ICC was a phoenix from the flames...
DEAR Editor, The comment in last week’s Post (“Some things will never change as our history turns to dust…”) highlights an example of how those dedicated to a mission can be confused in their objectives.
Joe Holyoak displays a sound recollection of the debate in the mid-80s about Bingley Hall.
Of course he is right in seeking to preserve what is best of the architecture of the past but that commitment should not be clouded by preserving everything just because it was built in the 19th century.
In the event there was no need for me to “personally drive a bulldozer through Bingley Hall” because it burned down!
That was a blessing because Bingley Hall was really only fit for circuses and the “Ideal Homes Exhibition” and was one of the worst examples of the 19th century.
I can vouch for that having worked in the building.
It was badly designed inside and out, its facilities were beyond affordable repair and the experience of being in it was frankly awful.
I certainly didn’t hate Bingley Hall, but together with others I felt it was no longer fit for purpose in a great city about to embark on its renaissance.
Indeed, the only event of historical importance in Bingley Hall was Joseph Chamberlain’s resignation speech in 1904.
What we should celebrate is what has risen in its place.
The International Convention Centre and the stunning Symphony Hall have created many thousands of jobs in a region completely on its knees at that time and, equally importantly, restored to Birmingham and its