Author
Laurence Mitchell
Writer and photographer based in Norwich, UK-
Recent Posts
Tag Archives: Birmingham
Beneath a Concrete Sky – to Gravelly Hill Interchange by canal
Where’s Birmingham river? Sunk. Which river was it? Two. More or Less. Birmingham River Roy Fisher The idea was to follow the Birmingham canal system north to Spaghetti Junction. I had already traversed the city by means of the Grand … Continue reading
Posted in Cities, Human Geography, Midlands, Walking, wildlife
Tagged art, Birmingham, canals, Digbeth, graffiti, Gravelly Hill Interchange, psychogeography, Roy Fisher, Spaghetti Junction, transport, West Midlands
7 Comments
Ladywood: Two Towers and a Reservoir
It had been many years since I had been to Ladywood. This inner city borough of Birmingham had long been a mythic landscape for me even before I became aware of any sort of Tolkein connection. It was here that … Continue reading
Posted in Cities, History, Midlands, Walking
Tagged Birmingham, canals, Edgbaston Reservoir, JRR Tolkein, Ladywood, psychogeography, towers
8 Comments
Birmingham Edgelands Part 2
Edgelands are not necessarily always on the urban edge. Not physically anyway – the important thing is they are perceived as different from the zones that lay beyond. Neither strictly urban nor rural but an overlooked amalgam of the two … Continue reading
Posted in History, Human Geography, Midlands
Tagged Birmingham, canals, psychogeography, urban, walking
5 Comments
Birmingham Edgelands Part 1
Some cities draw you straight in from their edges by dint of gravity or beckoning pathways – officially designated walking routes or desire roads shaped by regular footfall. Not so Birmingham: here the momentum at the city’s outer limits is … Continue reading
Posted in Cities, Human Geography, Midlands
Tagged Birmingham, Chelmsley Wood, edgelands, Forest of Arden, motorways, psychogeography
8 Comments
Digbeth
Passing through Birmingham recently I had a little time on my hands and so decided to visit the Digbeth area, a shortish walk from New Street Station. Head south from the futuristic silver button bulwark that is the Selfridges building … Continue reading
Posted in Cities, History
Tagged architecture, Birmingham, Custard Factory, Digbeth, edgelands, graffiti, inner city
9 Comments