Do This
Visit the Pen Museum
Thursday - Saturday 11am - 4pm, Sunday 12pm - 4pm
The Argent Centre, 60 Frederick Street, B1 3HS
It’s said that during the 19th century, there was a period where Birmingham made three quarters of the worlds pens. Crazy, right? 129 companies employed around 8,000 workers and this museum lets you discover the story of the City’s pen trade and its industrial development for yourself.
Learn through interactive displays, events and activities - we went the other day and loved making our own pen nib using the same machinery once operated by the 19th century workers! 😮
After more ideas? Check out our city guide!
Picture This
The Holte End at Villa Park, taken early in the 20th century.
It’s remarkable how football grounds have developed over time. New stadiums like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while fine examples of modern design and architecture, lack something of the chaos and charm of these old grounds.
Villa Park has been renovated numerous times since this was taken, standing stalls have been swapped for seats and the pitch is no doubt in better condition. But it’s the same Holte End, and there’s an admirable magic to that.
Villa fans, what’s you earliest memory of visiting Villa Park? Blues fans, hold off from sending us angry replies... there's something for you lined up in a future Bulletin!
Consider This
Listen to this podcast discuss Malcom X's visit to Smethwick in 1965
In February 1965, just 9 days before he was assassinated, Malcom X visited Marshall Street in Smethwick amid rapidly growing racial tension in the area.
This episode of The History Hotline details the extreme racism that Black and Asian communities faced in this period in particular and how such an influential figure played witness during his unexpected arrival in the city.
Hearing archive recordings of local residents was distressing, but I found them very important to help recognise the severity of the situation at the time, and how it shaped our city as it is today.
The conversational approach was engaging and gave a detailed snapshot of life in 1960s Birmingham in just over 30 minutes.
