Cathedral Square, New Street, Corporation Street

- St Philips Cathedral, Steelhouse Lane, Victoria Law Courts, Methodist Central Hall, Aston


Cathedral Square, bordered by Colmore Row and Temple Row, is the green space that surrounds the Birmingham Cathedral, also called St Philip's Cathedral. This baroque cathedral, designed by Thomas Archer, was built 1710-25 at a time when St Martin in the Bull Ring became too small for Birmingham's growing population. It is a state church of England and the seat of the bishop of Birmingham, a grade I listed building. During our visit there was a school class going on, so we were by some strange reason told to leave the building after a short photo session. At the Cathedral Square, divided from the street by a fence, you also find a churchyard, the Burnaby obelisk, a high British flag, a memorial to the 1974 pub bombings, statues, beautiful flowers, trees, benches and lots of greenery.

New Street is the main pedestrian shopping street of Birmingham. It is 500m long, has red and brown tiles on the ground and links Victoria Square with the Bull Ring shopping complex. Here you find many popular brand stores. The large New Street Station is not directly situated at New Street, but one block to the South. At New St you find the Piccadilly Arcade, a small but beautiful sloping arcade with paintings in the roof.

Corporation Street is a main shopping street that begins at Stephenson Place at New Street, passes near the cathedral, is filled with large stores and is trafficated by modern trams and double decked buses. Battery powered trams were introduced again in 2015, more then 60 years after the old trams stopped service. There are many Victorian buildings along the road, like the red brick and terracotta Victoria Law Courts with its bell tower, and the similar looking Methodist Central Hall opposite. The mall Martineau Place is also here, as well as an Apple store and a HSBC bank. At Old Square, that Corporation St passes, you find the Tony Hancock artwork and the Hammer and Evil metal bar. At the end of Corporation Street, you reach the Aston district, a working class area. Here you find the Aston University and Ozzy Osbourne's childhood home.

Steelhouse Lane is a lane that goes parallel to Corporation St, filled with redbrick historic buildings, like the Childrens Hospital.

The beautiful, historic, Victorian Great Western Arcade with vintage shops, goes between Colmore Row and Temple Row.

 

CATHEDRAL SQUARE:

Cathedral Square 01 Cathedral Square 02 Cathedral Square 04 Cathedral Square 05 Cathedral Square 06 Cathedral Square 07 - Burnaby Obelisk Cathedral Square 10 Cathedral Square 14 Cathedral Square 16 Cathedral Square 23 Cathedral Square 24 St Philips Cathedral 01 St Philips Cathedral 02 St Philips Cathedral 03 St Philips Cathedral 04 St Philips Cathedral 05 St Philips Cathedral 06 St Philips Cathedral 07 St Philips Cathedral 08 St Philips Cathedral 09 St Philips Cathedral 10 St Philips Cathedral 11 St Philips Cathedral 12 St Philips Cathedral 13

 

CORPORATION STREET:

Corporation Street 02 Corporation Street 01Corporation Street 03 Corporation Street 04 Corporation Street 05 Corporation Street 06 Corporation Street 07 Corporation Street 08 Corporation Street 09 Corporation Street 10 Corporation Street 11 Corporation Street 12 Corporation Street 13 Corporation Street 14 Corporation Street 15 - Old Square Corporation Street 16 - Old Square Corporation Street 17 Corporation Street 18 - Central Hall, Law Courts Corporation Street 19 - Central Hall, Law Courts Corporation Street 20 - Victoria Law Courts Corporation Street 21 - Victoria Law Courts Corporation Street 22 - Methodist Central Hall Corporation Street 23 - Methodist Central Hall Corporation Street 24 Corporation Street 25 Corporation Street 26 Corporation Street 27 - Methodist Central Hall Corporation Street 32 Corporation Street 33 Corporation Street 34 Corporation Street 35 Corporation Street 36 Great Western Arcade 01 Great Western Arcade 02 Great Western Arcade 03 Great Western Arcade 04

NEW STREET:

New Street 01 New Street 02 New Street 03 New Street 04 New Street 05 New Street 06 - Piccadilly Arcade New Street 07

STEELHOUSE LANE:

Steelhouse House 01 - Childrens Hospital Steelhouse House 02 Steelhouse House 03 Steelhouse House 04

ASTON:

Aston 01 Aston 02 Aston 03