Friday Photo: Birmingham Skyline

Today’s Friday photo is the view from atop the new BCU Curzon building on Cardigan Street taken during a local instameet. It is a perfect view to show the juxtaposition of many generations of Birmingham’s architectural history.

Centre stage you can see the Rotunda building; a grade II listed Modernist design by architect Jim Roberts, originally completed in 1965. In the foreground is the former entrance building to Curzon street station. Currently disused, it is grade I listed and opened in 1838. Originally there would have been wrought iron train sheds behind it, stretching towards the front of the photo, but they were demolished in 1966. To the right of the station entrance building you can just about see the red brick of The Woodman pub, purpose built beside the station by Ansells brewery in 1897, now Grade II listed and recently restored in 2013. It was designed by Birmingham architects James and Lister Lea who became famous for their ornate pubs.
These listed buildings contrast against the modern additions of the Cube; designed by Ken Shuttleworth and opened in 2010 and the sprayed concrete and aluminium disc facade of the Selfridges building completed in 2003, which won the 2004 RIBA award for Architecture. In all showcasing Birmingham as the architecturally rich city it is!