St Patrick's Day Parade in Digbeth 2024

Here is a selection of great photography taken at today's St Patrick's Parade in Birmingham by Jack and Daniel, contributors at Birmingham We Are. 

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Photography by Daniel Sturley.

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Photography by Jack Babington

Funder City at Moat Lane from Danter Attractions

Digbeth Fun Fair is back for the fourth year. Second time at the Smithfield Festival Site, but near Moat Lane (unlike the Beach @ Smithfield in Summer 2023 near Pershore Street). Started 14th March and runs to the 7th April 2024. In time for the up and coming Easter holidays.

FUNDER CITY THE DIGBETH FUN FAIR.

Danter Attractions is holding their fourth fun fair in Digbeth / Southside in four years, but the second year at Smithfield. It opened on the 14th March and is open daily until the 7th April 2024, during the Easter holidays period.

The same rides as before, some of which were last used at Ice Skate Birmingham. Others return from the last Digbeth Fun Fair, called at the time Beach @ Smithfield (July to August 2023).

 

The view from Digbeth near Enterprise Rent a Car, and the Eastside Metro extension (just before Alcester Street on the Digbeth High Street).

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From Mill Lane near Birmingham Coach Station, towards Bradford Street. Buildings on right were demolished recently, Bullring Autocentre (Strictly MOT before that) and Sutton Florists (previously the Leather Company, and Fonz Leathers before that).

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A carousel ride seen near Bradford Street.

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Fun House

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Birmingham Big Wheel returns again.

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Funder City from 14th March to 7th April 2024 open day, Moat Lane City Centre, B5 5BD. Best to get the bus here (or train), don't go in your car!

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Onto Moat Lane. The fun fair is where the concrete Moat Lane Car Park was until it was demolished a few years ago.

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The Welcome entrance, it's been used at many fun fairs in Birmingham over the years, even one that was at the Curzon Street HS2 site back in 2010!

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Upper Dean Street view, some demolition rubble.

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And to the Bullring, up to the balcony near St Martin in the Bullring for one last view before going into the West Mall.

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A few days later, and it was St Patrick's Day. View from the Bullring on the balcony behind Browns Birmingham.

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A view from Moor Street Car Park level 8 through the safety barrier fence.

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Funder City in full swing from Moat Lane, as I walked to check out the St Patrick's Day Parade on Bradford Street.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

Trains at Walsall Station over the years

Walsall Station has three platforms. The Walsall to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street was the first one to be electrified. The line to Rugeley Trent Valley saw electrification completed by 2019. So had diesel trains before then. London Midland until 2017, then West Midlands Railway (with London Northwestern Railway trains) since then.

Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley line

In the years before Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley was electrified, London Midland used the Class 170 DMU's from Birmingham New Street. Mostly going via Perry Barr or sometimes via Soho and Handsworth. Trains from Birmingham stopped at platform 1, while trains from Rugeley arrived at platform 2.

London Midland 170517 seen in 2014 at Walsall Station platform 1.

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London Midland 170508 seen in 2014 at Walsall Station platform 2.

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The line was electrified between 2017 and 2019, and by the time it opened, the line was run by new franchise operator West Midlands Railway. These Class 350 EMU's would also be used by London Northwestern Railway on the lines between Birmingham New Street and London Euston or to Liverpool Lime Street. Under West Midlands Railway the trains from Rugeley Trent Valley would go beyond Birmingham New Street to Birmingham International.

London Northwestern Railway 350 266 seen in 2021 at Walsall Station platform 2.

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London Northwestern Railway 350 259 seen in 2023 at Walsall Station platform 1.

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London Northwestern Railway 350 240 seen in 2023 at Walsall Station platform 2.

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London Northwestern Railway 350409 seen in 2024 at Walsall Station platform 1.

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London Northwestern Railway 350122 seen in 2024 at Walsall Station platform 1.

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London Northwestern Railway 350409 seen in 2024 at Walsall Station platform 2.

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Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street to Walsall line

Trains on this line always usually go via Aston, Witton and Perry Barr, and terminate at platform 3. Until 2019, it was the only platform to be electrified. Under London Midland, they used the Class 323 EMU's on the line to and from Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street.

 London Midland 323202 seen in 2016 at Walsall Station platform 3.

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London Midland 323201 seen in 2016 at Walsall Station platform 3.

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After West Midlands Railway took over in late 2017, they replaced the Class 323's on the line with the Class 350 EMU's.

London Northwestern Railway 350 106 seen in 2018 at Walsall Station platform 3.

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From 2024 West Midlands Railway have started to introduce the new Class 730's on the line, but on my last visit to Walsall on a Sunday, they weren't running, so ended up going on the Class 350's instead (on the Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley line). Although did travel to Smethwick Galton Bridge earlier, and caught a Class 350 to Birmingham New Street, and switched lines.

London Northwestern Railway 350 238 seen in 2024 at Smethwick Galton Bridge Station (low level) platform 4.

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Soho EMU Depot

The only place to see the Class 730's not in service in the West Midlands is at the Soho EMU depot near the Soho Loop. You can also see them from the train. Some have come into service on the Wolverhampton to Walsall via Birmingham New Street line (but I'm not sure on what days). And they are due to enter service on the Cross City Line from April 2024.

West Midlands Railway 730 006 seen at Soho EMU Depot during 2023.

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Train view of West Midlands Class 730's during 2023 from the train.

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West Midlands Railway Class 323's and Class 730's seen at Soho EMU Depot from the train in 2024.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

The Bullring presents Borealis by Dan Acher - 9th to 18th February 2024

From the 9th to 18th February 2024 at the Bullring in Birmingham was an art installation by Dan Acher called Borealis. Based on the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. It was on Central Street (St Martin's Walk) for 10 days from 5pm to 9pm each evening. Best seen after dark, as the effect didn't really work in daylight I found. Smoke machines and ambient music.

Borealis

BOREALIS THE NORTHERN LIGHTS - ANYTIME, ANYWHERE Borealis recreates one of nature’s most awe-inspiring phenomena over cities around the world. It shifts our emotional experience of familiar urban landmarks and awakens a shared conscience by creating something magical - something that shouldn’t naturally be there. Borealis is about our ancestral communion with nature and our more recent compulsion to control it. As our planet’s climate breaks down, the question arises: will technology one day replace everything that nature currently provides for us?

 

Dan Acher's Borealis was held at the Bullring on St Martin's Walk above St Martin's Square (aka Central Street) from the 9th to 18th February 2024. Time started each evening at 5pm, ended each night at 9pm. Every evening attracted a big crowd looking at the artificial Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Personally I think they should have started it a month earlier, as between 5pm and 6pm, it's not that dark in February, although getting dark after sunset, which is getting a bit later each day now.

 

11th February 2024

First spotted one of the Borealis light towers from Edgbaston Street, after walking from Southside between buses.

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12th February 2024

Nice sunset down St Martin's Walk to St Martin in the Bullring, at approx 4:50pm, so 10 minutes before Borealis was due to start. This day I didn't wait for the lights to turn on.

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14th February 2024

This day, I waited the 5 minutes until 5pm for the multi-coloured lights to turn on, but was cloudy, and you don't really get the full Borealis effect at this time, but noticed the smoke machines going on.

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16th February 2024

That evening was when I hoped to catch Borealis after dark, I even popped to Costa Coffee in Grand Central beforehand after work, but I got there at 5:30pm and it wasn't dark yet, but got the full effect, and not much to see from St Martin's Square below.

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18th February 2024

The last evening, one more attempt, so got the bus up from home, then popped to Caffe Nero in Birmingham New Street Station (other coffee shops close at 5pm). Then got here for 6:30pm, and got a lot of photos of it, best I could, these are the best photos I took of Borealis.

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Borealis is next scheduled to go to Australia in Adelaide. It goes around the world.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown