Then and Now Images - B1 Postcode

Some locations that were on this page: Broad Street, Cambridge Street, Centenary Square, Kingston Row.

The tower block in the upper image is Bridge House, designed by John Maddin, and built in 1965, it is located on the corner of Gas Street and Broad Street. The spire is that of the Unitarian Church of the Messiah – the church was demolished in 1978.In the lower image the 24-story Hyatt hotel - opened in July 1990 almost obscures the building that was Bridge House – Bridge House was renamed Quayside Tower in 2003.
In the middle of the lower image is The International Convention Centre (ICC) incorporating Symphony Hall - that was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991. On the right is Birmingham Repertory Theatre, that was built and opened in 1971. In the foreground, to the left, is part of the wall that surrounds The Hall of Memory.
Upper Image: Author - Phyllis Nicklin, Copyright - MLA West Midlands and the University of Birmingham.
Upper Image Date: 24/09/1968.
Lower Image Date: 27/04/2026.

Hall of Memory Gardens – In the upper image the colonnade was removed, and rebuilt in the Peace Garden by the ruins of Saint Thomas’s - on the corner of Bath Row and Granville Street c1990.
Just behind the colonnade is Bingley Hall, that was destroyed by fire in 1984.
The spire that is visible is that of The Church of the Messiah on Broad Street, the church was demolished in 1978.
The lower image shows The International Convention Centre (ICC) incorporating Symphony Hall, that was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991.
On the right is Birmingham Repertory Theatre, that was built and opened in 1971, and on the farthest right is the Birmingham Library – opened on 03 September 2013.
Upper Image: Author - John Ball, Copyright - John Ball.
Upper Image Date: 1959.
Lower Image Date: 08/04/2026.

Hall of Memory - Built to commemorate the fallen of the First World War (1914-1918). The foundation stone was laid in 1923; it was completed and unveiled on 04 July 1925. It is a Grade 1 listed building.
Upper Image: Author - John Ball, Copyright - John Ball.
Upper Image Date: May 1959.
Lower Image Date: 27/04/2026.

This building was the Municipal Bank, now it's The Exchange

Birmingham Municipal Bank – The Exchange
The Birmingham Municipal Bank (BMB) started life in Edmund Street on 01st September 1919.
This building was opened on 27th November 1933 as the new headquarters to the BMB.
In 1976 it became the Trustee Savings Bank (TSB). In 1998, the bank closed its doors at this branch, and the building lay empty – except for the occasional art exhibition, and a backdrop for film and T.V.
In 2018, the University of Birmingham purchased this Grade II listed building and converted it into The Exchange – a coffee bar and eatery, as well as providing room for conferences and public exhibitions.
Upper Image: Author - John Ball, Copyright - John Ball.
Upper Image Date: 1966.
Lower Image Date: 06/05/2026.

Broad Street, With The Church of The Messiah

All of the buildings in the upper image have been demolished, except for The Crown Inn and The Brasshouse bar/restaurant, The Church of the Messiah, which was in between the two, was demolished in 1978. The structure that is causing the shadow in the foreground of the lower image is a walkway that connects The Hyatt Hotel with the Internation Convention Centre (ICC).
Upper Image: Author, and copyright status not known.
Upper Image Date: Not Known.
Lower Image Date: 08/04/2026.

The Prince of Wales Public House on Cambridge Street. Built 1854.
Upper Image: Author, and copyright status not known.
Upper Image Date: Not Known, possibly 1960's.
Lower Image Date: 27/04/2026.

Kingston Row, these houses were built during the early nineteenth century. In the image on the right, the first house in this row is number 2, but looking at ordinance survey maps from around 1950, this house was number 5, with number 1 being the one that is at the other end of this row. The house at the end overlooks the Birmingham canal.
Left Image: Author - Phyllis Nicklin, Copyright - MLA West Midlands and the University of Birmingham.
Left Image Date: 24/04/1967.
Right Image Date: 27/04/2026.

The Brasshouse bar and restaurant on Broad Street

The Brasshouse - Built in 1781, this building is the only remaining part of a brass foundry that was built to manufacture brass in Birmingham, this was to halt the need to transport raw brass from elsewhere. It is now a bar and restaurant, one of many along Broad Street. The uppper image shows what was a brewery in the background, that was demolished (along with other buildings) to make way for Symphony Hall (lower picture).
Upper Image: Author, and Copyright status not known.
Upper Image Date: Not known - possibly early 1980's.
Lower Image Date: 09/05/2018.