British Industries Fair

Last updated

Cinderella stamp, UK, 1931. UK-Cinderella Stamp-1931-British Industries Fair Birmingham.jpg
Cinderella stamp, UK, 1931.

The British Industries Fair was an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England.

The large complex of buildings was built in 1920 and was situated between Castle Bromwich Aerodrome and the railway line. For two weeks every year it was the most visited attraction in the country. In 1933, the first diesel locomotive arrived for display at the BIF. The final B.I.F was on 6 to 17 May 1957. [1] The associated aerodrome, which often showed air displays, closed with the final flight on 31 March 1958.

The exhibition hall and railway station, seen on a contemporary Ordnance Survey 1st edition 1:25 map Castlle Bromwich Exhbition Hall OS 1st ed 1-25.png
The exhibition hall and railway station, seen on a contemporary Ordnance Survey 1st edition 1:25 map

The nearby Castle Bromwich railway station received many important visitors for the BIF, including King George V and Queen Mary in 1928, the Duke of York, Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles. They were often entertained afterwards by the Bradfords at Castle Bromwich Hall.

The site was sold in 1960, along with that of the airfield. The buildings and the sites were cleared for the construction of the Castle Vale housing estate. The BIF was replaced by the National Exhibition Centre in 1976, 19 years after its demise.

Related Research Articles

West Bromwich town in England

West Bromwich is a large market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is 6.4 miles (10.3 km) northwest of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, culture, and dialect. West Bromwich had a population of almost 78,000 in 2018.

Smethwick Human settlement in England

Smethwick is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England, historically in Staffordshire. It lies four miles west of Birmingham city centre, and borders West Bromwich and Oldbury to the north and west. Formerly a Staffordshire county borough, Smethwick is situated near the edge of Sandwell metropolitan borough and borders the Birmingham districts of Handsworth, Winson Green, Harborne, Edgbaston and Quinton to the south and east, as well as the Black Country towns of West Bromwich and Oldbury in the north and west.

Wednesbury Human settlement in England

Wednesbury is a large market town in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town has a population of 37,817.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local history and industrial history.

Erdington Suburb of Birmingham, England

Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham that is historically part of Warwickshire. It is 5 miles (8 km) northeast of central Birmingham, England and borders Sutton Coldfield. It was also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The former council district consisted of the ward of Erdington, and Tyburn,, Stockland Green and Kingstanding, although all of Kingstanding and most of both Tyburn and Stockland Green wards lie outside the historical boundaries of Erdington. Stockland Green was formerly part of Aston, Kingstanding part of Perry Barr and Tyburn partially split between Aston and Hodge Hill. Erdington (ward) was part of the Sutton Coldfield constituency before 1974.

Castle Vale Human settlement in England

Castle Vale is a housing estate located between Erdington, Minworth and Castle Bromwich. Currently Castle Vale makes up the Castle Vale Ward of Birmingham City Council which is part of Erdington constituency, 6 miles (9 km) northeast of Birmingham city centre in England. The area has an approximate population of 10,000 people and has a distinctly modern residential character stemming from its history as a postwar overspill estate.

Castle Bromwich Human settlement in England

Castle Bromwich is a village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, Sutton Coldfield to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale, Erdington and Minworth to the north and Hodge Hill to the west – all areas of the City of Birmingham. It constitutes a civil parish, which had a population of 11,857 according to the 2001 census, falling to 11,217 at the 2011 census. The population has remained quite stable since then; the 2017 population estimate was 12,309.

Franco-British Exhibition

The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public fair held in London between 14 May and 31 October 1908. The exhibition attracted 8 million visitors and celebrated the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the United Kingdom and France. The chief architect of the buildings was John Belcher.

The West Midlands region straddles the historic borders between the counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire in the north, and Worcestershire in the south.

British Empire Exhibition

The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, Wembley, England, from 23 April 1924 to 31 October 1925.

<i>Sentinel</i> (sculpture)

Sentinel is a 16-metre-high (52 ft) sculpture by Tim Tolkien, installed upon Spitfire Island, a roundabout at the intersection of the Chester Road and the A47 Fort Parkway at the entrance to the Castle Vale estate in Birmingham, England.

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham.

Castle Bromwich Hall

Castle Bromwich Hall is a Jacobean mansion in the Castle Bromwich area of Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

Browns Lane plant

The Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England was built as a Second World War shadow factory run by The Daimler Company Limited. In 1951 it was leased by Jaguar Cars and remained the company's home until 2005. It was the site of all Jaguar production until 1998, when production of the Jaguar S-Type commenced at Castle Bromwich. It was also the firm's corporate headquarters and the home of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.

Castle Bromwich Assembly

Castle Bromwich Assembly is a factory owned by Jaguar Land Rover. It is located on the Chester Road in Castle Vale, Birmingham, England and employs 3,200 people. The plant covers an area of 110 acres, with a 60,000 m² (6-hectare) manufacturing facility. It manufactures all Jaguar saloon and sports cars.

Pype Hayes Housing estate area in the Erdington district of Birmingham

Pype Hayes is a modern housing estate area in the east of the Erdington district of Birmingham. It is within the Tyburn ward. Covering the postcodes of B76 and B24.

Penns railway station is a disused railway station which served the village of Walmley in Sutton Coldfield when it was in the historic county of Warwickshire, now the West Midlands.

Galton Village is a residential area of Smethwick, West Midlands, England. It takes its name from the iconic nearby Galton Bridge that was named after local business man Samuel Galton whose land the new BCN Main Line canal was built through, the canal runs behind Galton Village as does the Stour Valley section of West Coast Mainline. The Oldbury Road runs through the area which begins next to Smethwick’s Galton Bridge railway station and ends at Spon Lane, next to a small shopping centre.

Castle Bromwich railway station

Castle Bromwich railway station was a railway station in the Castle Bromwich area of Solihull opened by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway in 1842.

John Jones Bateman (1817–1903) was an English architect, active in the town of Birmingham, where he designed a number of important civic buildings, and nonconformist churches, often in partnership with George Drury.

References

  1. Birmingham Post 15/5/57

Coordinates: 52°30′49″N1°47′37″W / 52.513479°N 1.79354°W / 52.513479; -1.79354