Birmingham, as a city with a long and rich history, including architectural history, has a lot of old buildings that are monuments not only to the city’s history but also to its architecture. Unfortunately, many of these monuments are now abandoned or even destroyed. However, walking around the city, you can see many places with a fascinating past. Some are obvious, while others require a little more thought and research.
Take, for example, the Icons Gallery in Ozells Square, a gorgeous Victorian building. Located right in the heart of the city and famous for its spring blooms, it was built for the Birmingham School Board in 1878. It was designed by local architects who, in total, built more than 40 Birmingham schools across the city. And here once stood the Five Ways Tower, a commercial building that was 100 years younger than the Gallery, but at the same time, the hall was no less grand. Read more about Birmingham’s abandoned and ruined architecture at birmingham-future.com.
23 floors of commerce
Five Ways Tower is a 23-storey commercial building which was completed in 1979.The tower was built on a prime piece of Birmingham land with an area of 8.5 thousand sq. m2, which was located in the centre of Birmingham on the corner of Frederick Road and Islington Road, adjacent to the Five Ways roundabout and close to the Five Ways railway station, at the entrance to Edgbaston.
At 260 feet tall, the building dominated the local landscape and its original profile has not become outdated, even after several decades, unlike some other buildings in the city. In recent years, there were so many holes in its glass panels that it looked like it had been transported from a war-torn place to 21st century Birmingham.The tower had remained closed for many years, and vandals who gained access to it shattered the glass panels on both sides of the building.
The so-called “quiet side” of the building suffered the most damage, facing George Road. But as the tower was idle, there was a “breakthrough” on the other side of Islington Row Middleway. At the time, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said that police were in control of the situation and were ready to respond to any complaints about the property damage caused. Several years before the tower came down, local newspaper journalists persisted in calling the office of the company that owned the tower to find out if they could find out anything about the damage or future plans, but to no avail. No one answered anything.
It then became clear that Calthorpe Estates, which retained ownership of the land on which the building was built, was not directly responsible for the repair and maintenance of the tower. The responsibility fell to the tenant, The Corbally Group (Edgbaston) Limited, which acquired a long-term interest in the property in 2016 after a long period of uncertainty over the ownership of the tower. At that time, the future redevelopment of the site was planned and close cooperation with all parties was underway to expedite the process.
The deterioration of the building
At the same time, both the Corbally Group and The Estate were aware that the building’s condition was less than ideal, to say the least. Regular inspections were carried out to ensure not only the safety and security of the tower, but also the environment.
Back in 2016, the sale of the property was shrouded in mystery. A certain David Opry, a partner at Chantrey Vellacott, confirmed the sale of Five Ways Tower, but refused to disclose any further details. Instead, he said that everyone was pleased to have completed the sale of the challenging property, and that it had been done in a relatively short time. It should be noted that, according to corporate recovery specialist Craig Povey, the 100,000 sq ft building had been vacant for more than 10 years at the time.23
But despite all the difficulties, there was optimism about the building’s use. <And perhaps it had some reason. After all, the building was located in a popular spot in the prestigious business district around Five Ways and Hagley Road. It had parking for around 400 cars, and with investment and bringing the property up to certain standards, the potential was there. However, its significant drawback was that the Five Ways Tower had been empty for some time.
Architect Philip Bright
The architect of the building was Philip Bright of the Real Estate Agency, which existed from 1972 to 1993. The agency provided, equipped and maintained several government buildings, as well as armed forces buildings, etc. The Real Estate Agency also had the right to carry out construction work. At the end of the 1970s, it was servicing approximately 1,000 new large construction projects that were in the development process. Additionally, more than 1,000 of the agency’s projects were currently under construction.
After completion in 1979, Five Ways Tower served as office space until 2005. It was then that the tenants discovered health problems among their employees who worked there. This was due to poor ventilation. In addition, there is a version that the building suffered from a “sick building” syndrome. This is when people who work or live in the building develop symptoms of various diseases or contract chronic diseases due to the building’s environment.
So the tenants were forced to leave. After that, there were several attempts to convert the tower into a luxury hotel. Then several hotel owners expressed interest in purchasing the building, hoping that this solid concrete structure could be converted into a business-class hotel. As the journalists learned, there were 11 applications from those interested in renting the tower. However, since 2005, no one has rented the building, it has been empty.
Since its reconstruction by modern standards is too expensive, there was talk of demolishing the tower, which began in the 2020s. Demolition was proposed in line with the regeneration of the surrounding area.
Calthorpe Estate
A few words about the Calthorpe Estate, which owns the land on which the tower stands. It was founded in 1717, which is more than 300 years ago. It is still the private heart of green Birmingham, covering 1,600 acres, seven times the size of the Grosvenor Estate in central London. A few words about the Calthorpe Estate, which owns the land on which the tower stands. It was founded in 1717, which is more than 300 years ago. It is still the private heart of green Birmingham, covering 1,600 acres, seven times the size of the Grosvenor Estate in central London. And a quarter of its land is still used for recreation, open space, playgrounds, and sports clubs.
This estate has a winning mix of commercial and residential land, with no industrial enterprises. Instead, the Calthorpe Estate is home to 17 schools and colleges, as well as medical facilities, churches, hotels, and shops. Only 6% of the estate’s land is devoted to commercial use, but it makes a significant contribution to the city’s economy.
It is also worth noting that the Edgbaston Conservation Area was declared almost 50 years ago, in 1978, and now more than half of its total area is part of the estate. In addition to being larger than all other conservation areas in the city combined, it contains a third of Birmingham’s listed buildings. But the tower was not destined to become such a landmark.
After almost twenty years of vacancy, in 2024 it was decided to demolish the Five Ways Tower.
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