Brutalist Brum: Ellis Street multistorey car park

Image: © A J Paxton Taken: 5 Mar 2022

The Holloway Head district of central Birmingham suffered heavy damage in the second world war and was redeveloped in the 1960s and 70s in an uncompromisingly modern style. This photo of the Ellis Street multistorey car park was taken from Gough Street, with Ellis Street branching off to the right. In the background can be seen the Sentinels, two 90m, 31-storey blocks of council flats designed by C Bryant & Son; Cleveland Tower was completed in 1970 and Clydesdale Tower in 1971. They have their own Wikipedia article here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sentinels , which describes their unusual history. Brutalism is defined by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as 'a style with an emphasis on materials, textures and construction, producing highly expressive forms.' https://www.architecture.com/explore-architecture/brutalism . This style, popular with architects (though not with the general public) from the 1950s through to the 1970s, was characterised by the use of 'beton brut' (raw concrete), its surface exposed and textured with the patterns of the wooden shuttering into which the concrete was poured.

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