One of the world's greatest metal-manufacturing cities and the metropolis of England's industrial Midlands area is Birmingham, to the northwest of London. It lies near the geographic center of England, at the crossing points of the national railway, highway, and canal systems. The town existed before the Norman Conquest. Its manufacturing fame dates from the early 16th century. Birmingham was incorporated in 1838, though from 1832 it had sent members to Parliament. Nearby coal and iron deposits served as the basis for the city's rise as an iron and steel center early in the Industrial Revolution. James Watt and Matthew Boulton perfected the steam engine at the Soho Works. Today the city has hundreds of different industries, though metalworking is still the most important. Products include machinery, engines, iron roofs, girders, railway cars, automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles, and tires. Birmingham is also a cultural center, with professional theaters and a number of amateur companies. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre opened in 1913 and fostered the careers of such distinguished performers as Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Margaret Leighton, and Paul Scofield. The City Art Gallery and Museum is one of the largest outside of London and is famous for its English watercolors and its Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Educational institutions include the University of Birmingham, the University of Aston, and the Birmingham and Midland Institute. In wartime, Birmingham turned out huge quantities of munitions. It was heavily bombed by the German air force during World War II. During the extensive reconstruction of the city after the war, a permanent engineering center was built to display products of engineering and allied trades. Population (2000), 1,010,400. |