The McDonald's ramp that was an architectural jewel
This beloved city centre spot was once home to the grand Exchange building
Jon Neale
Latest Stories
This 19th-century Birmingham radical helped end slavery
Joseph Sturge spent his life campaigning against the evils of slavery. In 2025, his legacy is a mixed one
How Harborne's lost railway directed Birmingham's future
Now a walking route, the city's first dedicated commuter line has a huge legacy
Pebble Mill Studios and Birmingham's golden age of telly
'They had permission to experiment. That just wouldn’t happen today'
When Brum brutally cleared its slums
In just 25 years, 50,000 homes were demolished and 150,000 people were displaced. What were the consequences?
The forgotten post-war decree that deliberately strangled Birmingham
For 40 years, an early ‘levelling up’ policy curtailed the city's industrial potential and constrained its growth
Sham marriages and spies: rediscovering the Birmingham Group
In the 1930s, the city's pubs were backdrop to a group of writers and artists 'free of the London trademark'
Why does everyone hate us?
A long history of Birmingham’s (grossly unfair!) image
Lights! Camera! Edgbaston! How Birmingham supercharged the film industry
Celluloid and cinema created by Brummies brought the 20th Century to life
