What Do You Love Most About Birmingham?

[mazbeth]

I love it firstly as my family and friends are here.

I love the down to earth friendly people who you find in B'ham, like the middle-aged or older women, like my mom, who have a laugh about things and have plodded on through tough years.

I love the young people who are trying to make the world a better place (I have knowledge of this because of being connected to schools and churches in recent years and hearing the good news about young people, rather than bad news which fills the newspapers).

I love the parks, especially Cannon Hill and the beautiful variety of trees.

I love the variety of people from so many countries and watching them when they get on well (as it should be).

I love some of the shops..usually the smaller ones like bookshops and charity shops and coffee shops (like Cornerstone ones with their homemade soups and nice music in the background).

[Phil]

What I like most about Birmingham is its diversity.  It is not like some would have you believe "a follow everyone else's lead city". It is making its own niche in this modern world, and it is doing its own thing. I think that the City Council new motto "Forward" (1974) is very apt. I think since that date it has tried hard to make Birmingham a city to be proud of.

Like every other city it has made its mistakes, but not being a resident I feel it is not my place to point them out. I will say that unlike other cities it takes in criticism and tries its best to rectify its faults. I do not think the residents of Birmingham have anything to be ashamed of.

Phil

[rosalita]

I love that, due to listening to all of the wonderful people from there, it sounds like a beautiful place, full of parks, people, pubs, shops, old houses and streets. The nostalgia brought up here makes me feel I know the place.

[mazbeth]

some nice pics of it specially for you, Rosalita 
(who knows, one day you might visit).

I think this is an attractive night-time picture - and it's quite impressive inside (went there once to a Christian 'do' to build up women.. Lisa Potts was there who saved those little kids in the nursery machete attacks).



many like the canals (and they have certainly been cleaned up!), and barges... apparently we have more miles of canal than Venice, don't we?



this is not nice to live near (I can imagine), but I have a strange affection for 'Spaghetti Junction' (Gravelly Hill Interchange).



quite an impressive city centre...I may hate the 'iron man' nearby, but I do love the familiar old Town Hall



entrance to the beautiful Cannon Hill park, (giving a tiny glimpse of the trees and colours)



showing greenery and one of the lakes in C.H. park



St. Phillips cathedral in the city centre (I have been at traditional and free Christian events there)

me and my (then) 4 year old daughter laid flowers for the recently killed Princess Di outside there, along with thousands.

Aston Hall - I grew up 10 minutes walk from it, and the park it is in, and we were taken around it regularly

[Graham]

Maz,

Thanks for the beautiful photos, they reminded me of the one thing (there are others) I love most about Birmingham. And that is the wonderful Victorian Terracotta buildings. I could drool over them all day, I hope that they are still standing?

[mazbeth]

I like the buildings somewhat Graham, as I can appreciate the huge effort that went into building them, and the vision that some of the older 'architec' guys had...
BUT, the greenery and natural colours of the flowers and trees and bushes is what I hanker for, even though I'm a city girl out of necessity (because of loved people here).
However, if it seems right one day, would love to move to the countryside, if practicalities would allow...however, would be so torn between England and Ireland, which makes perfect sense as I have a parent from each.

[frederick]

mazbeth,

nice photo collection brings back some memories.

did you know of a dents garage in aston hall rd it is still there but now with a different name

[mazbeth]

rings a bell Frederick...
my mom used to be a petrol pump attendant in a garage in the 50's - but I can never remember which one...

(I was in the late 70's on Kingstanding Rd. - although it was self-service then).

[frederick]

i was thinking more in the 70s it was relocated from were the fly-over is at the bottom of the road it was oppersite electric avenue, ted dent was a partener of mine in another business the garage and car sales were sold on around 1980.

[Jacqueline]

Super pics Maz.

Birmingham has changed over the years if you just look at the shop or house fronts. I always look up to the first floor. Often houses say something or other villas and the date they were built. The same is true of shops. The junction of Vicarage Road and High Street, Kings Heath comes to mind with the facing shop being changed hands a number of times. Think its a gift shop now. Yet above it states Hedges Chemist...year escapes me now.

That is what i love about brum...still signs of the past if only you look up.

[rosalita]

Wow, Mazzy, Birmingham has some beautiful spots.