VICTORIA SQUARE

Birmingham, England

Victoria Square is a pedestrian-friendly public place, and the location of both Town Hall and the Council House. It is the center of Birmingham, and the point from which local road sign distances are measured. Three major roads converge on the square. Part of the square was once occupied by Christ Church, built in 1805, but the church was demolished in 1899. Its font, bell and foundation stone were moved to St. Agatha's in Sparkbrook. The church is a short walk from St. Philip's Cathedral and is on the main pedestrian route between the Bull Ring, a major shopping center, and Brindleyplace.

The square was originally known as Council House Square, but was renamed on January 10, 1901, to honor Queen Victoria, on which date a statue of her was unveiled. She died 12 days later. The 1901 statue of Queen Victoria in marble by Thomas Brock was recast in bronze in 1951 by William Bloye. Statues of Robert Peel (after whom ‘bobbies’ are named) and Joseph Priestley (inventor of soda water) are also located in the Square. The site was occupied by an office / retail block and Christ Church buildings, which were all demolished in 1970 and replaced with a grass lawn.

I only had part of a day to sketch, so I started early while city workers were rushing to work through the square. It was misty, and I couldn’t find a good vantage or dry place from which to sketch. I noticed the public library, a modern building in the middle of all this local history. It had an upper floor from which the view was great, and dry. The library didn’t open until late morning. So I approached two security guards, and asked if I could enter ahead of opening to do my sketching. One guard was adamant that I could not enter, but the other was sympathetic to the old artist, and helped me get in. The third floor proved to be the perfect (maybe only) spot from which to see the whole square. The only downside was that a deep overhang above the window blocked my view of a grand tower to the left side of the square. It was interesting how the small monument tower in the square appeared to be a steeple on the “faux Parthenon” behind it.