Victoria Square, Birmingham

The square was formerly known as Council House Square, and had a tramway running through it. It was renamed on 10 January 1901, to honour Queen Victoria. She died just 12 days later.{{Harvnb|Cannadine|2004|pp=123}} A marble statue, donated by Henry Barber and sculpted by Thomas Brock, was erected and unveiled; it was later recast in bronze.Grimley, Terry. A fine art gift to the city, Birmingham Post, 1 April 2006

File:-Group of 6 Early Stereograph Views of Birmingham, England- MET DP72778 (cropped).jpg), much further forward than the current Council House frontage]]

Part of the square was once occupied by Christ Church (built 1805–13), but the church was demolished in 1899. The font, bell and foundation stone were moved to the new St Agatha's, Sparkbrook, which was built with the proceeds when the site was sold to developers. The 600 bodies, which included John Baskerville, housed in the catacombs beneath the church were moved to Warstone Lane Cemetery.{{cite web |url=http://bobmiles.bulldoghome.com/pages/bobmiles_bulldoghome_com/walk14.htm |title=14. The Catacombs |last=Miles |first=Bob |work=The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter |access-date=1 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623003713/http://bobmiles.bulldoghome.com/pages/bobmiles_bulldoghome_com/walk14.htm |archive-date=23 June 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} The site was then used for an office and retail block, Christ Church Buildings, which were themselves demolished in 1970 and replaced with a grassed slope.

During the 1950s, plans were made to widen Colmore Row for it to become part of the Birmingham Inner Ring Road, with a major road junction to be constructed at Victoria Square. These plans were dropped, however a lot of the Inner Ring Road plan was carried through to construction.

File:Victoria Square Panorama.JPG

File:Mediaeval Cobblestone Road Birmingham.jpg

During the late 20th century the square was a busy traffic junction. Plans were made to pedestrianise the area and to create a public focal point. An international design competition was held for a central water feature in the square, which was won by Dhruva Mistry. Construction commenced in 1992 and was completed in 1994, when it was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. During the redevelopment of the square, Iron: Man, a sculpture by Antony Gormley was installed and unveiled in 1993.{{Harvnb|Noszlopy|1998|pp=146}} A plaque is located on the southwestern side of the square to commemorate the opening.

In June 2018, during work to extend the West Midlands Metro through the square, a cobbled street was uncovered, below the surface of the square.{{cite news |last1=Paxton |first1=Charlotte |title=Ancient 'medieval road' unearthed in Birmingham city centre |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/ancient-medieval-road-discovered-under-14807117 |access-date=22 June 2018 |work=birminghammail |date=20 June 2018}}

File:The River aka The Floozie in the Jacuzzi - Victoria Square - Birmingham - 2005-10-13.jpg, better known as The Floozie in the Jacuzzi]]

Mistry's fountain The River is the largest sculptural piece in the square{{Harvnb|Parfect|Power|1997|pp=174}}. Due to the recurring irreparable leaks the fountain was turned off in 2013 in order to save money. From July 2015 to 2022 the fountain was filled with plants and flowers and no longer functioned as a fountain. In 2022 it was repaired and restored ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

File:Victoria Statue in Victoria Square Birmingham.jpg, original by Thomas Brock (1901 marble), recast in bronze by William Bloye (1951).]]

Additionally, there are other pieces not commissioned for the 1992 redevelopment of the square. One of these is Antony Gormley's Iron: Man which was donated to the city in March 1993 by the Trustee Savings Bank, the headquarters of which was located alongside the square. It is {{convert|6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in height, and has been subject to mixed reaction. It was suggested that the statue be moved to the bank's headquarters in Bristol when it merged with Lloyds.{{Harvnb|Noszlopy|1998|pp=147–150}}

There are also statues that existed prior to the redevelopment of the square. Of two statues that were originally located in the square, only one remains. That is the statue of Queen Victoria, which was originally created in 1901 by Thomas Brock, but recast in bronze by William Bloye in 1951. The sceptre capital was missing for some years, but was replaced in 2011, thanks to the research and assistance of the Victorian Society.{{cite news |first=Neil |last=Elkes |title=Queen Victoria statue in Birmingham City Centre returned to former glory after 20 years |work=Birmingham Mail |date=4 February 2011 |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/queen-victoria-statue-in-birmingham-city-147908 |access-date=25 November 2017 }} The plinth was replaced in composite Cornish marble in 1951.

Other statues that no longer stand in the square include a statue of King Edward VII, which was moved to Highgate Park when Victoria Square was remodelled in 1951.{{Harvnb|Noszlopy|1998|pp=229}} Following restoration, it was re-erected, on a new plinth, outside Baskerville House in Centenary Square, in November 2010. There were also statues of Robert Peel, which is now located at the Tally Ho police training centre in Edgbaston; and of Joseph Priestley, which is now in Chamberlain Square. A statue of John Skirrow Wright, unveiled in 1883, was moved to Chamberlain Square in 1913, from there into storage in 1951, and eventually scrapped. A statue of George Dawson was later moved to Edmund Street nearby, but is now in store at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's Museum Collections Centre.

The square is surrounded by many prominent buildings. On the western side is the Town Hall, on its northern side is the Council House, on its eastern side is 130 Colmore Row and on the south side is Victoria Square House.

File:Birmingham German Christmas Market.jpg

Every Christmas, Victoria Square forms the centrepiece for the Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Fair which also extends into New Street and abuts onto a craft fair in Chamberlain Square, with the city's official Christmas tree, donated each year by Sandvik, also standing in the square.{{cite news|url=http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2008/12/06/an-enormous-christmas-tree-was-formally-handed-over-to-the-city-this-week-as-hundreds-of-people-packed-into-victoria-square-for-the-switching-on-of-its-lights-97319-22415608/ |title=AN enormous Christmas tree was formally handed over to the city this week as hundreds of people packed into Victoria Square for the switching on of its lights |last=Bradley |first=Paul |date=8 December 2008 |newspaper=Birmingham Mail |access-date=1 October 2009}} The market's wooden huts sell items such as jewellery, artwork, ornaments, clothing and German food.{{cite web|url=http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/frankfurtmarket |title=Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Fair|publisher=Birmingham City Council |access-date=1 October 2009}}

The Birmingham Big Screen is currently standing in the square following its removal from Chamberlain Square, but for some time after assembly in September 2007, it was not used due to a dispute over the planning process for it.{{cite news|url=http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2008/04/19/birmingham-big-screen-tv-delay-goes-on-65233-20789385/ |title=Birmingham big screen TV delay goes on |last=Dale |first=Paul |date=19 April 2008 |newspaper=The Birmingham Post |access-date=1 October 2009}} After the dispute over the first planning application, which was approved by the council, another was submitted in December 2008. However, the consultation process stalled following an overwhelming number of objections. The dispute over the {{Convert|27|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} wide screen has cost {{GBP|1}} million.{{cite news|url=http://www.birminghampost.net/news/politics-news/2009/10/01/planning-row-keeps-birmingham-s-1m-big-screen-blank-and-silent-65233-24824275/ |title=Planning row keeps Birmingham's £1m big screen blank and silent |last=Elkes |first=Neil |date=1 October 2009 |newspaper=The Birmingham Post |access-date=1 October 2009}} However, by April 2012 the screen was working.

On 12 July 2012, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Victoria Square as part of the West Midland Diamond Jubilee Tour. At the Square, they carried out a walk-about and received a gift from the city of Birmingham.

The marathon events in the 2022 Commonwealth Games ended in Victoria Square.Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, [https://www.birmingham2022.com/venues/victoria-square/ Victoria Square], accessed 8 August 2022

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|last=Cannadine |first=David |title=In Churchill's Shadow: confronting the past in modern Britain |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2004 |isbn=0-19-517156-X}}
• {{cite book |first=Joe |last=Holyoak |title=All About Victoria Square |publisher=Victorian Society Birmingham Group |location=Birmingham |year=1989 |isbn=0-901657-14-X }}
• {{Cite book |last=Noszlopy |first=George |title=Public Sculpture of Birmingham: including Sutton Coldfield |editor=Beach, Jeremy |publisher=Liverpool University Press |location=Liverpool |year=1998 |isbn=0-85323-682-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/publicsculptureo0000nosz }}
• {{Cite book |last1=Noszlopy |first1=George |last2=Waterhouse |first2=Fiona |title=Birmingham: Public Sculpture Trails |year=2007 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |location=Liverpool |isbn=978-1-84631-134-5 }}
• {{Cite book |last1=Parfect |first1=Michael |last2=Power |first2=Gordon |title=Planning for urban quality: urban design in towns and cities |publisher=Routledge |location=Oxfordshire |year=1997 |isbn=0-415-15968-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/planningforurban0000parf }}

• [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/victoriasquare Birmingham City Council page on Victoria Square]
• [http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/west+midlands/birmingham/photos/birmingham_B100049.htm Picture of New Street joining Victoria Square] The image includes the Christchurch buildings (now demolished) on the left and Victoria House (formerly the Post Office) on the right.
• {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130220042935/http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=537051 Emporis entry of the Town Hall in Victoria Square]}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130215222545/http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=527549 Emporis entry of the Council House with the River Fountain and Fountain of the Youth in Victoria Square]}}

{{Streets in Birmingham|state=expanded}}

{{Queen Victoria}}

{{2022 Commonwealth Games venues}}

Category:Squares in Birmingham, West Midlands

Category:Tourist attractions in Birmingham, West Midlands

Category:Monuments and memorials to Queen Victoria