New Futures for Birmingham`s Historic Buildings

Arts & Crafts Architecture in Birmingham VI: Bournville – the factory in a garden (suburb)

Posted June 18th, 2014 by Joe Turner with 2 Comments

I couldn’t continue my intermittent Arts and Crafts series without mentioning Bournville, the model village cum garden suburb that Pevsner describes as “perhaps the fullest expression of Arts and Crafts ideals” in Birmingham. On a personal level, I have a strong connection ...

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Walking the Lozells and Handsworth Heritage Trail

Posted May 24th, 2014 by Joe Turner with 3 Comments

On Saturday, along with a group of other BCT supporters and volunteers, I walked the Lozells and East Handsworth Heritage Trail. Organised by Legacy West Midlands with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the City Council, it aims to raise awareness ...

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Arts & crafts splendour: Winterbourne House & Botanical Gardens

Posted May 4th, 2014 by Katie Hughes with 2 Comments

Last Sunday volunteers and supporters of The Birmingham Conservation Trust were invited for a tour of Winterbourne House & Gardens which is situated in the University of Birmingham Campus. Winterbourne House is an Edwardian house built in 1903 for the Nettlefold family who were industrialists ...

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Arts & Crafts Architecture in Birmingham V: WH Bidlake

Posted April 19th, 2014 by Joe Turner with No Comments

William Henry Bidlake was probably the foremost Birmingham architect of the Arts and Crafts era. Yet, despite being known in his own time as “the man who rebuilt Birmingham” and being responsible for three of the city’s 22 Grade I listed buildings, ...

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Arts & Crafts Architecture in Birmingham IV: CE Bateman

Posted March 20th, 2014 by Joe Turner with No Comments

I didn’t have to look far for the inspiration for my next Arts and Crafts post. Firstly, Charles Edward Bateman was from Castle Bromwich – possibly its third most famous export after the Spitfire and the drummer out of Duran Duran – ...

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Arts & Crafts Architecture in Birmingham III: An Arts & Crafts (former) library

Posted March 4th, 2014 by Joe Turner with 11 Comments

On my way out of town through Longbridge last week I took a short detour down Leach Green Lane to take a look at the old Rednal Library, which I’d heard was built in an Arts and Crafts style. What I found ...

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Arts & Crafts Architecture in Birmingham II: AS Dixon & the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft

Posted February 4th, 2014 by Joe Turner with 15 Comments

The Birmingham Guild of Handicraft was an Arts and Crafts organisation established in 1890 by local admirers of John Ruskin and William Morris. The Guild’s motto was ‘By Hammer and Hand’, and it produced high quality hand made pieces of metalware and ...

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Arts & Crafts architecture in Birmingham

Posted January 19th, 2014 by Joe Turner with 5 Comments

When I used to sit in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery sketching William Morris patterns for my Art GCSE coursework, I didn’t quite realise the important role Birmingham played in the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement. And, in turn, the influence the ...

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