The 1960s and 70s were two defining decades for the UK - and Birmingham was the place to be.
The city was starting to rapidly change in the post-war years. Birmingham remained by far Britain’s most prosperous provincial city as late as the 1970s, and it was an era of brilliant music and culture.
These old archive pictures will have you reminiscing and saying: “I remember those days” in no time. Let’s take a look back in time:
1. Birmingham Christmas in the 1960s
Bull Ring Centre, Birmingham, 23/12/1963. A carol service being held on the spiral ramp at the Bull Ring Centre, with the Church of St Martin in the background. | Getty Images
2. Birmingham New Street Station, 1966.
Exterior of the original Birmingham New Street Station, designed by William Livilock and built in 1854 to serve both the London and North Western and Midland Railways. A policeman stands watch over several parked cars. A complete redevelopment of the station was carried out in the 1960s. | Heritage Images/Getty Images
3. New Street, 1960s
The entrance of the old Birmingham New Street railway station, February 1962. The station was demolished and rebuilt between 1964 and 1966. | Getty Images
4. The Alhambra cinemas
The Alhambra, the second “atmospheric” cinema in Britain, was designed to create an outdoor illusion in its auditorium. Directors of the Robin Hood Theatre brought this American concept to Birmingham, modelling the cinema after Spain’s Alhambra Palace. Visitors were greeted by a patterned floor, a sun-like ceiling light, imitation marble columns, and gold-embroidered blue velvet curtains. It joined the ABC chain in the 1930s, served as an Asian cinema in the late 1960s, then hosted rock gigs, and was later demolished in 1974. | Flatpack Festival - Wonderland Birmingham