These pictures of Birmingham show what you get when you combine stunning sunrise light with one of the highest points in the city centre.
I gained permission from the management company at Bank House on Cherry Street for special access to take photographs from the roof of the skyscraper.
The photography shoot was on behalf of Colmore BID and images for its annual report (we provide PR and design services for the BID, in addition to producing Colmore Life magazine). Look out for the document and you’ll see how one of the skyline images takes out three pages in tri-fold format, with text overlaying the blue sky.
The panoramic viewpoint also gave stunning views of the wider Colmore Business District, Birmingham Cathedral and the awesome 103 Colmore Row tower as construction continues on what will be the city’s tallest building.
With it being such a clear winter morning, I could see the Rotunda and Digbeth to the south and the Library of Birmingham and Brindleyplace to the west.
Thanks to Bank House front-of-house and management teams for their help.
Birmingham city centre skyline. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Birmingham city centre skyline. Copyright: Edwin Ellis Creative Media Birmingham 2020
Colmore Business District Birmingham. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Colmore Business District and Birmingham city centre skyline. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Birmingham city centre skyline. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Grand Hotel Birmingham, Colmore Business District, Birmingham. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Snowhill Birmingham. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media Birmingham 2020
Birmingham city centre skyline – Brindleyplace, the Library of Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Copyright: Edwin Ellis Creative Media Birmingham 2020
The Rotunda, Birmingham. Copyright Edwin Ellis Creative Media
Our profile-raising PR work is driven by the need to come up with creative ideas that help our companies get in the news. It’s what we do on a daily basis.
Some ideas, however, are more fun than others, particularly when they combine two Edwin Ellis Creative Media loves… Lego and running!
We had a great time working on this with the brilliant Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham. The end result was featured on various local news websites and social media channels, generating a combined reach of well over one million followers.
Here’s the press release:
It’s a small world as Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run recreated in LEGO
Ready, steady, LEGO…! How’s this for a new view of the Midlands’ biggest half marathon?
Birmingham’s Legoland Discovery Centre has unveiled a miniature version of the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run to pay tribute to the annual event, which takes place in October.
The scene took nine hours to complete and shows some of Birmingham’s most familiar landmarks with 220 running LEGO Minifigures, 297 spectators and… a TV crew.
The Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run is known for the diversity of its runners and the Miniland version is no different, featuring Giraffe Guy, Watermelon Man, Boxer, Nurse, Spaceman, Master wu Ninja, Postman and an Elephant!
It was created by Master Model Builder Michelle Thompson and Legoland Discovery Centre visitors can admire the sporty scene ahead of this year’s Great Birmingham Run, which takes place on Sunday, October 13.
The Great Birmingham Run in Lego form, with New Street and Grand Central on the left
Starting on New Street, the half marathon features a new and improved route for 2019, passing the famous Rotunda, Primark on High Street, Selfridges and St Martin’s Church before taking thousands of participants along Pershore Road and into Bournville.
The new route sees a return to some of the event’s most popular running locations of past years, including Cannon Hill Park and a ‘Brummy Army’ cheering zone at Edgbaston Stadium, the scene of some of English cricket’s most memorable matches.
Children of all ages can also enjoy the excitement of an organised running event with the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Junior and Mini Runs taking place on the same day as the half marathon.
The 1.5k Mini Run is open to children between the ages of 3-8, while the 2.5k Junior Run is open to 9-16 year-olds. All finishers receive a medal to show off at school or to friends.
Master Model Builder Michelle said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to put this display together and had a lot of fun individually piecing together the 220 participants.
“Using all the crazy and wacky Minifigure parts I have meant I could really bring this great event to life in LEGO form.
“At a glance it seems like a normal race but I’ve added some funny hidden scenes in there too for guests to find. It now takes pride of place in our Miniland where you can see the crowds cheering the runners through Birmingham’s city centre.”
Sign up for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run at greatrun.org/great-birmingham-run
Sign up for the children’s events at greatrun.org/great-birmingham-run/juniorandminibirmingham
Press release issued on behalf of the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run
While there’s no denying Birmingham made some pretty ghastly planning mistakes in the post-war years, not everything went the way of the bulldozer.
Take a walk around Temple Street, Bennetts Hill and New Street, look up from your smartphone and you’ll spot a selection of delightful doorways displaying typographic designs from a bygone era that, thankfully, are still with us.
The Hortons-built White House from 1912 offers a wonderful example of pre-war signage over its entrance on New Street, while the glorious Birmingham Law Library no longer occupies its Temple Street building but its original doorway is quite stunning.
Further down Temple Street and the Temple Buildings entrance could easily grace a New York high-rise.
Bennetts Hill has a mixture of building styles and one of its most grand is the Scottish Widows building, constructed in 1931. Its elegant entrance survives despite changes of usage.
Buildings change over the years; from offices to apartments; from retail to restaurants. Here’s hoping these little snapshots of their early years are here to stay.
Spotted any others? Tweet a picture @staceybarnfield
