Blognor Regis points us to this interesting piece in the Daily Telegraph about Dan Cruickshank’s campaign to see Euston Arch Rebuilt when Euston Station is redeveloped sometime during or after 2012. The website provides some context:

The failure to save the arch was a bitter and public defeat for the forces of civilization - headed by Sir John Betjeman and the Victorian Society - and a gruesome victory for the penny-pinching forces of crude Modernisation headed by British Railways, aided and abetted by the then British Government.

But the loss of the Euston Arch - an event that shocked and appalled the British public - helped to kick-start the conservation movement. Never, it was felt, should such a gross act of barbarism ever again be committed in the public’s name yet against the public’s desire. In a very direct manner the sacrifice of the Euston Arch saved the station buildings at St Pancras and Kings Cross because it was clear to both British Railways and to politicians that such cavalier and brutish conduct - pursued in the face of popular opinion - dared not be repeated.

This would be a wonderful complement to Curzon Street, the other end of the world’s first railway trunk line Euston to Curzon Street.

If you want to see inside this Grade II listed building then the Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum has negotiated a one hour window of opportunity between 11am and noon this Tuesday 12th August 2008.
For more please look here.

Created in Birmingham reports for us:

Here’s the “outline design” for the new BIAD campus in Eastside, as revealed on Simon Howes’ Eastside blog. Millennium Point is in the foreground and the red blob is Curzon St Station. Simon also has a top down map which pleasingly shows how much open space they’re planning to leave, which is nice as I like the amount of green currently there.

Lovely blog post (click here) from Simon Felton about the possibilities of the new excavation taking place next to the newly refurbed offices at Baskerville House, to study the archaeology before work begins on a new central library.

He has dug out the map above which shows now lost canals and tells us the dig aims to

to look for the remains remains of an old canal wharf, the Union Mill and the house of John Baskerville – one of the city’s 18th century printing pioneers on the site of what will be the new Library of Birmingham.

How fantastic to ncover the site of Baskerville’s house. What font should we use to describe what is found?

Pete over at the Custard Factory blog points us to a visit to Birmingham from Tate Modern’s own blogger Tom. Tom called Birmingham the “Warm Heart of England” and writes:

the most successful design elements of Birmingham are where the old and the new come together, creating a sense of somewhere that shouldn’t work, but does. Battered old pubs and markets squashed next to new civic icons; the weight of Dickensian industry alongside relics of the Sixties. This is what I think of when I think of Birmingham, and it warms the heart.

This Birmingham exists despite the planners best efforts. It seems the most inspirational spaces are there by happy accident. Maybe the best way to design the best spaces is to let it all happen naturally? To re-use buildings that already exist, rather than always ripping them out and starting again.

That is exactly what I think every time is see the back to backs nestling among Bimringham’s new build apartment blocks.

The Ikon is hosting German artist Jürgen Partenheimer from 2 April – 18 May who will use Perrotts Folly as part of his work. The gallery tell us:

Partenheimer’s work is rooted in abstraction across many forms, expressing connections between art, poetry, music and literature, and importantly their place in everyday life. His is a philosophical investigation, work being an intellectual exposition of emotion, which in turn is considered an expression of life. In drawings and paintings of visual fragility, shapes, lines, colour and systems of repeated motifs, establish a poetic sensibility alluding to conditions of daily existence, challenging our usual interpretations of that which surrounds us.

Nationwide Building Society has teamed up with the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to launch the Nationwide Community and Heritage Awards 2008, inviting the public to nominate people or groups who deserve recognition for community or voluntary work that has made a real difference to people’s lives. Nominations for the very best and most inspirational volunteers in the UK can be made from today, for either:

Community Champion – recognition for those who have made an impact in their local community.
Heritage Hero – recognition for those who have volunteered to become involved in saving a part of their heritage and sharing it with others.

For me visit this link. Thanks to Pete Millington.

The BBC, Arts Council, Audiences Central and others has launched a hugely ambitious arts project for the West Midlands - one which you can join. I know from the Birmingham Flickr group how many people are passionate about taking pictures of buildings in the city. The Big Picture allows you to add you pictures (of anything or anyone in the West Midlands) as part of a bid to make the biggest photo montage yet created.

It has the added advantage of using photography, which is one of the most accessible art forms. Anyone with a mobile phone and some sort of internet access can join this project - and lets home they do! It’s not the first time the BBC has used flickr - Picture of Britain was also tied into the enormously popular photo sharing social-network. However there a little more to this project.

I just want to mention a couple of individuals working on the Big Picture. Jon Bounds has been helping to keep this website going for almost two years now (thank you Jon). Stef Lewandowski is (amongst other things) a key member of the Birmingham Flickr Group of photographers (both professional and amateur - all talented and passionate about this city). Congrats both.