Little Rome, Spaghetti and canals: our picks for an Italy-themed Birmingham Heritage Week
Little Rome, Spaghetti and canals: our picks for an Italy-themed Birmingham Heritage Week
Plus, burst pipe chaos in Spark Hill
Dear Patchers — here is your Monday briefing.
September, a month of new beginnings, has rolled around again. Whether you are mourning the end of summer or gearing up for the start of the academic year, we’re sure you’ll find something of interest in today’s edition. As for The Dispatch, we are entering a new era — more on that in tomorrow’s issue, so keep an eye out.
For today, we’ve got the low down on Birmingham Heritage Week, expertly written up by our new intern Alex Taylor who will be gracing our pages for the next two months. Alex is fresh from a lengthy stint at University of Birmingham paper Redbrick and is brimming with story ideas. If you have any tip-offs for Alex or just want to say hi, send him an email at: alex@birminghamdispatch.co.uk
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Catch up and coming up
Over the weekend, Jon Neale explored Brum’s lesser-known history of bicycle manufacturing. “Brilliant piece, truly fascinating,” wrote one happy reader in the comments. This Wednesday, freelance writer Anya Ryan will take you behind the scenes of the Hippodrome’s brand new Musical Theatre Department — the first in-house department of its kind. On Thursday, Ophira Gottlieb explores the Aston school attended by ‘ghost children’ and on Saturday, Dan Cave will tell the tragic tale of Cuddles the Dudley whale.
Weather
🌥️Tuesday: Sunny spells give way to cloud. Max 16°C.
⛈️Wednesday: Sun, rain and a spot of thunder. Max 13°C.
☂️Thursday: The odd shower. Max 13°C.
☀️Friday: Dry and sunny with cloudy patches. Max 14°C.
🌥️Weekend: More sun, more cloud. Max 19°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: Little Rome, Spaghetti and canals: our picks for an Italy-themed Birmingham Heritage Week
Topline: Birmingham Heritage Week has returned for its tenth year, offering the exciting opportunity to get behind the doors of some of the city’s most interesting buildings.
Context: The city-wide festival is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. With more things to do than ever, it seems the event has had a growth spurt. The festival runs from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 September, and offers exciting opportunities to discover and celebrate areas, buildings, and outdoor spaces that make Brum great. We’ve picked our favourites of the bunch below.
Birmingham’s ‘Little Rome’: Why spend the time and money flying abroad when you can visit Birmingham’s own ‘Little Rome’? The Birmingham Oratory is a Grade II* listed building constructed in the Edwardian period (early 20th century), however with marble interiors and mosaics produced by Italian craftsmen in Murano, the building feels more like the Vatican. Plus, it wouldn’t be a Birmingham historic site without a Tolkien link — the famous author was a parishioner at the Oratory for 9 years during his childhood.
Concrete jungle: Walking tours beneath Spaghetti Junction (the Gravelly Hill Interchange), start this Wednesday at Aston train station — and there is a waiting list. This (in)famous landmark — that has been striking fear into the hearts of all learner-drivers for 50-years now — is explored in startling detail. The tour lasts an hour and 45 minutes and covers two miles of canals, rivers, parkland, towpaths and street art. Learn how this gritty, urban landscape was constructed, how it destroyed communities and connected others. With the stark contrast between Brum’s canals, and concrete motorway infrastructure, the graffiti is what glues these two disparate worlds together.
Canals by kayak: The Italian theme continues with a romantic new way of exploring Birmingham — by canal, which, as you probably know, we have in greater abundance than Venice. Starting at 8pm, this fun and informative heritage tour helps you discover Birmingham in a new-light — mostly streetlight — as you traverse the city along the inky water. This exploration of Birmingham’s warren of canals lasts 90 minutes and costs £35/40. The tour is three miles long and will take you all the way from Oozles Loop, along Brindley Place to end at the Mailbox.
Tread the boards at The Alex: The Alexandra Theatre has proudly stood in the beating heart of Birmingham’s city centre since 1901. However, on Friday, the audience will have the opportunity for a different view. Led by expert tour guides, the public will be allowed to explore behind-the-scenes of one of Birmingham’s most iconic theatrical spaces. You’ll see the dressing rooms and an array of backstage environments. Plus, the opportunity to join some of the greats in English theatre by stepping onto the stage. The site boasts no fewer than five ghosts, among them: the former manager Leon Salberg who died in the office theatre in 1938, and an almost mandatory grey lady. The tour itself includes a lot of stairs so be careful not to, ahem, break a leg. After the tour, there’s also the opportunity for a complimentary drink in the piano bar while you explore the theatre’s archive. Booking is required and tickets cost £10.
Photo of the week
Photographer Connor Pope recently captured local music producer Jovan Beats in a series of black and white shots on medium format film. Here he is just outside The Malt House on Brindley Place.
Brum in brief
💦Community Pools Resources After Pipe Burst: More than 900 homes were left without water after a pipe burst in Sparkhill on Friday. Teams from Severn Trent and West Midlands Fire Service were called out to tackle the excessive flooding. Among others, the generosity of restaurant owner, Liaqat Ali, has been celebrated for providing hot food for the busy workers — despite having to cancel a birthday party and anniversary due to the 28-inch burst pipe. “It was not about the money,” he said. “It was just hospitality.” Full Story.
📕Harry Potter Book Sells for £6,600: A rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, bought for only £3.50 in 1997, has sold for thousands at auction. Bought from Oatakar’s bookshop in Birmingham, where she worked at the time, it sat on Jane Thompson-Webb’s bookshelf for 27 years before being sold. Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “This is a fantastic result and one of the highest prices achieved at auction, which reflects the wonderful condition this copy is in.” Full Story.
✍️Petition to Save Stourbridge and Halesowen Town Halls: A petition calling for Dudley Council to allocate cultural funding towards saving town halls has gained 600 signatures. The council says it can no longer afford to subsidise the town halls as it scrapes to find £37 million in savings over the next three years. Residents believe the town halls can be rescued with the money saved: “We believe some of this funding could be used to support Stourbridge and Halesowen Town Halls — which are already well-established cultural venues.” Full Story.
Home of the week
The beautiful stained-glass bay windows truly let the light in in this three-bedroom home in Bearwood. It’s available for £300,000.
Media picks
🎧With Birmingham Literature Festival coming up later this month, we are trying to read our way through the event’s booklist, which you can find here. Of particular interest is Brum’s-own, Sunday Times bestselling author, Susan Fletcher who will be appearing at the festival on 19 October. Listen to Fletcher on a recent episode of the Book Off! Podcast here.
💻Earlier this year, Channel 4 true crime series In the Footsteps of Killers investigated the case of schoolboys David Spencer and Patrick Warren who went missing from Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day 1996. The gripping episode uncovers new evidence and a prime suspect in the unsolved, suspected murder.
Things to do
Tuesday
🎷Digbeth Jazz Sessions takes place for the third time at its new venue, The Night Owl. Nu-jazz group DREAMSCAPES draw from a melting pot of influences for a fresh sound. From 7.30pm.
📖Bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch is back with the latest in his River of London series of novels. He’ll be discussing his work, which is set in Jazz Age New York, at Waterstones at 6.30pm. Tickets available from £4.
Wednesday
🥐Work in the creative industries? Meet other like-minded people over a coffee and croissant at Zellig’s monthly networking event. 10am — free entry.
👑Collectors of curios, antiques and retroware can bid for a bargain at Millwoods Wednesday Auction in Ward End. Public viewing begins at 5pm and the gavel goes down from 7pm at The Fox and Goose Shopping Centre.
Thursday
🗣️Historian Adam Wood reveals the truth behind the infamous Jack the Ripper murders (and their surprising link to this region) at the West Midlands Police Museum from 6pm. Tickets £10.
🎭See Jacobean epic Pericles at the Royal Shakespeare Company with an audio description for visually impaired audience members. Tickets from £5.
Felt really old reading about Spaghetti Junction- when I was at school it wasn’t built and the area was Salford Circus!
We went on a Roundhouse Kayak Tour and can thoroughly recommend it. We were nervous with no real experience but took to it really quickly. Good secure storage lockers in a locked room which was also lovely to see. You get a really interesting view 🙂