Lunar Society was a regular meeting of Englands finest scientists, engineers and thinkers. Matthew Boulton 1728 - 1809.

Soho House, Soho Avenue, Handsworth, Birmingham

Snow Hill Station

Snow Hill station which also includes the Midland Metro tram stop is located in the centre of Birmingham. It is built on the site of the old Great Western Railway station which was first constructed in 1852 and which is the second largest railway station in the city.

The original railway station was called Livery Street Station or Birmingham Station but was changed to Snow Hill Station in 1858. The station was an important link and main route to the City of London. It was rebuilt again in 1871 and further reconstruction took place between 1906 and 1912.

In its prime it used to be the main station for Birmingham. A large hotel, The Grand Western ( demolished in 1969 ) with its mosaic floors and opulent booking hall would have been an impressive site for arrivals to the city.

The old Snow Hill Station which was demolished in 1977 was much larger than it is today but this is mainly due to New Street Station being used as the main hub of the rail network for trains in and out of Birmingham.

Snow Hill Station re-opened in 1987 with a large multi-storey car park for its commuters.Snow Hill Station has four platforms, three of which are used for National trains and one which is used by Midland Metro trams.