The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Victorian Chimney
The historic landmark of Edgbaston Waterworks, a memorial to Victorian innovation in Birmingham, is under threat. Redundant industrial eyesore or work of art?
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Overview
The chimney at Edgbaston waterworks was designed by noted architect J.R. Chamberlain. However by the late 1960s it was considered redundant and under threat. In January 1974 the city's Victorian Society were celebrating as the city council had finally decided, after six years, that the tower should stay. Not mentioned in this news report is that the chimney is rumoured to have been one of the towers that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien who lived nearby as a boy.
Another building in Birmingham designed by J.R. Chamberlain was less fortunate in 1974 - the original Birmingham Library in the city centre was demolished during the summer of that year.
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