Description:[Submitted by Dr Andy Green]
Introduction: Rediscovering the Past
From a sign on a wall, it is sometimes possible to uncover a whole history. Buildings that we walk past every day can often hold surprising and vital clues to understanding our past. Although Birmingham changes shape with each new generation, if we look closely at what surrounds us we can see how its industrial and cultural history remain marked on its landscape. By investigating the feature shown above on a building in the Jewellery Quarter, this 'city story' offers some clues as to how we can recover a sense of our history from the clues which we see on the street.
In the old part of the Jewellery Quarter, towards the end of Vittoria Street, look up at the top of street number 88-90. Here you will see this star carved into the second floor of the building. Why was this star put there? Who did this building belong to? What relationship does the star have with the Jewellery Quarter that surrounds it? To find out how we might use the resources of local studies and archives to find out, go to the next page.
Throughout the exhibition, click on zoomify to enlarge the central image; and click on the 'map' function to see the area under discussion.