BIRMINGHAM

There is a television show here called "The Weakest Link" which is a quiz show where contestants are subjected to cross examination by the compere, a lady called Ann Robinson. She is often quite rude and haughty, and if one of the contestants happens to tell her that they come from Birmingham, she turns away with a moue saying "oh Dear". With that in mind a visit to Brum was full of expectation!! There were two reasons for visiting. Firstly my father was born there in the slum area in 1900. Secondly, while waiting for our flight out of Berlin recently we got chatting to a couple waiting with us, and they came from Birmingham. I mentioned that my Dad had been born there, and they told us that National Trust had preserved and developed a small area of slums known as "Back to Backs". They then invited us to stay with them if we visited.
The drive there took just 2 1/2 hours for the 140 miles thanks to Motorways. After a welcome cup of coffee we went on a guided tour of the "Back to Backs" which was fascinating.The three storied cottages joined together were tiny, and it was incredible to hear that in one of them lived a family of 10 who also took in two lodgers.There was no running water or lighting and the toilet arrangement was a common two holer in the yard.The photo above is of the yard with wash house and toilets. In one of the cotages a tailor had worked until 2001 making suits of such quality that orders came from London for them! He walked out and left everyting as it was,sewing machines,bolts of cloth,patterns etc.

We had parked the car in ChinaTown and found a decent Malaysian restaraunt for lunch after which we walked through the city to Little Venice, so called because it is the centre of the canal system. We took a canal boat ride which was intriguing as it went through the old industrial area. All the factories were served by the canal system, but with the disappearance of manufacturing, most of the old factories are decrepit eyesores.

We found our friends house and were welcomed with the news that they had a pre-arranged evening out, but had brought in food for us to cook. Nick (he is a Barrister ex army officer) aoplogised for their engagement, but we were more than happy to get ourselves a meal and have an early night.

Next morning we were taken for a drive to the Bourneville site, where Cadbury's have their enormous factories. The whole area was developed by Cadburys, the house in which Nick and Anne live being an original "Cadbury House". The sheer size of the factories was mind blowing and with their own sports ground (which would not disgrace a County Cricket ground) the paternalism of the Cadburys was very apparent.

Then we toured the suburbs,saw Egbaston Cricket Ground and finally parked in the City to visit the Town Hall Museum and have lunch in the dining room there. Very interesting. The photo of the statue above was taken in the forecourt of the Town Hall and is known to the locals as "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi"!!

We left Birmingham after lunch and headed home via Warwick Castle which Nick had told us was well worth a visit. More of that later.