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![Digbeth Police Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Digbeth_Police_Station.jpg)
Digbeth is an area of Central
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Following the destruction of the
Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham City Centre, also known as Central Birmingham and often known locally as town, is the central business district of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is now defined as being the area wi ...
. As part of the
Big City Plan
The Big City Plan is a major development plan for the city centre of Birmingham, England.
Stage 2 of the Big City Plan, the City Centre Masterplan was launched on 29 September 2010. This masterplan sets out how the city centre of Birmingham will ...
, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into apartments, retail premises, offices and arts facilities. The district is considered to be Birmingham's 'Creative Quarter'.
History
![Digbeth (etching)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Digbeth_%28etching%29.jpg)
The modern site of Digbeth was first settled upon in the 7th century. Historically the land to the west of the river was in the parish of Birmingham. This is Digbeth. The land to the east was in the more significant parish of
Aston, and is called
Deritend
Deritend is a historic area of Birmingham, England, built around a crossing point of the River Rea. It is first mentioned in 1276. Today Deritend is usually considered to be part of Digbeth.
History
Deritend was a crossing point of the River R ...
. Birmingham's oldest secular building,
The Old Crown, is there.
The area around Digbeth and Deritend was the first centre of industry in Birmingham and became one of the most heavily industrialised areas in the town. This may have been due to Henry Bradford who in 1767 donated land on Bradford Street to anyone willing to establish a trade there. The street soon prospered and there were over twenty public houses on it catering to its workers. Today there are just two;
The White Swan and
The Anchor.
The amount of manufacturing in Digbeth made it of national importance. Industry was attracted to the area as a result of the supply of water from the River Rea and from the
natural spring
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fres ...
s in the area.
[Birmingham City Council: Heritage – Digbeth](_blank)
Digbeth was accessed by the
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
and the
Digbeth Branch Canal
The Digbeth Branch Canal in Birmingham, England is a short canal which links the mainline of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Aston Junction and the Grand Union Canal at Digbeth Junction (or historically, at the adjacent Warwick Bar) in ...
in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Railways also arrived in Digbeth in the 19th century by the
Great Western Railway. The mainline passed through Digbeth via a large railway viaduct built out of
Staffordshire blue brick
Staffordshire blue brick is a strong type of construction brick, originally made in Staffordshire, England.
The brick is made from the local red clay, Etruria marl, which when fired at a high temperature in a low-oxygen reducing atmospher ...
, and into
Snow Hill station via the
Snow Hill Tunnel. As traffic at Snow Hill increased,
Moor Street station was built as another terminus to relieve congestion, with an additional goods shed to serve the nearby markets. The goods shed was eventually demolished, but the station still in use for services to
London Marylebone
Marylebone station ( ) is a Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone and is the southern te ...
. Near the
Bordesley station, this mainline viaduct meets the incomplete Bordesley Viaduct, which passes over the Digbeth Canal but stops abruptly at Montague Street. This was intended to link the
Birmingham & Oxford Junction Railway to
Curzon Street station, but it was ascertained when construction was about two thirds complete that trains would not be able to serve Curzon Street Station. Once new mainlines were built into Snow Hill and
New Street, construction on the viaduct stopped and it has remained unused since. Bridges over the roads have been removed. There are plans to turn the upper surface into an "elevated park", similar to the former New York High Line which is now a park and walking route.
![Devonshire Works, Birmingham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Devonshire_Works%2C_Birmingham.JPG)
Industry that settled in Digbeth include the
Birmingham Battery and Metal Company
The Birmingham Battery and Metal Company was founded in 1836 with a factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.
The company did not make batteries, but the use of the word battery in the name refers to a method of metal production and forming (which had lar ...
which moved to
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harborn ...
around 1876, and
Typhoo Tea
Typhoo (sometimes stylized as Ty•Phoo) is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1903 by John Sumner Jr. of Birmingham, England.
History
In 1863, William Sumner published ''A Popular Treatise on Tea'' as a by-product ...
who had a factory on Bordesley Street which was in use from 1896 till 1978.
[Heritage: Digbeth Tuck Trail]
The now-disused factory has its own
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
basin connected to the Digbeth Branch Canal. The Typhoo Tea building, also known as the S Rose & Co Building, is a four-storey building, blue brick at the front (Bordesley Street) and red brick to the rear. Currently vacant, it was previously used as a warehouse.
Committee Report: Typhoo Wharf (C/00261/05/FUL)
/ref> It is soon to become the new HQ for the BBC in the region. Another food industry that settled in Digbeth was Alfred Frederick Bird's custard company that produced a form of custard that did not use eggs. This was invented by his father, Alfred Bird. The factory was set up in the Devonshire Works in 1902 on the High Street. The complex expanded and is now an arts centre. The Devonshire Works themselves are to be refurbished.
Part of the Custard Factory complex is the Deritend Library, Birmingham's oldest surviving library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
building. The library opened on 26 October 1866 and was the third free district library to open in Birmingham. The library re-opened in 1898 following enlargement as a result of its popularity. Deritend Library closed on 16 November 1940. In 2003, it was opened as a conference centre
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
and exhibition space. It is the only building of the original five free Birmingham libraries still standing.
The library building is located on Heath Mill Lane, which, along with Floodgate Street, provide information on the character of pre-industrial Digbeth. The River Rea once flowed unaffected by human development through Digbeth, cutting both the High Street and Floodgate Street in two. The 'Floodgates' were used when the river flooded. Heath Mill Lane meanwhile was named after the watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
used for grinding corn which had stood there since the 16th century. The River Rea is now hidden from view. Digbeth also had an abundance of natural spring
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fres ...
s which were gradually built upon as industry moved into the area. The existence of these springs and wells in the area are reflected in the street names such as Well Street.
One of Digbeth's most recognisable buildings, the former Bonser & Co. warehouse at 85 Digbeth, was built around 1860. It was built for the Bonser & Co. firm of iron merchants and consists of a short entrance tower fronting onto Digbeth High Street. The tower, being small, was designed to take up as little shop frontage space on the street as possible but also to break the monotony of the small buildings around it. On the ground floor is a semi-circular arch and a segmental arch on the first floor. In the pitched roof is a slight upward curve.
Other notable buildings in Digbeth, include the now-defunct The Clothing Mart operated by George Makepeace
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
at 135-6 Digbeth which was designed by James Patchett
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
of Ombersley
Ombersley is a village and civil parish in Wychavon district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Holt Fleet, where Telford's 1828 Holt Fleet Bridge crosses the River Severn. The 2011 census recorded a ...
. Built in 1913, it is a steel framed structure with a mixture of façade materials. The façade consists of bright red brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
and orange terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
. The building is no longer used by George Makepeace and has changed hands, undergoing a variety of uses. Several aspects of its original architecture have been lost including a first floor iron balcony, above which electric lanterns with hooded lenses from two iron holders that remain. Either side of these were iron and glass lamps resembling Medici goblets. The orange pilasters sit on a key stone and pedimented blocks set with round pink granite stones and the parapet is of green glazed terracotta.
And Birmingham's only Rowton Houses
Rowton Houses was a chain of hostels built in London, England, by the Victorian philanthropist Lord Rowton to provide decent accommodation for working men in place of the squalid lodging houses of the time.
George Orwell, in his 1933 book ''D ...
, now known as the Paragon Hotel.
Digbeth was also of importance in 19th century transport with many coaches and carriers terminating at inns there. Inns that were particularly popular as such locations were The White Hart, the Red Lion, and The Bull's Head. This transport history is reflected in the creation of Digbeth Coach Station (now Birmingham Coach Station
Birmingham Coach Station (formerly Digbeth Coach Station) is a major coach interchange in Digbeth, Birmingham, England offering services to destinations throughout the island of Great Britain and also to Belfast and Dublin. National Express, the ...
), which was built in 1929 by .
In the second half of the 19th century, an Italian quarter began to develop in the Fazeley Street area of Digbeth, with many immigrants from Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
settling in the area. However, this community was largely broken up in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
due to the damage of buildings from the Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
, as well as many Italian residents being held in internment camps due to the fact that Italy was an enemy to Britain in this conflict.
Digbeth has two conservation areas: Digbeth, Deritend, and Bordesley High Streets Conservation Area and the Warwick Bar Conservation Area. Both conservation areas are alongside each other. The Digbeth, Deritend, and Bordesley High Streets Conservation Area was designated on 31 May 2000 and has an area of 28.68 Ha (70.86 acres), covering all of Digbeth. The Warwick Bar Conservation Area was designated on 25 June 1987 and has an area of 16.19 Ha (40.00 acres). It extends outside of Digbeth, along the Digbeth Branch Canal through Eastside. These days Digbeth is often considered to include Deritend.
Etymology
The name Digbeth is derived from "dig path". However, Digbeth is also believed to have originally been called 'Duck's bath' in reflection of the water supply in the area. It has also been suggested that it comes from "dragon's breath", referring to air pollution during the industrial revolution.
Present day
The 21st century has seen huge growth in the area, with numerous housing developments and regeneration of former industrial buildings. The redevelopment of the Custard Factory
The Custard Factory is a creative and digital business workspace complex, including independent shops, cafes and bars, on the site of what was the Bird's Custard factory off High Street, Deritend, in the Digbeth area of central Birmingham, Engl ...
, once home to Bird's Custard
Bird's Custard is the brand name for the original powdered, egg-free imitation custard powder, now owned by Premier Foods. Custard powder and instant custard powder are the generic product names for similar and competing products. The product ...
, began at the turn of the century. The Custard Factory now plays host to workspaces for 400 small businesses, predominantly tech, digital and creative SMEs. The complex also plays host to a number of bars and restaurants, an arcade, the Mockingbird Cinema, a hairdressers, a gallery, and The Old Library, a multi-purpose event space. Across the road from the Custard Factory is Birmingham Coach Station
Birmingham Coach Station (formerly Digbeth Coach Station) is a major coach interchange in Digbeth, Birmingham, England offering services to destinations throughout the island of Great Britain and also to Belfast and Dublin. National Express, the ...
which is operated by National Express
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
, Britain's largest express coach network.
In February 2022, Steven Knight, the creator of Digbeth-set television series Peaky Blinders
The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, rack ...
, announced the development of the Digbeth Loc Studios, within the Warwick Bar
The Warwick Bar conservation area is a conservation area in Birmingham, England which was home to many canalside factories during the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
It is named after the Warwick Bar and later ...
area of the district. In the announcement, it was revealed that long-running television cooking competition MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with the UK version in July 1990. The format was revived and updated for the BBC in February 2005 by executive producers Roddam and John ...
would record from the studios from 2024. Knight also announced that the studios, and the wider Digbeth area, would be the filming location for an upcoming Peaky Blinders film, with filming due to commence in 2023.
The BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
announced, in August 2022, the move of their Birmingham operations to the disused
Typhoo Tea
Typhoo (sometimes stylized as Ty•Phoo) is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1903 by John Sumner Jr. of Birmingham, England.
History
In 1863, William Sumner published ''A Popular Treatise on Tea'' as a by-product ...
factory complex from their existing base in Birmingham's
Mailbox. Productions set to move to Digbeth include local broadcasts such as Midlands Today and
BBC Radio WM, as well as national services
Newsbeat
''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically yo ...
and
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
.
The influx of creatives and media organisations to the area, along with a surge in pop-up shops, craft beer venues and street art has led to frequent comparisons with the London district of
Shoreditch. In a 2018 survey conducted by
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
, Digbeth was rated as the 'Coolest Neighbourhood in Britain'.
Irish Quarter
Digbeth has historically had very close links with the Irish community of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, and in recent years has increasingly been referred to as 'the Irish Quarter'. Significant Irish immigration to Birmingham began following the
Irish Famine
The Great Famine ( ga, an Gorta Mór ), also known within Ireland as the Great Hunger or simply the Famine and outside Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a h ...
of the 1840s, with the majority emigrating from the counties of
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...
,
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
, and
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
. Further waves of immigration followed, most notably during and after the Second World War. The need to rebuild infrastructure, and the growth of municipal transport both led to a significant number of job opportunities. The Midland Red and Birmingham Bus Corporation's centre in Dublin attracted more Irish workers than any other transport department in Britain.
The Irish Welfare and Information Centre was established on Moat Row in 1957 providing information on housing, employment and socialising to the community. In 1967, the Irish Development Association founded the Irish Community Centre on Digbeth High Street, which became a focal point for Irish immigrants and the Irish diaspora.
Later being sold to private owners and renamed 'The Irish Centre', it was closed and demolished in 2020, with the most recent owners opening what they claim to be a "New Irish Centre" in
Kings Heath
Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King's Heath) is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, four miles south of the city centre. Historically in Worcestershire, it is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road. ...
. It was originally planned that an Irish Centre would be rebuilt as part of a large regeneration project named Connaught Square, first proposed in 2007. The developers behind the scheme, Naus Group, were a victim of the
2008 recession and the plans were sold on to developers SevenCapital in 2014. After revised plans were submitted, planning permission was granted by
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom ...
in 2019.
The area contains a number of
Irish pubs
An Irish pub is an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. Irish pubs are characterised by a unique culture centred around a casual and friendly atmosphere, hearty food and drink, Irish sports, and tr ...
, notably Hennessy's, Norton's, and Cleary's, all regularly hosting traditional Irish music concerts; alongside The Spotted Dog, The Big Bull's Head and The Kerryman. Many other pubs that once catered to the Irish community remain in existence attracting wider audiences, including The White Swan, The Old Crown and The Anchor.
While living in the city, renowned Irish singer
Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly (17 November 1940 – 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens and by his early 20s had become i ...
met Scottish folk singer
Ian Campbell with the two regularly playing at the Jug of Punch folk club, which operated in both The Big Bull's Head and Digbeth Civic Hall (now the
Digbeth Institute
The O2 Institute (originally known as the Digbeth Institute) is a music venue located in Birmingham, England. The venue opened in 1908 as a mission of Carrs Lane Congregational Church. It has also served as an event centre, civic building and ...
).
The traditional
St Patrick's Day parade, which began in Birmingham city centre in 1952 before going on hiatus in 1974, has been held in Digbeth since 1996,
attracting crowds of up to 100,000 visitors, making it the largest event of its kind in the country and the third largest in the world.
Further reading
* Bayer, O, Herring, P, Lane, R and Roethe, J, ''Digbeth and Deritend, Birmingham, West Midlands: Outline Historic Area Assessment'' (Swindon: Historic England, 2018
References
External links
birmingham.gov.uk/eastsideDigbeth.orgIrish QuarterBirmingham's Industrial History Website
{{Authority control
Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands
Irish diaspora in England