Author Topic: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage  (Read 20640 times)

madeinbirmingham

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2009, 08:08:01 PM »
THIS IS THE UN EDITED VERSION

Phil

I was very disappointed to listen to your programme on Monday, when you discussed the HP sign and its future. At the time of your campaign to save the sign, 12 months ago, I mentioned our campaign (www.madeinbirmingham.org) to get support for a Birmingham industrial museum for Birmingham, which you said you would support, yet there was no mention of that on the programme.

The HP sign and what to do with it highlights the very crux of the matter, Birmingham is one of the only former industrial cities that does not have a dedicated industrial museum, if it had there would be no discussion of where this sign should be located.  Putting the sign in Aston Hall would be inappropritae and not in keeping with the Hall, in fact in my opinion it would detract from the atmosphere of the hall and make it tacky! The A38M siting would be more appropriate but still only gives people a glance at what is an iconic symbol of Birmingham, a symbol which needs to be displayed with an appropriate history and other HP artifacts.

It should also be considered that HP were a very small company, at the time of closure employing less than 200 people, and although they were a very well known brand they were overshadowed by other Aston companies such as Hercules Cycles (The worlds largest cycle manufacturer in the 30s) Ansells and Tubes. Where are the signs for these companies, where are there any artifacts on show for these companies? Austin were Birmingham's largest employer, where are the signs for this factory, where are their exhibits?

In 1997 Birmingham closed its museum of science and industry and replaced it with a science museum, Think Tank. (pause for laughter). Hardly a fitting gesture for a city that owes its existence to industry, probably more so than any other UK City. Yes there are a few cabinets of industrial interest in Think Tank but this hardly replaces the very much missed museum in Newhall Street. A science museum repacing an industrial and science museum was a very backward move without parallel in museum history in this country.

Yes, OK there will be a couple of galleries in BMAG telling the story of Birmingham, and extension at the Jewellery Museum but this is not what Birmingham needs and neither are a day out destination. The Black Country showed the way with their open air museum and there is no reason why that could not be bettered in Birmingham. For instance, name one well known maufacturer from the Black Country that was known all over the UK, at the moment as I write I can only think of one and that is Goodyear! Birmingham on the other hand has or had many many companies that were known, not only in the UK, but throughout the world, BSA, Cadbury, Austin, Rover,Tube Investments, Norton Motorcycles, Ariel Motorcycles, Velocette Motorcycles, SU Carburetters, Lucas Electrical, Bakelite, Ansells, Hercules Cycles, Dawes Cycles, CWS Maufacturing, Girling Brakes, King Dick Spanners, Atco, Merry Tiller, Webb Mowers and motorcycle forks, Fisher and Ludlow, Berry Magicoal Fires, Valor Fires etc etc.,

The Museum store at Dolman Street which is storing the HP sign at the moment stores around 200,000 pieces, which I find incredulous, over the next five years it plans to increase this amount by another 100,000 pieces, which I find even more incredulous. If the council were to purchase a dedicted museum site for an industrial musem this store could be combined with that museum, I mean what is the point of storing so many pieces in this way anyway and what are they storing them for? They allready  occupy a 4.5 acre site at Dolman Street, so where are they going to expand to eventually?  Surely the question must be asked, is this the best use of Birmingham ratepayers money? It is also a great shame that what must be the majority of Birminghams collections is hidden away in a store when a large percentage of it should really be on view to the public in approrpriate suroundings, not in warehouse shelving.

Please support the campaign for a Birmingham Industrial Museum.


Jon Price

www.madeinbirmingham.org
www.madeinbirmingham.org  Birmingham's Industrial History Website

madeinbirmingham

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2009, 08:12:07 PM »
Now if you want to support this campaign, after I send this email to Phil, please back it up with your own views--same with the Sunday Mercury and with local councillors. I will post the email addresses later
www.madeinbirmingham.org  Birmingham's Industrial History Website

Phil

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2009, 08:34:09 PM »
Martial

Sorry for not making myself easier to understand, the place I am talking about is the old Metro works marked carriage & Wagon works on the map. Where they used to make train carriages among other things. It was a massive place just off the Washwood Heath Rd. It began to close section by section in the 60's.

It was taken over by this company and it was taken over by that company, but to no avail, and I may be wrong but I think it has now gone completely.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Phil

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2009, 08:38:41 PM »
m.i.b.

You have certainly got my support, and if you post the addresses I will do as you ask, as will many others on this forum I suspect.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

madeinbirmingham

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #15 on: January 01, 2009, 08:52:18 PM »
Thanks

Metro go back to stage coaches!!!

Think your right they have gone wernt they Alstrom last of all.

Metro were best known for the London Tube Stock and the Blue Pullmans

see
http://www.railcar.co.uk/hisOthers/BPintro.htm

You will also find some Metro tube stock on The Isle of Wight--still operating!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_1938_Stock



Note Wiki photo linked not copied--Not bad for a 1938 Tube train built in Birmingham!!
Try U tube for video foootage
www.madeinbirmingham.org  Birmingham's Industrial History Website

tramp

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #16 on: January 01, 2009, 09:10:43 PM »
m.i.b..,

Your letter is a good start, a point of departure, but for it to spawn something which will take-off, you will need very much more.  Asking for e-mail support and follow up from us should help.  But I wouldn't suggest that you expect to receive more than a blithe ''good luck'' wave from those who already make their living trading on brum's name.   They've had very many years to get a major museum project moving, and have done nothing that is evident...    Go for the (hu)man in the street - there are still hundreds of thousands who would be even and evermore prouder of brum when they are given more knowledge of where brum came from and how it achieved its pre-eminence.

madeinbirmingham

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #17 on: January 01, 2009, 09:12:50 PM »
Quote
Go for the (hu)man in the street - there are still hundreds of thousands who would be even and evermore prouder of brum when they are given more knowledge of where brum came from and how it achieved its pre-eminence.

Time is the enemy--that's why I am allowing 20 years
www.madeinbirmingham.org  Birmingham's Industrial History Website

tramp

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2009, 09:21:35 PM »
m.i.b.,

I'm sure that you are wise to take a long term view - like Rome, Brum, a bigger more productive and inventive city, was not built in a day.. O0

Phil

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2009, 10:56:41 PM »
m.i.b.

I'm not expecting to be here in 20 years. It would be nice, but.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

tramp

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2009, 11:18:50 PM »
Phil,

We can come back and haunt the old places depicted in the Museum - and we won't have to pay a fiver either O0

martial

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Re: Birmingham's Industrial Heritage
« Reply #21 on: January 02, 2009, 01:58:52 PM »
Phil47
           My mistake entirely, I was having a "Senior" moment!! I had been looking on google maps for something in the area and google had put the washwood heath sign out of position, I've noticed they do that , then brain fade came on and I couldn't think of where it was. Not far from nechells gas works. That is something else that is long forgotten today. every area had a gasworks, coal dust, suphur fumes, ammonia, and smoke, wonderful!


 

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