Pesky Parrots and Panicked Physicians in Interwar Birmingham

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This guest blog is from Matt who has been digitising the Coroner’s records in preparation for their release on Ancestry.

Illustration of a group of 7 brightly coloured green birds with Yellow and red heads, they are arranged on a clump of branches in a range of poses
Carolina Parrot Plate 26 from The birds of America / / from original drawings by J.J. Audubon, 1827 [our Ref: A E 096/1827]

My previous blog explored how the Coroner’s Inquests are a unique resource for research and family history. In this blog post, I explore the opposite; a Coroner’s Inquest that has nothing to do with the deceased and everything to do with… parrots!

On December 19th, 1929, Ada Gardner purchased an Amazon green parrot from Ada Chapman at Chapman’s High Street pet shop. A gift from her children, Ada’s new parrot filled a space left behind from her previous pet, who died back in 1925. Over Christmas, Ada became enamoured with her new friend. On January 1st 1930, however, Ada woke to find her newly beloved parrot dead in the living room.

Ada returned to Chapman’s. She purchased the bird less than two weeks ago and wanted it “opened up” for examination. Ada confronted Ada; Chapman offered to send the parrot to London and handed Gardner another Amazon green parrot in a “part exchange” for the price of 30 shillings (about £85 today). Ada went home, cleaned the cage and introduced her new-new parrot to its home (CO/INQ/Jan 1930/53: Henceforth referenced as Gardner’s Inquest).

Grainy photograph from a newspaper showing a woman holding a parrot
Image from Birmingham Sunday Mercury, 9 February 1930 [Coroner’s Newscuttings]

On January 3rd, Ada woke to find her new-new parrot dead. She buried it in the garden.

A bad start to the new year for the Gardner’s. First, the dead parrots, then illness. Ada contracted the flu. Her husband, Charles, followed a week later and phoned in sick to work on Monday 13th January. Their physician, Dr. Tibbets, visited. Upon hearing Ada and Charles’ daughter mention their parrot fiasco, he contacted a colleague named Dr. Thomas. The next day, Ada and Charles were admitted to hospital.

Doctor Arthur Peregrine Thomson spent between July 1928 and December 1929 contacting his colleagues to ask them about psittacosis. A highly infectious and deadly disease for parrots. Symptoms include a loss of appetite and enteritis. Doctor Thomas suspected cases of human psittacosis were being mistaken for pneumonia. The Medical Officer for Birmingham, Dr Newsholme, assisted in following some leads. In September 1929, he visited Chapman’s pet shop and asked Ada Chapman about any unusual behaviour in her employees or birds. She denied anything out of the ordinary. However, speaking to a panel doctor in the Black Country who assisted an employee of Chapman’s, Dr Thomas was informed that other workers were also unwell.

Of the fourteen cases Dr. Thomas uncovered by January 1930, eight were in Birmingham. All but two individuals became ill after contact with a sick bird. Of the Birmingham cases, four had been fatal. Now, he was treating Ada and Charles Gardner. Dr. Thomas had warned about the potential for human infection back in July 1929. His article, published in the Lancet, challenged consensus amongst veterinary surgeons that psittacosis could not be transmitted to humans. Dr. Thomas, presented a similar psittacosis epidemic, mistaken for influenza in Paris between 1892 and 1893, which had a mortality rate of 45% (The Lancet, 20/07/1929 in Gardner’s Inquest). A worrisome historical case study, which underlines the question: Could some pesky parrots propagate a pandemic?

By February 1930, a number of individuals had been reported as unwell with “Parrot-fever”. Cases were found from Portsmouth to Northumberland. In Barking, Essex, Lillian Rogers, and her brother, Edward died. At Lillian’s inquest, a doctor warned that if precautions against psittacosis were not taken then it could become an epidemic (Birmingham Post & Journal, 06/02/1930 in Gardner’s’ Inquest).

Medical professionals weren’t the only people concerned about psittacosis. An international story, the press began inquiries after Dr D. L. Thomas died in December 1929. George Chapman (Ada’s brother) was quoted in The Observer (12/12/29 in Gardner’s’ Inquest)  saying that he had never witnessed psittacosis in birds personally. In January 1930, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and Austria implemented restrictions and quarantines for the importation of birds (The Observer 05/01 and Daily Mail 27/01/30 in Gardner’s’ Inquest).

Black and white pen sketch of a cartoon parrot with an alarmed face squawking
Illustration from the Daily Sketch, London, 27 January 1930 [news cutting, part of CO INQ/1930/53]

The panic over psittacosis compelled people across Europe to abandon their pet in zoos. In the United States, 12 people had died (Gardner’s Inquest). The tabloid, Daily Sketch,produced a semi-satirical argument between Augustus the parrot and his owner. The line, ‘… I had just been reading about the ravages of parrot-disease, from which it appears that persons in Berlin, New York and Birmingham – why Birmingham? – have been dying …’ (Gardner’s Inquest). I think this quote perfectly encompasses the confounding significance of Birmingham as an epicentre of “Parrot-fever”.

Usually, a Coroner’s Inquest is about a deceased individual. However, Charles Gardner Inquest has nothing to do with him. Instead, it contains the goings-on of his wife; research conducted by medical professionals; and newspaper clippings about a growing psittacosis panic permeating Europe. Nothing about Charles: Who was he? What were his thoughts on these pesky parrots?

Although unlucky for Charles, his Coroner’s Inquest remains an invaluable and staunchly unique resource to understand cultural and societal attitudes to infectious diseases in Interwar Britain. Moreover, it depicts historical conceptualisations of human-animal relationships, as well as providing a case-study into moral panics. Ultimately, Charles’ Inquest illuminates the myriad of revelations present within the Coroner’s Inquests.

WEBSITES

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

Matt Taylor, Ancestry Digitisation Team

ICI at 100

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British Science Week 2026 celebrates the theme of innovation, providing the perfect opportunity to mark the centenary of one of Britain’s most influential chemical manufacturers: Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Formed in 1926 from the merger of four major firms, ICI rapidly became an important player in materials science and innovation, shaping advances in chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, dyes, metals, and explosives.

A collection of shiny fabricated metal products, including various pipes and fittings, displayed on a surface with 'FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS' in bold orange text at the top.
Fabricated Metal Products by ICI [Trade catalogues collection: I/4/1 ]

ICI in Birmingham: the Metals Division at Witton

Although ICI operated nationally and internationally, its presence in Birmingham was centred on the former Kynoch Works at Witton, which became home to the company’s Metals Division after 1926. Here, it specialised in:

  • Non-ferrous metals and alloys
  • Tube production (including heat exchange and radiator tubes)
  • Non-military ammunition for sportsmen
Interior view of a large industrial warehouse filled with stacked metal tubes and machinery, showcasing a spacious and organized layout under a high glass roof.
ICI Metals factory, Witton [Ref. MS 1422/28/7/4/4]

From the 1920s until the 1940s, ICI Metals expanded to become one of the largest copper and copper alloy product suppliers in Britain with its products being used in widely, including in the boiler tubes for the ocean liner, RMS Queen Elizabeth. By 1945 it consisted of more than 20 factories at various sites, employing tens of thousands of people. During the 1940s it was a major contributor to the war effort through the manufacture of armaments.

After the war, ICI Metals perfected large-scale production of titanium, an important metal for the aerospace industry, helping to cement the company in the global metals industry.

From 1962, it became a new operating company under the name Imperial Metal Industries (Kynoch) Ltd. This was a wholly owned subsidiary of ICI, administered by a new holding company, IMI Ltd. In 1978, IMI became fully independent of ICI and is now known as IMI PLC.

A large ocean liner sailing in the foreground with a backdrop of a city skyline, featuring tall skyscrapers and smoke rising from buildings.
R.M.S Queen Elizabeth, launched in 1938 [MS 1422/28/7/4/4]

Birmingham and the origins of nuclear research

Birmingham also played an unexpected role in early nuclear research. In 1941, Rudolf Peierls and Otto Frisch, working at the University of Birmingham, calculated that a relatively small mass of Uranium 235 could produce an explosion of several kilotons of TNT (Trinitrotoluene).

Their research was the beginning of the Tube Alloys Project, so named because of the association with ICI’s tube manufacture. As the work was classified, the name helped to obscure the nature of the project which pre-dated the American Manhattan Project.

Although conducted separately from ICI Metals Ltd, this research highlights the city’s broader scientific importance during the same era in which ICI was expanding at Witton. ICI went on to make the tubes for the Calder Hall nuclear reactor at Windscale (Sellafield) which became operational in 1956 and was the world’s first commercial nuclear power station to produce electricity.

Interior view of a dimly lit industrial space with numerous metallic pipes and supports, resembling a network of conduits, and circular containers on the floor.
Calder Hall nuclear reactor [Ref. MS 1422/28/7/4/4]

Scientific innovation across ICI

Across its divisions around the country, ICI researchers pioneered the development of:

  • Polythene, the world’s first practical plastic of its kind
  • Industrial dyes, pigments, and coatings
  • Pharmaceutical breakthroughs, including:
    • Propranolol, a beta-blocker used worldwide for heart disease and hypertension
    • Tamoxifen, one of the most significant modern cancer treatments
    • Halothane, an inhalant anaesthetic

These developments transformed industries from automotive manufacturing to jewellery making, shaping everyday materials and medicines.

ICI’s success fits naturally into Birmingham’s long history of innovation, from the work by 18th century Lunar Society members such as James Keir, James Watt, Joseph Priestley and Erasmus Darwin, to the city’s Victorian and 20th century strengths in metals, dyes, engineering  and industrial chemistry.

ICI archives

MS 1422/28 – This sub-collection within MS 1422 Records of IMI Plc. and subsidiary firms, held by Birmingham Archives & Collections, includes over 200 items relating to ICI Metals Ltd pre-1962, comprising memoranda, articles of association, company reports, minutes, correspondence, and marketing material. These records offer an essential resource for tracing Birmingham’s role in ICI’s history and can be viewed in the Wolfson Centre by appointment.

Researchers seeking information on other branches of ICI, especially those relating to chemicals, dyes, or major manufacturing sites, should consult:

New Accessions 2025

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Historic street scene featuring vintage cars, pedestrians, and storefronts, with the prominent sign for 'Employers Mutual Assurance Ltd.' and other businesses.
MS 5173, a view of New Street from the Town Hall, 4 September 1929

Every year we take in new archival material relating to the history of Birmingham, offered to us by organisations and individuals, both from Birmingham but also more widely from across the country and occasionally from abroad. Last year Archives & Collections took in 81 new accessions, beginning the year with the first accession logically numbered Acc. 2025/001, to become collection reference MS 5173. This accession, a donation, is primarily a set of eight photographs taken by a Harold Nicholls, dating from the 1920s/30s, featuring places around Birmingham. 

Over the course of the year, we received additions to existing collections we hold, such as a small number of correspondence files to the Carl Chinn/Birmingham Lives collection MS 1902 Acc. 2025/009, and more boxes of Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) records, MS 321 Acc. 2025/028.  

We added to our collection of Birmingham City Council records with new accessions of various committee minutes but there was also a donation of photographs, Acc. 2025/061, taken by a former worker at Birmingham City Council’s main drainage department, ref. BCC/1/AO/D/1/8/2/1. The photographs interestingly include images of ground freezing in Stirchley, taken in the 1970s while work was being done on the sewers. 

A historical black and white photo showing a gas tanker truck parked on a residential street with houses. A large cylindrical gas storage tank is at the scene, with a person standing nearby. Traffic barriers are set up on the road.
BCC/1/AO/D/1/8/2/1, Charlotte Road, Severn progress, Stirchley, 19 November 1974 – notice how on the tank it says ‘liquid nitrogen’

There were additions to our holdings of hospital material. Acc. 2025/045, a photographic collection collected by Dr. George Hearn, is a visual history about the people and buildings at the Birmingham Infirmary and Dudley Road Hospital, ref. HC DR/6/1. 

As standard, there were accessions of documents, such as Acc. 2025/007 which includes deeds and copy wills relating to The Old Crown, Deritend, ref. MS 5164, the Old Crown being one of the oldest surviving buildings in Birmingham. The documents in this collection start in the late 18th century. 

Three historic lease documents displayed on a wooden surface. The leases are aged and yellowed, with handwritten notes and formal printing. They include details such as names, dates, and terms of the leases.
MS 5164, leases concerning The Old Crown, Deritend

Also transferred were two nonconformist marriage registers from the Birmingham Register Office, Acc. 2025/048; one from Boatmen’s Hall, Bridge Street, dating from 1917 – 1953, ref. GRO/143 and one from Glad Tidings Hall, 296 – 298 Belgrave Road, 1955 – 1957, ref. GRO/144. 

Two nice collections that represent the varied activities people of Birmingham enjoy are: 

Acc. 2025/012, ref. MS 5185 – Records of the Birmingham CHA [Countrywide Holidays Association] Rambling Club. CHA Rambling clubs are walking groups which arrange walks for all abilities. The Birmingham club was created in 1904, but due to a decline in membership, was dissolved in early 2025. Positively, however, their records were deposited with us, securing the history of their activities. The collection includes minutes, newsletters, and photographs. 

Acc. 2025/047, ref. MS 5206, records of the Luke Players Drama Group. The Luke Players originated in Birmingham in the 1930s. The accession of material we received from the players include performance photographs, programmes, minutes, and other papers.  

Our last accession of the year was Acc. 2025/081, ref. MS 5201, papers relating to Cluedo and its inventor, Anthony Pratt. The collection mostly comprises of letters from the Waddingtons company to Anthony Pratt. The artefacts were deposited with Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.  There were several news articles about the collection being deposited.

Please be aware that material that we received in 2025 may still be being processed and so some accessions might not yet be available to view. Some material may also have access restrictions for condition and content. 

Let’s see what 2026 brings in… 

Rachel Clare, Archives & Collections Senior Assistant

Exploring the archives

nicolacrews

In October and November 2025, we supported students on placement from Aston University. As part of their history degree, Aston University have an archives module that actively encourages students to use archives, but also gives them the opportunity to experience working in an archive environment.

Archives & Collections offered placements for 4 students, who worked on two separate projects – the glass negatives of the Rubery Owen Collection (MS 4744) and the papers of Carl Chinn (MS 1902). As part of the placement, one of our students wrote about their experience…

“My name is Rayshaun Bergan, and I am currently studying history at Aston University. As part of my course, I have been tasked with conducting archival research on Birmingham and the history of the people who have lived in this populous and diverse city. Birmingham has long been a centre of industry, migration, and cultural change, making it an ideal subject for exploring how communities evolve over time.

The Library of Birmingham piqued my interest early on, offering both contemporary showcases of history and access to much older records that reveal the city’s past. Its collections provide a unique opportunity to trace the experiences of ordinary residents alongside the broader social and economic transformations that shaped Birmingham.

Over the weeks that followed, I explored many aspects of Birmingham life, guided by the work of the well-known historian Carl Chinn. His extensive research and curated documents illuminate the everyday realities of working-class communities, the impact of industrial growth, and the cultural traditions that have defined the city across generations. By engaging with these materials, I aimed to build a deeper understanding of how Birmingham’s identity has been forged and reshaped through the lives of its people.

One aspect of my research focused on the topic of driving in Birmingham, which I found particularly interesting.

Photograph of a photograph showing a car from about the 1960s to 1970s with Arthur's Driving School written on the rear window.

During my exploration, I came across a newspaper from the early 1990s that reported the cost of driving lessons as £6 for a block of ten. This striking detail highlights just how much prices have changed in recent times. I can relate to this personally, as I recently passed my driving test and found the cost of lessons to be extortionate compared to the much lower rates of the past.

Photograph of a newspaper cutting which has the headline of cut-price driving school disappears.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Nicola, as well as to the staff at the Library of Birmingham and the Wolfson Centre, for their guidance and support throughout my research. I am also deeply appreciative of the work of historian Carl Chinn, whose contributions have provided invaluable insight into Birmingham’s past and greatly enriched my study. Together, their efforts have not only expanded my understanding of the city’s history but have also helped me to develop many valuable life skills. These are skills I will carry forward with me into the future, both academically and personally.”

Heritage Unlocked: Birmingham’s Unique Municipal Bank

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Birmingham Municipal Bank (1919-1976) was unique as the first and only local authority savings bank in England. Unlike other savings banks (such as the Trustee Savings Banks), customers could borrow money through the House Purchase Department to buy their home. Unlocking the Vaults, has been uncovering the Bank’s history and how it helped shape Birmingham’s story. The Exchange (opposite the Library of Birmingham) was once the head office for the Municipal Bank, and it lies at the heart of this project with many projects and events taking place in the historic Vaults.

Historic black and white photo of the Birmingham Municipal Bank, showcasing its grand architecture with tall columns and detailed facade.
The Head Office of Birmingham Municipal Bank on Broad Street (now The Exchange) [Ref.No. WK/B11/5129]

Throughout 2025, a group of curious volunteers, with the support of a historian and the Archives and Collections team at the Library of Birmingham, have delved into the archives and uncovered more about the Municipal Bank. Meeting once a month, the group have been searching minute books, boxes of newspaper cuttings, photograph albums and staff association correspondence. Many of the group had never visited an archive before and an important aim of this project has been to break down barriers and introduce volunteers to their local archive service. Volunteers learnt research skills and are now confident to search the online catalogue and the local studies indexes. They are also familiar with the wealth of resources available on Floor 4, including the map drawers.

A group of people gathered around a table examining historical maps and documents in a brightly lit building with large windows.
Volunteer group exploring the map drawers on Floor 4. [Photo: J. Pick]

There are two main collections for researching the Municipal Bank. One forms part of the Birmingham City Council (BCC) collection with records from the dedicated bank committee and its related sub-committees catalogued (BCC/1/BT). The second is MS 1453, a collection formed of material from local branches and the head office after the bank was amalgamated in 1976 with TSB and later Lloyds TSB. It is this collection that the group mostly concentrated on, as this collection is not fully catalogued and there were surprises in every box. Other individual items of bank ephemera can also be found in the local studies collection.

A group of people is studying in a archives searchroom, seated at large tables with books and gray cushions. Bookshelves filled with colorful binders are in the background.
Volunteer group working in the Wolfson Room [Photo: J. Pick]

A key finding of the project has been the significance of the Municipal Bank, not only as a financial institution but also as a cornerstone of community life, with local branches established on high streets across the city between the 1920s and 1970s. Many began as temporary branches in wooden huts or disused commercial premises and some within factory works, like the Bournville branch exclusively for Cadbury’s workers. When the Municipal Bank celebrated its golden jubilee in 1969, there were 73 permanent branches, some in areas that did not fall within the city’s boundaries (Halesowen, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield).

Historic photo of Birmingham Municipal Bank's Saltley branch, featuring a group of children and a man in formal attire in front of the building, which has a sign detailing opening hours.
Photograph of Saltley Temporary Branch. [Ref. No. MS 1453: Birmingham Municipal Bank, Large Photographs Bundles © Lloyds Banking Group Archives]

As ‘the people’s bank’ its unique status generated affection and a feeling of civic pride within the community. The design for the bank’s own float for Birmingham’s 1938 Pageant, with houses and the instantly recognisable key logo and home safe symbolising how the Municipal Bank empowered working people to regularly save, buy their home and build a secure future.

A historical photograph from the 'Pageant of Birmingham' in 1938, featuring three individuals beside a decorative bank display with signs for 'Security with Interest' and 'Birmingham Bank Municipal.'
Float for the Pageant of Birmingham, July 1938. [Ref. No. MS 1453: Birmingham Municipal Bank, Small photograph albums © Lloyds Banking Group Archives]

Although the research for the project has ended, what the group have uncovered is informing the interpretation and curation of an exhibition in The Vaults at The Exchange. This will be open to all between July and November 2026. There will also more permanent interpretation around the listed building.  In the meantime, on Saturday 7 February, The Exchange is hosting the project’s  Heritage Unlocked event (11am –  3pm). This will be an opportunity to meet the project and research leads, some of the volunteer research group and former employees of the Municipal Bank to learn more about the project and what has been uncovered.

Members of the volunteer group (now archive buddies) are making independent plans to continue exploring Birmingham’s fascinating history. Some will be joining other volunteer projects unlocking more collections and the city’s heritage. Happy researching!

Thank you to Jane McArdle (Project Lead), volunteers Anne, Ben, Christine, David, Jasmine, Jeanette, Jess, Kiran, Lesley, Matt, Morwenna, Pat, Resham, Roger, Shelia, Sue; and all the team at Birmingham Archives and Collections – it truly has been a joy.

Dr Justine Pick Research Lead, Unlocking the Vaults

This project was possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the University of Birmingham. Thanks also to Lloyds Banking Group Archives for permission to use photographs from MS 1453.

Digital archives and access – an update for 2026

kathryn

Introduction

In 2025 we made increasing quantities of our digital collections available on Universal Access, the public front end of our Preservica digital preservation system.

Universal Access is a customisable WordPress site linked to Preservica. Digital content allocated the security tag “public” may be searched, found and viewed by remote users. By running a report on the website using Google Analytics, data extracted confirms 9600 users with over 42,000 page views since going live in July 2023.

There has been a significant spike in engagement with the site since last January, helped by staff signposting new content on social media, whilst a recent upgrade of our CalmView catalogue has improved the way the catalogue links to related digital content in Preservica.

We have continued collecting born-digital archives and digitising select parts of our physical holdings, making as many of these available online where no restrictions on use apply. A few key highlights are detailed below.

Community heritage and oral history projects

In 2025 we received several digital project archives (including oral histories) documenting the history of local communities and people.

‘Tales of the Gladiator’ (MS 5184), deposited last June, was a celebratory project which ran during late 2024, capturing memories of the Gladiator Pub in Druids Heath (1969 – 2012). The digital archive is on Universal Access, further information about the project can be found at https://talesofthegladiator.uk/.

‘Guess Who Came to Dinner…’ (MS 5193) collected stories from Black mixed-race families in the city of Birmingham during the 1950s and 1960s. This project ran between 2007 and 2009, just over a decade elapsed when the archive was consolidated, finally coming to us in September. Additional work is required to copy content from portable storage media prior to final ingest into Preservica before, hopefully, making the collection more widely available.

Image
MS 4680/1/6/5 Digital photograph of “Project Pigeon” oral history interview, February 2012

Two other collections are also now online:

  • Digbeth Oral History Project (MS 1497): Digitised cassette tape interviews available here.
  • “Project Pigeon” (MS 4680): Most of the digital archive (including all audio interviews and videos) is available on here. An earlier blog provides project background as well as detailing the process of digitally archiving this quirky and unique collection.

Photography

We were pleased to receive two new accessions of digital images and other items from the Birmingham-based photographer Herbert Walters (MS 5183).

The first deposit comprised his 2020 project ‘Where We Once Gathered’, a stark and at times eerie series of photographs documenting the deserted streets and public spaces of the city, captured on specifically plotted walks from Handsworth to Birmingham during the Covid lockdown.

The second deposit, ‘Portraits of Black Britain’, comprises portrait and street photography, representing the two decades that Walters spent documenting Black communities in Birmingham and London. Striking and often emotive, the images evoke the work of inspiring local Black photographers like Vanley Burke. The prints have been on display as a permanent exhibit at the Medicine Bakery and Gallery, New Street, since 2022.

Image
MS 5183/3/1/31 Black British Portraits “Birmingham 2014”: Digital photograph taken by Herbert Walters showing sound system operators

Herbert has kindly granted us permission to display his work on Universal Access. Information about the photographer and a full inventory of his work held here can be found on our CalmView catalogue, which links to the online photo archive.

Map Collections  

Colleagues have also been assisting with widening online access to our map holdings, digitising J. Pigott-Smith’s 1855 Survey of Birminghamand making it available via National Library of Scotland’s excellent Maps Online resource. We also provided the NLS digital content filling gaps in their Ordnance Survey town plans covering Birmingham and its environs (1887-1889). A full set can now be viewed here.

We completed the digitisation of the tracing paper copies of the nineteenth century Rating Maps of Birmingham (MAP/270023). Digital content is now available here, whilst there are still significant quantities of other map sheets in aperture card format only we do hope to digitise these next.

Image
MAP/270023/146 Birmingham Rating Map showing earlier buildings and canal infrastructure where Library of Birmingham now stands, c1860s-1890s

Conclusion

From 2026 we hope to continue collecting new digital collections and improving access to content and supporting community heritage and oral history projects seeking to deposit with us. I am investigating widening access to our sound archives and using digital audio content to engage with new audiences. Digitisation of hardcopy formats and the storage and preservation of digitised and born-digital formats is envisaged as a key facet of this work.

If you have a digital archive that relates to Birmingham and are interested in depositing with us, we would like to hear from you! Please get in touch at archives.heritage@birmingham.gov.uk.

Michael Hunkin, Archivist, Birmingham Archives and Collections

New additions to our printed resource collections 2025

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A collection of four books displayed on a table, featuring titles on various local history subjects
A selection of new additions to the Local Studies collections

How quickly that time of year when we bring you an account of new additions to our printed resource collections rolls round again. We have several printed material collections including the Birmingham & Local Studies Collections which chronicles the culture and history of the city; the Black & South Asian History Collection which records the histories of Britain’s Black and South Asian communities, the Genealogy Collection which contains handbooks and guides on a wide range of family history topics and the Topography Collection which explores the development and growth of cities and towns in the UK.

Additions arrive as donations made by you, our patrons, or as materials purchased from the annual library book fund. Regardless of the wider financial restraints libraries and archives face, we are still able to purchase new additions to our printed resource collections. Each week we promote a new title on our socials, so why not checkout @TheIronRoom #SundayShowcase. Here’s a list of choice additions to the collections:

Bookshelves filled with various printed resources on topics including statistics, law, hospitals, health, housing, canals, railways, and cinema.
The Birmingham Collection in the Heritage Research Area

Birmingham & Local Studies Collections

Ali, Kasim. Who Will Remain (2025), L 52.31 ALI, Level 5

Basu, Shrabani. The Mystery of The Parsee Lawyer – Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the case of the foreigner in the English village (2022), BCOL 78.1 EDA, Level 4 & L 78.1 EDA, Level 5

Berry, Liz & O’Flynn, Catherine. Brum Library Zine (2024), LP 53.31, Level 5

Bew, Alex. Lost Wolverhampton (2024), 942.491 Midland Topography, Level 4 and L 96 WOL, Level 5

Chinn, Carl & Bradley, Dominic. Lench’s Trust – 500 Years of Charitable Contribution to Birmingham (2025), BCOL 41.1, Level 4 & L 41.1, Level 5

Chinn, Carl. Peaky Blinders: The real gangs of and gangsters (2025), BCOL 42.31, Level 4 & L 42.3, Level 5

Clay, John. Maconochie’s Experiment: How one man’s extraordinary vision saved transported convicts from degradation and despair (2001), L 78.1 MAC, Level 5

Cole, Andrew. Saltley Depot From The 1960s to Closure (2018), BCOL 47.3 COL, Level 4 & L 47.3 COL, Level 5

Davison, Colin. Roger Vaughton of Birmingham – A Butcher’s Son Made Good (2025), LF 77.2 VAU, Level 5

Fewtrell, Alan. Altar of Remembrance – Remembering the fallen commemorated at the Castle Bromwich War Memorial (2025), BCOL 75.9, Levels 4 & L 75.9, Level 5.

Foster, Jonathan. The Story of Cluedo – How Anthony Pratt invented the game of murder mystery (2013), L 78.1 PRA, Level 5

Gimson, Sally. Off The Rails – The Inside Story of HS2 (2025), BCOL 47.34, Level 4 & L 47.34, Level 5

Goodman, Kevin. The Diggum Uppers – Body Snatching and Grave Robbing in the West Midlands (2024), L 45.51 GOO, Level 5

Goodman, Kevin. The Black Country during the 1832 Cholera pandemic (2023), L 45, Level 5

Green, Peter J. Rails South West from Birmingham in the late 20th Century, 1972 – 2000 (2024), BCOL 47.3 GRE, Level 4 & L 47.3 GRE, Level 5

Harvey, David, Midland Red Coaches (2020), BCOL 47.63, Level 4 & L 47.63, Level 5

Hendry, Robert. Euston to Birmingham – 1837 to Rail Blue (2025), BCOL 47.34, Level 4 & L 47.34, Level 5

Hewitt, Martin Wilkes. Wiliam Field – Gunmaker of Birmingham: His family and descendants (2024), LF 65.52 FIE, Level 5

Hitchman, Pete. Every Week We Follow – Photography by Pete Hitchman (2024), L 25.14, Level 5

Iqbal, Karamat. British Pakistani Boys, Education and the Role of Religion in the land of the Trojan Horse (2019), L 21.85 IQB, Level 5

(Ed.) Iqbal, Karamat & Abbas, Tahir. Ethnicity, Religion and Muslim Education in a Changing World (2024), L 52.41 IQB, Level 5

Mahadeva, Kaplan (Prof.). My First 80 Years (2025), BCOL 78.1 MAH, Level 4 & LF 78.1 MAH, Level 5

Morgan, Vanessa. Little History of Birmingham (2025), BCOL 71 MOR, Level 4 & L 71 MOR, Level 5

Munro, Andy. The Balti – Its Birth, Its Boom Years and Beyond (2025), BCOL23.7, Level 4  & L 23.7, Level 5

St. Mary’s Convent, Handsworth, 175th Anniversary (2016), LP 17.06, Level 5

Sampad. My City, My Home – Unheard Voices of Women Writers (2021), L 21.85 MAN, Level 5

Sunita, Yogini. Pranayama Yoga – The Art of Relaxation (1965), L 25.7, Level 5

Warr, Bernard H. Midland Red in Retrospect (2021), BCOL 47.63, Level 4 & LF 47.63, Level 5

Zephaniah, Benjamin. Dis Poetry – Selected Poems & Lyrics (2025), BCOL 52.21, Level 4 & L 52.21, Level 5

A library shelf filled with various books, showcasing titles related to Black and South Asian history, culture, and studies.
The Black & South Asian History Collection in the Heritage Research Area
 

Black & South Asian History Collection

Akita, Shigeru. History of the British Empire from Asian Perspectives (2025), A 909.097124, Level 5

Andrews, Kehinde. Nobody Can Give You Your Freedom – The Real Mission of Malcolm X. (2025), 320.546092, Levels 4  & 5

Bakare, Lanre. We Were There – How Black culture, resistance and community shaped modern Britain (2025), 305.896041, Levels 4 & 5

Blackburn, Robin. The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery, 1776 – 1848 (2011), A 326.80973, Level 5

(Ed.) Correia, Alice. What is Black Art (2022), 704.036609, Levels 4 & 5

Dalrymple, Sam., Shattered Lands – Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia (2025), 950.4, Levels 4 & 5

(Eds). Hall, S., Critcher, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J., Roberts, B. Policing The Crisis – mugging, the state and law & order (2019 reprint), A 364.155209, Level 5

Harding, Thomas. White Debt – The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery (2022), Levels 4 & 5  306.362094

Husain, Mishal. Broken Threads – A Family from Empire to Independence (2024), 954.91092, Levels 4 & 5

Jarrett–Macauley, Delia. The Life of Una Marson, 1905 – 1965 (1998), A828.9972901, Level 5

Natsios, Andrew, S. Sudan, South Sudan and Darfur – What Everyone Needs To Know (2012), 962.404, Levels 4 & 5 

Newman, Richard. Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown (2002), A 305.567, Level 5

Palmer, Geoff. The Enlightenment Abolished – Citizens of Britishness (2007), A 305.8, Level 5

Sarpong, June & Obidike, Jennifer. Calling Una Marson (2025), 791.45092 Levels 4 & 5 

Sewell, Tony. Black Success (2024), 305.896, Levels 4 & 5

Talbot, Ian. The History of British Diplomacy in Pakistan (2022), 327.410549, Levels 4 & 5

Warsi, Sayeeda, Muslims Don’t Matter (2024), 05.967094, Levels 4 & 5  

Genealogy

Santry, Claire. The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide (2017), 929. 107204, Levels 4 & 5

Topography

(Ed). Rohrkasten, Jens, The Warwickshire Eyre Roll of 1262 (2022), Dugdale Society Vol. 54., B 942.48, Level 5

Ed. Totty, Richard. The 1851 Religious Census for Staffordshire (2024), Collections for a History of Staffordshire, Vol. 28, B 942.46, Level 5

Tringham, Nigel J. Victoria County History Series Staffordshire. Vol XII – Tamworth & Drayton Bassett (2020), AQ 942.469 TAM, Level 5

Here’s to more in 2026. If you’d like to view any of these items, please come to the Heritage Research Area on level 4 of the Library and speak to a member of staff at the customer service desk. Happy reading!

Paul Taylor, Archives & Collections Co-ordinator