Bulls In The City - continued...

A running thread over the last few weeks has been the Bulls In The City art trail which has kept me coming back to Birmingham for additional bovine bounty-hunting. Having tracked down many of the specimens in the city centre, attention now turns to some outlying sculptures as stationed in Edgbaston and Harborne...

- Floradorabull -

It's Saturday 30th August 2025 and the trail is nearing its climax, having commenced on 16th July and being scheduled to conclude on 14th September - there's not long left to participate if you haven't already. Once again I'm joining forces with Bullseye Bygrave who is very adept as regards her bull detection skills; as such, Emily reports on a sighting at Birmingham Botanical Gardens where 'Floradorabull' welcomes visitors near the main reception. The strikingly red design here conjures up a sense of a secret garden hideaway populated by magical flowers. 

- A Question from Broderick -

Two more big bulls have made Edgbaston their home so a little stroll along Westbourne Road soon has us admiring 'Broderick' who is sponsored by Birmingham Hospice. Local artist Jess Perrin painted this as a celebration of all things Brum, hence the Alright Bab? greeting and a greedy hand grabbing a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate - Emily assures me this is in no way whatsoever modelled on her! Broderick occupies a prominent spot immediately outside St George's Church, a landmark perched where Westbourne Crescent meets Highfield Road.

- St George's Psalms Board -

Enticed by a sign mentioning that the church is open, we can't resist having a look inside one of Birmingham's lesser-heralded religious gems. It's a beautiful building, having been enlarged and adapted significantly over the Victorian period, evoking a powerful sense of welcome and peace. Being so close to Birmingham City University's City South campus, St George's seeks to offer spiritual support to local students resulting in a multiculturally diverse intergenerational congregation. We chat to the vicar - Father Sam - and one of the church readers, getting a feel for the history of the place with insight into its stained glass and Grade II listed status.  

- Unbe-Leaf-A-Bull -

Emily has a soft spot for Greenfield Crescent, an attractive pedestrianised townhouse arc that forms the beating heart of Edgbaston Village's social scene. Several tempting eateries can be found in the vicinity plus there are regular markets and other such events throughout the year. For our purposes we're pleased to discover 'Unbe-Leaf-A-Bull' in varying shades of dappled green with depictions of many different butterfly species. Trying hard not to get the 90s hit by EMF stuck in my head for the rest of the day, we also seek out 'Barry' the King Edward Five Ways mini school bull as based inside Chapter, one of the aforementioned restaurant-bars.  

- Flora & Forna -

From Edgbaston we relocate to nearby Harborne, parking up on Ethel Road in readiness for a full sweep of the High Street. Setting forth from Metchley Lane corner by the Green Man, we immediately hit the sculptural jackpot courtesy of 'Flora & Forna' - or should that be Fauna? - which takes a folk art approach to representing the natural world. Tulips and sunflowers mean Emily is particularly captivated by this charming design, and we need to keep our eyes peeled for several examples of smaller bulls presented in shop windows as we progress along. One definite stronghold is the Reloved Brum charity shop and community space; 'Billy the Doodle Bull' resides here complete with cartoon nods to goldfish and Thomas the Tank Engine. 

- Mr Crowley -

Given all the recent fanfare about Black Sabbath's farewell concert, it stands to reason that there has to be a Ozzy Osbourne-themed bull somewhere on the trail and 'Mr Crowley' is the said creation. Named after the 1980 song - which in turn referenced the English occultist and ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley - this is an affectionate nod to Birmingham's role as the cradle of heavy metal. Ozzy's portrait takes pride of place alongside brooding eyes, musical imagery with flashes of purple and shocking pink to round off the effect. 

- Let's Get Ready To Brumbull -

The weather forecast is for persistent afternoon rain and there's just a wisp of drizzle in the air when we reach Harborne's Waitrose store, host location for 'Let's Get Ready to Brumbull'. His lightning bolts hopefully aren't a portent of things to come but the emphasis is very much on superhero boldness, Flash being feted as the defender of Brum with sparkling cape to match - he even adopts that customary comic-book trait of wearing his pants over the top of his main costume! For those of us more demurely dressed, it's probably a good idea to get out of the rain, in which case Harborne has a noted selection of charity bookshops (for Miss Bygrave) and rather fine watering holes (for me)...

- Feeling Fierce in the Hop Garden -

Having plundered Oxfam's shelves for literary bargains - where I must confess Emily wasn't the only one making purchases, I'm always on the lookout for any Alton Douglas local history titles - we seek shelter in the Hop Garden, previously known as the Sportsman. The promise of 22 craft beer lines is more than sufficient to pique my curiosity, and the resultant cask pint of Fierce Dark Mild proves bang on the money for mellow notes of chocolatey roastiness. The rain if anything is getting heavier but we dodge the worst of the droplets when pitching into Arco Lounge for super-tasty burger indulgences; an Artsy Party event is being set up called Cocktails & Canvas with miniature easels and the chance to paint while sipping Prosecco, all most intriguing. Our final port of call however is the award winning Pup & Duckling micropub over in Olton, testing our supposed genius knowledge with fiendish Trivial Pursuit. Cheers!

An Early Autumn Assortment (2024)

Leaving aside last week's raid on my photographic back catalogue, the last you heard from me in an explorational sense was at the Tamworth Beer Festival so what else have I been up to in September? The 2024 County Championship cricket season is nearing its denouement (with Warwickshire inching away from peril almost despite themselves) and I've been on the prowl for even more animal artistry - time for a catch-up post?

- Play Underway at New Road -

It's fair to say that 2024 hasn't been a vintage year for the Bears with only one Championship win to their name all season. True they have accumulated a high proportion of draws but were nevertheless perched a little too close to the relegation trapdoor by the time the derby fixture at New Road rolled around. Stephen and I were there to see the second and third days play with Worcestershire definitely in the ascendancy, the home side boosted by Tom Taylor's career-best bowling figures of 6/28 in dismissing Warwickshire for a limp 128 all out.

- Blue Penguin -

Solace from such batting aberrations came in the form of more Waddle of Worcester penguins as I added to the initial haul I'd located with Mr D9 in August. This time around Stephen and I had the pleasure of meeting 'Little Blue Makes A Wish' in Cripplegate Park, followed by two riverside specimens along Bromwich Parade ('The Swan', so styled to support the Severn's swan sanctuary designation, and 'Doing the Worcester Wiggle' with an emphasis on tropical fish decoration). A particularly nice find awaited on the opposite bank where 'Blue Penguin' is based on picture book illustrations and celebrates the importance of friendship. 

- Chocolate Sponge -

Made to follow on, Warwickshire admittedly made a better fist of their second innings with Alex Davies (65) and an unbeaten century from ex-skipper Will Rhodes ensuring the match would finish up as a rain-affected draw. Worcestershire might think they were slightly robbed by the weather but the Bears had restored parity by the time the terminal precipitation arrived; one crucial treat that must not be overlooked was being able to sample cake from the Ladies Pavilion, a New Road tradition that has assumed legendary status. A generous slice of chocolate sponge was more than enough to keep me very satisfied!

- OHD appeals for LBW -

And so we move on to the final home game of the season, an Edgbaston clash against Essex which could hardly have gone much worse from a Bears batting perspective. 78 all out gave Warwickshire a mountain to climb, even though the bowlers did relatively well to restrict the visitors to 232 in reply. Oliver Hannon-Dalby has been a shining light leading the attack all season and claimed two early wickets, including the scalp of South African test match opener Dean Elgar. Craig Miles and Ed Barnard were also in on the wicket-taking action but a breezy 69 from Shane Snater would prove crucial in setting up an easy Essex innings victory.

- The Pub at Moseley -

Disappointed about such feeble scorecard impressions, we at least cheered ourselves up with talk of childhood television memories and by teasing Ken Peakman about his West Bromwich Albion allegiances. An evening investigating Moseley's fine hostelries also helped to lift our collective spirits, starting with The Pub at Moseley on the Alcester Road/St Mary's Row traffic lights; previously known as Bohemian (and The Junction before that), this is the sister venue to an emerging chain of similarly titled establishments in Bearwood and Kings Heath. A solid Belhaven Best at £2.90 a pint proved considerably cheaper than the prices being quoted for Carling inside Edgbaston Stadium, that's for sure!

- "One Rather Likes Jaipur" -

Elsewhere in Moseley, we checked out the craft credentials of the Dark Horse for the liquid Crunchie bar that is Blue Monkey's Cinder Toffee Stout - even Stephen was able to sniff out its pronounced honeycomb fragrance from several paces away. The evening was rounded off in style at our old friend the Prince of Wales, which showcased all of its community qualities by hosting writing group meetings and Irish music rehearsals. Whether Nick and Ken would be dab hands with a tin whistle remains to be seen but they did approve of their halves of Jaipur, a Thornbridge tipple that always goes down well where our own resident royal is concerned.

- Well Active Bear -

The fact Warwickshire contrived to lose to Essex in barely a day and a half meant that Mr B and I were at something of a loose end come Friday 20th September. I couldn't say whether Handsworth would normally be high on the list of potential Beardsmore destinations but the promise of a different kind of bear lured us along Nineveh Road and Grove Lane to reach Handsworth Park, a prime example of a Victorian public space which first opened in 1888. Features of note include a bandstand and boating lake but we were primarily interested in a couple of Big Sleuth sculptures which are on permanent display here, beginning with 'Well Active Bear' who depicts various exercising poses outside the local leisure centre. 

- Handsworth Cricket Club -

Our second sleuthing specimen guards the Community Garden near the Holly Road railings, with 'Sun Guardian' standing sentry over the flowerbeds in all his boldly-patterned glory. Both bears are part of the Handsworth Park Public Arts Trail which also comprises carved tree trunk seating, a 'Memory Chest' installation, and the Here & Now bench created specifically for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In between admiring these al fresco exhibits, we made sure to wander over to the Handsworth Cricket Club which boasts a breezeblock pavilion and some practice nets within the wider park grounds. Stephen assured me that despite his extensive umpiring experience, this was his first time visiting this particular cricketing location.

- Remembering Benjamin Zephaniah -

As if we hadn't seen enough already, Handsworth Park's artistic attractions extended to two excellent murals celebrating black culture. The first of these was a montage celebrating local reggae acts from Apache Indian and Pato Banton to Ranking Roger and Musical Youth, while the second was a moving tribute to people's poet Benjamin Zephaniah who sadly passed away in 2023. Adorning the Sons of Rest building, the latter contains a salient quote stating "the people of Handsworth want liberty but that must come through unity and that must come through harmony, through you and me, through I and you". 

- Bemused Beardsmore beside the Astle Gates -

Having marched poor Stephen across most of Handsworth Wood, our efforts are rewarded with a bacon and egg sandwich at the Wattville Cafe greasy spoon followed by a memorable pint at the Royal Oak, a Holyhead Road Desi bar and grill which does much to remember the late hip hop musician Sidhu Moose Wala. Against our better judgement, we concluded our ramble at The Hawthorns home of Wolves' fierce Black Country footballing rivals. A sighting of Tony Bomber Brown's statue was fair enough although Mr B seemed less sure about posing next to the Jeff Astle Gates (which incidentally immortalise Albion's 1968 FA Cup-winning goalscorer). It was deemed best for all concerned that we swiftly caught our tram in case either of us became too indoctrinated in the ways of blue and white stripes. Cheers!