Contact us today 0121 820 6060
To discuss your next big event | meeting | party | wedding
Menu
Neighbourhood Story
At the Eastside Rooms, we’re proud to be from Birmingham. Filled with tons entertainment venues and iconic shopping centres Birmingham is a great place to live or visit, with a rich cultural heritage of art, industry and chocolate! Today Birmingham is known for it’s influence on British pop-culture through music and TV but has a deep history spanning all the way back to the 12th Century. Take a look through the history of our great city and see why we love it so much.
It's hard to think the bustling second City we know today as Birmingham started as a tiny Saxon village. Once the King gave the Lord of the Manor Peter De Birmingham permission to hold a weekly market in 1166, it didn't take long for merchants and craftsmen to flock to the town.
The town didn't sit still for long, Medieval Birmingham became known for its wool industry and by the late 1300’s industry in Birmingham continued to innovate as the town became known for both metalworking and leatherworking.
By 1650 the population had grown and Birmingham was now an important destination for trade.
Whilst wool was still woven and dyed in Tudor Birmingham, the newer industry of metalworking was fast taking over. Tudor Birmingham gained a reputation as a place where cutlers made knives, nailers made nails and blacksmiths worked their forges.
Industry in Birmingham continued to boom during the 18th century. Metalworking of all kinds flourished in the town. Artefacts made in Birmingham included shoe buckels and blades.
In 1769, a canal was built from Wednesbury to Birmingham. It was here in Birmingham where inspiration was sought in innovation when James Watt and Matthew Boulton invented the industrial steam engine in the city in 1776.
During the 1800’s industry in Birmingham was still dominated by metalworking, including jewellers and gunsmiths. By the late 1800’s there was an emergence of the chocolate industry at Bournville creating everyone's favourite chocolate company, Cadburys.
A railway from Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool was opened in 1837, followed swiftly by a line connecting Birmingham to London in 1838, following this Birmingham was official made a City in 1889.
Things really ramped up for Birmingham in the 1900's, with the Birmingham University opening in 1909 and Birmingham Repertory Theatre opening shortly afterwards in 1913.
The manufacturing industry in Birmingham began a steep decline by the late 20th Century, eventually being replaced by service industries. By 1931 Birmingham had a population of approximately 1 million, with the boundaries having been extended further several times over the years.
The iconic Bullring shopping centre was built in 1964, with an additional shopping centre being built over New Street Station in 1973. It was refurbished in the 1980s and renamed the Pallasades and underwent a further refurbishment in 2015, reopening as Grand central.
The famous Mailbox Shopping Centre opened in the City in 2000 bringing with it masses of visitors looking to enhance their shopping and dining experience.
The West Midlands Metro opened in May 1999, currently consisting of a single line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, via Bilston, West Bromwich and Wednesbury. Since then, Birmingham transport has only grown with connections across the West Midlands
Unlike centuries ago when industry boomed in the city, today finance and tourism are important to the economic growth of Birmingham.
Find what you’re looking for
To discuss your next big event | meeting | party | wedding
The Eastside Rooms
2 Woodcock Street
Birmingham
B7 4BL