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!

Reindeer Reconnaissance, then Harborne

For my first significant slice of 2025 exploration, let's track down more of Birmingham's festive reindeer trail and throw in a trio of Harborne watering holes just to be sociable...

- Blitzen -

It's Saturday 4th January 2025 and the West Midlands is preparing itself for heavy snowfall, albeit the forecast suggests the white stuff won't arrive until evening so Stephen and I should be all clear for a bracing bout of Birmingham beforehand. Our immediate mission is to locate more of the 'Reindeer Rescue' sculptures which collectively are aiming to raise money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity. Upon arrival at New Street railway station, we head straight up the Grand Central escalators to meet Blitzen in tones of sky blue and yellow.

- Mr B meets Paddington -

Venturing into the Bull Ring shopping malls (which are surprisingly quiet given the promise of January sales), we scour around Selfridges hoping to garner further reindeer reinforcements. Rudolph is lurking by a returns desk and boasts a particularly glittery red nose, although he is perhaps upstaged by the presence of a certain Paddington Bear sitting on a bench munching marmalade sandwiches. Birmingham's bear arrival is one of 23 that have cropped up across the length and breadth of the country, part of a promotional campaign marking the release of the Paddington in Peru movie last November.

- Vixen -

Back to the reindeer and next up is Vixen, keeping out of the cold by lurking inside the Cass Fine Art shop on Corporation Street. Multicoloured floral patternings make for a very vibrant design and it seems sensible to position the sculptures indoors if possible so as to offset any damage from the vagaries of wintry weather. The Frankfurt Christmas Market has packed away for another year so New Street is much calmer than it was in December. 

- Comet -

Piccadilly Arcade is often chosen as a suitable sculptural setting and for this iteration it plays host to Comet, an all-over blue reindeer with two cheeky cartoon elves plus a rocket-powered Santa Claus. Prancer was positioned on Victoria Square but we think has relocated into the Town Hall Foyer, meaning Dasher at Centenary Square is our final find keeping watch over the temporary skating rink and big wheel attractions. 

- Gloucester Gold in the Bell -

Happy with that reindeer haul, we hustle into Harborne care of the number 23 bus via Broad Street, Five Ways and Westbourne Road. Alighting by the still-charred remains of the Royalty Bingo - a building I'd love to see being restored but I fear the damage is too great - we make a beeline along St Peter's Road and reacquaint ourselves with the Bell. It must have been ten years or more since I last set foot inside this one but it has lost none of its timeless charm, memorably standing cheek-by-jowel next to the parish church. With three cask ales and a bowling green out the back, there's a lot to like; I sample some Gloucester Gold from the confines of the snug whilst comparing Christmas television notes with Stephen.

- The White Horse -

Following the churchyard path which bisects two cricket pitches, we join Vivian Road in order to check out the New Inn. Previously owned by M&B and then Banks's, this longserving pub was purchased by Joules last year and might be in line for one of their makeovers at some point. As it is, it's a nice enough place to natter away over a pint of Old Acquaintance Winter Warmer, although we are the only customers when we first arrive. The same can not be said as regards the White Horse on York Road, an Ostler's Urban Ale Venue which is packed out with Saturday topers watching Spurs losing to Newcastle. Church End's Stout Coffin is an excellent note on which to round off a successful January excursion. Cheers!