Birmingham: Rare grave goods and coins left on the bones are revealing much about these people’s origins, beliefs and living conditions. And several skeletons show evidence of having been dissected. Britain’s Biggest Dig III
This whole area is destined to become the new 7-platform HS2 railway station. But before construction can begin and to the east of the cemetery site, archaeologists are hoping to find further evidence of the oldest surviving railway terminus in the world. Next to Park Street stands the last remnant of Curzon Street Station. Opened in 1838, less than 10 years after the pioneering locomotive, Stephenson’s Rocket, made railways a viable form of transport. Its neo-classical architecture mirrored the original Euston Station long since demolished at the other end of the line. ibid.
Over the road Boulton built the world’s first factory to pioneer mass production. But by 1848 that factory had closed and few factories like it were built in the city … Birmingham became an industrial boom town but without the factory revolution that was the hallmark of so many other industrial cities. ibid.
Boulton was always quick to spot an opportunity. In the 1790s rapid inflation created a national demand for coinage, so he set up another production line using steam power to revolutionise coin making – a trade still carried on in the city [Birmingham] today. Mark Williams, Industrial Revolutions s1e6: Coining It, Discovery 2002
Life in England hadn’t always been easy for the Irish. For some it was a shock. And integration wasn’t always the done thing. For the English weren’t always keen on us. In the ’70s The Troubles brought inconceivable horror and suffering to the streets of Birmingham. There were consequences for the local Irish. A Very British History: Birmingham Irish I Am, BBC 2022
According to the 1951 census there were about 36,000 Irish-born people living in Birmingham. 10 years later that number had increased by more than 20,000. ibid.
In 1952 the Birmingham St Patrick’s Day Parade was founded. It was the first of its kind in Britain. ibid.
Prejudice and racism shift from them to the new migrants. ibid.
Birmingham: An estate to the west of the city centre, Ladywood & Newtown. Over 11% of Birmingham’s population claims benefits, more than twice the national rate. Ed Stafford, 60 Days on the Estates II
Ladywood was built between 1950s and 1970s. It’s a mix of high and low rise buildings. Holds around a 1,000 homes. ibid.
Lady night in Hansworth there was a drive-by shooting at a funeral. ibid.