Supporting OpenStreetMap in the West Midlands.
After a steep learning curve with Maperitive and OpenLayers there’s a map of allotments in the West Midlands available here. It’s still rough around the edges but it forms the basis for further development (such as pop-ups with more data). … Continued
This statue can be found in the heart of the Bullring retail complex right in front of the Rotunda. I was tempted to tag it with woolly_jumper=yes! For those of you reading this from outside the UK who think the English are … Continued
If this statement is true, and I believe it is, then an OSM map of a city is meta-art! This sign adorns the Custard Factory in Digbeth, close to the City Centre; now a thriving arts and media hub with many … Continued
On Sunday I completed a short 4Km stretch around Blockley, the last remaining gap in the OSM map. Thanks are due to everyone who contributed over the years, collaborating in mapping this long distance route. The Heart of England Way stretches for … Continued
It seems that just about every other house in Edgbaston is listed! (for non-UK readers a listed building is deemed to be of architectural or historic merit and there are strict planning rules as to what you are allowed and … Continued
After some mapping activity in the area of Smethwick which is to the North West of Birmingham we ended up in the excellent little pub The Black Eagle on the aptly named Factory Road. The pub is like a country … Continued
This book, written by a couple of poets takes you to all those places that only mappers have visited repeatedly to lovingly survey and map every detail. Edgelands addresses all those betwixt-and-between places that aren’t really urban and aren’t really … Continued
Stephenson Tower, a block of council flats built in the 1960s adjacent to New Street Station is currently under demolition brick by brick. The demolition method and the cocoon is to prevent dust and protect signalling equipment and the telephone exchange in Hill Street. … Continued
These two towers – Perrotts Folly and the Edgbaston Waterworks Tower – are prominent landmarks about 600 metres apart in the Ladywood area of Birmingham. As a child, Tolkien lived in numerous addresses in Ladywood and it is reputed locally … Continued
Yardley Old Village is a haven of rural peace set in the middle of the suburban expanse of East Birmingham. There is a cluster of listed buildings around the mediaeval church of St Edburgha, which includes an old farm and … Continued