Birmingham Archives & Collections

ALT A photograph of an allotment. A large pool in the foreground with vegetation around it. A circle of stones on the far left of the photo demarcating an area of cultivation. A shed behind this in the far left of the photo with a tree behind it. A row of stones in the top right of the photograph. A considerably raised area behind this with a house on top of the raised point.

ALT A photographic portrait of a female figure. She is wearing a large brimmed hat with a flower design on it. Her clothing consists of a shirt with collars and what appears to be a tie. She is dressed in a heavy winter coat with a large fur collar.

ALT Front cover of a pamphlet. Title is Smethwick – Integration or Racialism? Text at the bottom reads A CCARD Publication on the left and the word Price on the right.

ALT A map - a series of named streets and roads in Birmingham city centre. Title in the top right - Birmingham Oct 1889. An architectural diagram of the Grand Theatre below this and a compass below that. Properties on the street are generally named and have house numbers. Some colour shading at certain parts of the map.

ALT An illustration of a multi storey building with numerous windows and the facia of the Malt Shovel Inn between the top and middle tier of windows above the entrance. A second property on the left with the sign Wine & Spirit Vault above the entrance. People walking by on the pavement. A cart in the street in the mid – bottom of the illustration with figures unloading a barrel.

ALT A group portrait of four male figures. The two in the foreground are seated and the two behind standing. Their attire is the traditional frock coat and suit of the late nineteenth century. The décor in the background is also of the period. The two seated figures and the figure standing on the left are of African heritage. The figure standing on the right is Caucasian. He is wearing spectacles.

ALT The front cover of a programme for a concert performance by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf at Birmingham Town Hall on 13 October 1975 at 7.30 pm. Photograph of the opera singer at the top of the programme and details of the performance below this.

ALT The front cover of a programme for a performance by Paul Robeson at Birmingham Town Hall on Saturday 21st May 1949. Below this is a photographic portrait of Paul Robeson. Beneath this is biographical detail about Paul Robeson. The price of the programme is at the bottom.

ALT Two books stood on a box. Title of the book is a History of Parish Registers in England & Wales : From the Restoration to Registration. Author’s name – John Wintrip beneath this. Below is a photograph of a church. Office scene behind the book - comprising of a desk and shelving behind it. A window in the far right of the photo.

ALT A coloured plate - an arts & crafts frame around the plate. Text at the top of the plate reads - staircase window. Text at the bottom reads Chance Brothers, 1867. An ornate design chiefly consisting of images of flora and fauna. A rhombus in the centre of the illustration. Inside the shape is a relief of a female figure, possibly a mythical deity. She is holding a long garland in her left hand and has another in her lap. A large billowy cape is across her shoulders.

ALT An aerial photograph looking down at the tops of several tents. One larger tent is in the top centre and another on the left of the photograph. Four smaller tents are on the right of the photo. The tops of a row of stalls are in the foreground of the photograph. Figures can be seen at different points in between the tents and stalls.

ALT A newspaper article. A large photograph on the right of the article of a woman stood outside of a travel agent holding travel brochures. Beneath this, a smaller photo of the same woman, only younger stood outside of a shop window. Headline at the top of the page reads - Supermum is Going Places. The main text of the article is on the left of the page.

ALT Two handwritten pages of a volume. The pages are in tabular form. A year is written in the top left corner of each page. The first column records a date, the second a name and the third and fourth numbers.

ALT A map. A series of numbered plots divided by streets and roads. A compass to the right of the plots in the bottom right of the map. The title of the map is in the top right of the map - Birmingham Freehold Land Society, Handsworth Estates, being the 46th estate purchased by the society.

ALT Front cover of a pamphlet - title in the top right corner is Movement of the Jah People. Beneath is a graphic consisting of the colours of the Jamaican flag presented as three lines running horizontally across the page. Subtitle at the very bottom of the page is The Growth of the Rastafarians.

ALT Front cover of a volume. Words at the top read Borough of Sutton Coldfield 1906. An embossed central section with the words General District Rate Book in the centre. The words Vol. 2 at the bottom of the front cover.

ALT Front cover of a book with a photograph of Benjamin Zephaniah stood at a microphone stand. Beneath this are the words Benjamin Zephaniah and Dis Poetry : selected poems & lyrics.

ALT Front cover of a trade catalogue for the New Hudson 3 – Speed Motorcycle. The cover is divided into panels. The top panel is an illustration of a motor cyclist on the open road being watched by bystanders. Beneath this is another panel containing the words – The New Hudson Cycle Co. Ltd. Below this are three illustrative panels of a factory sketched from above. Either side are details of factory addresses.

ALT Birmingham Council House in the background of the photo - a grand Victorian civic building in a Renaissance Palace and Classical Revival style. A columned entrance with a balconied top and a dome. Pedestrians stood alongside the building in the bottom left of the photo. A statue dedicated to Sir Robert Peel in front of the building with a horse and cart to the left. Construction debris to the right and in front of the statue.

ALT The front cover of a book. A graphic illustration of a vortex - spirals in the background. The foreground is occupied by three figures stood upside down with their legs and arms parted. The vortex spirals cut through their bodies. A star between the two figures in the top half of the illustration and two larger stars on either side of the figure in the bottom half of the illustration.

ALT A book stood on a box – front cover facing on. Title of the book is Prosser The Engineer : A Forgotten Birmingham Genius. Painting of the bust of a male figure between the title and the author’s name. Office scene behind the book - two desks. The desk on the right has books on it. Shelving behind the desks. A window in the far left of the photo.