Birmingham - Britain's second largest city - lies in the heart of the
country. Nicknamed the 'city of a thousand trades', it became the
workshop of England in the Industrial Revolution and, as the centre of
the Enlightenment in the Midlands, was a hotbed of scientific thinking
and technological innovation. The Lunar Society, including luminaries
such as Erasmus Darwin and James Watt, met regularly at industrialist
Matthew Boulton's Soho House. The Cadbury family's Arts and Crafts model
village of Bournville, built for their workers, is sought after today,
and although many famous industries associated with Birmingham - from
Bird's custard to BSA armaments and motorcycles - have gone, the
eclectic Jewellery Quarter remains and a resurgent Birmingham is
typified by its 1960s Rotunda, rebuilt Bullring and renovated old canal
area around Gas Street Basin. In A-Z of Birmingham Andrew Homer delves
into the history of the city. He picks out well-known landmarks and
famous residents such as Oscar Deutsch, founder of the Odeon cinema
chain, Joseph Hansom, inventor of the safety cab, and a youthful J. R.
R. Tolkien and digs beneath the surface to uncover some of the
lesser-known facts about Birmingham and its hidden places of interest.
This fascinating A-Z tour of Birmingham's history is fully illustrated
and will appeal to all those with an interest in this West Midlands
city.
