Seeing Brum as others see us

By Stuart Pemble on Oct 21, 08 10:06 AM in Commercial Property

I have just read this article by Matthew Parris, the former MP and distinguished columnist, which was written during the recent Tory Party Conference.

A significant chunk of those attending seem to have avoided Brum for the best part of 20 years or so. The main thrust of the article is that most of the conference was pleasantly surprised to find that Brum is a really nice city and that Brummies are really friendly. Mr Parris also contrasts "the light and space and the indefinable modesty of Birmingham" with Manchester's "snivelling swagger".

The comments on the article make interesting reading, with a number of disgruntled Mancunians raising strong objections and a number of other people suggesting that this is just another example of a London-centric journo patronising the provinces.

I will leave it to Manchester to defend its own honour - my main point is to disagree with those Brummies who feel patronised. Although I can understand where they are coming from, I think the article is good news. What's wrong with a (admittedly London-based) high-profile journalist who hasn't been to our city in ages forming a great impression of the place and telling the rest of the country about it?

Ever since I've moved here, I have received "jokey" comments from friends and family about Brum. And let's face it, if your main impressions of the city are formed by the views from either Spaghetti Junction or New Street Station, you're unlikely to have a positive opinion. I would suggest that the challenge for our civic leaders is to ensure that, on his next visit, Mr Parris can't help but comment even more favourably. At least he didn't compare us (in contrast to Manchester) to a "celestial public lavatory" from which I can only assume that he didn't park his car in one of our less than salubrious city centre car parks.

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12 Comments

Barry Renegade said:

As the owner of a website that is focused on commercial property search, I can tell you that Birmingham is a thriving hub of opportunity for potential investors. Many of the visitors on our website Commercial Route are looking for such opportunities in and around Birmingham every day.

December 2, 2008 6:04 PM

Stuart Pemble

said:

Thanks Barry - I'd be interested in knowing whether Birmingham is more or less popular as a destination than Manchester.

December 4, 2008 11:08 AM

Lauren said:

Analysis of search criteria entered on commercial property search engine, NovaLoca, is showing that the gap is closing between people looking for commercial property in the 'south' ie. London (54%), and those looking in the 'north' ie cities such as Birmingham (46%) suggesting that Birminghams popularity is indeed increasing nationally.

December 4, 2008 5:35 PM

Stuart Pemble

said:

thanks Lauren. How does Brum compare as against Manchester? And don't we count as the Midlands as opposed to the North?

December 5, 2008 10:59 AM

Barry Renegade said:

We have actually found that more people are searching for property in Birmingham than in Manchester on the Commercial Route website.

In fact, bearing in mind that London is the most popular search area, taking up the majority of the web traffic, birmingham is in second place, ahead of Manchester, Stoke on Trent, Liverpool and other large cities.

January 10, 2009 2:50 PM

Stuart Pemble

said:

Thanks Barry. That's good to know.

January 26, 2009 5:12 PM

Giles said:

I'm a commercial property agent and I'm finding that more people than ever before are looking to relocate their business out of big cities.

Not only are rural locations looking more attractive from a cost-cutting point of view for those wishing to relocate their business - http://www.intosomerset.com

But also, rural locations are now more wired up with fast broadband and good road links than ever before.

February 5, 2009 11:49 PM

Stuart Pemble

said:

Thanks Giles. I'm not sure that a blog on Birmingham property is the best place to advertise relocating to Somerset but thanks again for the comment.

February 18, 2009 4:46 PM

Caroline Archer said:

As a comparative newcomer to the city (having recently moved here from London’s suburbs) I am always amazed and the kicking Birmingham takes from both in- and outsiders.

To me Birmingham is like a fine wine - subtle, complicated and deep; it doesn’t reveal its self at the first taste.

Other cities such as Edinburgh, York, Chester are more like sparkling wines – their attractions are obvious, simple and can be enjoyed by all.

Birmingham is a city for the connoisseur and has to be sampled a again and again before its depth and complexity can be fully appreciated.

So those who criticize Birmingham are simply used to drinking pop and they need to educate their pallets!

February 18, 2009 5:13 PM

caroline archer said:

As a comparative newcomer to the city (having recently moved here from London’s suburbs) I am always amazed and the kicking Birmingham takes from both in- and outsiders.

To me Birmingham is like a fine wine - subtle, complicated and deep; it doesn’t reveal its self at the first taste.

Other cities such as Edinburgh, York, Chester are more like sparkling wines – their attractions are obvious, simple and can be enjoyed by all.

Birmingham is a city for the connoisseur and has to be sampled a again and again before its depth and complexity can be fully appreciated.

So those who criticize Birmingham are simply used to drinking pop and they need to educate their pallets!

February 18, 2009 5:15 PM

Comerty.com said:

March 24, 2009 7:23 PM

Stuart Pemble

said:

thanks

April 14, 2009 2:17 PM