New Street, Birmingham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the railway station, see Birmingham New Street Station
New Street is a street in central Birmingham, England (grid reference SP069867). It is one of the city's principal thoroughfares and shopping streets. Named after it is Birmingham New Street Station, although that does not have an entrance on New Street except through the Pallasades Shopping Centre.
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[edit] History
New Street is mentioned in a deed dated back to 1398 which makes it one of the oldest streets in the city.
The street underwent large development during the 18th and 19th century and in an 1840s guide, shortly after the building of the Town Hall it is described as "the Bond Street of Birmingham; what with its glittering array of shops, its inns; its fine Elizabethan School, its School of Arts, its Theatre, its Post-office, it gives the ton to that part of the town."
[edit] Lost buildings
- King Edward's School (Originally the Guild of the Holy Cross. Rebuilt twice on this site and then moved to Edgbaston)
- The Hen and Chickens Inn, which was replaced by King Edward VI High School for Girls, also demolished and moved to Edgbaston
- The Theatre Royal (1774 - 1956)
- The Birmingham Society of Artists, which had a prominent Greek Doric portico jutting into the street (Demolished, rebuilt in a more conventional style, 1822. Royal Birmingham Society of Artists subsequently moved to near St Paul's Square)
- Christ Church, 1805-1899, a church located in what is now Victoria Square.
- Colonnade Hotel, a conglomerate of buildings some of which remain however many have been demolished.
[edit] Today
Birmingham Town Hall, the old Post Office building, Victoria Square and Antony Gormley's Iron: Man are at the western end. The Bull Ring shopping area and the Rotunda are at the eastern end. In 1974, one of the Birmingham pub bombings took place in a pub in its ground floor.
New Street today is entirely pedestrianised and closed to general traffic although commercial vehicles are still permitted to enter. It is a popular shopping area which provides a busy link from Corporation Street to the newly built Bull Ring Shopping Centre.
Every Christmas a market forms on the street which is an extension to the Frankfurt market of Victoria Square. The markets on the street are often wooden huts selling items such as jewellery or clothing. The Christmas decorations once put up mainly on New Street however have now been re-routed to the Bull Ring Shopping Centre as it is now the main attraction. During the rest of the year, a farmers' market occurs on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
The Burlington Hotel, formerly known as the Midland Hotel, is located next to the Waterstone's bookstore. The Burlington Arcade, the front area to the Burlington Hotel, underwent a renovation under the design of Malcolm Payne architects who designed a glass roof to cover the area which was once known as Burlington Passage. The lettering of the Midland Hotel is still visible however on the rear of the building fronting Stephenson Street.
In 2004 a tourist information centre was constructed in the middle of the street opposite the Waterstones store. The construction caused problems with the pedestrian traffic however no substantial problems occurred.
