The Library of Birmingham

08/12/2024

Look back with fondness and possibly sadness on the lost buildings of the city in Roy Thornton’s Lost Buildings of Birmingham. Including themed chapters on hotels and public houses amongst others. Ref: L 56.1

07/12/2024

07/12/2024

Oysters were the fast food of the 19th century - cheap and sold in mass quantities and easier to transport from the coast to cities such as Birmingham using the rail network. Birmingham was also a centre for pearl button making made from mother – of- pearl. Everything connects! Ref: Birmingham Periodicals H/1, LF 08.2

07/12/2024

– With support from the are encouraging you to explore the history and legacy of the Birmingham Municipal Bank. Share your memories via the link - https://tinyurl.com/BMBank Ref: WPS/WK/B11/6398

06/12/2024

❄ Join us at our very own Winter Wonderland this weekend for a special festive S.P.I.C.E session at The Library of Birmingham! ❄ Fancy dress optional (although we'd love to see your best festive outfits!) ⛄️

📍 Where? Children's Library, Lower Ground Floor
⏰ When? Saturday 7th December 2024, 11:30am-3pm - no booking required, just turn up!
👥 Who? Ages 3+

There'll be lots of wintery fun on offer, including an ice tunnel to crawl through and a fireplace to toast fluffy marshmallows on! 🔥

06/12/2024

The rather grand Stork Hotel was built in the French Renaissance style in 1883 and stood on the corner of Corporation Street and Priory Queensway. The hotel was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Priory Square development. Ref – Corporation Street Photo Box no. 13

05/12/2024

05/12/2024

Political satire has enjoyed a healthy and robust tradition in Birmingham newsprint. Here’s the front cover of The Gridiron on 26 September 1868 which focused on Parliamentary Elections. Ref: Birmingham Periodicals H/1, LF 08.2

04/12/2024

WM Fire Service is giving a talk at the library this Saturday from 12 pm. Come and experience memorabilia and materials from the archive. This photo is the funeral of Superintendent Tozer of the Birmingham Fire Brigade in 1906. WK/B11/17

03/12/2024

We have a special Brass Quintet performing this Saturday on Lower Ground Floor. (7th December), Bridge Street Brass will be performing a programme which spans a wide range, from the lively film music of John Powell to classical brass quintet repertoire by Alexander Arutiunian, and lots of Christmas music! The Library of Birmingham

03/12/2024

03/12/2024

This week we bring you the 1889 Ordnance Survey 1: 500 scale map of the area around the Town Hall. The majority of buildings such as Curzon Hall and the Queen’s College no longer stand. Ref - Sheet 180

02/12/2024

2024 marks the 300th anniversary of Blue Coat Charity School admitting its first pupils. With the pupil records dating from 1724 this archive is a valuable resource to family historians as well as social history research.

[📷Image reference: WK/B11/7729]

Find out more in this week's blog article written by Senior Archives Assitant, Rachel

https://theironroom.wordpress.com/2024/12/02/the-blue-coat-school-pupil-records/

02/12/2024

📚 In the final phase of the library consultation, we based option 3 on library rankings. The rankings were generated by a priority list which balanced community need and usage and access data.

Subsequently, an error has been identified in the priority list rankings, which has been corrected. A revised option 3 is now available.

Although this revision does not alter the recommended proposal, option 4, we welcome your feedback on options 3 and 4 below.👇

02/12/2024

After a sold out tour of the Midlands this year, The Librarian of Weeping Bank will be bringing his ghostly tales to as part of the National Literacy Trust's 'Haunted Birmingham' campaign.

‘Now you Lay me down to sleep’ and ‘An Unwise Purchase’
Saturday 14th December 2024, 6.45-8.45pm (refreshments available during an interval)
The Birmingham Black Box, 19 Harford Street, Birmingham, B19 3EB

Weeping Bank brings engaging, candlelit performances of ghost stories to community spaces and theatres, creating intimate and unique experiences for both avid and reluctant readers, gothic horror fans and lovers of traditional storytelling.

Warning - Weeping Bank readings contain moments of heightened tension. The reading is unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15 or of a nervous disposition.

Tickets are £12 and can be booked at www.birminghamblackbox.com

For more about , head over to www.weepingbank.com.

✍️ Could you write your own spooky story? 👻
The National Literacy Trust's 'Haunted Birmingham' campaign invites adults and young people aged 9+ to write a spooky story set in Birmingham. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 1st December and all the details – including the form to submit a story – can be found at https://literacytrust.org.uk/communities/birmingham/haunted-birmingham

National Literacy Trust in Birmingham

30/11/2024

What’s on December! Free events and activities in the Children’s and Music Library 📚🎄

30/11/2024

Lurking in between the crevices of archival storerooms, you’ll find a world David Attenborough would relish in commenting about - spiders, silverfish and plenty of dust. Here’s a magnified image of a pest trap. Monitoring areas allows us to see what pest risks our collections face