Welcome to Ladywood around Ladywood Middleway

While Ladywood includes much of the City Centre, in this post we will take a look at Ladywood around Ladywood Middleway. This is the suburban part not far from Edgbaston and Five Ways. Spring Hill Library is near the end of Ladywood Middleway, while Broadway Plaza is close to Five Ways (the former site of the Children's Hospital). 

 

The first recorded evidence about Lady Wood was back in 1565. It was named after the Lady Wood which was located between Monument Road and the Ladywood Brook. It stretched from Portland Road to Spring Hill. The wood may have been the property of a church. The wood was long gone by the mid 16th century.

The Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line

The Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line was built through Ladywood between 1769 and 1772 by the canal engineer James Brindley.

The canal was straightened by Thomas Telford in the 19th century and this led to Brindley's sections being cut off as loops. Today we have the Icknield Port Loop and the Soho Loop within Ladywood (and the Oozells Loop in the City Centre).

dndimg alt="Birmingham Canal" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Birmingham Canal Ladywood Middleway (May 2011).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The Birmingham to Wolverhampton Railway

The Birmingham to Wolverhampton Railway opened in 1852 and it passes through Ladywood. It is known as the Stour Valley Line. There used to be a station in Ladywood called Monument Lane. It opened in 1854, was renamed to Edgbaston shortly afterwards. Renamed back to Monument Lane in 1874. It was relocated in 1886 and it was closed down in 1958.

dndimg alt="Birmingham to Wolverhampton Railway" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bham Wolv railway Ladywood Middlway (May 2011).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

St John's Church Ladywood

The Church of St John is located on Monument Road near Ladywood Middleway. It is a Grade II listed building. Originally built in 1854 in the Gothic style (or Decorated style) by S. S. Teulon, the Church of St John the Evangelist was built on the site of Ladywood House, on land that was leased from King Edward VI School.  The famous Birmingham architect J. A. Chatwin built additions to the church in 1881. It was also called the Anglican Church of St John and St Peter.  The building material used was coursed red sandstone with ashlar dressings. The Church of St John the Evangelist became the Church of St John and St Peter in 2000.

dndimg alt="St Johns Church Ladywood" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood (May 2011) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Lench's Trust Almshouses

These Almshouses are on Ladywood Middleway near Five Ways. They were built in 1858 by J H Hornblower and Haylock in the Tudor style or Jacobean style. It is a Grade II listed building. It was built of red brick with stone dressings and tiled roofs. No 1 Hagley Road (Metropolitan House by John Madin) is seen behind to the left.  Broadway Plaza is to the right of this.  It was the site of the Children's Hospital until 1998).

dndimg alt="Lench's Trust Almshouses" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lenchs Trust Almshouses (Dec 2009) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Lench's Trust Almshouses" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lenchs Trust Almshouses (Dec 2009) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Below is the view from the Hagley Road of the Lansdowne House during April 2016 with developer Seven Capital. No. 1 Hagley Road was also getting refurbished at the time. You could see Lench's Trust Almshouses from Hagley Road before The Lansdowne got built.

dndimg alt="Lenchs Trust Almshouses" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lenchs Trust Almshouses (Apr 2016).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Ladywood Middleway view of Lench's Trust Almshouses, with The Lansdowne well under way behind. Seen during March 2018. A mixture of old and new architecture.

dndimg alt="Lenchs Trust Almshouses" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lenchs Trust Almshouses (March 2018).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Here is another view of Lench's Trust Almshouses during November 2019. 

dndimg alt="Lenchs Trust Almshouses" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Lenchs Trust Almshouses (Nov 2019).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Spring Hill Library

Spring Hill Library is next to a large Tesco supermarket at Spring Hill on Summer Hill Road. Spring Hill Library is a Grade II* listed building built in 1893 by Martin and Chamberlain. It was built in the Gothic style with bright red bricks and terracotta dressings. 

dndimg alt="St Johns Church Ladywood" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood (May 2011) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Welcome to Ladywood

Prominently located on Ladywood Middleway is this sculpture of Charles Blondin, a French tightrope walker.

In September 1873 he came to Birmingham, and crossed Edgbaston Reservoir on a tightrope! The statue was made in 1992 and placed on Ladywood Middleway. It was sculpted by the artist Paul Richardson in 1993.

dndimg alt="Welcome to Ladywood" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Welcome to Ladywood (Oct 2012) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

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Broadway Plaza

The Birmingham Children's Hospital was on the Ladywood Middleway site from when it was built from 1910 to 1919, until they moved to Steelhouse Lane (the former Birmingham General Hospital) in 1998. Most of the hospital was demolished apart from the facade, and Broadway Plaza opened in 2003. It originally had a 12 screen cinema run by AMC, but Odeon took it over in 2012. It was transformed into the Odeon Luxe Cinema in 2018. There is also a bowling alley here. Originally BowlPlex, it is now the Hollywood Bowl. There is also a Travelodge hotel.

The architect of the Children's Hospital was F W Martin. At one point it was called the King Edward VII Memorial Children's Hospital. Only the facade was retained, the rest of the hospital was demolished. The facade became the entrance to the Broadway Casino, with Virgin Active to the left.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (June 2009) (3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (June 2009) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

This memorial stone was laid in April 1913 by H.R.H. The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (June 2009) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

View below during December 2009 with Christmas stars up as Christmas decorations at Broadway Plaza.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (Dec 2009).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

An early evening shot below from December 2013 with Christmas lights on the facade of the former Children's Hospital at Broadway Plaza.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (Dec 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Kareo 6 Medical & Health Centre

Not much is known about this building. In the middle of the building is a Birmingham Forward coat of arms dated to 1934. Inscribed on it was Maternity & Child Welfare Centre. So that must of what it was originally built as back in the day.

dndimg alt="Kareo 6 Medical Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Middleway (March 2017) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Kareo 6 Medical Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Middleway (March 2017) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Ladywood Community Fire Station

Ladywood Fire Station is located on Icknield Port Road in Ladywood. It is not far from Monument Road. West Midlands Fire Service serves all of Ladywood plus the City Centre West from this fire station. 

dndimg alt="Ladywood Fire Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Fire Station (Feb 2020) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Fire Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Fire Station (Feb 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Fire Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Fire Station (Feb 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Ladywood Leisure Centre

The Ladywood Leisure Centre was opened in August 2019 on a site on Ladywood Middleway at the end of Monument Road. It replaced the old Ladywood Arts & Leisure Centre. The site was cleared by 2015 and it was built in 2019. It is similar in design to new leisure centres built in Northfield (2018) and in Stechford (2018).

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (4).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (5).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (6).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (7).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers: Perrott's Folly and the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower

Welcome to another Ladywood related post. This time looking at The Two Towers that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Perrott's Folly and the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower. Both are located on Waterworks Road in Ladywood, Birmingham. And are close to Edgbaston Reservoir. In the area that used to be called Rotton Park. Edgbaston Waterworks is managed by Severn Trent.

Previous Tolkien posts here:

• J.R.R. Tolkien's Birmingham
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit at Sarehole Mill
• J.R.R. Tolkien in Sarehole

The Two Towers

Lets take a walk down Waterworks Road in Ladywood. If you leave Hagley Road, head up Plough & Harrow Road. Cross over Monument Road and you will get to Waterworks Road. One way to get back to Ladywood Middleway from Waterworks Road is via Harold Road and Noel Road, where there is some more views of the towers.

The first tower on your right will be Perrott's Folly. If you walk further down the road, you will get to the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (which is within a Severn Trent faciliity so you can only see it from the road). If you are on Reservoir Road nearby, you might be able to spot the towers down the side roads, and it is even possible to see at least one of the towers from Edgbaston Reservoir. Further out in the City, there is views of The Two Towers from the top of Brindleyplace Car Park. Both of these towers (it has been suggested) may have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien for his book The Two Towers (the middle installment of the famous The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, later adapted into a movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, of which The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released in 2002).

 

Side by side comparison of The Two Towers from my original photos taken during June 2011. For the gallery of these, have a look further down the post.

dndimg alt="Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly and Edgbaston Waterworks Tower.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

In July 2013, the models of The Two Towers was in Centenary Square, around 2 months before the Library of Birmingham was opened. With a backdrop of the Hyatt Hotel and Symphony Hall.

dndimg alt="The Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (5).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Model of The Two Towers seen at Sarehole Mill during August 2015. They were moved here and is now their more permenant home (due to the Tolkien links).

dndimg alt="The Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Sarehole Mill Two Towers.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

View (below) of The Two Towers as seen from the car park behind the Birmingham Oratory during September 2019. Clearly Perrott's Folly (to the right) is taller than the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (to the left).

dndimg alt="The Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Oratory (Sept 2019).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

In a June 2020 walk around Edgbaston Reservoir (below) I was able to get The Two Towers in one picture. But here, Perrott's Folly (on the left) looked shorter than the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (on the right). Must be the different perspective.

dndimg alt="The Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Res Two Towers (June 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Went back to Waterworks Road on the last day of July 2020 during a heatwave. Got this view of The Two Towers. Then also one from Noel Road around the corner off Harold Road.

dndimg alt="Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Tolkien (July 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Two Towers" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Tolkien (July 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Perrott's Folly

Located on Waterworks Road in Ladywood not far from Monument Road. Perrott's Folly was also known as The Monument or The Observatory. It was built in what was then Rotton Park by John Perrott in 1758. The land at the time was open countryside. He built it either to view his wife's grave from afar or to entertain guests or survery his land. He actually lived in Belbroughton. The tower was used from 1884 until 1979 as a weather recording station for the Birmingham & Midland Institute. The Perrott's Folly Company was formed in 1984 to restore the tower and open it to the public. But the company eventually closed in 2009. There was periods in the late 2000s when they opened it to the public. It is a Grade II* listed building. Built of red brick. Octagonal on a square base with a round stair turret. It was listed in 1952, and the listing was last amended in 1982.

 

My earliest series of photos of Perrott's Folly was taken back in June 2011 from Waterworks Road, which you can see below.

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly (June 2011) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

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dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly (June 2011) (9).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

In July 2013, you could see the model of Perrott's Folly in the garden outside of The Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square (around 2 months before it opened to the public). But the area was fenced off until the end of August 2013.

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (4).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (7).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The model of Perrott's Folly (seen below) at Sarehole Mill during August 2015. Was moved to it's now permenant home.

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Sarehole Mill (Aug 2015) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

View of Perrott's Folly (below) seen during April 2018 from the top of Brindleyplace Car Park.

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/The Two Towers from Brindleyplace (April 2018) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The view taken during February 2020 (below) of Perrott's Folly as seen from Reservoir Road (leaving Edgbaston Reservoir). Could see it over the chimneys up Reservoir Retreat.

dndimg alt="Perrot's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/The Two Towers (Feb 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

On the last day of July 2020 I travelled to Ladywood, and while there headed down Waterworks Road from Plough & Harrow Road for a blue sky update!

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly (July 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly (July 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

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dndimg alt="Perrott's Folly" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Perrotts Folly (July 2020) (5).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Edgbaston Waterworks Tower

The Edgbaston Waterworks is located at the bottom end of Waterworks Road in Ladywood. It was also called the Edgbaston Pumping Station.  The buildings were designed by John Henry Chamberlain and William Martin during 1870. The buildings are Grade II listed. The site is run by Severn Trent Water. While it is close to Edgbaston Reservoir, there is no current or historical connection to the water here. The listing includes, the Edgbaston Pumping Station, store room, generator room and the ornamented chimney stack. The water pumping station apparently dates to about 1862. The tower was built of red brick with blue brick details. You can see how the tower influenced Tolkien for The Two Towers. Especially in the details at the top. First listed in 1979, the listing was amended in 2015.

 

My earliest series of photos of the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower was taken during June 2011 from Waterworks Road, which you can see below.

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (June 2011) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

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dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (June 2011) (8).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (June 2011) (9).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

In July 2013, there was a model of the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower in Centenary Square, in the garden in front of the Library of Birmingham (two months before it would open to the public).

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (3).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Cent Sq (Jul 2013) (6).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

By August 2015, the model of the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower was now at it's now permenant home of Sarehole Mill (due to it's link with Tolkien).

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Two Towers Sarehole Mill (Aug 2015) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

There was a view (below) from the top of the Brindleyplace Car Park on my visit during April 2018 of the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower.

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/The Two Towers from Brindleyplace (April 2018) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

During February 2020, after leaving Edgbaston Reservoir via Reservoir Road (seen below), I spotted the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower down Mostyn Road over the chimneys.

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/The Two Towers (Feb 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

I saw the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower from my June 2020 walk around Edgbaston Reservoir (below). I was hoping to get an individual photo of Perrott's Folly, but only got the pair of them together earlier on (see the photo further up this post). You can see how it inspired Tolkien in it's design.

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Res Two Towers (June 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Also got some last day of July 2020 photo updates of the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower. I noticed that one of the window shutters on the left hand side was damaged, and is in need of a repair. Also visible from Noel Road in Ladywood.

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (July 2020) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (July 2020) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (July 2020) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Edgbaston Waterworks Tower" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edgbaston Waterworks Tower (July 2020) (4).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown. Thanks for all the followers.