It's struck me in recent weeks that some of the most important developments in Birmingham seem to have a significant anniversary in 2023 - okay there’s an important anniversary for something in the city most years. Those that know Birmingham though will, I’m sure, agree that these four anniversaries mark important milestones for the ever-changing city. Coincidentally they also seem to track my own relationship with my hometown. 30 years ago 1993 was the year I left Birmingham, the city I had been born and brought up in, to head to University. I wasn’t to return to live here for another 10 yea ..read more

We’re halfway through this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships and, whilst it might seem like the quintessential London event, Birmingham can lay claim to some important (as well as tenuous) connections to the sporting spectacle. First off, the sport of tennis itself, because the modern game of lawn tennis was developed right here in Birmingham. Okay there was a very much older game in existence from which it was derived but, in the mid 19th century, a solicitor called Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera evolved a new form of the game on a croquet lawn in Edgbaston. And so was born the m ..read more

For many locals it's not only a mystery why Birmingham (UK) chooses to honour Horatio Nelson - they don’t even know that we do. The statue in the Bull Ring is walked past by many Brummies with barely a glance; it's part of the furniture and has become almost invisible. The City Sights & History walking tour starts by the statue simply as it’s a convenient location to talk about the oldest part of Birmingham. But the memorial does have an important significance for the city. In 1809 the statue by Richard Westmacott, was the first memorial to the naval admiral unveiled in the UK. It was als ..read more

Birmingham’s famous star of the Commonwealth games opening ceremony is about to take up his new home in the city’s New Street train station. And the popular Raging Bull has a name at last - Ozzy. He may quickly become the city’s most famous bovine ambassador but he’s not the only one. So why does Birmingham adopt the symbol of a bull? There’s nothing official about it, unlike Manchester’s bee for example, incorporated into the city's coat of arms to represent the characteristic of industry. Animals make great mascots and symbols but Birmingham’s coat of arms doesn’t offer any for use. Arguabl ..read more

Birmingham in the UK has had its motto since 1838, along with its coat of arms. And whilst the coat of arms has been altered along the way, the motto has remained unchanged. It could have been a Latin phrase but instead it's one simple word - Forward. On the face of it, Forward can be a positive statement of a city of progress; one that's aspirational and innovative. All words which have charactersied a large part of Birmingham's history. Another aspect of a constant drive forward though, is change and that's not always so welcome. Birmingham's never going to be able to trumpet an intact his ..read more