Editing Broad Street, Birmingham

{{Short description|Major thoroughfare and popular nightspot centre in Central Birmingham, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
[[File:Broad Street, Birmingham.jpg|thumb|Broad Street in [[Birmingham]] in April 2005]]
'''Broad Street''' is a major [[thoroughfare]] and popular [[Nightclub|nightspot]] centre in [[Birmingham City Centre|Central Birmingham]], [[England]]. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the [[Birmingham Inner Ring Road|Inner Ring Road]], Broad Street has been incorporated into the new [[Westside, Birmingham|Westside]] district of the city centre due to its position within the [[A4540 road]].

Broad Street is also the centre of Birmingham's banking and financial centre.  It can boast region head offices of [[Lloyds Banking Group]], [[Royal Bank of Scotland]], [[Deutsche Bank]], [[HSBC]] and many other banking organisations.  More than 15,000 people are employed in this sector, in this area of Birmingham.

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Broad Street from the western end print contrast.jpg|thumb|A print from an 1894 book showing the former Presbyterian church and now demolished Church of the Messiah (on Broad Street Tunnel)]]
[[File:Baskerville House from Broad Street, Birmingham.jpg|thumb|[[Baskerville House]] in 2007]]
In the 1500s, the area which is now known as Broad Street was made up of several schools and [[guild]]s such as The Biddles/Free School, Colmore, Shillon/Smallbrooke Guild/School, Billwiggler Croft and [[Bingley Hall|Byngas Hall]] which was later to become a home for the [[Lloyds Bank]] family and subsequently [[Bingley Hall]] and then [[Symphony Hall, Birmingham|Symphony Hall]]/ICC after Bingley Hall burned down.

In the 1750s, Broad Street was an unnamed country path that ran across Easy Hill from Bewdley Street (now [[Victoria Square, Birmingham|Victoria Square]]) and Swinford Street (now the top end of [[New Street, Birmingham|New Street]]) to [[Five Ways, Birmingham|Five Ways]] and on to [[Stourbridge]] and [[Bewdley]].

However, in the following years, Easy Hill began to develop with the construction of a house by [[John Baskerville]], a local printer and type-face designer. This led to the widening of the street which passed in front of his house. The path was soon removed and an established street was added that ran to the border of [[Edgbaston]] and, as a result of its widening, it was named Broad Street.

[[St Martin in the Bull Ring|St Martin's Church]] owned land on the southern end of Broad Street, at what is now Five Ways, and began to develop the land in 1773 after the passing of an [[Act of Parliament]]. The {{convert|22|acre|adj=on}} site was developed into an estate known as the 'Six Closes' or the 'Islington Estate' (named after Islington Row which bounded the south of the site). [[The Crown Inn, Birmingham|The Crown Inn]] was built in 1781, and survives in modified form.<ref name="Foster">{{Cite book| publisher = Yale University Press| isbn = 9780300107319| last = Foster| first = Andy| title = Birmingham: Pevsner Architectural Guides| location = New Haven| year = 2005}}</ref> By 1795, several streets had been created according to Pye's map. One of the streets that remain from the development is Tennant Street, named after William Tennant who had the [[advowson]] of St Martin's Church. Development slowed as a result of overseas wars, but rapidly increased after the [[Battle of Waterloo]].

[[File:Hyatt Regency -Birmingham -UK.jpg|thumb|upright|Hyatt Regency Hotel]]

Land along the street also developed and became a well established neighbourhood as a result of the connections with industry and Edgbaston, an upmarket area. In the 19th century, well established industries were established along the canals at the northern end of the street and residential properties were built at the southern end. Churches of various denominations were also built along the stretch of Broad Street, such as the [[General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches|Unitarian]] [[Church of the Messiah, Birmingham|Church of the Messiah]], the [[Roman Catholic]] St Peter's Church, and the [[Anglican]] [[Immanuel Church, Birmingham|Immanuel Church]].{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

===Transformation===
[[File:The Library of Birmingham.jpg|thumb|right|The Library of Birmingham is on Broad Street]]
In the 1970s and 1980s, Broad Street was still very much a suburban high street. However, one prescient early manifestation of the street's future purpose as a fashionable partying district was the [[Rum Runner (nightclub)|Rum Runner]] nightclub, which from the late 1970s restyled itself after [[New York City]]'s [[Studio 54]] and later London's [[Blitz Kids|Blitz]] club. The club was best known as the original home base of major 1980s band [[Duran Duran]]. It was situated on the South side at the East end of the road from 1964 to 1987 when it was demolished.

During the 1990s, Broad Street was transformed into a dynamic convention, entertainment and [[nightlife]] quarter, centred on the [[International Convention Centre, Birmingham|International Convention Centre]], which opened in 1991.

The Broad Street area is home to numerous bars and restaurants, the [[Brindleyplace]] development and cultural attractions such as the [[Ikon Gallery]].

Three major [[radio station]]s - [[Free Radio]], [[Capital Birmingham]] and [[100.7 Heart FM]] - have their studios on the street. From 1969 to 1999 the area was a major national television production facility. The junction with Paradise Circus was home to the [[television studio|studios]] of former [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] companies [[Associated Television|ATV]] and [[Central Independent Television|Central]]; the studios (on the land between the [[Alpha Tower]] and the former [[Birmingham Municipal Bank]]) have since been demolished.

===Traffic and transport===
[[File:Broad Street, Birmingham, UK - 20130705.jpg|thumb|Traffic along Broad Street in July 2013]]

There is long standing concern over [[traffic congestion]] in the evenings when car drivers attracted by the nightlife are [[Cruising for sex|cruising]] the area. There was a proposal to ban cars during Friday and Saturday evenings<ref>[http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/04/03/call-to-ban-cars-from-birmingham-s-broad-street-in-peak-hour-97319-26165698/]; [http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-transport-news/2010/03/31/birmingham-s-broad-street-buses-to-be-axed-over-traffic-jams-65233-26143325/]</ref> and in 1998 there was a plan to ban cars every evening after 8.00 pm.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60718902.html |title=BROAD STREET CAR BAN PLAN; Nightlife. - Birmingham Evening Mail (England) &#124; HighBeam Research |website=www.highbeam.com |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106052158/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60718902.html |archive-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Broad Street is served by several [[National Express West Midlands]] bus routes.<ref>[http://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/places-to-visit/nights-out/birmingham/ Birmingham] ''National Express West Midlands''</ref> The road's only night bus service ceased in 2008.<ref>[http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/late-night-buses-in-broad-street-63168 Late night buses in Broad Street to be scrapped] ''Birmingham Mail''</ref>

The [[West Midlands Metro]] was extended along Broad Street to [[Five Ways tram stop|Five Ways]] between 2015 and 2019 with stops at [[Library tram stop|Birmingham Library]], [[Brindleyplace tram stop|Brindleyplace]] and Five Ways.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130616085953/http://www.centro.org.uk/newsroom/PressReleases/PressRelease58747.aspx]; [https://archive.today/20130616085904/http://www.centro.org.uk/metro/TWA/Bham_index.aspx]</ref> The proposed SPRINT [[bus rapid transit]] route between Birmingham and [[Quinton, Birmingham|Quinton]] would also serve Broad Street.<ref>[http://www.centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2014/sprint-to-make-birmingham-debut-on-broad-street-and-hagley-road/ Sprint plan unveiled between Birmingham and Quinton] ''centro''</ref>

==Buildings and other structures==
At its northern end is:

[[File:Blue Church, Broad Street, Birmingham.jpg|right|thumb|upright|The former [[Second Church of Christ Scientist, Birmingham|Second Church of Christ Scientist]], now a nightclub]]

*[[Centenary Square]], with
**[[Baskerville House]]
**[[Hall of Memory (Birmingham)|Hall of Memory]]
**[[Library of Birmingham]]
**The old Masonic Hall, later [[ITV Central|Central Television]] – ''(demolished 2008)''
**The [[Birmingham Municipal Bank]], the first municipal bank in the country, later Lloyds TSB, then bought by the council for redevelopment
**The [[Boulton, Watt and Murdoch]] statue
**The [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]]
**The [[International Convention Centre, Birmingham|International Convention Centre]] and [[Symphony Hall, Birmingham|Symphony Hall]]
[[File:266 Broad Street.jpg|right|thumb|266 Broad Street, a [[listed building|listed]] [[Martin & Chamberlain]] building built over the canal tunnel]]
* [[The Crown Inn, Birmingham|The Crown Inn]]
*A tunnel (with a [[grade II listed]] [[Martin & Chamberlain]] building built on it) over the [[BCN Main Line|BCN Main Line canal]] leading to [[Gas Street Basin]] and [[Brindleyplace]].
*[[Hyatt Regency Birmingham|Hyatt Regency Birmingham Hotel]].
*[[Quayside Tower]]
*[[Jury's Inn Birmingham|Jury's Inn hotel]]

The bridge crossing the Birmingham Canal was renamed the Black Sabbath Bridge in 2019, named after [[Black Sabbath|the rock group]] where all four members grew up in the local area.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3lpw8ll1po|title=World's eyes on Birmingham for Black Sabbath gig|work=BBC News|date=6 February 2025|accessdate=16 February 2025}}</ref> It includes a bench designed by fan Mohammed Osam, featuring avatars of the group members.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-47184096|title=Black Sabbath bench unveiled in Birmingham|work=BBC News|date=9 February 2019|accessdate=16 February 2025}}</ref>

===Walk of Stars===
{{see also|Birmingham Walk of Stars}}
[[File:Birmingham Walk of Stars Ozzy Osbourne.jpg|left|thumb|Star for [[Ozzy Osbourne]] on the canal bridge pavement]]
A 'Walk of Stars', similar to the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], runs along the pavement on Broad Street. [[Ozzy Osbourne]], of the [[Aston]] area of Birmingham, became the first person to be honoured when he had his brass star installed on 6 July 2007.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927110039/http://www.walkofstars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/OZZY_PRESS_RELEASE.pdf Ozzy Osbourne to be the first star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars]}} - Broad Street Business Improvement District press release, 17 May 2007</ref> Since then comedian [[Jasper Carrott]], glam rocker [[Noddy Holder]], motor racing commentator [[Murray Walker]], the cast and crew of [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[The Archers]]'', long serving ''Archers'' cast member Norman Painting and founding member of [[Black Sabbath]], [[Tony Iommi]] have all been honoured on the street with a star. Other famous local people nominated to do the same include [[Frank Skinner]], [[Cat Deeley]] and  [[Duran Duran]]  a group that at the start of the 1980s based themselves in the [[Rum Runner nightclub]] situated in Broad Street but which has subsequently been knocked down to make way for the Hyatt Hotel.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012073247/http://www.walkofstars.co.uk/?cat=1 Walk of Stars: Vote for stars]}}</ref>

===Future buildings===
Developments planned for the street include [[Broad Street Tower]], [[Regal Tower]], [[V Building]] and a redevelopment of [[Five Ways, Birmingham|Five Ways Shopping Centre]].

==See also==
{{Commons category|Broad Street, Birmingham}}
*[[Church of the Messiah, Birmingham]]
*[[Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Birmingham]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*''Brum and Brummies: Vol 2'' (Chapter 3: 'The Old End' - "''From Glebe Land to Working Class Heartland: The Bishopsgate Street Neighbourhood''", Page 65), [[Carl Chinn]], 2001, Brewin Books ({{ISBN|1-85858-202-4}})

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{{Streets in Birmingham}}

[[Category:Streets in Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Business improvement districts in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ladywood]]
[[Category:Centenary Square, Birmingham]]