Birmingham, a municipal, parliamentary, and county borough (whose chief magistrate is since 1893 styled Lord Mayor), is the chief town of the Midlands, celebrated for its metallic manufactures, and boasts to be the 'best governed city in the world.' It stands near the centre of England, in the north-west of Warwickshire, with suburbs extending into Staffordshire and Worcestershire, 112½ miles NW. of London. The name appears in Doomsday as Bermingeham. On the attainder of Edward de Bermingham in 1527, it came into the possession of Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and on the latter's attainder passed to the crown. During the Civil War the town supplied the Parliamentarians with swords, but it was taken by Prince Rupert in 1643. It suffered severely from the plague in 1665-66. The celebration by a number of Radicals, 14th July 1791, of the capture of the Bastille, was the occasion of a serious riot by the upholders of church and king, who attacked the house of the Unitarian minister, Dr Priestley, and destroyed his library. Subsequently it was prominently associated with the Chartist agitators, and within recent years it was the headquarters of what was known as the Liberal 'caucus.' It is picturesque situated on the east slope of three undulating hills, on the Rea and the Tame, on a gravelly foundation over-lying clay and new red sandstone, and though rather irregularly built, with many narrow and winding streets, has been greatly improved in this respect within recent years, while its water-supply and sanitary arrangements are of the most satisfactory kind. Owing to its rapid growth the town is badly supplied with open spaces and recreation grounds in the central districts, but there are seven public parks, all situated in the suburbs. It possesses a large number of fine public buildings, among which may be mentioned the town-hall (1832-52), in the Corinthian style, erected at a cost of £50,000, the scene of the triennial musical festivals and the great political meetings for which the town is famous; the market-hall (1838); the municipal buildings (1874-78), in the Italian style, erected at a cost of nearly £200,000; the corn exchange (1847); the exchange buildings (1863-65), in the Gothic style; and the post-office. The water-works, originally established by a company in 1854 at a cost of £300,000, are now owned by the corporation.
The benevolent or reformatory institutions include the borough gaol, the lunatic asylum, and the general and Queen's hospitals. No town is better supplied with institutions for the promotion of education and the development of the arts and sciences. These include Queen's College, incorporated by act of parliament in 1867, for the study of theology and medicine; the Mason Science College, the Birmingham and Midland Institute, the corporation museum and art gallery, the new school of art, the old library, the free library, King Edward VI.'s grammar-schools (entirely remodelled in 1878), and the blue-coat school. The Mason Science College was founded by Sir Josiah Mason, February 23, 1875, and was opened October 1, 1880. Its object is to promote 'thorough systematic education and instruction, specially adapted to the practical, mechanical, and artistic requirements of the manufactures and industrial pursuits of the Midland district, and particularly the boroughs of Birmingham and Kidderminster, to the exclusion of mere literary education and instruction, and of all teaching of theology, and of subjects purely theological.' Examinations for degrees in arts, science, and medicine, and for honours, exhibitions, and scholarships, conferred by the university of London, take place annually. The foundation of King Edward VI. consists of one high school for boys and one for girls in the centre of the town, together with boys' grammar-schools and girls' grammar-schools in various parts of the town. Elementary education is fully provided for, and Mr Dixon's generosity enabled the School Board to establish a technical school. A modern university on large lines was projected in 1899, to absorb Mason University College; a draft charter was submitted to the Privy Council; and an endowment of over half a million was secured. See the articles on Priestley, Chartism, Bright, J. A. James, J. H. Newman, Chamberlain, &c.
Statues or memorials have been erected to Nelson (1809), Sir Robert Peel (1855), Thomas Attwood (1859), Joseph Sturge (1862), James Watt (1868); Prince Consort (1868), Dr Priestley (1873), Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P. (1880), J. S. Wright (1883), Queen Victoria (1884), George Dawson (1885), Burnaby (1885), Sir Josiah Mason (1886), and John Bright (1892). Of the ecclesiastical buildings it must suffice to mention the parish church of St Martins, erected in 1873 at a cost of nearly £30,000, on the site of the old building, dating from the 13th century; and the Catholic cathedral of St Chad (Birmingham being the seat of a Catholic see), erected from the designs of Pugin, at a cost of over £30,000.
In Leland's Itinerary (1538) Birmingham is referred to as the abode of 'smiths and cutlers.' In cutlery goods it has been completely superseded by Sheffield, but in all other kinds of the finer metal manufactures it is unrivalled by any other town in the world. Iron and brass founding are carried on, and steam-engines and various kinds of machinery are made; but the principal manufactures are the finer kinds of gold, silver, copper, brass, steel, mixed metal, plated metal, glass, papier-maché, japanned and electrotyped articles, including firearms, ammunition, swords, metal ornaments, toys, jewelry, coins, buttons, buckles, lamps, pins, steel-pens, tools, arms, and locks. Over 560,000 gun-barrels were manufactured in 1891; and other specialties, of which an enormous quantity are manufactured, are steel-pens, buttons, nails, and screws. The term Brummagem, an old name for Birmingham, is colloquially used to denote anything sham or fictitious, such as cheap jewelry, which is largely made here. Near Handsworth, a little to the north of Birmingham, were the famous Soho Works, founded by Watt and Boulton, where steam-engines were first made. Handsworth Church has a statue of Watt by Chantrey, and a bust of Boulton by Flaxman.
Baskerville, the printer, carried on his business in Birmingham; Hutton, the antiquary, author of the History of Birmingham, was a bookseller in the town. Wilmore and Pye, the engravers, and David Cox, the landscape-painter, were Birmingham men. Thomas Attwood originated the Political Union here, which greatly hastened the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, and the enfranchisement of Birmingham. Dr Joseph Priestley, natural philosopher and metaphysician, was for some time Unitarian minister in Birmingham, as was also the brilliant lecturer George Dawson. Birmingham has been remarkable in recent times for its 'school of politics.' Its leading principle may be justly described as 'government by the people for the people.' Birmingham was incorporated 31st October 1838, and on 26th June 1884 was constituted an assize town. In 1867 the number of parliamentary representatives was increased from two to three, and in 1885 it was divided into seven parliamentary districts, each returning one member. A resolution was agreed upon by the town council in January 1888, for enlarging the town boundaries, so as to include the suburban districts. The population in 1770 was 30,806, which by 1801 had increased to 60,822, by 1851 to 232,841, by 1871 to 343,787, and by 1881 to 400,774. A county borough since 1888, it had in 1891 a pop. of 478,113. See Hutton's History of Birmingham (1781); Langford's Century of Birmingham Life (1868); and Dent's Old and New Birmingham (1879-80) and The Making of Birmingham (1892).