How well do you know Birmingham’s streets, buildings and landmarks? With so much change having taken place over the last 150 years, some of these are now long gone, whilst others live on in new surroundings. Take a step back in time to explore many of these amazing developments using a fantastic online resource called Birmingham Photography Archive.
Containing over 8000 images of Birmingham’s places and its people, the site lets you explore the city’s rich industrial, cultural and architectural heritage. From Victorian slums to the Blitz and late-Twentieth Century regeneration, Birmingham Photography Archive is a fascinating visual document of growth and change in our incredible city.
Get involved!
We’d love you to help us build a better picture of life in Birmingham. If you know something about one of our images, then why not leave a comment? It might be a pub you liked to use, your old school or a favourite cinema. The key thing is that you’re adding to our understanding of social change in Birmingham. You can also suggest new tags for our images. By doing so you’ll help us provide new ways to categorise our pictures and help other people discover them.
If you find an image that means something special to your family and friends, then you can add a dedication. This is a great way to commemorate your connection with a Birmingham landmark – it could be the street you grew up in, the hospital you were born in or a favourite park. It’s really easy to do and is a permanent celebration of your relationship with Birmingham.
If any images take your fancy, then you can purchase a digital copy. There are both personal and business licenses and images come in a range of different sizes. So, if you want to use a photo on your website, greetings card or for your living room wall, then this is the option for you.
Using Birmingham Photography Archive
There are lots of ways you can delve into the collection. The homepage features a set of curated themes such as ‘Birmingham’s cinemas’ that are a great place to start. If you know what you’re looking for, you can use the keyword field to search for a specific name, place or thing. There are also quite a few filters you can use to narrow down your searches.
Whether you like to search in a very structured way, or prefer to explore unexpected journeys, the important thing is that you don’t have to be an experienced researcher to navigate the collection.
About the site
Birmingham Photography Archive has been developed as a partnership between the Library of Birmingham and Corals. It’s led by a team of volunteers composed of digital archives experts and web developers who specialise in working with the cultural and heritage sectors. The images on the site are taken from the Warwickshire Photographic Survey (WPS). One of the library’s most popular collections, it was developed to record the impact of the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions on the area.
Purpose built for cultural organisations, the website is an exciting way to explore the collection. With a bold, mobile-first design, the platform puts a strong emphasis on the photos themselves. In fact, the platform has been designed to contrast with more traditional databases by providing a simple, intuitive experience that’s similar to those found in other sectors.
Go get started!
So, it’s time for you to go and delve into the Birmingham Photography Archive. Enjoy searching for your local area and finding out about some of the buildings, people and events that shaped your environment. If you know an interesting fact about one of our pictures, then don’t forget to leave a comment!
You can follow Birmingham Photography Archive on Twitter and Facebook. Alternatively If you would like to find out more about the Birmingham Photography Archive, why not get in touch with the team?
Guest Blog by Corals
The Iron Room 
Is it a closed Library or open to further contributions? There must be many people who could add historic photographs.
Thank you for your enquiry. As the Birmingham Photography Archive is run by Corals, an external organisation, please send your enquiry to their team at https://brumphotoarchive.co.uk/contact.