Background
Much of what we now call Corporation Street was once a slum area of central Birmingham. In the 1870s, the then mayor of Birmingham Joseph Chamberlain had a vision of creating a "Parisian boulevard" in the city centre. Corporation Street is the result of that vision. The development covered some 93 acres of land. The slums were cleared under the first use in England of the Artisan's and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Act 1875 and 45 acres was bought by the Corporation of Birmingham. The land was then granted to builders under 75 year leases and building work began. The result was a boulevard of elegant Victorian buildings including the the Grand Theatre, Cobden's Hotel, the Winter Gardens, County Hall, the red brick and terracotta Victoria Law Courts and Methodist Central Hall.
Some of the buildings were lost to bombing in World War II but by far the worst damage was done in a period of "renovation" during the 1960s, once the original leases expired. Perhaps the most inglorious example of this is Priory Square (formerly Corporation Square), a 2 story shopping complex in concrete "Brutalist" style (I have not made that up. It was a recognised archtectural style of the 1950s - 1970s). It is, unfortunately, as bad as it sounds. Nevertheless, some great buildings remain.
The cache
The cache is designed to celebrate some of the finer parts of today's Corporation Street by looking at some original Victorian and some more modern features. You are looking for a magnetic 35mm film pot hidden a short walk away from Corporation Street at N52 - - . - - - W001 - - . - - -. To fill in the blanks, all you have to do is place the numbered photos below in their correct physical sequence. Get the photos in the right order and you will fill in the co-ordinates correctly too. Simples!
Some important notes
To avoid confusion and disappointment, please note the following:
1. The sequence begins at the listing co-ordinates. Walk North up Corporation Street from there.
2. All photos (bar one) are of features / details on the West side of the street. Some may be more easily seen from the other side of the street.
3. A feature's position in the sequence is determined when you are standing next to it or directly beneath it (for elevated features), even if you can see it from some way off.
4. There is no need to cross the dual carriageway into the Aston University campus.
5. Bring something to write with.
Good luck!!
And so to the photos...
