Return to 16 Acre Wood – clearance of trees and HS2 progress
A year on from my last visit, 16 Acre Wood shows tree clearance, drought-stressed ponds and the steady advance of HS2’s rail works.
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Photographing Digbeth: HS2, Canals and Street Art
Photographing Digbeth is always a creative and enjoyable time. My first serious photographic journey through Digbeth was in 2018. Since then, I have photographed Digbeth and the surrounding area on numerous occasions.
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Where the signs outnumber the trees – HS2 progress
Everywhere I look, there are signs. There are warning signs, diversion signs, public right of way signs. They puncture the landscape, each one a reminder that HS2 is reshaping the countryside in ways both visible and invisible.
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Starcross Yard – an escape from Euston Station
If you want to escape the Hell’s Kitchen that is Euston Station whilst waiting for your train, visit this delightful pop-up park. The theme echoes the past people and life of the area, providing a quiet place to sit and watch the…
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Talking about compost and bees in Digbeth
While organising a walk for the photographic group Negative Space, we explored Digbeth using the canals as our guide. After lunch, we headed back into town, walking via Shaw’s Passage. I was pleasantly surprised to find the community garden open, so as…
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HS2 – What’s happening now?
I encouraged my daughter and grandson to join me on a walk to see the HS2 works next to 16 Acre Wood. It’s now 2025, and it’s time for an update on my visits to the site. These visits began in 2021,…
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HS2 and 16 acre wood – nature is fighting back.
Sixteen-acre ward has been a project that I started in March 2021, and I have visited the area at regular intervals since. The wood was in the news, when the initial plans for the HS2 line revealed that it would cut into…
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The continuing story of HS2 and 16 Acre wood
On a day that the government announced a review of the spending of HS2, I revisited my continuing project on the damage to 16 Acre wood near to Berkswell. I first started taking pictures of this small wood in March 2021 and revisited…
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High Vis 2023 celebrating 50 years of HipHop
The Printworks on Fazeley street was the venue for this year’s High Vis festival. The event celebrated 50 years of HipHop bringing together Birmingham’s street artists and dancers. I went along on the Saturday afternoon and many of the street artists were nearing the…
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Good morning from Eastside and Digbeth.
I enjoy a photographic walk with my Fujifilm x100v camera around the streets of Birmingham. The early hours are best when few people are around and about. This series of photographs begins at Eastside where the HS2 works are taking place. Digbeth was next and…
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The damage to 16 acre wood
Eighteen months ago, I visited 16 acre wood which is on the HS2 line. I wrote an account of what was happening to this ancient woodland. On a bright Sunday in August 2022, I decided that it was time to give an…
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The discs are back in town
The Selfridges building is now back to its full glory after a period of renovation. The silver discs were causing problems by becoming detached and falling off the building. All this was happening prior to the pandemic. There were additional problems as…
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