Birmingham
- For the American city, see Birmingham, Alabama
| Birmingham | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Shire county | Warwickshire (majority) Staffordshire (part) Worcestershire (part) |
| Council | Birmingham City Council |
| Population | 1,157,603 |
Birmingham is a city in central England, mostly lying within the shire county of Warwickshire, with some mainly suburban areas being in Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The city has around one million inhabitants. It lies west of Solihull and east of the Black Country. It is the largest single settlement to have city status in the United Kingdom (the capital London is considerably larger but does not in itself have city status). Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, and more trees per head of population that any other city in Europe. It was the birthplace of the industrial revolution and the home of the Lunar Society. It grew rapidly in the late 19th century, particularly with the urban development supported by its most famous resident, Joseph Chamberlain. The city has a distinctive local dialect known as 'Brummie' which is thought by linguists to be similar to how William Shakespeare would have spoken, since Stratford-upon-Avon is relatively close to Birmingham. The people of Birmingham, like the local dialect, are also known as 'Brummies'. It also has its own local cuisine, a curry dish known as a 'balti'.
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Geography
Birmingham is unusual among major English cities in that it does not have any major rivers running through it. The River Tame (which joins the Trent some 20 miles to the north-east in Alrewas, Staffordshire) runs through the town's northernmost suburbs of Perry Barr and Aston. Birmingham's two other rivers are tributaries of the Tame; the River Rea skirts the city centre to the east, passing through Digbeth, befroe meting the Tame near the suburb of Gravely Hill, whilst the River Cole rises near the suburb of Hawkesley and passes through Birmingham's eastern suburbs to meet the Tame at Coleshill.
Administration
Birmingham forms the administrative county for Birmingham City Council, which makes up part of the West Midlands statistical region and the similarly-named county for the purposes of lieutenancy.
Industrial Birmingham
Birmingham was important during the Industrial Revolution when many different trades were important there. Heavy industry was important in Birmingham as was jewellery manufacturing, with the city to this day having an area called the Jewellery Quarter. Birmingham grew steadily until after the 1960's. During the 1980's Birmingham suffered severe unemployment as heavy industry declined. Birmingham has recovered and is now an important commercial centre, with one of Europe's largest shopping centres, as well as an industrial centre.
History
Birmingham was a small village at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. Then Birmingham was in the area that is now the Bull Ring in the City Centre. Birmingham grew over the centuries, most dramatically from the mid-18th century onwards during the industrial revolution. Matthew Boulton was important as an industrialist who helped develop Birmingham.
Transportation
The main motorway in the Birmingham area is the M6 motorway which links the city with Staffordshire (and Shropshire via the M54) and the North West of England to the north. To the south-east, it links Birmingham with Coventry and via the Catthorpe junction some 30 miles away, the M1 motorway (for Northampton and London) and the A14 (for East Anglia). Traffic for central Birmingham is served from the M6 by the A38(M). Traffic to London is also served by the M40, a 90-mile long route which links Denham, Buckinghamshire (near the M25 London Orbital) to Tanworth-in-Arden (12 miles south-east of central Birmingham) via Oxfordshire. Traffic for the north-east is served by the M42 motorway, which spurs from the M5 motorway at Catshill, Worcestershire (10 miles to the SW) which runs for 166 miles between the Black Country and Exeter, Devon, linking the Midlands and the West Country.
Birmingham Airport (BHX) is located around 10 miles to the east of the city centre at Bickenhill, Warwickshire. It is the 7th busiest airport in the United Kingdom, and runs international flights to continental Europe, the Middle East, India and Pakistan.
Other towns
Many other cities and towns around the world have been named after Birmingham (not to mention a crater on the moon). The largest of these namesakes is situated in Alabama, USA.
Famous Brummies
- John Cadbury (Quaker, philanthropist and founder of Cadbury's chocolate company)
- Neville Chamberlain (prime minister)
- Francis Galton (founder of eugenics)
- Nigel Mansell (Former Formula 1 driver)
- Bill Oddie (naturalist)
- Ozzy Osbourne (rock musician)
- J.R.R. Tolkien (writer) - although he was born in South Africa
