Red Hot Lips

So another fun packed day in Birmingham to be had.  We had been advised by our “Boat Sharers” that we hadn’t gone far enough up the library, in fact you can go up to the 9th floor, so we did and although it was a horrid day and we were in full we weather gear, the weather broke for a while and we got some great views all across Birmingham and into the distance The Isle of Wight I’m sure.

The Cube.  I have heard this described as ugly, but we are liking this very much.

A38 heading to Devon

Major walkway over the A38

Look carefully to see the canal we came in by.

The Birmingham to Fazeley canal can be seen between those blocks of flats.

The blue are escalators and the perspex on the left is the lift to the top floors of the library.

The Library also supplies these fabulous Hot Red Lips Sofas, a young snogging couple were occupying one, so I talked loudly and annoyingly and they departed on cue and we had the lovers sofa…..

Full wet weather gear.

Small route march next northwards to do the Jewellery Quarter.  We just pretty much followed our noses….  I had been given what was to be our last pub recommendation by Nick, The Red Lion on Warstone Lane, as it was lunchtime David was anxious not to miss their lunchtime session and as a Police lady advanced on us I did something no man will ever do …… I asked the way!  I said we were looking for the Jewellery Quarter and she said “Well you are in it so welcome!”  See Reader even the Police are really friendly here.  The lady she was with opened her briefcase and pulled out this months edition of Jewellery Quarter Monthly, with a map and we were commended in our choice of The Red Lion. Good-Oh!

So we hotfooted it there, and Oh Reader they served David’s new Fav beer Bathams (Reader this is pronounced Bay-Hams, yes mad isn’t it?).

Great menu, great decor, great wooden original wooden shelving and draught protectors for the end benches and oh my GREAT food. Spicy pork shoulder with creamy mash and fresh steamed veg. I couldn’t manage a pudding, Reader yes that was me turning down a dessert, almost unheard of.

Come on! No resting lets go to the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.  

A great place this was too, the three family owners retired in the early 1980’s in their 80’s and walked out leaving the workers overalls, account ledgers, tools on the benches, tea cups and marmite on the shelves and here it all is still.  A guided tour here was very interesting, explaining that selling the business was not appropriate as trading at that time is all based on trust, family, workers, skilled craftsmen all part of the is grand set up of trust that would exclude selling the business.  Hard to believe today, but thats how it was then.  The premises were owned by the council, they did sell off the gold but as they carried no jewellery stock, it was all strictly made to order.  The orders went all over the world from here and back in the day, there was no retail sales all wholesale.

Yes this is one.... A gentleman's comfort break place.

Saw her on the way.

So you can see two unmodernised workshops 

Typical buildings here

Many many small shop fronts here, but historically no retail here.

Very trendy area here now

Afterwards, we walked back to The Red Lion for another pint and dessert.

Tired legs, we headed due south, I found some brand new converted apartments HINT HINT David, nice place to retire to… Lots of trendy bars and restaurants hereabouts.

Following our noses and finding The Birmingham to Fazeley canal towpath and then on to Brindley Place, where our boat was.

No supper.

Busy Day.

This was to be a busy day.  We wanted to go visit the Back-to-Back Houses, I had found them on the web,  taking instructions, off we went to find them.  
Not nearly as easy as it sounds. Getting almost lost fairly quickly, then the first problem finding a local, all the people I asked were visitors to the city, then when I found a resident, no one knew but finally a little old lady with a drag along shopping basket knew generally where they were so full of trust we followed her instructions. She was correct.
Finally finally we got there in a circular route.  

Its yet another National Trust Property, "Frequent Flyers" here will know that we gave up our membership this summer and since then we have been to a string of their properties after having only been to one in about the previous 18 months.

The Back to Back's were houses built without back doors, your back wall was the neighbours front room wall too.  I am not aware that these types of houses were built in the south as we didn't have the heavy industry there and the need to house a lot of people quickly and cheaply.
They are an amazing slice of our national history, I had never seen the like before. 

This is the outside corner of the block, the end ones are converted into holiday lets by the NT

The sweet shop was there from the 1930's for years.

So this is the inside of the corner block around a yard

A couple of "Thunder Boxes" and a washing clothes area

Early range

The house is restored to 1830 when it was built. Stencilled walls.

Bedroom for their three boys in 1830's

Table done from the 1930's. Look mum, sterilised milk!!

Next to the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery.  Oh my what a building, the museum have the back half of the Council Offices.  Another amazing slice of history. Even the floors are tremendous.   We went into the History of Birmingham exhibition first which talked about all the crafts and manufacturing that Birmingham was world famous for, and in the case of pen nibs, a world leader making almost all them, they supplied the whole world literally.  Very very interesting it was too.

This beautiful installation is made entirely of chains.

Chains were made in the Black Country

Examples of stunning buttons.

Buttons made from shell, made by ladies mostly for very low wages

Then downstairs to see my fav's The Pre-Raphilities paintings that I have waited sooooooo many years to see.  A marvellous collection they have here.  These 'modern horrors' were not immediately recognised by society however they were often collected by factory owners in the new cities of the north (New money and all that), hence such a great collection here.  David did once take me to Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight, it was miles out of our way home from the Lake Distict but the art there was also wonderful.  He was feeling very kind and generous that day, then there were traffic jams and we got home about 2am.  He hasn't taken me back there since.
Here are one or two of them from today that I loved.

"A Day Trip to Brighton" in an open carriage.

The Last of England.look carefully to see the lady holding her child's hand under her coat as they set off for a new life.

The Long Engagement

A Christmas Carol at Bracken Dene.

"The Pretty Baa-Lambs"

"The Prescribed Royalist"

Love this, is an engaged couple, him trying to feel her face prior to marriage, a scene witnessed by the painter  in Cairo, William Holman Hunt.

Great picture but I mangled the photo, "Inside the Harem"

Council Offices to the south and the BRILLIANT gallery to the north

In the background is the Worlds biggest JL which I would have liked however not yet opened, and in the foreground is a snippet of old Birmingham been left, for now.

Dinner was in Carluccio's where the duck pate was delicious as was the Italian sausage pasta.  Pudding of course, Tiramisu, I sample this wherever I go in the interests of research. 

First day in Birmingham

 So here we are, comfy shoes on again and the first stop is to The Symphony Hall.  Twice a month they do Guided Tour's of the hall and today we were in the right place at the right time.
The Hall was only rebuilt very recently as the previous hall burnt down in the early 80's.  The two guides spoke at length about the quality of the acoustics here.  A world expert from New York worked closely with the architects making it at the time the worlds best venue for acoustics, this has now been overtaken by two other venues world wide but foolishly I didn't ask the guides which they were.
It was all very interesting I have to say.  Then seeing the back of the huge stage, the dressing rooms, the huge organ and the directors lounge.

The stage and huge organ.

The auditorium.

In the afternoon, we went to the library.  This too is very new and just brilliantly designed.  There was an exhibition on Birmingham and its people in the First World War.  Very interesting and sad.
Then onto the level 5 terrace, the sun had just come out and we looked all around the city.
Fab.

The Library exterior

The terrace on the fifth floor with perfumed garden.

The Symphony Hall from the library

Home later for a quick supper and then out again to a classical concert at The Symphony Hall.  It was a great programme from The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with well known pieces and I have to say, everything they said about the acoustics was true, the concert was fantastic.

Forgive the poor quality but this was from my phone.  Its the interior of the Hall so you can see all the floors.

Coming along into Brum

So today was the day finally to push off for Brum, what do we find?  Another horrid wet one.  No point in getting up so I stayed in bed reading.  I stayed in bed reading until 1pm.  Lovely.  
I was partially dressed, that is some items clean ones were on but overall I could be described as undressed, David was dressed and reading in the lounge, I stayed in bed reading at the other end. I had to text him when I needed another cup of.
Finally, we decided that the rain had stopped enough and we were game to make a go of it.
Pins pulled about 2pm.
We were skinning today, hardly surprising really, no breakfast needed or required today after last evening.
So we went or I should say we were already on the Old Line, these canals Reader if you haven't been here are a tad confusing, a bit like that pub the other day with three names some canals appear to be known by two names, but even a pair of Donkey Heads like us have sort of figured it out, but checking the map 76 times and noting the bridge numbers, it all becomes clear.....maybe.

But on we went.  Cold, a bit blowy but 
do-able to a master helmsman like wot I got.
The trip was mixed in scenery, starting in Tipton and passing gardens, later some industrial units then some open scrubby land and blow me down a Kingfisher, just miles from the city centre, I was flabbergasted. The water is surprisingly clear here, I looked down into in and could see swirling yellow leaves dropping down some way.  I am told by an expert in Kingfishers that they like clean water and quietness.  Well, we hardly saw another boat.

Echo's of former centuries

Ancient brick paths over this aqueduct

Junction of two canals both heading the same way.

Shame about the graffiti, bit I love these old bridges.

Then this was a bit of a surprise, the M5.  Going under motorways is a novelty, its almost silent Reader, however, in the approach they are noisy, really noisy.  Threading our way through was kinda fun too. I was looking for any evidence of the old past life of the canal whilst all this 20th Century was all around us.

I learnt to drive in one of these, but not pink

Interesting chimney

Then all of the road madness was left behind and then a quiet heathy cutting, that was long and straight and no more Kingfisher.

Then three modest locks at Smethwick  and then with hardly any further scenery a straight run into the centre of England's second city.  

The info signs tell that these three locks were entirely surrounded by factories.

Ancient bridges but today modern industry.

Love these.

We think these were for collecting Tolls due.

There's a space, jump on it.  Moored up, supper cooking by him and me on the computer checking "What's on in Brum" websites.

Supper was veggie curry as an antidote to all the pies and chips.  Plus fresh fruit and natural yoghurt.