Good morning Patchers — welcome to your Wednesday briefing.
Today we’re bringing you a story about an iconic Birmingham building and the tensions that are bubbling within it. Digbeth’s reputation as a creative heartland was built largely on the back of the Custard Factory’s image as a mecca for artists. It was renowned for its cheap rents and laid-back atmosphere. But, as you’ll discover, those days are over. Since the building was bought by a London investment company, things have taken a commercial turn, and some of their tenants are not happy.
Elsewhere, headlines on council cuts have focussed on tax rises, job losses, and the impact on the most vulnerable. Rightly so. However, what has the potential to go under the radar is the impact on arts and culture. Lyle Bignon, Night Time Economy Ambassador for Birmingham, told The Dispatch:
“Announcements sound a major alarm for Birmingham's creative community as well as cultural professionals and audiences across the UK, and a large proportion of responsibility for any future cultural deprivation within the city's communities must be laid squarely at the door of previous council leaders and their administrations."
Today's story is a members-only affair, meaning that those of you on our free mailing list will be able to read our Brum in Brief but will be cruelly cut off from reading our main story about the Custard Factory. How could we do such a thing, you may ask? Well, because the kind of journalism we are trying to build on The Dispatch relies on us having lots of paying members. Getting to the point where thousands of people are subscribing is our Holy Grail, and every new member who joins gets us closer.
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Brum in Brief
🥉Commonwealth cuts: A Perry Barr housing scheme, originally intended to be used as the Commonwealth Games athletes' village, is to be flogged to the highest bidder to raise money for the council. The 1,000-apartment development was intended to stand as a Games legacy but was never used to house sporting participants due to the pandemic. Locals now describe the development as a “ghost town” with predictions that the development will constitute a further loss for the council when it is finally sold.
👋Goodbye Sir Len: Beloved Brummie Sir Lenny Henry has announced he is stepping down from his role as chancellor at Birmingham City University. After almost a decade, the actor and comedian will leave at the end of the year. During his tenure, he helped set up the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity which became a national hub for the training of media professionals. “It's been a privilege representing an institution that's given hope and opportunity to many who have had to overcome financial and social hardship,” he said. More here. I enjoyed watching Lenny Henry in The Rings of Power last year. A real coming together of two Midlands legends (Henry and Tolkein) via the power of Hollywood.
🍺Popular park pub returns: Those were shocked when Sutton Park’s The Bracebridge closed last October will rejoice to learn the foodie destination will reopen later today. The bar and eatery has been taken over by Open Restaurant Group with award-winning chef Andrew Sheriden at the helm. Promising to serve up pub classics with a twist, it will include a café kiosk and waterfront views “We can't wait to welcome guests old and new back to The Bracebridge,” said Sheridan. I for one can’t wait to grab a coffee or doughnut and stare into the idyllic depths of Bracebridge Pool.
🌿Botanical Brum: Twenty-five years ago a group of art students at Winterbourne Gardens decided they wanted to continue their studies and formed the Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists. From this weekend, their illustrations, paintings and crafts will be on display in celebration of this landmark year in Winterbourne House. I can’t emphasise how much I love the place so would very much recommend heading down to check out an exhibition highlighting the history and ethos of this Birmingham gem. More information on their website.
🕺Reggae royalty: Birmingham sonic heroes Musical Youth are performing at Austin Sports & Social Club this Saturday. For those who grew up listening to ‘Pass the Dutchie’ on repeat —guilty! — at just £20 this looks like a real treat for those who want to step back into the sound of 1980s second city reggae. From the event page, it looks like a DJ will be turning this into a true dance, playing throughout the evening. Musical Youth are on at 9pm. More details here.
The eccentric entrepreneur, a family feud, and a ‘mass exodus’: The rise and fall of the Custard Factory
By Kate Knowles
Digbeth is often called Birmingham’s Creative Quarter. It’s home to The Bond, the £18m media hub where Joe Lycett’s chat show is filmed. It will soon be the new HQ for BBC West Midlands. And for many residents, the area will be strongly associated with The Custard Factory, the complex of offices, independent shops, restaurants, and bars that sits next to The Old Crown pub.
As a teenager, the Custard Factory seemed to me and my friends like a beacon of cool — a mecca where creative people gathered to make art, sell second-hand clothes, and throw parties. I had my first ever night out there at an underage party at the Medicine Bar. My older sister did her work experience at the vintage clothes shop Urban Village, an assignment that seemed to consist mostly of sitting outside on a Vespa smoking weed. This was the early noughties and the Custard Factory had retained a laid-back approach.
Today, things are a little more professional. There is a swish reception on the ground floor lined with solid wooden desks and tall potted plants. Large yellow letters stretch across its window, spelling DIGBETH in block script like a stamp. The area is brighter, more recently painted and polished.
It also feels a little uninhabited. The place hasn’t yet turned into a bland, homogenous zone filled with chain shops, like London’s Spitalfields Market. But it’s lacking a certain energy, that once made it interesting and exciting, since it was bought up by the London-based investment and asset management company Oval in 2017. As one former tenant put it: “The whole place seems to have lost a lot of vibrancy.”
