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store in the Bull Ring.]] Digbeth is an area of Birmingham , England . It is also the name of the main road through the area. HISTORY The modern site of Digbeth was first settled upon in the 7th century by Beorma, founder of Birmingham ( Anglo-Saxon for Beorma's Home). The area where there is a crossing on the River Rea was the birthplace of what became the city. Historically the land to the west of the river was in the Parish of Birmingham. This is Digbeth. The land to the east was in the more significant Parish of Aston , and is called Deritend . The area around Digbeth and Deritend was the first centre of industry in Birmingham and became one of the most heavily industrialised areas in the town. This may have been due to Henry Bradford who in 1767 donated land on Bradford Street to anyone willing to establish a trade there. Bradford Steet The street soon prospered and there were over twenty public houses on it catering to its workers. Today there is just one, the Adam & Eve . The amount of manufacturing in Digbeth made it of national importance.1 Industry was attracted to the area as a result of the supply of water from the River Rea and from the Natural Spring s in the area. Digbeth was accessed by the Grand Union Canal and the Digbeth Branch Canal in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Railways also arrived in Digbeth in the 19th century, stopping at Moor Street Station . The line passed through Digbeth via a railway viaduct built out of Staffordshire Blue Brick . At the border with Bordesley , the railway viaduct meets another viaduct, which is disused. This was never used and the bridges over the roads have been removed. ]] Industry that settled in Digbeth include 's Custard Company that produced a form of Custard that did not use eggs. This was invented by his father, Alfred Bird . The factory was set up in the Devonshire Works in 1902 on the High Street. The complex expanded and is now an arts centre. The Devonshire Works themselves are to be refurbished. Part of the Custard Factory complex is the , 1940 . In 2003, it was opened as a Conference Centre and exhibition space. It is the only building of the original five free Birmingham libraries still standing. Deritend library staff, 1910 The library building is located on Heath Mill Lane, which, along with Floodgate Street, provide information on the character of pre-industrial Digbeth. The River Rea once flowed unaffected by human development through Digbeth, cutting both the High Street and Floodgate Street in two. The 'Floodgates' were used when the river s which were gradually built upon as industry moved into the area.2 The existence of these springs and wells in the area are reflected in the street names such as Well Street. One of Digbeth's most recognisable buildings, the former Bonser & Co. warehouse at 85 Digbeth, was built around 1860. It was built for the Bonser & Co. firm of iron merchants and consists of a short entrance tower fronting onto Digbeth High Street. The tower, being small, was designed to take up as little shop frontage space on the street as possible but also to break the monotony of the small buildings around it. On the ground floor is a semi-circular arch and a segmental arch on the first floor. In the pitched roof is a slight upward curve.3 Another notable building in Digbeth is the now-defunct The Clothing Mart operated by George Makepeace at 135-6 Digbeth which was designed by James Patchett of Ombersley . Built in 1913, it is a steel framed structure with a mixture of façade materials. The façade consists of bright Red Brick and orange Terracotta . The building is no longer used by George Makepeace and has changed hands, undergoing a variety of uses. Several aspects of it's original architecture have been lost including a first floor iron balcony, above which electric lanterns with hooded lenses from two iron holders that remain. Either side of these were iron and glass lamps resembling Medici goblets. The orange pilasters sit on a key stone and pedimented blocks set with round pink granite stones and the parapet is of green glazed terracotta. Digbeth was also of importance in 19th century transport with many coaches and carriers terminating at inns there. Inns that were particularly popular as such locations were The White Hart, the Red Lion, and The Bull's Head.4 This transport history is reflected in the creation of Digbeth Coach Station , which was built in 1929 by Midland Red . These days Digbeth is often considered to include Deritend. ETYMOLOGY The name Digbeth is derived from "dyke path". However, Digbeth is also believed to have originally been called 'Duck's bath' in reflection of the water supply in the area. Birmingham City Council: Heritage - Digbeth PRESENT DAY Modern-day Digbeth is currently dominated by old industrial buildings and the blue-brick Victorian Railway Viaduct . Digbeth is also home to Birmingham's Coach Station which is operated by National Express , Britain's largest express coach network. As part of the Eastside district, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into apartments, retail premises, offices and arts facilities. There is still however much industrial activity in the south of the area. The coach station itself is also due to be redeveloped to a new design by MAKE Architects .'' Green light for coach station rebuild '' - Birmingham Mail (June 16 2006) New developments include the Irish Quarter , the Arts and Media Annexe of South Birmingham College and the Custard Factory , a development designed to represent modern arts and music. Work to the Custard Factory has already seen the renovation of a number of buildings. Devonshire House, a Grade II Listed Building , is to be refurbished by S. B. Gray into studio and gallery space. The windows are to be replaced and a sculptural bridge will be installed in the building. The scheme has been designed by Weedon Partnership Architects . Committee Report: Devonshire House (C/03044/07/LBC) The disused Typhoo Tea factory complex, which is Grade C and lies within the Warwick Bar Conservation Area. The masterplan includes reference to the heights of the proposed building and shows to be between three and eight storeys on parts of the site. The proposals also include the reinstatement of the third arm of the canal basin to full standard and allows for the mooring of Houseboat s. Digbeth is affected by two , 1987 and has an area of 16.19 Ha (40.00 acres). It extends outside of Digbeth, along the Digbeth Branch Canal through Eastside. Warwick Bar Conservation Area map CULTURE The area is synonymous with the development of the British electronic music scene. As well as the Custard Factory , Digbeth is home to The Sanctuary nightclub (formerly The Digbeth Institute ) which was a prominent venue during the early days of the Rave music scene and underwent a revival in 1998 when Superclub Godskitchen began to promote a weekly event there. Godskitchen is now based at its own venue, AIR (formerly CODE). All three venues are within a stones throw of each other. Digbeth has very close links with the Irish Community of Birmingham . It is increasingly also known as the Irish Quarter . The traditional St Patrick's Day Parade is held in and around Digbeth, usually attracting crowds at times estimated to be one hundred thousand strong, making it the largest in the country. A number of Irish theme pubs are resident such as the ''Kerryman''. REFERENCES |
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