Birmingham architects: Abacus Architects

Abacus Architects is an RIBA Chartered Practice based in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

We hold over nineteen years of experience in architecture and source only them most reputable people for our projects across the UK. Our years in the architectural industry mean we are able to develop a client's vision into a living structure. We pride ourselves in providing creative designs at high quality and maintaining our client's satisfaction.

You can see our current clients here, alternatively, our portfolio can be viewed here.

Abacus Architects are the people to go to if you're looking for Birmingham architects for any architectural projects that involve any of the following architectural areas:

- Commercial
- Community projects
- Conservation works
- Education
- Industrial
- Listed buildings
- Medical
- Residential (community and private)
- Retail development
- Specialist projects

In order to keep our clients satisfied, we offer a selection of services to meet their needs, including planning, design, and technical drawing services along with our multiple years of expertise.

For more information about Abacus - Architects Birmingham, please visit our website!

Architecture of Birmingham - points of historical interest.

Although Birmingham in England has existed for over 1000 years, today's city is certainly a product of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries with variety of architectural styles.

Birmingham is a young city, having grown rapidly as a result of the Industrial Revolution starting in the 18th century. As of 2006, there are 1946 listed buildings in Birmingham, 13 scheduled ancient monuments and 27 conservation areas. The Architects Birmingham from Abacus.

Medival architecture

The 15th century Old Crown

• The 15th century Old Crown, originally the hall of the Guild of St John, Deritend, is the sole surviving secular building of the medieval town. 
• Aston Hall, designed in a Jacobean style in 1618
• St Laurence's Church, Northfield, 12th century
• St Nicolas' Church, 13th century and Tudor Merchant's House, 1492, in Kings Norton
• Hay Hall in Small Heath, 1423
• Blakesley Hall in Yardley, 1590

Georgian and Regency architecture

• St Philip's by Thomas Archer, 1715.
• Regency townhouses in Waterloo Street, ca. 1827
• The recently-renovated Birmingham Back to Backs on Hurst Street are the last remaining back-to-back houses in the city.
• St Paul's Church by Roger Eykyn, 1779
• Original Georgian terraces in St. Paul's Square, ca. 1780
• Soho House by Samuel Wyatt, 1796
• Regency villa inEdgbaston, ca. 1820
• St. Thomas', Lee Bank, byHenry Hutchinson, 1827
• Lee Crescent in Lee Bank, ca. 1830

Victorian architecture

• Curzon Street railway station by Philip Hardwick.
• Midland Bank, Waterloo Street, by Henry Hutchinson
• Old Joint Stock Theatre, byJ. A. Chatwin, 1864
• Council House, by Yeoville Thomason, 1879
• Birmingham Town Hall, by Joseph Hansom and Edward Welch, 1834.

The Gothic revival

• St Chad's Cathedral, by Augustus Pugin, 1841.
• St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston, by J. A. Chatwin, 1868.

High Victorian architecture

• The red brick and terracotta Victoria Law Courts by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, on Corporation Street.
• Birmingham School of Art, designed byJohn Henry Chamberlain.
• The Arts and Crafts Movement
• 21 Yateley Road, Edgbaston,Grade Idesigned by Herbert Tudor Buckland in 1899 as his own home.
• 122-124 Colmore RowGrade I by William Lethaby, 1900
• Birmingham Guild of Handicraft by Arthur Stansfield Dixon, 1898.
• Garth House, Edgbaston, by William Henry Bidlake, 1901
• Winterbourne, by Joseph Lancaster Ball, 1903
• Bournville Junior School, by William Alexander Harvey, 1905
• Four Oaks Methodist Church by Crouch and Butler, 1908

Edwardian Architecture

• The Hall of Memory in Centenary Square.
• The former Odeon Cinema in Sutton Coldfield by Harry Weedon and Cecil Clavering, 1936.
• The Birmingham Medical School and Queen Elizabeth Hospital by Henry Vaughan Lanchester and Thomas Arthur Lodge, 1938 

Post-World War II architecture

• James A. Roberts' iconic Rotunda prior to renovation.
• Richard Seifert's Alpha Toweron Broad Street.

Contemporary architecture

• Selfridges, by Future Systems, 2003
• Buildings in Brindleyplace, by CZWG, 1997 andStanton Williams, 1999
• Millennium Point, byNicholas Grimshaw & Partners, 2002
• 10 Holloway Circus by Ian Simpson, 2006
• The Cube, by Ken Shuttleworth of MAKE Architects, 2010
• Newman University Library, by Glenn Howells Architects, 2011
• The Library of Birmingham, by Mecanoo, 2013

Cutting edge architecture to house Birmingham's books

The new Library in Birmingham,  Europe's largest public library - opened in the first week September 2013. Complimenting the modern architecture is a room from the 19th Century that has been recreated inside to house one of the UK's most important Shakespeare collections.

Can cutting edge architecture inspire bookworms and playwrights alike?  Either way, it's a stunning addtion to Birmingham archtiecture.  See the BBC video for an sneak preview.  As Architects in Birmingham, we'd like to hear your thoughts on the design, how nice you find it on the eye, and whether you'll be visiting.

Birmingham Canals - architecture to be admired

The whole Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) system adds up to 100 miles of canals, showcasing some stunning scenery and architecture.

It is one of the most intricate canal networks in the world. The hub of the BCN is the bustling city centre junction at Gas Street Basin. Here, colourful boats and historic canal architecture sit side-by-side with vibrant restaurants, cafes and bars. The basin is in the heart of Birmingham’s cosmopolitan nightlife and shopping districts. The mainlines and city centre canals are busy with boaters, walkers and cyclists.

However, elsewhere on the BCN, you can really get away from it all on winding suburban canals and some surprisingly rural branches. In the northern waters of the BCN, there are some rarely-explored waterways and architecture that are truly off the beaten track.

The canals were the life-blood of Victorian Birmingham and the Black Country. At their height, they were so busy that gas lighting was installed beside the locks to permit round-the-clock operation. Boats were built without cabins for maximum carrying capacity, and a near-tidal effect was produced as swarms of narrowboats converged on the Black Country collieries at the same time every day.

If you are interested in architecture and would like to know more about Abacus Architects can do you, call us on 0121 608 3700 or have a look at  Abacus Architects and examples of our projects.

Birmingham’s architectural influence on JRR Tolkien

Not many people know that JRR Tolkien was raised in the Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath and that his time in Birmingham clearly influenced his famous fantasy novels.  Fans can explore locations across Birmingham city that shaped the ideology and setting of his famed stories.  With this in mind, we hope you enjoy our top Tolkien sights in Birmingham.... 

Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clocktower
Known affectionately as Old Joe, the world’s tallest freestanding clock-tower is situated right in the heart of the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham. Tolkien was influenced by this 100-metre high clock-tower in his design of the stone tower Orthanc, the black tower of Isengrad from The Lord of the Rings.

Perrot’s Folly and Edgbaston Waterworks Tower
The Edgbaston landmarks of Perrot’s Folly and the Waterworks Tower inspired Minas Morgul and Minas Tirith, the Two Towers of Gondor, after which the second volume of The Lord of the Rings is named.

Moseley Bog
Moseley Bog nature reserve was Tolkien’s childhood playground and he stated that the site inspired the Old Forest, where Frodo Baggins and company meet Tom Bombaldil in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Sarehole Mill
The 200-year-old Sarehole Mill, referred to as 'the great mill' in The Hobbit, stands on the River Cole, near King's Norton.  Tolkien said that the village of Sarehole was the model for the Shire, home of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.