Had a look around one of Birmingham’s oldest surviving buildings, The Golden Lion in Cannon Hill Park, before the restoration work begins. Dating back to the late 16th century (c.1570–1590) and originally built in Deritend High Street, it is thought to have served as a guild hall linked to St John’s Chapel, later becoming a clergy house, school, tannery, and by the 18th century, a pub named The Golden Lion. By the early 20th century, road widening threatened its survival. In 1911, the Birmingham Archaeological Society dismantled it piece by piece and rebuilt it in Cannon Hill Park, where it became a refreshment room and cricket pavilion. The following year, in 1912, suffragettes attempted to burn it down during their campaign for votes for women, causing fire damage to the timber frame. The building fell into disuse in the late 20th century and has stood derelict for over 20 years. It is now Grade II-listed, but fenced off and in poor condition. In 2023, a grant of £32,000 funded a det...
Herbert Manzoni isn’t exactly a household name—unless your nan's house was knocked down to make way for a ring road. But there’s no denying the mark he left on the city. Born in 1899, Manzoni trained as a civil engineer before becoming Birmingham’s City Engineer in 1935 and Planning Officer in 1938. With war damage, traffic chaos, and outdated housing pressing down on the city, he saw a rare opportunity to start over. “ Herbert always had a ruler in one hand and the future in the other.” — Charles Bird, Assistant Engineer, Birmingham City Council (1971) Manzoni believed in mobility, efficiency, and clean modern living. Victorian Birmingham, with its cramped back-to-backs and narrow streets, didn’t meet his brief. During his tenure as Birmingham City Engineer and Surveyor (1935–1963), and with housing a major focus of urban redevelopment, he spearheaded some of the most significant and controversial projects in Birmingham’s modern history. His belief that "The slum cannot be...