This event celebrates the launch of  ‘Edgbaston Reservoir Nature and Wellbeing Centre’ by Birmingham Settlement.

In a week packed full of fun and thought provoking activities, the festival explored ways in which people can help their community go green and better understand the ways in which the natural environment can enhance and support wellbeing.

From activities to talks to performances, the festival offered something for everyone and promoted plenty of volunteering opportunties for people to support their local community whilst gaining valuable experiences and knowledge.

The week finished with a community fun day with a range of exciting activities and experiences.

To find out more contact: info@bsettlement.org.uk

Place-shaping, place-making, promotion of place and the continued growth of a digitally engaged community as a legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

Our story

At the time the announcement was made that Birmingham would be hosting the Commonwealth Games, we were convinced about the value of engaging community in a huge collaboration for place-shaping, place-making and the promotion of place. See our video below created back in 2020.

Select HERE for video.

Interest in collaborating was huge

Interest from community in getting involved in the largest digital collaboration (we believe) of any city was huge and soon we had people sending us content of the places and the Birmingham Passions they were keen to promote.

This content is now contained in 100s of features and displayed on multiple maps.

Select HERE for Birmingham Gems video.

Promotion of place

Using this map, residents and visitors can explore the City and its Gems.

Select HERE for Birmingham Gems map.

Making and Shaping of place

Using this map, residents can engage in the development and future of their place.

Select HERE for Birmingham development map.

Productive place-shaping and creative conversations

This in turn has led to place-making creative conversations exploring the link between creativity, place and community.

Select HERE for one of our Creative Conversations videos.

Select HERE for another of our Creative Conversations videos.

More Gems featured by community

It has led to more and more Birmingham Gems being featured with creatives generating considerable interest across Community.

Select HERE for another of our videos focussed on creativity.

More maps and more trails

The growth in the number of community contributors has led to many maps and trails being created for well-being and a promotion of specific passions.

Here’s one covering Parks and Open Spaces.

Select HERE for Parks and Open Spaces video.

Over 1.2 million views already

The digital platform we launched last year has now received almost 1,200,000 views, increasing by 15,000 every week.

Plans over the next two weeks during the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games, we knew would provide the added incentive for people to engage with their place. We have created a digitial space where they can do just this.

We also knew that this would lead to significant social and economic impact and this would reflect the digital reach that could be achieved by all the programmes the CG2022 team and BCC are supporting and funding.

The following shows the flexibility and adaptability of our maps so that Birmingham Gems and Birmingham Passions can be showcased alongside Commonwealth Games community-related events.

Here’s a map showing the baton relay stops and other events.

Here we have added the passion of public art in and around the city.

We can add rivers, canals and open spaces.

We can add History as a passion.

We can add modern architecture and classic architecture.

This is the view if we include all passions and places of interest across the city.

 

Resulting in .....

... a massive digital legacy for the city and its neighbourhoods following the Commonwealth Games with more people more aware of what the city offers.

..... a digital space populated by community for community.

..... place-making, place-shaping and promotion of place in practice.

Plans for the remainder of 2022

Engaged and connected digital neighbourhoods.

The plan post Commonwealth Games is to roll out digital spaces into the city’s neighbourhoods with the support of people passionate about their city. This could well provide a digital vehicle for volunteers and those people active in supporting the Games.

It will also open up digital skills exchanges whereby young people act as digital ambassadors in their community.

Such a venture will build on the awareness and inspiration created by the Be Bold Be Birmingham campaign.

Together with the help of community, work to show how a digital neighbourhood would look and function has already started and several of Bimingham’s councillors have expressed an interest in finding out how their neighbourhood could be involved.

Let’s connect

We appreciate that time is critical to make the most of the opportunities presented by the Games.

Let’s meet and discuss all the applications of a unique digital space.

Jonathan.Bostock@yourplaceyourspace.com

 

 

Introducing "Birmingham Gems"

Work to digitally map the city as a place to experience, creatively and culturally, commenced over 18 months ago with a collaboration of people passionate about Birmingham. This collaboration has helped to populate a platform covering the city and its neighbourhoods.

This map is now full of information that can be used by people who live and work in Birmingham, and of course, visitors to the city.

Our collaboration of people passionate about promoting their place is growing with considerable interest from schools and colleges keen to involve young people in this creative, cultural and digital initiative.

The map has now been viewed over 1.1 million times, increasing by 20,000 a week.

Select here to our video.

Introducing one of the city's Gems, "Public Squares", mapped with its own trail.

Each passion is showcased through features, maps, trails, galleries of photography, regular articles and (still to come) drone footage and 3D imagery.

In a short video, let's show you how, with the help of community, we introduce people to, and update people on, Birmingham's great public squares.

Select here to our video.

Introducing It's your Build - a digital space for engaging community in place-making

Let us show you, in a short video, how we have mapped the built environment (build by build) and have created a flexible and adaptable digital space for place-making.

Select here to our video.

Engaging Birmingham's community out of the city centre and connecting neighbourhoods

Birmingham is a city of connected neighbourhoods and here we show, via a link to a digital space created for Northfield, how a roll-out of connected platforms could support the drive for more digital neighbourhoods.

Click here to link to Northfield We Are..

Birmingham is the first city to be supported by community-focussed digital technology that will help drive social value and economic impact.

We would be delighted to discuss with you the many applications of this digital collaboration of community for community. Connect with us: Jonathan.Bostock@yourplaceyourspace.com 0121 410 5520

YOUR PLACE YOUR SPACE

Engage your community with us

After a few months, our maps, features and trails of Birmingham and its neighbourhoods have been viewed more than 1,030,001 times. Our Community Workspace and our Community Passport have given people the digital space and the digital tools they need so they can share their passion for the place they live in or work in. In a couple of short videos, let us show you why our platforms have been so engaging and how this digital technology can be rolled out neighbourhood by neighbourhood to build even greater community passion and greater community involvement in the future of Birmingham.

Promoting Birmingham with Community

https://www.yourplaceyourspace.net/ videos/MapPromotion.mp4

Making and Shaping Birmingham with Community

https://www.yourplaceyourspace.net/ videos/MapPlaceMaking.mp4

Let's connect, give you the full tour, and together promote the city and engage community in its success. So many ways to promote the Birmingham brand. Let us show you what we are doing ahead of, during and after the Commonwealth Games to promote this brand.

Bottom up engagement with digital neighbourhoods

Our support for Birmingham and its community goes even further. Using Northfield as an example, see how we are setting up digital neighbourhoods for effective bottom-up engagement and involvement of community focusing in on what really matters to local people.

https://www.northfieldweare.com/

There is so much more to share with you, so let's arrange a time and connect. So many ways to promote the Birmingham brand.

There is so much more to share with you, so let's arrange a time and connect It would be great to hear from you.

For more information contact: Jonathan Bostock Call: Mobile - 07432 637 322 Email - Jonathan.Bostock@YourPlaceYourSpace.com

The design team for the new library was led by Mecanoo, a Netherlands-based architectural practice and the construction was led by Carillion. 

The building has been recognised for both its innovative design and for its positive social impact and has won a number of awards including:

• National Constructing Excellence Awards (2014) project of the Year – WINNER!
• Stirling prize - shortlisted 
• Construction News Awards (2014) - Project of the Year
• Royal Inst. of Chartered Surveyors (West Mids) Awards (2014)- Design Innovation & project of the year.

There are many internal and external to admire with this impressive build and the Library's outdoor secret garden is a must to go and experience.   

But before work could even be started, archaelogists needed to be called in.

Throughout the Summer of 2009, archaeologists were on site of the then car park of Birmingham Council, revealing the former Baskerville Basin.

Part of the canal network used to stretch into what is now Centenary Square, but was filled in during the 1930s to make way for a proposed Civic Centre. 

Once the upper layers were dug up, work could begin on digging up the remains and see what was left below. Intact brick walls of Baskerville Basin were found on the site with many remains and finds. Towards the site of what is now Centenary Square used to be Gibson's Arm which was a private canal built during the 1810s. Baskerville Basin was filled in during 1938 before the proposed Civic Centre was to be built. While Baskerville House and the Hall of Memory were built, the rest of the proposals were not which was indirectly due to the outbreak of World War Two.

Below is a map printed in 1880, this section showing Baskerville Wharf between Cambridge Street and Broad Street. Old Wharf is below (that was later filled in as well). 

Go HERE for more on the history of this site.

Here are a few images taken prior to construction commencing.

Here's a link pre-build in which you can see another of our great modern builds, The Hyatt Hotel. The side of The Rep seen here was demolished during the build of the Library with a new link between the builds being created.

Here are a selecton of images taken during the build of the Library.

Photographer: Elliott Brown

Photographer: Elliott Brown

Here is a selection of photography of the completed library taken by our amazing community of contributors at Its Your Build and People with Passion for Birmingham and all its neighbourhoods.

Photographer: Chris Fletcher

Photographer: Fay Loewy

Photo courtesy Daniel Sturley

Photo courtesy Barry Whitehead

Photo courtesy Jay Mason-Burns

LINKS TO MORE ABOUT THE LIBRARY, MORE PHOTOGRAPHY, MAPS AND TRAILS.

To see more amazing photography of the Library of Birmingham taken by our community and some wonderful articles about the Library of Birmingham, connect HERE.

For a view of the Site Map of The Library of Birmingham, connect HERE.

For the full Trail and Tour of modern architecture and builds across Birmingham, connect HERE.

LINKS TO MORE BIRMINGHAM GEMS.

To see our in-developent community-led platform, go to www.BirminghamGems.com

For more modern architecture in Birmingham, go to www.ArchitectureAndUs.com also in-development.

For more Birmingham passion, features and posts, go to www.BirminghamWeAre.com. 

 

Soho House

Soho House was the home of Matthew Boulton from 1766 until his death in 1809. Now a museum ran by the Birmingham Museums Trust. The Lunar Society regularly had meetings here in the dining room. This Grade II* listed the house is in Handsworth. After Boulton's death it has had various uses as a hotel / hostel. Birmingham City Council acquired it in 1990 and it's been a museum since 1995.

Photo courtesy Elliott Brown.

The Dining Room at Soho House became known as the Lunar Room where members of the Lunar Society met. The architecture of the room dates to the late 18th century. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery acquired the dining table in 1987. Other furniture was bought with assistance from the Lunar Society in 1994 - 95.

Photo courtesy Elliott Brown

Hay Hall

Hay Hall was a 15th century moated manor house near Redfern Road in Hay Mills (Tyseley). Now used as offices. A manor house has been on this site since around 1260 and was built for the De La Haye family. It passed to the Este family in 1423. By the 20th century the whole area had become industrial, but Hay Hall was saved. It's been Grade II listed since 1952.

Photos courtesy Elliott Brown

Stratford House

Stratford House is located close to Highgate Middleway and can be seen from the no 50 bus route on the Moseley Road in Highgate. Grade II* listed, the building dates to around 1601 and is one of the oldest surviving houses in Birmingham. It was built for Ambrose and Bridget Rotton. In recent years it's been used as offices and a club. There was a fire here in late 2015, but the building has since been fully restored and is vacant once again.

Photos courtesy Elliott Brown

Selly Manor

Selly Manor was moved to Bournville in 1907 by George Cadbury. It's a timber framed building dating back to the 14th century, at least to around 1327. The Manor House used to be in Bournbrook, before it was relocated with Minworth Greaves to the corner of Sycamore Road and Maple Road in Bournville.

All photos by Elliott Brown

test article for post prizes and offer

test article

test post article

test telephone post

Daniel Craig says he is coming back as James Bond.

The actor was asked whether he will play the secret agent again during his appearance on US chat show The Late Show.

"Yes," Daniel told host Stephen Colbert, before standing up to shake his hand.

The actor, who has played 007 in the past four Bond films, has until now refused to say whether he will do it again.

But on the show he revealed he's known for a "couple of months".

"We've been discussing it, we've just been trying to figure things out," he said. "I always wanted to, I needed a break."

The next Bond film, the 25th in the series, is due out in November 2019.

A porcelain plate that until recently hung on a woman's wall has been valued at £60,000, ahead of its auction.

The item, which carries the reign mark for Chinese Emperor Yongzheng, has a white-on-blue floral design and dates back to 1723-1735.

The plate was bought by Scot Alexander Robertson, who made his fortune in the US in the early 20th Century.

The current owner said it had been passed down to a relative who had kept it on her wall in an ornamental holder.

Image copyrightHANSONS

Making his money in banking, Robertson collected fine art and it is believed he purchased the Chinese plate in 1911.

He had no children and on his death in 1922 his possessions were divided between Scottish relations.

Despite being valued at £20,000 on the Antiques Roadshow in the 1990s, the plate remained on everyday display.

The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "My auntie, who lived with my granny, used to hang it on the wall but I was too scared to have it on show when my family inherited it two years ago. I put it away in a box inside a cupboard.

"I hope someone buys it who will cherish it - and be brave enough to have it on display."

Charles Hanson, of Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, said: "The plate is exceptional and it's in good condition - even though granny did put a metal plate mount around it.

"A similar dish is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York."

The plate has a guide price of £40,000-£60,000 but Mr Hanson thinks it could well fetch "far more" when it is auctioned on 29 September.