Timeline of Birmingham history facts for kids

This article shares a timeline of important events in the history of Birmingham, England. You'll learn about key moments, people, and places that shaped this amazing city.

Early History of Birmingham

• Around 1200 BC – Scientists found charcoal from ancient burnt mounds at Woodlands Park. This shows people lived here a very long time ago.
• Bronze Age – Small farming villages existed in the area.
• AD 48 – The Romans started building Metchley Fort as they built Icknield Street through Birmingham.
• AD 70 – The Romans left Metchley Fort but came back a few years later.
• AD 120 – The Romans left Metchley Fort for good.
• Anglo-Saxon period – The Beormingas clan lived in this area.
• 7th century – Birmingham might have started as a small village around this time.
• 968 – Duddeston is first mentioned in a special document from King Eadgar.

Birmingham in the Middle Ages (1000-1499)

The Norman Era (1000-1099)

• After 1066 – The De Birmingham family took control of the area.
• 1086 – Birmingham is listed as a village in the Domesday Book. This was a big survey of England.

Growing into a Town (1100-1199)

• 1154 – Peter de Birmingham, the local lord, got permission to hold a market every Thursday. This helped the village grow into a town.
• 1160 – The first stone church was built where St. Mary's Church, Handsworth now stands.
• 1176 – A road through Sutton Coldfield was recorded. It probably led from Birmingham to Lichfield.

Life in the 1200s

• 1218 – Flaxeye Farm in Stechford is mentioned.
• 1221 – A mill in King's Norton was recorded.
• 1231 – A mill in Edgbaston was recorded.
• 1249 – A place where people could cross the River Cole was recorded.
• 1250
  • William de Birmingham got permission to hold a four-day fair each year.
  • A road from Birmingham to Saltley and Castle Bromwich was recorded.
• 1260 – Summer Lane, a road to Perry and Walsall, was recorded.
• 1263 – A church was mentioned at the site of St Martin in the Bull Ring.
• 1273 – Several mills were working in Northfield.
• 1276 – A crossing over the River Rea at Deritend was reported.
• 1282 – Two roads through Yardley met at Deritend Bridge.
• 1290 – A lane crossing the River Tame at Salford Bridge was mentioned.

The 1300s: Trade and Guilds

• 1309 – William de Bermingham showed in a lawsuit that his family had held a market and collected tolls even before the Norman Conquest.
• 1317 – A mill in Witton and Erdington was mentioned.
• 1318 – A bridge called Bromford Bridge was recorded.
• 1322 – Merchants were selling wool in Birmingham's market.
• By 1327 – Selly Manor was built.
• 1333 – Bromford Mill in Erdington was recorded.
• 1340 – The road from Birmingham to Castle Bromwich was mentioned again.
• 1368 – The Old Crown public house in Deritend might have been built as a guildhall. If so, it was Birmingham's first school.
• 1379 – A traveler recorded a bridge crossing the River Tame at Handsworth.
• 1381 – People in Deritend and Bordesley got permission to build a chapel.
• 1381 – Sir John de Birmyneham first mentioned Deritend by name, calling it Duryzatehende.
• 1390 – Thomas de Birmingham was recorded as a cloth merchant.
• 1392 – The Guild of the Holy Cross was started in Birmingham.

The 1400s: More Growth

• 1406 – A goldsmith was mentioned, showing skilled crafts were growing.
• 1449 – Three roads were recorded going from Birmingham to Edgbaston.
• 1460 – Handsworth Old Town Hall was built.
• 1480 – The tower of Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Aston was finished.
• 1492 – The Saracen's Head in King's Norton was built.

Birmingham in the 1500s and 1600s

The 1500s: Metalwork and Schools

• 1511 – The King's army ordered horseshoes, bits, and weapons from Birmingham suppliers.
• 1517 – St Margaret's Church in Ward End was built.
• 1524 – A goldsmith from Birmingham repaired cups and made spoons for Lord Middleton.
• 1527 – Bishop Vesey's Grammar School was founded in Sutton Coldfield.
• 1528 – Sutton Coldfield became a Royal Town by a special charter.
• 1536
  • The Priory of St Thomas of Canterbury was closed down.
  • A footbridge was mentioned crossing the River Rea at Deritend.
• 1542 – Sarehole Mill was built.
• 1547
  • The Guild of the Holy Cross was noted for maintaining large stone bridges.
  • The Priory of St Thomas of Canterbury buildings were pulled down.
• 1552 – King Edward's School was founded.
• 1553 – A survey showed that metalworking, not cloth, was now the main industry.
• 1560 – A road towards Dudley was recorded.
• 1590 – Blakesley Hall was built.

The 1600s: Civil War and Plague

• 1612
  • A road from Perry Bridge to Birmingham was called the "great way."
  • The Handsworth Bridge Trust was set up.
• 1616 – King James gave Kings Norton the right to hold a market.
• 1635 – Construction of Aston Hall was finished.
• 1635–1642 – The first Birmingham Library was started by a minister named Francis Roberts.
• 1642 – 17 October: English Civil War:
  • King Charles passed through Birmingham. The townspeople took his carriages and royal items for safety.
  • Battle of Kings Norton: A fight happened between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces.
• 1643
  • 3 April: Battle of Camp Hill, a Royalist victory. After the battle, 80 houses in the town were burned.
  • Aston Hall was badly damaged by Parliamentarian troops.
• 1648 – A paper mill was in use in Perry Barr.
• 1665 – Birmingham suffered many losses from the plague.
• 1695 – Birmingham got its first fire engine.
• 1697 – John Pemberton bought the land where the Priory of St Thomas of Canterbury used to be.

Birmingham in the 1700s: A Time of Big Changes

Early 1700s (1700-1709)

• 1700
  • John Pemberton started building his fancy Priory Estate.
  • The population was about 15,000 people.
• 1702 – The Old Cross, Birmingham's first public meeting place, was finished near the Bull Ring.
• 1704 – 25 May: Church of the Ascension, Hall Green was consecrated.
• 1707 – The old Guild Hall on New Street was taken down.
• 1708
  • The New Street site became King Edward's School.
  • People asked Parliament for a new church because St Martin's was too crowded.

1710s: New Churches and Troubles

• 1713 – Old Square was built by John Pemberton.
• 1714 – Mobs attacked religious Dissenters.
• 1715
  • St Philip's Church was consecrated.
  • A mob attacked a meeting house during the Jacobite rising.

1720s: Roads and Important Births

• 1724 – The Blue Coat School on Colmore Row was finished.
• 1726 – The Bristol Road was improved, becoming one of the first "turnpiked" roads. This meant people paid to use it.
• 1728 – 3 September: Matthew Boulton, a famous toymaker, was born.

1730s: First Maps and Newspapers

• 1731 – The first map of Birmingham was made by William Westley.
• 1732 – The Birmingham Journal, Birmingham's first local newspaper, was printed.
• 1733 – The town's first workhouse was built on Lichfield Street.
• 1737 – John Baskerville started working as a writing-master in the Bull Ring.

1740s: Industry and Expansion

• 1741
  • The Upper Priory Cotton Mill opened as the world's first machine-powered cotton mill.
  • Thomas Aris launched the Birmingham Gazette.
• 1745 – John Baskerville leased land and built his house and workshops.
• 1746
  • Ann Colmore sold land for Birmingham's expansion, leading to the Jewellery Quarter.
  • John Roebuck started making sulphuric acid in Steelhouse Lane.

1750s: Entertainment and Manufacturing

• 1758 – Benjamin Franklin visited Birmingham for the first time.
• 1758 – Duddeston Hall was renamed Vauxhall Gardens and opened as an entertainment spot.
• 1759 – About 20,000 people worked in Birmingham's "toymaking" industry.

1760s: Boulton, Watt, and Canals

• 1761 – Matthew Boulton took over Soho Mill.
• 1765
  • Taylor's and Lloyds Bank, an early version of Lloyds Bank, opened.
  • Matthew Boulton's Soho Manufactory was completed for mass production.
  • The Lunar Society of Birmingham began to meet.
• 1768 – 24 February: An act was passed for Birmingham's first canal, the Birmingham Canal.
• 1769 – 6 November: The Birmingham Canal's Wednesbury branch opened.

1770s: More Canals and Hospitals

• 1772 – 21 September: The main line of the Birmingham Canal opened, connecting to the river Severn.
• 1773 – 31 August: The Birmingham Assay Office opened, checking the quality of precious metals.
• 1774 – James Watt moved to Birmingham.
• 1775 – Watt formed a partnership with Matthew Boulton to build steam engines.
• 1775 – Ketley's Building Society was founded, the world's first building society.
• 1779 – 20 September: Birmingham General Hospital opened.

1780s: Libraries and Riots

• 1780 – Joseph Priestley arrived in Birmingham.
• 1783 – June: An act was passed for the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.
• 1784 – The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival became a regular event.
• 1789 – 11 August: The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal opened, providing a water route to London.

1790s: More Canals and Priestley Riots

• 1791 – 14–17 July: Priestley Riots against Dissenters and reformers. Joseph Priestley's house was looted.
• 1792 – 17 August: The Theatre Royal was badly damaged by fire.
• 1794 – St Mary's College, Oscott was established as a Roman Catholic seminary.
• 1795 – June: Pickard's steam-powered flour mill was attacked by a mob.
• 1795 – 30 October: The first part of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal opened.
• 1797 – The Birmingham Library moved to a new building on Union Street.

Birmingham in the 1800s: A Growing City

Early 1800s (1800-1809)

• 1800 – 19 March: The Warwick and Birmingham Canal was completed.
• 1801 – 10 March: The first national census showed Birmingham's population was 73,670.
• 1802 – 31 August: Admiral Nelson visited Birmingham and was greeted by huge crowds.
• 1802 – The lighting system at Soho Manufactory was shown to the public. It was the first factory lit by gas.
• 1809 – 25 October: The Statue of Horatio Nelson was unveiled in the Bull Ring.

1810s: Gun Trade and Gas Lights

• 1813 – The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House was established.
• 1815 – 4 December: The Worcester and Birmingham Canal was fully opened.
• 1816 – The Birmingham Manor House was pulled down.
• 1817 – 29 May: The Smithfield Market opened.
• 1819 – 14 April: Birmingham's streets were lit by gas for the first time.

1820s: Art, Chocolate, and Reform

• 1820 – 6 January: The Theatre Royal was destroyed in a fire.
• 1821 – Birmingham Society of Artists was founded.
• 1824 – John Cadbury opened his shop on Bull Street, which later became famous for chocolate.
• 1825 – The Birmingham Female Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves was established.
• 1829 – 14 December: Thomas Attwood founded the Birmingham Political Union to campaign for voting reform.

1830s: Town Hall and Railways

• 1832 – 27 April: Construction of Birmingham Town Hall began.
• 1832 – 4 June: Birmingham got its own Members of Parliament for the first time.
• 1832 – 11 June: Birmingham Botanical Gardens opened.
• 1834 – 7 October: Birmingham Town Hall opened for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival.
• 1835 – 16 February: The new Market Hall opened in the Bull Ring.

1836 – August: Midland Bank was established.

• 1837 – 4 July: The Grand Junction Railway opened, connecting Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool.
• 1838 – 17 September: The London and Birmingham Railway opened, connecting to London.
• 1838 – 31 October: Birmingham became a municipal borough, and William Scholefield became its first Mayor.
• 1839 – July: Chartist protests and riots occurred.
• 1839 – 20 November: The Birmingham Police force was created.

1840s: Schools and More Railways

• 1841 – 21 June: St Chad's was consecrated as a church.
• 1843 – Birmingham Government School of Design was founded.
• 1843 – Alfred Bird produced baking powder for the first time.
• 1846 – 26 August: Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah was first performed at the Town Hall.
• 1849 – Winson Green Prison opened.

1850s: Exhibitions and Parks

• 1850 – 10 December: Bingley Hall opened as the world's first permanent exhibition hall.
• 1852 – 21 April: St Chad's was named a cathedral.
• 1852 – 1 October: Snow Hill railway station opened.
• 1852 – Kent Street Baths were completed, becoming Birmingham's first public baths.
• 1853 – Birmingham Mint began producing coins.
• 1854 – 1 June: New Street railway station fully opened.
• 1855 – Adderley Park opened as a public park.
• 1857 – 1 June: Calthorpe Park opened as a public park.
• 1857 – 4 December: The Birmingham Post newspaper was launched.
• 1859 – The modern game of tennis began to be developed in Edgbaston.
• 1859 – The Birmingham School of Music was formed.

1860s: Industry and Public Services

• 1860 – Joseph Lucas started his business, which became Lucas Industries, making vehicle lighting.
• 1861 – June: Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was founded.
• 1861 – A new rule required all new houses to be connected to a sewer.
• 1862 – 2 June: A railway line opened to Sutton Coldfield railway station.
• 1863 – Soho Manufactory was pulled down.
• 1865 – The first Birmingham Central Library opened.
• 1868 – The first fire station in Birmingham opened.

1870s: Tramways and City Improvements

• 1870 – Birmingham Mail newspaper was launched.
• 1871 – School Board was established to build schools.
• 1872 – 20 May: The first horse trams operated in Birmingham.
• 1873 – April: Cannon Hill Park was given to Birmingham.
• 1873 – Joseph Chamberlain became Mayor of Birmingham.
• 1874 – March: Aston Villa F.C. was founded.
• 1875 – September: Association football team Birmingham City F.C. was founded.
• 1876 – Construction of the Great Western Arcade was completed.
• 1878 – Demolition of inner-city slums began to make way for Corporation Street.
• 1879 – 11 January: A fire destroyed 50,000 books at Birmingham Central Library.
• 1879 – The Birmingham Council House was completed.
• 1879 – Cadbury's moved their chocolate business to Bournville.
• 1879 – The first telephone exchange in Birmingham opened.

1880s: New Buildings and City Status

• 1880 – Joseph Priestley's memorial was unveiled.
• 1882 – A redesigned Birmingham Central Library was rebuilt, including a Shakespeare Memorial Room.
• 1883 – Joseph Hudson invented the pea whistle for police.
• 1885 – September: Birmingham Municipal School of Art opened in its new building.
• 1886 – 7 June: The first match was played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
• 1887 – 23 March: The foundation stone for the Victoria Law Courts was laid by Queen Victoria.
• 1889 – 14 January: Birmingham was granted city status by Queen Victoria.

1890s: Growth and Sporting Success

• 1890 – March: The Peaky Blinders street gang was first recorded.
• 1891 – 5 April: The city's population was 478,113.
• 1891 – 21 July: The Victoria Law Courts were completed and opened.
• 1891 – Balsall Heath and Harborne became part of Birmingham.
• 1893 – George Cadbury began to plan the model village of Bournville.
• 1895 – 11 September: The FA Cup was stolen from a shop window in Birmingham and never found.
• 1896 – 3 June: The Mayor's office was raised to Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
• 1897 – 10 April: Aston Villa F.C. won the FA Cup and the Football League title. They moved to their new stadium, Villa Park.
• 1899 – December: Frederick W. Lanchester started a business to build motor cars in Sparkbrook.

Birmingham in the 1900s: Modern Times

Early 1900s (1900-1909)

• 1900 – 24 March: The University of Birmingham, the city's first university, was officially created.
• 1901 – 10 January: Council House Square was renamed Victoria Square.
• 1901 – 31 March: Population: 522,204.
• 1901 – 27 May: The Alexandra Theatre opened.
• 1901 – 18 December: David Lloyd George had to escape from Birmingham Town Hall disguised as a policeman after giving an anti-Boer War speech.
• 1902 – Edgbaston Cricket Ground was allowed to hold test cricket matches.
• 1903 – October: First motor buses operated in Birmingham.
• 1903 – Birmingham Crematorium opened.
• 1903 – The Birmingham Hippodrome was renamed.
• 1904 – 4 January: The first Birmingham Corporation Tramways route began.
• 1904 – 21 July: Water from the Elan Valley Reservoirs in Wales started flowing to Birmingham.
• 1905 – St Philip's Church became a cathedral.
• 1905 – Austin Motor Company was started and bought the site for its Longbridge plant.
• 1906 – 26 December: St Andrews Football Stadium was completed.
• 1907 – 13 February: Fire station at Bordesley Green opened.
• 1908 – The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower at the University of Birmingham was completed.
• 1909 – 9 November: Quinton became part of Birmingham.
• 1909 – 27 December: The Electric Theatre showed its first film.

1910s: City Expansion and World War I

• 1910 – 22 June: The Nechells Baths were completed.
• 1911 – 9 November: The city's size nearly tripled as Handsworth, Aston Manor, Yardley, and most of King's Norton and Northfield became part of Birmingham.
• 1912 – Major reconstruction of Snow Hill station was completed.
• 1913 – 15 February: The Birmingham Repertory Theatre was founded by Barry Jackson.
• 1913 – 23 April: The King Edward VII Memorial was unveiled in Victoria Square.
• 1916 – 29 September: The Birmingham Municipal Bank opened.
• 1917 – Fort Dunlop opened for making tyres.
• 1918 – 10 June: The Birmingham Civic Society was founded.
• 1919 – The City of Birmingham Orchestra was established.

1920s: Radio, Trolleybuses, and Parks

• 1920 – 4 September: The City of Birmingham Orchestra held its first concert.
• 1922 – July: Austin Motor Company announced production of the Austin 7 car.
• 1922 – 15 November: First BBC Birmingham radio broadcasts began.
• 1922 – 27 November: First trolleybuses in Birmingham operated.
• 1923 – The Birmingham Civic Society bought land to form Highbury Park.
• 1924 – The Birmingham Hippodrome reopened with a new look.
• 1925 – 4 July: The Hall of Memory in Centenary Square was completed.
• 1927 – 21 May: First greyhound racing at Kings Heath Stadium.
• 1927 – 12 July: First motorcycle speedway racing at Alexander Sports Grounds.
• 1928 – Perry Barr became part of Birmingham.
• 1929 – 3 January: Digbeth Coach Station opened.

1930s: New Buildings and World War II Preparations

• 1930 – 4 August: The first cinema under the Odeon name opened in Perry Barr.
• 1932 – The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was established at the University.
• 1933 – 29 May: The rebuilt Kent Street Baths reopened.
• 1933 – 23 October: Birmingham city council's 40,000th council house was opened.
• 1935 – Blakesley Hall opened as a museum.
• 1935 – 2 December: The Central fire station and headquarters opened.
• 1938 – Baskerville House was built.
• 1939 – 1 March: The original Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened.
• 1939 – 8 July: Elmdon Airport opened.
• 1939 – September: Children were evacuated from the city due to the war.

1940s: The Blitz and Post-War Changes

• 1940 – June: Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory produced its first Spitfire MK II aircraft.
• 1940 – 9 August: The first German air raid on Birmingham took place.
• 1940 – 25/26 August: The first air raid on the city centre destroyed the Market Hall.
• 1940 – 7 November: St Philip's Cathedral was bombed.
• 1940 – 19 November: Heavy air raids on Birmingham began, killing many people.
• 1942 – 27 May: The last major air raid on the city.
• 1945 – The first Indian restaurant in Birmingham, The Darjeeling, opened.
• 1949 – 17 December: The first Sutton Coldfield transmitting station began broadcasting BBC Television.

1950s: Modernization and New Buildings

• 1951 – 8 April: The city's population reached its peak at 1,113,000.
• 1951 – 30 June: The last trolleybuses in Birmingham operated.
• 1951 – The Museum of Science & Industry opened.
• 1953 – 4 July: The last Birmingham Corporation Tramways routes stopped operating.
• 1954 – Queens Tower in Duddeston was completed, becoming the city's first tower block.
• 1955 – 23 January: Sutton Coldfield rail crash killed 17 people.
• 1956 – Tong Kung, the first Chinese restaurant in Birmingham, opened.
• 1957 – Blakesley Hall reopened as a museum after being repaired from bomb damage.

1960s: Bull Ring and Motorways

• 1960 – Birmingham Elmdon Airport returned to city ownership.
• 1961 – Summer: Construction of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre began.
• 1961 – The design for the Rotunda was approved.
• 1963 – The Midlands Arts Centre opened.
• 1964 – 29 May: The new Bull Ring Shopping Centre was opened by Prince Philip.
• 1965 – Construction of the Rotunda was completed.
• 1966 – 6 December: Railway electrification through New Street station was completed.
• 1967 – 6 May: British Rail officially opened the rebuilt New Street station.
• 1967 – 5 October: The GPO Tower was officially opened. It was the tallest building in Birmingham at the time.
• 1968 – 20 April: Enoch Powell made his famous Rivers of Blood speech.
• 1968 – Work started on the complex motorway junction at Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction).
• 1968 – Heavy metal band Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham.
• 1969 – Construction of the new Central Library began.
• 1969 – Birmingham Central Mosque was completed.

1970s: New Library and Pub Bombings

• 1970 – 9 November: BBC Radio Birmingham began broadcasting.
• 1971 – 7 April: The Inner Ring Road was opened by Queen Elizabeth.
• 1971 – October: The Birmingham Repertory Theatre moved to a new building.
• 1972 – 24 May: The A38(M) ("Aston Expressway") and Gravelly Hill Interchange ("Spaghetti Junction") opened.
• 1973 – 17 September: A bomb exploded in Edgbaston, killing Captain Ronald Wilkinson.
• 1973 – December: A new Birmingham Central Library was completed.
• 1974 – 12 January: The new Birmingham Central Library opened to the public.
• 1974 – 1 April: The West Midlands County was created, and Birmingham became a metropolitan borough. Sutton Coldfield was absorbed by Birmingham.
• 1974 – 21 November: Birmingham pub bombings: Two bombs exploded in pubs, killing 21 people.
• 1974 – 24 November: The Birmingham Six were wrongly charged with the bombings. They were later found innocent.
• 1975 – Birmingham Central Mosque was officially opened, becoming the largest mosque in Western Europe at the time.
• 1976 – 26 January: Birmingham International railway station opened, serving the airport and National Exhibition Centre.
• 1976 – 21 February: The National Exhibition Centre opened.
• 1976 – The Alexander Stadium opened in Perry Park.
• 1978 – 8 May: Railway improvements on the Cross-City Line included a new station at University.

1980s: Riots and Redevelopment

• 1980 – Simon Rattle became Principal Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
• 1981 – 5 & 10 July: Rioting occurred in the city.
• 1981 – Ansells Brewery closed down.
• 1982 – 26 May: Aston Villa F.C. won the European Cup Final.
• 1983 – Birmingham Airport was privatised.
• 1984 – January: Bingley Hall was badly damaged by fire and pulled down.
• 1985 – 9–11 September: 1985 Handsworth riots occurred.
• 1987 – January: Construction began on the International Convention Centre.
• 1987 – 5 October: A rebuilt Snow Hill station opened.
• 1989 – The Birmingham School of Music was renamed the Birmingham Conservatoire.

1990s: New Landmarks and Events

• 1990 – 5 April: Aldi, the German supermarket, opened its first store in Britain in Stechford.
• 1990 – The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet moved to the Birmingham Hippodrome as the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
• 1991 – 12 June: The International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall opened.
• 1991 – 4 October: The National Indoor Arena opened.
• 1991 – Crufts, the world's largest dog show, moved to the National Exhibition Centre.
• 1992 – 4 June: Birmingham Polytechnic became the University of Central England.
• 1992 – August: The redevelopment of Victoria Square was completed, including The River water feature.
• 1993 – 2 March: Antony Gormley's statue Iron: Man was put up in Victoria Square.
• 1993 – 12 July: Railway electrification on the Cross-City Line was completed.
• 1995 – Part of Frankley was transferred to Birmingham.
• 1996 – Birmingham Town Hall closed for a major refurbishment.
• 1997 – The Museum of Science and Industry closed in its original location.
• 1998 – 9 May: The 43rd Eurovision Song Contest was held at the National Indoor Arena.
• 1998 – 15–17 May: The first G8 summit was held in Birmingham.
• 1998 – Birmingham Children's Hospital moved back to its original location.
• 1999 – 30 May: The West Midlands Metro light rail system opened from Snow Hill station.

Birmingham in the 2000s and Beyond

2000s: Big Changes and New Buildings

• 2000 – December: The Mailbox, an upmarket shopping centre, opened.
• 2000 – Demolition of the 1960s Bull Ring shopping centre began.
• 2001 – 29 September: Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, opened at Millennium Point.
• 2002 – 2 July: Millennium Point was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
• 2003 – 4 September: The new Bull Ring shopping centre opened, including the unique Selfridges Building.
• 2004 – BBC Birmingham moved into new offices in The Mailbox.
• 2005 – 28 July: 2005 Birmingham tornado caused significant damage.
• 2005 – 22–23 October: 2005 Birmingham riots occurred in the Lozells area.
• 2006 – January–June: 10 Holloway Circus (Beetham Tower) was completed, becoming Birmingham's tallest building at the time.
• 2006 – 16 March: The last HP Sauce was made in Aston.
• 2008 – 13 May: The Rotunda building reopened as apartments after a big refurbishment.
• 2009 – 18 December: The new Birmingham Coach Station opened in Digbeth.

2010s: New Hospitals, Libraries, and Games

• 2010 – 16 June: The new Queen Elizabeth Hospital began operating.
• 2010 – 19 September: Pope Benedict XVI concluded his visit in Birmingham.
• 2011 – 8–10 August: 2011 England riots spread to Birmingham.
• 2013 – 3 September: A new Library of Birmingham, the largest public library in the U.K., opened.
• 2015 – 20 September: The refurbished Birmingham New Street railway station concourse officially opened.
• 2015 – 6 December: The West Midlands Metro extended to Bull Street tram stop, bringing trams back to Birmingham's streets.
• 2016 – 1 March: A new civil parish for Sutton Coldfield was created.
• 2017 – December: Birmingham was announced as the host city of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
• 2018 – 27 May: Flash flooding hit parts of the city.

2020s: Recent Events

• 2020 – 23 March: Birmingham went into a nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2021 – October: The Mercian was completed, becoming Birmingham's tallest building.
• 2022 – July–August: The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham.
• 2023 – 5 September: Birmingham City Council issued a section 114 notice, meaning it declared itself effectively bankrupt.