Illustration of a factory. Top of the page is the royal crest - lion on the left and unicorn on the right. Around it the following text - pen maker to the Queen, Joseph Gillott. Beneath this, an illustration of a rectangular shaped building with high walls looking out onto the street. A spacious courtyard in the interior. Several chimney stacks are dispersed around the building with smoke billowing. Vehicles in front of the building in the bottom foreground of the image. The text below this reads - Victoria Works, Graham Street, Birmingham. 37 Gracechurch Street, London and 91 John Street, New York.

#BirminghamHistory #CityOf1000Trades The Victoria Works on Graham Street was opened in 1840 and chiefly employed young women in the manufacturing of steel pen nibs making Gillott an extremely wealthy man. Reference: New Illustrated Directory (1856), LF 06 #LibraryofBham

A photograph of a church on the corner of two roads. A turreted tower dominates the centre of the photograph with the remainder of the church in the background. A road sign in front of the church in the bottom left. A large sign in the grounds of the church on the right of the photo. A lamppost on the far right of the photo.

#PhotoFriday is the Kings Norton United Reform church on the corner of Watford Road and Woodfall Road. The church was built in 1903 and demolished in 1953. Ref - WK/K5/335 #LibraryofBham #Brumpic

A page. UK coat of arms at the top of the page. Beneath this, AD 1843 on the left of the page and No. 9714 on the right. Below this, the title of the patent – Manufacture of Flour and below this the words - Cotterill’s Specification. Beneath this two paragraphs outlining the specifications of the patent.

#BirminghamHistory Archives & Collections retains a Birmingham Patent Collection (1722 – 1865), consisting of abridged copies of patents for inventions born in Birmingham theironroom.wordpress.com/2020/09/14/h... Ref – Patent 9714 #LibraryofBham

A newspaper article – title of the paper at the top of the article is the Birmingham Gazette. Beneath this, telephone numbers and then the date of the article – Wednesday 22 January 1930. Then the headline - A Baffling Malady, Alarm Over Parrot Fever. More text beneath this.

This blog tinyurl.com/BhamCoroner covers the 1930 Birmingham parrot fever outbreak. It's by Matt, who was part of the team digitising Coroners’ reports for Ancestry, and follows his earlier blog: tinyurl.com/PeskyParrots #LibraryofBham

Two rows of shelves full of books. Top shelf volumes have Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on the spine along with a volume number and surname coverage. Shelf below have Who’s Who on the spine with dates covering 2015 – 2026.

#Who’sWho Our printed collections contain a wide range of biographical dictionaries including 19th and 21st century editions of the Dictionary of National Biography and Who’s Who going back to the 1890s #LibraryofBham #ukwhoswho

Front cover of a guide. Title at the top reads - Outer Circle Omnibus Service, No.11. Beneath this is a circle with an illustration of two buses travelling down a rural road with a signpost on the right. Below this is more text including the distance of the route and the cost to travel.

#OuterCircle today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Outer Circle (Number 11) bus route. Here’s an illustrated description of the route and places of interest from 1927. Ref - Birmingham Guides C/2 (347423) #LibraryofBham

A colour map. Box in the top left includes the following text - A Picture Map of Birmingham in 1750 imagined and drawn from records by Bernard Sleigh. A border runs around the map containing armorial shields and crests. A bird’s eye view of a landscape. The perspective is on the incline as it reaches the top of the page. A crisscross of roads and streets run across and up and down the image. The image is heavily populated by buildings in the centre of the map. A windmill in the bottom centre of the map.

#MapOnATuesday is a picture map of Birmingham in the year 1730. Imagined and designed from official records with an introductory note by Bernard Sleigh (1872 – 1954) - the Birmingham born artist and illustrator (1924). Ref: LF 83.3/309631 #LibraryofBham

A group of four female figures dressed in food preparation uniform and hairnets. They are decorating a gathering of large chocolate Easter eggs with sugar based floral designs in the foreground of the photograph. More eggs waiting to be processed in the background of the photo.

#HappyEaster #Cadburys Women workers decorating easter eggs at the Cadbury Works, Bournville. Photographed here c. 1950s. Have you ever seen such large chocolate eggs? Ref – WK/B13/82 #LibraryofBham #Brumpic

A book on a table - front cover facing on. Title at the top of the cover is Tracing Your Aristocratic Ancestors. Beneath this are six picture panels depicting various replicas of historical portraits, coats of arms and antiquarian books. Behind the table is a bookcase.

#SundayShowcase Do you believe your ancestry is aristocratic or even royal? Is the blood in your veins blue? If so, this could be the book for you. Tracing your Aristocratic Ancestors - a guide for family historians by Anthony Adolph. Ref – 929.1072 #LibraryofBham

A price list. Borders running along the top and bottom of the list. The borders are dark and have a simple flower design. Text at the top reads - Choose Your Easter Eggs at Barrows. Categories include - cardboard Easter eggs, Chocolate Shell Eggs and Barrow’s Easter Gateaux. Prices for each product shown alongside.

#HappyEaster #CityOf1000Trades Mouth watering seasonal treats on offer at Barrows Stores in 1936. If only they were at those prices now! LS 10 : Trade Catalogues & Business Literature Collection, Barrows Stores. Box 2, Bundle 1 #LibraryofBham

Photograph of the interior of an Eastern Orthodox Church. Iconography on the walls and ceilings of figures depicting biblical stories. The walls and ceiling are in vibrant block colours and the floor is white. A column on the left of the photograph and two in the centre - wooden chairs in front of both columns in the centre. Chairs placed around the windows on the left of the photograph. A balcony above the two columns in the centre. The balcony has four columns supporting an arched roof.

#PhotoFriday The interior of the Eastern Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, Bournville. The church was built for political refugees from the former Yugoslavia after WW2. Reference - WK/B11/7825 #LibraryofBham #Brumpic #LazaricaChurch

A hand coloured illustration of two parrots facing each other. One on the left facing to the right and the parrot on the right facing the left.

One of our largest & heaviest treasures: John James Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’. He travelled Britain for subscriptions to finance these hand-coloured, life-size illustrations of every North American bird species. Ref: E096/1827 #LibraryofBham #BirdsOfAmerica

A female figure wearing a hat with sprigs of flowers in it. She is wearing a buttoned frock coat and skirt in the Edwardian style. She is holding dogs in both hands and towards her chest.

Today is the start of #NationalPetMonth - theironroom.wordpress.com/2024/04/08/n... Here’s a Stone Collection photo of prize dogs at the 1905 Birmingham Dog Show. Ref - Stone Box 16/Print 37 #LibraryofBham #NatPetMonthUK

A map. Text in the top left corner - Plan Referred To. Railway lines running horizontally across the top of the plan. Beneath this, various plots of land separated off in the middle of the plan also indicating the occupier and land use. Superimposed on top of a base relief of the area showing the outline of streets and roads.

#MapOnATuesday is this 1917 plan of the site for the Central Corporation Depot at Bordesley Green. With annotations showing land belonging to Garrison Farm Brickworks, Adderley Park Brick Co., Wolseley Motor Works and Globe Brick Works. Ref - MAP/283413 #LibraryofBham

A mouldy document. The front cover is covered in mould along with the spine which is in the top of the photo. Beneath, a page populated by handwriting juts out from beneath the mouldy front cover.

For today’s blog, Lucy – our Conservator feeds back on a course she recently attended - Health Hazards relating to Book and Paper Objects in Libraries and Archives. Toxic metals, mould, preservatives and Red Rot. Yikes! theironroom.wordpress.com/2026/03/23/h... #LibraryofBham

A poster. Header has the logo of the Moseley Society which is a relief of a tree in full leaf and the words – The Moseley Society to the right of it. Contact details on the far right of the poster. Text below this advertising the position of an Archivist.

#MoseleySociety wish to appoint an Archivist to re-catalogue their collections. If you are interested please email them at all-enquiries@moseley-society.org.uk for further details #LibraryofBham @themoseleysociety.bsky.social

A book on a table - front cover facing on. Title at the top of the cover is Roger Vaughton of Birmingham. Beneath this, four panels of photographs - the top two are photos of the exterior of a church and the bottom two of headstones. Behind the book on the left is a pile of paper cups.

#SundayShowcase today is Roger Vaughton of Birmingham and his Descendants by Colin Davison. Roger (1738/39 – 1817) was a member of the Vaughton family who played a part in shaping the history of the city. Ref – LF 77.2 VAU #LibraryofBham

The front cover of a coloured trade catalogue. Text at the top of the cover - Who’s Left That Door Open Again. A male figure in the bottom left of a 3D room moving ominously up towards a small door in the middle background. He is holding what appears to look like some type of metal instrument with teeth. Text in the bottom right reads – Nobody Of Course.

#CityOf1000Trades today is this trade catalogue for J. Hyland & Sons, 49 Gem Street, door spring specialists and purveyors of the Briton patent door closer - which claimed to safe time in repeatedly closing doors. Ref - Trade Cat H/426/2 #LibraryofBham

Street scene. Large groups of people on the pavements on both sides of the street. People queuing for a bus in the bottom left of the photo. Accompanying signage informing where buses from the stop go to. Shop fronts and advertisements on both sides. Multi story buildings on either side of the road. The backs of vehicles are in the middle of the street including a male figure pulling a cart in the mid bottom right. Pedestrians are crossing the road.

#PhotoFriday This bustling scene of New Street taken not long after the end of WW2, c 1946. The city was slowly emerging from the war and there are a few echoes of the recent past in the photo– notice the uniformed figures? Ref: New Street 162 #LibraryofBham #Brumpic

Cover of a booklet - title at the top is Home Away From Home - the condensation trails of two airplanes weave between the title with images of airplanes on either side. Subtitle beneath this is Women’s Journeys From Mirpur to Birmingham. Below, a group photograph of a family of six - two adults and four minors. The youngest two sat on the lap or close to the adults. A scenic backdrop with a minaret in the right background.

#BritishAsianHistory Home Away From Home looks at women's journeys from Mirpur, Pakistan to Birmingham. Interviews tell the stories of the women making new lives in the city. Women’s Lives in the Archives: tinyurl.com/JourneysFrom... Ref: MS 4760/35 #LibraryofBham #raqsartstudio

A long and thin piece of parchment running vertically down the course of a table from the bottom of the photograph to the very top by a window. Archival weights have been applied liberally to the document. A chair in the top right background and a tube and a sign with the number 8 on it in the top left.

#AstonHall A very long ‘true and perfect inventory of all and singular, the goods and chattels of Sir Thomas Holte deceased’, 20 November 1654. Holte (1571 – 1654) is credited for the building of Aston Hall. Ref: [DV 330] 347952 #LibraryofBham #BM_AG

Legend at the top of the plan reads - Freehold Building Estate, Kings Norton. Beneath this, coloured vertical strips indicating the land for sale. The outline sketch of thoroughfares surrounding the plot including details of land usage. A line running across the bottom of the plan indicating the Midland railway line.

#MapOnATuesday is this c 1890 plan of a building estate showing land for sale between Northfield Road and Middleton Hall Road, including Middleton Hall. Ref - Bickley/383267 #LibraryofBham

A sketch of ten figures - five female and five male. All attired in late Victorian/early Edwardian clothes. An array of figures - some in profile and others full on. The figures rendered more in detail are named. The figure in the centre of the sketch is stood up and facing to the left - she is reading from notes held in her hand. A female figure is sat by her and looking down.

#WomensHistoryMonth2026 is about leading the change and shaping a sustainable future, which benefits all: www.history.org.uk/historian/ne... Here’s a sketch of Suffragists at the Aston Parliament on 17 October 1908. Ref – Birmingham Weekly Mercury #LibraryofBham

A book on a table – front cover of the book facing on to the camera. Title of the book at the top of the front cover is Dictionary of British Arms : Medieval Ordinary. Vol 3 edited by Thomas Woodcock and Sarah Fowler. Five rows of five coats of arms in the background. A bookcase behind the table on which the book is resting. A pile of boxes on the far left.

#SundayShowcase today is the Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary. Vol. 3 edited by Thomas Woodcock and Sarah Flower. Designed to identify medieval British coats of arms. Part of our collection of Heraldry books. Ref: A 929.60941 #GoAllIn2026 #LibraryofBham #collegeofarms

A colour illustration of a male figure in Edwardian driving gear sat astride a motorcycle. He is wearing a peaked and voluminous driver’s hat and a long overcoat. His feet are on the pedals. Behind is a tree in full leaf with cottages in the background – the words ‘motor cycling in comfort’ imposed on the branches and foliage. Beneath the illustration are the following words - Beardmore precision motor cycle.

#CityOf1000Trades is this trade catalogue for FE Baker of the Precision Works, Kings Norton and the pioneering Beardmore precision motorcycle frame which claimed to offer a more comfortable ride. Ref - Trade Catalogue B/10/1 #LibraryofBham

The interior of a reading room in a Victorian era library. The photograph is taken from a high point looking down at the room. A packed room of students sat at desks in the centre of the photograph. A bookcase on the far right and a much larger and expansive bookcase in the background separated from the reading room by a series of stone pillars. Two busts on either side of the entrance to the room in the back midground of the photo.

#PhotoFriday today is this view of studious readers in the Interior Reading Room in the Reference Library at the Central Library in Ratcliffe Place way back in April 1949. Imagine all the shushing back then. Ref – WK/B11/8530 #LibraryofBham #Brumpic

Illustration of three female figures. The figure on the left is upright and stood at an angle so her face is visible, but she is also side on to the female figure next to her. Behind the two upright figures is a piano with its keyboard visible - the second figure is touching the keys. Both are dressed ornately in Victorian attire – large bustling skirts with corseting and ribboning. Both have intricate flower arrangement in their hair. The figure on the right has her back to us and appears to be kneeling. She has her hair in a bun and is wearing a hat.

Birmingham has always been at the cutting edge of fashion – just what were the fashionistas of the Victorian era wearing? Here’s a fashion plate from the Crompton Rhodes Collection. Ref - MS 3383, F 391, S 623 - Plate 227 theironroom.wordpress.com/2021/11/15/s... #LibraryofBham

A rendering of a road traffic sign. A triangle at the top of the sign with two figures holding hands and walking. Beneath is text - with the word School written backwards in a small box. Below this, the following words - Dyslexia, a guide for teachers and parents.

#NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek - a chance to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported, revealing the talents and strengths of neurodiverse minds. Details of the campaign here: www.neurodiversityweek.com Ref - LP 65.02, 1971 #LibraryofBham

A route map - title in the top left corner is St. Patrick's Day Festival 2010 Route Map. Beneath this in the bottom left of the map, a heading which reads Recognised Watering Holes. Rows of pint glasses with the names of public houses. Centre of the plan dominated by a series of parallel lines indicating streets and roads. A dark line running through the course of the map highlighting the route of the parade. In the top right of the plan, a key highlighting different stages of the route.

A Happy #StPatricksDay to all. We’re sorry to hear the 2026 parade had been postponed, but events have been taking place in the city - www.stpatsparade.co.uk/come-along-t... Here’s the route of the 2010 parade as a reminder of days gone by. Ref: LF 21.7 #LibraryofBham #brumirish

A sketch of a parrot on a swing on the left of the illustration. Various symbols beneath the parrot’s beak symbolising the sound the bird makes. A vase on a shelf on the right of the sketch.

This week’s blog looks at an intriguing Coroner’s Inquest that has nothing to do with a dead body but rather deceased parrots and parrot fever. Monty Python sketch anyone? theironroom.wordpress.com/2026/03/16/p... #LibraryofBham