Birmingham is a city in central England, founded in the 7th century and named after Beorma, a tribal leader in the area. Its location at the crossing of two major Roman roads made it an important trading centre in the Middle Ages.
Birmingham was also a major centre of the Industrial Revolution, with the development of factories, steam engines, and canals. This led to significant economic growth, making it one of the wealthiest cities in England. The city suffered significant damage during World War II but has since undergone extensive rebuilding and redevelopment.
Today, Birmingham is a vibrant and diverse cultural hub with a rich history. It’s the largest urban authority in Europe, and home to over a million people.
Photo of the Central Birmingham Library, 2010
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/with/4368091839/
The “Birmingham Family” statue
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/15554389317/
The W&B Canal
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/52399773158/
by Elliott Brown
Under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

“Birmingham Forward” statue photograph by Ricsrailpics
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16749798@N08/8634630553/
Broad Street, Birmingham by Stacey Harris
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Broad_Street,_Birmingham#/media/File:Broad_Street,_Birmingham_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1944476.jpg
Under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Burne-Jones stained glass by Phil McIver
https://www.flickr.com/photos/philmciver/30239927718/
Under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Generic
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

Incidental Music:
“Venomous Bead”
Sergei Rachmaninov, “2nd Piano Concerto” (extract)
Camille Saint-Saens, “Samson and Delilah” (extract)
Arthur Wood, “Barwick Green”