Birmingham (Day 2)
Apr. 8th, 2026 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heleninwalesI'm being rather slow posting the best of the photos I took in Birmingham. Anyway, here is Day 2.
After a substantial hotel breakfast, I went back to my room and managed to write some plot notes for the novel while waiting until it was time to go out to meet my friends at the art gallery which didn't open until 10 a.m.
The second day in Birmingham started greyer but brightened up while we were going round the art gallery and museum. Here is the Floozie again, snapped on the way to meet my friends.
I was a little early, but didn't want to wander too far and get lost, so I ambled around near the art gallery. Here is Thomas Attwood reclining on the steps of Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. He was a banker, economist, political campaigner and Member of Parliament.
I'll post some photos from inside the art gallery tomorrow, but here are a few more city centre photos taken while I explored. A striking modern building houses the Birmingham central library.
The statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch, nicknamed 'The Golden Boys'. The three men pioneered the industrial revolution in late 18th century England. James Watt's improvements to the steam engine and William Murdoch's invention of gas lighting have made them famous throughout the world. Matthew Boulton, entrepreneur and industrialist, harnessed their talents in a company that made everything from tableware and copper coinage to steam engines. To the right, just out of shot, was a large flat area where three young people were roller skating. The two young women were rather wobbly, the other (of indeterminate gender because they were too far away to see properly, but possibly a boy), was showing off by skating backwards and doing turns etc.
I've often heard an announcer on BBC radio say at the end of a drama that so-and-so (actor) is currently appearing in Birmingham Rep. Now I've actually seen the theatre.
Before too long it was time to return to the hotel to collect my case and make my way to New Street Station. Birmingham has a thing about bulls. There's the Bullring and now there's a giant Ozzy the bull on the upper level of New Street Station.
The journey home was not as smooth as it could have been. There were problems with trains leaving Birmingham International late due to something on the overhead power lines. At least that's what I think the rather garbled announcement said. We also had to change platform. A whole herd of us had been waiting patiently on Platform 5B when an announcement told us that our train would now depart from 7B. The herd had to gallop up the escalator, along to the next platform entrance and back down another escalator to the platform. The train did then arrive and I got a seat. However, as we approached Shrewsbury, there was an announcement to say that instead of going through to Aberystwyth as it was supposed to, because it was so late, the train would turn round at Shrewsbury, so we all had to get off and wait for the next train. However, I was only an hour late arriving home. But this is why I never plan to get the last train. One never knows quite what will happen.
After a substantial hotel breakfast, I went back to my room and managed to write some plot notes for the novel while waiting until it was time to go out to meet my friends at the art gallery which didn't open until 10 a.m.
The second day in Birmingham started greyer but brightened up while we were going round the art gallery and museum. Here is the Floozie again, snapped on the way to meet my friends.
I was a little early, but didn't want to wander too far and get lost, so I ambled around near the art gallery. Here is Thomas Attwood reclining on the steps of Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. He was a banker, economist, political campaigner and Member of Parliament.
I'll post some photos from inside the art gallery tomorrow, but here are a few more city centre photos taken while I explored. A striking modern building houses the Birmingham central library.
The statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch, nicknamed 'The Golden Boys'. The three men pioneered the industrial revolution in late 18th century England. James Watt's improvements to the steam engine and William Murdoch's invention of gas lighting have made them famous throughout the world. Matthew Boulton, entrepreneur and industrialist, harnessed their talents in a company that made everything from tableware and copper coinage to steam engines. To the right, just out of shot, was a large flat area where three young people were roller skating. The two young women were rather wobbly, the other (of indeterminate gender because they were too far away to see properly, but possibly a boy), was showing off by skating backwards and doing turns etc.
I've often heard an announcer on BBC radio say at the end of a drama that so-and-so (actor) is currently appearing in Birmingham Rep. Now I've actually seen the theatre.
Before too long it was time to return to the hotel to collect my case and make my way to New Street Station. Birmingham has a thing about bulls. There's the Bullring and now there's a giant Ozzy the bull on the upper level of New Street Station.
The journey home was not as smooth as it could have been. There were problems with trains leaving Birmingham International late due to something on the overhead power lines. At least that's what I think the rather garbled announcement said. We also had to change platform. A whole herd of us had been waiting patiently on Platform 5B when an announcement told us that our train would now depart from 7B. The herd had to gallop up the escalator, along to the next platform entrance and back down another escalator to the platform. The train did then arrive and I got a seat. However, as we approached Shrewsbury, there was an announcement to say that instead of going through to Aberystwyth as it was supposed to, because it was so late, the train would turn round at Shrewsbury, so we all had to get off and wait for the next train. However, I was only an hour late arriving home. But this is why I never plan to get the last train. One never knows quite what will happen.
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