Paradise, Birmingham facts for kids

Chamberlain Square in 2023

Paradise, once called Paradise Circus, is a large area in the centre of Birmingham, England. It covers about 7 hectares (about 17 acres) and sits between two important public spaces: Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square. Since the 1800s, this area has been a key part of Birmingham's civic centre, home to buildings like the Birmingham Town Hall and the first Birmingham Central Library. From 1960 to 1975, the area was rebuilt, creating the Paradise Circus roundabout with a new Birmingham Central Library and a School of Music. Since 2015, a big project has been underway to transform Paradise into a modern area with new buildings and public squares.

What's in a Name? The Story of 'Paradise'

The name 'Paradise' for this area has a long history. Even though old maps from the 1500s don't exist, a survey from 1553 (which was later drawn on a map in 1857) shows that the area was on the western edge of the town. This map shows a field called 'Paradise Close' right where Paradise is today.

Why 'Paradise'? The name might have meant that the land was very good, or it could have been a medieval pleasure garden, a nice place for people to relax. Because of this, a street built in the late 1700s at the southern end of the site was named Paradise Street.

Later, in the 1960s, when the roads were changed into a large roundabout, the area became known as Paradise Circus. Parts of the site were also named Paradise Place, and a shopping area under the Birmingham Central Library in the 1990s was called Paradise Forum.

In 2014, it was announced that the new development would simply be called 'Paradise'. This is because the 'circus' part (the roundabout) would disappear as the road next to the Birmingham Town Hall became a pedestrian-only area.

A Look Back: History of Paradise

Early Days

Birmingham first started as a small settlement around the church of St Martin in the Bull Ring. This was about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of where Paradise is now. As the town grew in the 1500s and 1600s, the Paradise area was still just open fields on the western edge of the town.

Becoming the City's Centre

The Birmingham and Midland Institute building

Mason Science College on Edmund Street

The area stayed mostly rural until the Colmore family started developing their land in the 1760s. By 1778, maps showed the site surrounded by streets like Great Charles Street, Congreve Street, Paradise Street, and Easy Row. Edmund Street ran through the middle. At this time, the area had large homes with gardens. But in the 1800s, Birmingham grew quickly as a manufacturing city. These homes soon became small factories and workshops.

The impressive Birmingham Town Hall was built between 1832 and 1834 in the southeast corner of the site. Buildings were cleared to make space for it. After the Town Hall was finished, this area quickly became the civic centre of Birmingham. The Birmingham and Midland Institute (BMI), a place for learning, was built west of the Town Hall in 1857. A new street, Ratcliff Place, separated them.

The first Birmingham Central Library opened in 1865, next to the BMI. This library was sadly destroyed by fire in 1879. A new one, designed by J.H. Chamberlain, opened in 1882.

Mason Science College opened in 1875, north of Edmund Street. It was a grand building. By the end of the 1800s, the buildings around what is now Chamberlain Square formed a grand civic centre. However, the western and northern parts of the site still had smaller, older buildings with workshops and pubs.

In the early 1900s, the city wanted to expand its civic centre further west. A plan in 1918 suggested creating a huge civic area. But due to money problems and World War II, only the Hall of Memory (built 1925) and Baskerville House (built 1938) were completed.

Modern Changes: Manzoni and Madin's Vision

After World War II, the idea of a grand civic centre was still popular. Herbert Manzoni, the City Engineer, developed a plan for an Inner Ring Road around the city centre. This plan led to the creation of Paradise Circus as a central island within a large roundabout between 1960 and 1971. A tunnel, the Queensway Tunnel, was built beneath the site.

One of the high-level walkways

Working with Manzoni's road plans, architect John Madin created the Paradise Circus masterplan in 1965. Madin designed the new Central Library as the main building for this new civic centre. The library was built between 1971 and 1973. The old library was then taken down, making space for the School of Music and Fletcher's Walk shopping area south of the library.

Madin's original plan was much bigger. It included a School of Music, a Drama Centre, an Athletic Institute, offices, shops, a pub, a large car park, and a bus station. All these buildings were meant to be connected by high-level walkways, keeping people safe from traffic. However, only the School of Music and a pub were built from these original plans. The council also struggled to complete the walkways. For example, Congreve House was meant to connect the library to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, but it became office space instead.

Due to money cuts, the council decided to sell off the land around the library. This ended the dream of a fully public-owned civic centre.

A theatre was added to the library complex in 1983–86. Other buildings like Chamberlain House and the Copthorne Hotel were built west of the library in 1985–87. An office block was built north of the library in 1988–89. A footbridge was added in 1988–89 to connect the library to Centenary Square, replacing an underground path. The library's main entrance area was covered with a glass roof in 1989–91, creating a space called Paradise Forum. This was meant for outdoor eating, but it ended up being rented out to shops and fast-food places like McDonald's, J D Wetherspoon, Greggs, and Nando's.

A New Beginning: Redevelopment of Paradise

Development of Paradise in October 2017

In 1999, the entire Paradise Circus area was sold to a company called Argent Group. They created a new masterplan for the site. This plan was approved in December 2013, and construction began in January 2015. The project is a partnership between Birmingham City Council and Hermes Real Estate, with Argent Group managing the work.

The redevelopment will create up to 10 new buildings. These will include about 167,000 square metres (1.8 million square feet) of space for shops, offices, entertainment, and cultural activities, plus a new hotel.

The goal is to turn Paradise into a "vibrant mixed-use development" with better pedestrian access and improved public spaces. The project is being built in three main stages.

How the Project is Paid For

This huge £500 million project is funded by a partnership between Birmingham City Council and the BT Pension Scheme. Argent Group manages the development. The first stage of work, which includes preparing the site and building new roads, received £61 million from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. The first construction contract was worth £30 million.

In March 2016, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) also invested in the first stage of the project.

Phase I: The First Buildings

The first phase of construction started on January 5, 2015. It involved changing the road layout, creating new public spaces, and building two new office buildings. These buildings, completed between 2018 and 2019, offer about 23,000 square metres (250,000 square feet) of office space.

One Chamberlain Square was built partly on the site of the old Central Library. Two Chamberlain Square was built next to the Town Hall. The first phase was expected to cost £160 million.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a large accounting firm, announced in March 2016 that they would rent the top floors of One Chamberlain Square. By December 2017, they decided to lease the entire building.

Construction for One Chamberlain Square began in August 2016. The building was "topped out" (meaning its highest point was reached) on December 15, 2017. When the original contractor, Carillion, went out of business in January 2018, BAM Construct UK took over to finish One Chamberlain Square and also secured the contract for Two Chamberlain Square. Two Chamberlain Square was topped out on January 25, 2019.

In April 2019, a wine bar and restaurant called Vinoteca announced it would open in Two Chamberlain Square in early 2020.

Phase II: More New Buildings

A four-star hotel will be built on the southwest corner of the site. This hotel will replace the current Copthorne Hotel, which will be taken down.

In March 2018, plans were approved for One Centenary Way. This 13-storey office building is being built where the old Adrian Boult Hall conservatoire used to be. It will also have space for shops and restaurants at street level.

Phase III: The Final Stage

This last phase will include five more buildings. They are planned to be built between 2020 and 2025.

New Buildings in Paradise

Here's a quick look at some of the buildings in the Paradise development:

A New Name for the Road

In May 2021, Birmingham City Council announced that Paradise Circus road would be renamed Lyon Queensway. It would no longer be open to regular cars. Instead, it would be mainly for buses, trams, taxis, and bicycles.

This decision to change the road name was criticized by Birmingham historian Carl Chinn in May 2021.

Images for kids

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  One Chamberlain Square, leased by PwC

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  Two Chamberlain Square

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  One Centenary Way