St Martin's Place - top of the range apartments in Birmingham city centre

St Martin's Place is very close topping out. From Seven Capital, it will soon become Birmingham’s first luxury hotel-serviced living residences offering a lifestyle option very rarely seen outside of the capital.

Click the link below to find out more about this exciting development.

In a booming city with a growing demand for top of the range city centre spec apartments, St Martin's Place goes above and beyond.

Brought forward by Seven Capital, designed by Building Design Group (BDG) and financed by Urban Exposure, St Martin's Place is exclusively aimed at the business professional.

Located between Broad Street and Tennant Street, the development sits close to key business locations of Brindleyplace, Arena Central and the Paradise redevelopment.

City centre living is rapidly on the rise, which goes hand in hand with how well Birmingham is performing. A big upturn in people desiring to live and play within the city centre has risen sharply, buoyed by new transport links, easy walking distances to their workplace & a plethora of amenities at their immediate disposal.

Standards of living are rising tenfold, interiors are being meticulously designed and apartments are becoming more and more spacious, and can actually lay claim to being called “luxurious”.

STEP FORWARD, ST MARTIN'S PLACE

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

Rising to 17 storeys, the building is very close to topping out, with internal works already underway.

Check these latest images from December 2019:

Photo by Metrogogo

Photo by Stephen Giles

& the latest from December 22nd & the 23rd:

Photo by Metrogogo

Photos by Daniel Sturley

Once complete in 2021, St Martin's Place will feature 228 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with a penthouse suite; all of which will benefit from full use of hotel services (spa, apartment cleaning, bar and restaurant) provided by the neighbouring four-star Park Regis Hotel.

Services within St. Martins will exclusively offer 24-hour concierge, bed-turning, dry cleaning & ironing services, with food and beverages able to be ordered via an exclusive hotel application. Snazzy.

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

There’s a private gym, communal WiFi lounge, cinema & a courtyard garden at podium level, providing an oasis of calm in an otherwise bustling, evolving city.

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

Artist Impression by BDG Architects

The development is scheduled for completion in and around Quarter 2, 2021.

For the busy business professional, St Martin’s Place will most certainly bring a welcome peace of mind to residents.

The Construction of One Centenary Way - December 2019

Following several months of extensive site clearance and enabling works, construction of One Centenary Way is now officially underway.

A piling rig is now busy on site.

Basement construction works will ramp up in 2020, followed by the frame construction, with a targeted completion date of autumn/winter 2021. 

Photo by Reiss Gordon Henry

Photos by Daniel Sturley

Selly Oak Park: the gem of a park off the Selly Oak Bypass

Selly Oak Park is located on Harborne Lane in Selly Oak. Sections of the Lapal Canal goes through the north east corner of the park (still to be fully restored). The Selly Oak Bypass (Aston Webb Boulevard) opened in 2011 and the Selly Oak Shopping Park in 2018. They are now building a new section of the bypass near the former Sainsbury's site at Selly Oak Triangle. Also on Gibbins Rd.

Selly Oak Park

This park is located on Harborne Lane and Gibbins Road in Selly Oak. It was developed under the Kings Norton and Northfield Urban District Council. Land was donated in February 1899 by members of the Gibbins family. The park was opened in April 1899 on Easter Monday. In 1911 the park was taken over by Birmingham City Council when Selly Oak became part of the city. More land was donated over the years. In 1913 and 1919 by the owners of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company (also Gibbins family members), in 1935 to give access to the Weoley Park Farm Estate. More land in 1950 by the Birmingham Battery & Metal Company (again). In 1958 some land was transferred to the City’s Public Works Committee. More recent land donations in 1980 and 1982.

The shelter built in 1899, the bandstand built in 1908 and the Daughters of Rest Pavilion built in 1953 have all since been demolished.

The park is now maintained by The Friends of Selly Oak Park. That includes all the wooden sculptures found around the park.

2012

My first walk around Selly Oak Park was during June 2012, testing out my then new camera (which I had until about December 2015). I probably entered from Harborne Lane and headed up the main path.

One of the main squirrels in the park, with a nut.

Saw this red wind funnel thing. There is similar funnels in other nearby parks.

A council lawnmower going around the park cutting the grass.

The trees were so lush and green in the summer, the path curving round to the right.

Another squirrel behind a tree.

Two paths amongst the trees.

Distant view of the red funnel.

2017

The next visit to Selly Oak Park was during January 2017. The Friends of Selly Oak Park had commissioned all of these new wooden sculptures which were worth checking out. On this side it says Lapal.

To the side Welcome. So probably "Welcome to Selly Oak Park". This is near Gibbins Road.

A carved wooden bench. In memory of Geoff Bartlett, Founder of Friends of Selly Oak Park.

Part of the playground. A climbing frame, and a ride along a rope with a tyre (I think).

Another wooden sculpture. Of deer or a kangeroo (probably a deer and it's cub).

A new Welcome to Selly Oak Park sign. It's near the car park off Harborne Lane and close to the corner with Gibbins Road.

2018

This visit during March 2018. View of the new outdoor gym.

Daffodils alongside a path.

Selly Oak Park Play Area. One of the many Birmingham City Council elephant signs that you would find in this and other City parks. Behind was a slide.

Daffodils around a tree.

Daffodils and crocuses. From here I headed up Gibbins Road towards Lodge Hill Cemetery. Weoley Castle is also nearby.

Happy New Year 2020. More park posts to come during 2020.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

West Midlands Metro tram in and out of Town Hall Tram Stop on the last weekend of the Birmingham FCM (December 2019)

The all blue West Midlands Metro trams are now running every day between Library and Wolverhampton St George's. Monday's to Saturday's every 6 minutes, and every 15 minutes on Sunday's. Heading up Pinfold Street as a tram heads down from Victoria Square. Also a pair of trams stopping at the new Town Hall Tram Stop. On the last weekend of the Frankfurt Christmas Market.

Starting with West Midlands Metro tram 19 at Grand Central Tram Stop, on the early evening of Wednesday 18th December 2019. The tram with the 20 Years livery (1999 - 2019). Passing here again on Saturday 21st December 2019, it was a bit too crowded for me. Noisy football fans coming out of the Burlington Arcade, and protesters walking past with placards on the opposite platform.

Heading up Pinfold Street nad I have finally managed to get some photos of a tram heading down the hill. West Midlands Metro tram 21 in Just Eat livery, now all blue, but still with the red adverts.

The last weekend of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market, it closes on Monday 23rd December 2019.

You can see the Big Brum clocktower from down here which is behind the Council House. It is completely pedestrianised up here.

Tram 21 turns left from Pinfold Street onto Stephenson Street, passing La Galleria and Yorks Cafe in the Guildhall Buildings.

Heading to the end of Paradise Street, as far as pedestrians are supposed to go, saw tram 29 with the reindeer name Cupid coming round Paradise Circus. With Centenary Square behind. Including the Birmingham Big Wheel and ice rink at Ice Skate Birmingham. The REP, Library of Birmingham, Hall of Memory and Baskerville House. HSBC UK at Arena Central on the left, while the site of One Centenary Way to the right.

Pedestrians are not supposed to walk beyond here, but some have ignoring the signs (can they not read?). Tram 29 continues to go round the corner with HSBC UK and the Birmingham Big Wheel seen behind.

Tram 29 Cupid heads onto Paradise Street. As a man with shopping walks beyond the point of no return for pedestrians. Behind you can still see the Big Wheel, Library, Hall of Memory and Baskerville House. Only trams are allowed to enter Paradise Street here. Not cars.

Heading past the Town Hall as tram 29 arrives at Town Hall Tram Stop. The Christmas tree at the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market is visible to the right.

Tram 22 Dasher arrives at platform 1 for Birmingham (Library) while tram 29 Cupid comes into platform 2, bound for Wolverhampton (St George's).

A view not possible a few years ago. Big Brum at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery with the Birmingham Town Hall. Seen from Paradise Street while the pair of trams were at Town Hall Tram Stop. And as a bonus, the core of 103 Colmore Row. Paradise Birmingham is to the left. That was where Fletchers Walk and the old Birmingham Conservatoire used to be until a few years ago. And there used to be a road that was part of Paradise Circus that is now long gone.

Another new view from the tram stop is of Colmore Gate and the dome of Birmingham Cathedral. Never expected to get those with a pair of West Midlands Metro blue trams.

Tram 22 Dasher continues it's journey towards Centenary Square. You can see it's destination in the background, the Library of Birmingham. The Alpha Tower is usually visible from the end of Paradise Street.

Tram 29 seen leaving Town Hall Tram Stop. Going through Victoria Square, then down Pinfold Street. As visitors to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market pass in and out of the square.

I will add to this post as it was not published on the 23rd December 2019.

The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market was dismantled between the 24th and 25th December 2019, and trams were running apart from on Christmas Day of course.

On Boxing Day, the 26th December 2019, at least two trams were broken down meaning no trams could go beyond Bull Street until they were removed.

On a miserable wet Boxing Day, tram 30 had broken down at Corporation Street. It was on the platform bound for Wolverhampton, but couldn't go anywhere.

Heading round to Bull Street Tram Stop, saw tram 28 Jasper Carrott with no destination on the board. This one on the Wolverhampton bound platform. Was it broken down to / not in service?

Then tram 22 arrived heading to Birmingham. But I'm not sure if it headed down to Corporation Street, or if all the passengers got off here, and it returned in the other direction.

Back to normal on the 27th December 2019. Saw at least one tram from Victoria Square.

After popping through the concourse at Birmingham New Street Station, I saw tram 18 in the Just Eat livery arriving. I saw the pantograph rising up and connecting to the overhead wires when it got to the tram stop from the newly opened extension.

Saw tram 34 arriving at Grand Central Tram Stop, but tram 18 had started to depart before I was able to get two trams in one shot, so I took this one instead. Looks like the pantograph had been lowered, before it started the journey up to Town Hall and Library.

Merry Christmas 2019 and a Happy New Year 2020. Oh and Happy Hanukkah as well! (Will all be over when this gets published). More tram posts and photos in 2020. I'm hoping to ride the tram again perhaps all the way to Wolverhampton.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

The Empty Streets of Birmingham on Christmas Day 2019

Being autistic has its advantages when it comes to having a special interest, mine is the city and photography. I went out at about midday into the city centre to see if I could get another set of 'empty city' photos like I did in 2011, and great medicine for my mental health it was! Here's a gallery of what I got, they had to be black & white, 28 photos in this post.

To see my 2011 photos click here: 2011 - Alone in the City