Opinion CHAMBER LINK
The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
Editor’s View
By John Lamb
Sir John’s right - we really are the New Victorians
Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce
We are the New Victorians – so said Sir John Peace at the annual transatlantic conference of the British American Business Council (BABC), covered extensively in this issue of Chamberlink. I received Sir John’s comment in a very
positive way. But for others it conjured up images of appalling conditions in coal mines, children being sent up chimneys and filthy and toxic conditions in inner cities. But the Victorians also set many great
Front cover: Edgbaston Cricket Ground and chief executive Paul Faulkner celebrate the Chamber’s 3,000 membership milestone with some of the membership team. See page 12
Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064
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standards to end this neglect and had huge foresight in creating great new cities. Birmingham can thank the Victorians for laying the foundations for the city that is developing today. Just one element was how they included huge
parks to provide lungs for cities like Birmingham and London. The world of literature and art took great
strides. And Birmingham was at the heart of one artistic revolution when the nouveau riche in the city, along with Manchester, championed the cause of the pre-Raphaelites, who challenged and shocked the art establishment in the capital. Charles Dickens, although no fan of the pre- Raphaelites, was a regular visitor to Birmingham and championed the cause of the down-trodden (see page 78). Birmingham became the heart of the Industrial
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Revolution because of its entrepreneurs turning Birmingham into the City of a Thousand Trades, the Workshop of the World becoming indisputably Britain’s second city. Cheap back-to-back houses became squalid areas but at least the Victorians eventually
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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.
4 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2018
‘You only have to look at the city’s crane-packed skyline today to imagine that we are the New Victorians’
cleared them with the public authorities at last taking responsibility for services like water, sewerage, education, libraries and open spaces. We can give the credit to the Victorians for
the development of Birmingham into one of the great industrial cities of the world. And you only have to look at the city’s crane-
packed skyline today to imagine that we are the New Victorians, with the development of magnificent shops, restaurants, theatres, universities, conference centres and concert halls.
And epitomising this New Victorian era is the
tremendous foresight and investment that has led to the creation of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. It really is a jewel as the Birmingham crown develops into a city of world- wide renown. We should not be embarrassed to be described,
as Sir John did, as the new Victorians. Their intelligence and foresight laid the foundations for great cities – Birmingham among them.
• This two-month edition of Chamberlink is a record-equalling 80 pages, packed with news and special reports from the British American Business Council annual transatlantic conference and much more. We will be back in September.
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