I HAVE little choice but to like Birmingham: my wife hails from the city and my in-laws here would scarce forgive me if I didn’t. To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan at first, but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate the charms of England’s second city, not least its unflinching determination not to play second fiddle.
Birmingham’s ambition blasted across our TV screens last year when it hosted a highly successful Commonwealth Games. I wasn’t surprised as every time I visit there are a range of massive events on at the city’s multitude of venues and there are cranes swirling around at yet another new project. There is always something going on.
The first time I visited the city centre in the late 1990s, my impressions were of a sprawl of fast A-roads, concrete, and rundown shops. It has been transformed since then with striking modern architecture, like the revamped Bullring with its landmark Selfridges and tarted-up Victoria Square. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, renowned for its pre-Raphaelite masterpieces, is currently being reborn too.
