What was birmingham known for and what was its reputation

We have a fantastic road network to get people to and from the stadium. We lost the Olympics — over the last 25 years we have been very much the underdog in terms of big cities. Birmingham was shortlisted for European Capital of Culture in and lost out to Liverpool.

It was recently shortlisted again as the inaugural UK Capital of Culture — but was beaten by Londonderry. It won't be easy for Birmingham's civic leaders watching Wembley host the Champions League Final this month between Manchester United and Barcelona, the great sporting symbol of Spain's second urban centre, the city that beat Brum to the Olympics back in But it is the birthplace of Edward Burne-Jones and today hosts the most important collection of Pre-Raphaelite painting in the world.

Even more significantly, it was home to the scientific discoveries of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch when Birmingham was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and no city on earth could match it for newly-registered patents. Barcelona has La Sagrada Familia, Birmingham has the new Selfridges, which is "a great piece of architecture" according to the advertising agency boss Trevor Beattie, who is not shy of his Brummie background. He recently bought an apartment at the top of another remarkable building, The Rotunda, Birmingham's s answer to the Tower of Pisa: "I grew up looking up at [it] and it's an absolutely iconic part of the Birmingham cityscape.

Birmingham has had mixed success in trying to create the buildings that would lead it out of the economic decline that came with the loss of so much of its manufacturing.

But by the mids the council was realising that the anticipated influx of tourists, business people and sports fans was not having the desired effect in regenerating the city's poorer residential areas. The period of expansionism has left a valuable legacy that includes the Royal Ballet lured from its old home at Sadler's Wells and the boast that Birmingham now hosts "more World and European [sporting] events than any other UK city.

Birmingham needs some story-tellers. Goldberg notes the role of the late Manchester cheerleader Tony Wilson in "fanning the creative flames" of that city, a feat recognised by the hit movie 24 Hour Party People. The Brummie Trainspotting that makes it look cool? There's [former ITV soap opera] Crossroads. Although strenuous efforts have been made to turn the rebranded Eastside district into a centre for digital excellence, Birmingham's traditional media appears in retreat.

Aside from the scaling back of the BBC, the once prestigious daily Birmingham Post is now a small scale weekly and the daily Birmingham Mail, which is published overnight, has seen circulation plunge below the sales of titles in smaller cities, such as Leicester and Newcastle. ITV's local coverage serves a vast chunk of central England.

The cash-strapped national media is retrenching and rarely looks beyond the capital. It all leaves Birmingham searching for its voice. Some Brummies point out the shallowness in Liverpool and Manchester having built so much international fame on the back of football and pop music.

Birmingham does have a strong musical legacy and the Museum of Heavy Rock is one building that the city council has neglected to invest in, despite Birmingham having produced such bands as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death.

Inventive music festivals such as Mostly Jazz and Super Sonic are largely unknown outside the city. The band you are most likely to hear on a Birmingham jukebox is UB40, who grew up in the same Balsall Heath neighbourhood as Beattie: "Where I came from there were no two races, creeds or colours within consecutive houses.

It gave birth to UB40 and it's no surprise that [in that band] you have eight people of six different races. It is home to the largest financial services and creative sectors outside of London, and now many young people are choosing Birmingham to live in with more jobs and opportunities than ever before and all the benefits of a capital city at a fraction of the cost.

The city has built its reputation as an exciting destination to stand with the major cities of Europe, and has previously been included in the Rough Guides' Top 10 Cities to visit in the world. Home Study The city Birmingham history. Five of the best things to come out of Birmingham: Cadbury chocolate Fine, handmade jewellery Ground-breaking research Shakespeare just down the road… University of Birmingham graduates.

Currently over , people work within this industry, however in recent years there has been continued strain on jobs with unemployment levels reaching The city is one of the key locations for producing motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories.

Today, Birmingham still lives up to its reputation of being the city of a thousand trades — its products include electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, glass and food. The Bullring sits in the heart of the city centre and is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK, it is the second most visited retail destination in the UK London being the first.

Nowadays the canal network is no longer the main transport route to the city, however it still lives on and is used for tours of the city providing tourists with plenty of beautiful views of the up and coming modern developments like the Cube and restored industrial heritage buildings. Featured Image Credit — Wikimedia Commons. No Comments.