Out and about in Brum

Thursday

I was allowed out on my own this morning!  It doesn’t happen often……..

I can’t be trusted out alone for too long………

So what did I do?  Shopping? Sightseeing? Museums? None of those…..

I was sent on an errand…….

The weather was dry and bright again, Ian got back on his hands and knees to do more painting and I was sent to get a new part (no idea what it is) for the alternator (not all that sure what that is) as you may remember we have had a problem. We had a spare, but it didn’t work when fitted.

I took the non-working spare with me, and the part’s official name and number written out and made my way by foot and by train over to Tysley……

 

Where a very helpful gentleman, found me what I needed, tested it to make sure this one worked and relieved me of £20.

 

 

 

 

 

We could have gone by boat as it is right beside the Grand Union Canal, but that would have taken a while as there are 23 locks and it’s not the way we want to go next.

 

Back at the boat, Ian had finished painting so we set off out again round the city.

 

The Christ Scientist Church building, now a nightclub along Broad Street and St Peter’s Cathedral Church.

 

We liked this new living wall, somewhere around Snow Hill Station.

 

Then we had look around the new library building in Centenary Square.  We have watched it’s progress on our visits to Birmingham over the past 2 years and it opened at the beginning of September.

Inside, it is as special as it is outside. The central part of the building is the Book Rotunda and at the very top of the building is the Shakespeare Memorial Library which has been transported from it’s original home in the Victorian library, then the Central library in the 1970’s and now rebuilt in the topmost gold cylinder of this new library.

 

 

There is a lovely outdoor garden 3 floors up with views across the city…..

 

                                                 ………….and down the sides!

Further up on the seventh level is the Secret Garden, another planted area with quiet places for reading or just sitting quietly enjoying the views in quietness above the city’s bustle down below.

 

 

We could see Tacet down below us and the amphitheatre at the front of the building. Amongst the garden planting stands the window cleaning machine, it must have to fit between the circle frieze shapes covering the building.  Right at the very top is the skyline viewpoint room, amazing.

City Panorama

Inside there are meeting rooms, event spaces, exhibition rooms, studio theatre, cafe, music practice rooms, chill out lounge, amphitheatre,  glass lift, music, heritage and photographic collections.

 

 

 

Oh, and it has books to borrow too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home again.