A visit to Orelle Restaurant on the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row

In early October 2022, photographers, bloggers etc got a chance to go up to the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row to go to Orelle Restaurant. I mainly went up for the views. In this post we will look at the interior of the restaurant and the stunning views from the windows (taken in the morning). A lift takes you up to the 24th floor. There is also a cafe bar on the ground floor. 

July 2022

On the 10th July 2022, I saw a sign on the ground floor of 103 Colmore Row below the Equinox sculpture. Orelle was going to open here during the autumn of 2022, located on the 24th floor with 360° views over Birmingham.

dndimg alt="Orelle" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/103%20CR%20ORELLE%2010072022.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Daniel noticed Orelle about a week before I did, on the 3rd July 2022.

dndimg alt="Orelle" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/IMG_4392b_103CR.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />Photography by Daniel Sturley

 

October 2022

On Saturday 8th October 2022, I went to Orelle, after getting permission a couple of days before to go up at 11am, although I arrived early, went up, and spent around 10 minutes or so getting my photos (mostly of the views).

After I left, for a photo walk around the City Centre, I got this view of 103 Colmore Row from Suffolk Street Queensway, near Holloway Circus, showing the location of the 24th floor and where Orelle Restaurant is.

dndimg alt="Orelle" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Orelle%20103%20CR%2008102022%20(12).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Reverse order here, took the exterior of Orelle Restaurant from Colmore Row after I left.

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A view of the Orelle entrance and outdoor seating area, taken on the 24th October 2022 (just over two weeks since my visit).

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Back to the 8th October. The ground floor bar of Orelle, after heading down the lift, and before exiting to Colmore Row.

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When I got to Orelle, I told staff at the entrance that I got permission to photograph on the 24th floor at Orelle, and a member of staff took me up the lift. Then I went around taking photos of the interiors, plus the amazing views. There was only one side I did not get, the view towards Victoria Square, saw a door, and thought it was a private staff area. Well at least I got three sides, plus the view towards the BT Tower and Cathedral Square.

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Views from the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row

Westside

Library of Birmingham and Utilita Arena Birmingham.

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Ladywood

Edgbaston Reservoir.

dndimg alt="Views from 103 Colmore Row" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Edg%20Res%20Orelle%20103CR%2008102022.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Jewellery Quarter

BT Tower.

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Great Hampton Street

The Gothic and King Kong in King Kong Park.

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Colmore BID

Birmingham Snow Hill Station to Cathedral Square.

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Colmore Square

West Midlands Metro tram, The Wesleyan and the Forward Together sculpture.

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City Core

Towards the Rotunda, Birmingham New Street Station etc.

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Holloway Circus

Towards the Beetham Tower, The Sentinels, Orion Building and The Mailbox.

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Digbeth

Chiltern Railways Class 168 trains parked on the Bordesley Viaduct. Can also see Selfridges and the Custard Factory.

dndimg alt="Views from 103 Colmore Row" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bordesley%20Vduct%20Orelle%20103CR%2008102022.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photography by Elliott Brown

The statue of Horatio Nelson at the Bullring

Horatio Nelson visited Birmingham in August 1802. Following his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, a statue was made in 1809, and unveiled at the Bull Ring in October 1809. This was the first public statue in the Town of Birmingham (it didn't become a City until 1889). The statue was moved during the 1960s and 2000s redevelopments, but once again faces St Martin's.

On the 31st August 1802, Horatio Nelson stayed in Birmingham. This was in the years when he was off duty, before he returned to the Royal Navy to help fight the Napoleonic Wars. He stayed at the Styles' Hotel (later Royal Hotel), which was on a site on Temple Row (from the 1960s this was Rackhams, but has been House of Fraser since 2000). Following his death at the Battle of Trafalgar, on board HMS Victory on the 21st October 1805, a statue was erected in his memory at the Bull Ring in 1809. This blue plaque was unveiled by The Birmingham Civic Society on the Trafalgar Bi-Centenary 2005, on the wall of NatWest on Temple Row (the bank closed this branch for good in September 2022).

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Four years after the death of Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar onboard HMS Victory (sniper shot from a French gunman). Birmingham became the first place in the world to erect a statue in his memory. £2500 was raised by public subscription, and it was made in 1809 by Sir Richard Westmacott. It was unveiled on the 25th October 1809, on the day that was declared to be the Golden Jubilee of King George III.

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Painting below on a Japanned Tray by Thoma Hollins, circa 1830-40. Showing a view of the Bull Ring from the High Street in Birmingham, towards the statue of Horatio Nelson and St Martin's Church (as it looked before it was rebuilt later in the century).

dndimg alt="Horatio Nelson" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Bull%20Ring%20High%20St%20Nelson%201830%20to%201840.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />1942F83 Japanned Tray - View of the Bull Ring, High Street, Birmingham, 1830-40. By: Thomas Hollins. Birmingham Museums Trust, Public Domain

 

This drawing is attributed to Thomas Allom, showing The Bull Ring and the Nelson statue in Birmingham in 1845. When the outdoor market used to be around the statue.

dndimg alt="Horatio Nelson" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/H%20Nelson%20Bull%20Ring%201820s.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />1940P901. Drawing - The Bull Ring & Nelson Statue, Birmingham, 1845. Attributed to: Thomas Allom (Previously attributed to David Cox). Birmingham Museums Trust, Public Domain

 

Nelson stands in a uniform with one arm resting on an anchor with the prow of a miniature ship: HMS Victory.

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Upon the ship is the Flag Staff Truck of the French ship Orient (1791), flagship of the French fleet sunk at the Battle of the Nile.

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The statue was originally erected on the site of the Old Cross, a two storey building, built in 1703 and demolished in 1784. It stood outside of the Market Hall (opened nearby in 1835, roof and interior destroyed during WW2 in 1940, exterior walls demolished in 1963).

dndimg alt="Horatio Nelson" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Nelson%20Bull%20Ring%201898.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />Public Domain image of the Nelson statue at the Bull Ring, next to the Market Hall with the original plinth, lanterns and cannons, c. 1898. Unknown photographer

 

It has been Grade II* listed since 25th April 1952.

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The statue was moved in 1961 during the first redevelopment of the Bull Ring and a carved plinth, cannon and lanterns were lost. The 2003 redevelopment returned the statue close to it's original location north of St Martin's Church.

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Nelson now again looks over St Martin in the Bullring.

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The railings were replaced in 2005 in time for the Trafalgar Bicentenary celebrations which was centred on the statue.

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In 2009 to mark the 200th anniversary of the statue's unveiling, a medal was struck by St Paul's Mint of Birmingham. This floral trail piece in St Martin's Square (below) from the Birmingham City Centre Floral Trail 2009, was based on the medal Matthew Boulton had struck in 1805 after the death of Nelson, and given to all the sailors.

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As of 2022, the statue is 213 years old, making it one of the oldest surviving statues to still be on public display in Birmingham. The plinth has gotten a bit weathered since it was restored to the location facing St Martin in the Bullring in the early 2000s.

dndimg alt="Horatio Nelson" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Horatio%20Nelson%20Bullring%2028092022.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photography by Elliott Brown. 19th century images courtesy of the Birmingham Museums Trust.

Victoria Square - View from 103, Key to the City

In June 2022, Elliott was gifted the Key to the City by the lady behind the 103 Colmore Row Twitter and Instagram accounts. He visited 103 Colmore Row for views from the 18th floor balcony four times between June and August 2022. Here are the changing views of Victoria Square. Including during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Having missed the February 2022 meet at 103 Colmore Row, Elliott was promised to get the key to 103 Colmore Row. He was gifted it by the lady who runs the 103 Colmore Row Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Between June and August, he went up four times. Usually as the view of Victoria Square kept changing. He always went on Saturday's.

Every time you arrive, you show your key to one of the Key to the City volunteers. The wait in the foyer could be anywhere between 20 minutes and 50 minutes (especially near the end of the Commonwealth Games). You would get a slot of 10 to 15 minutes to go up the fastest lift to the 18th floor, for views from the balcony.

It was an opportunity to get views of Victoria Square. When street art was painted ahead of the games, Elliott went twice on two Saturday's in July. And one final time in August on Super Saturday, while the 60th Jamaican Independence Day was being celebrated.

 

11th June 2022

General views down to Victoria Square from the 18th floor balcony of 103 Colmore Row.

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River and Youth aka the Floozie in the Jacuzzi was flowing again.

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Hew Locke reimagined the Queen Victoria statue as an artwork called Foreign Exchange (with the IKON Gallery). It would remain here for two months (until the middle of August 2022). Sir Antony Gormey's Iron: Man statue seen to the left.

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The Council House from above.

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Victoria Square House from above.

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The Town Hall from above.

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16th July 2022

Second visit to the 18th floor balcony, to see the artwork being painted called Connections by the artist Anjuli McKenna, in Victoria Square. It was half complete at this point.

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Hew Locke's Foreign Exchange artwork with Iron: Man as it was meant to be seen.

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The Town Hall again, this time with a Perry the Bull banner on Beneficial House behind.

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23rd July 2022

One week on, and the Victoria Square Fan Zone was almost complete, several days before the start of the Commonwealth Games. Also to see the Connections street art in Victoria Square fully complete. There was now a stage in the square, and would be the finish point for the Birmingham Marathona week later. The West Midlands Metro trams were also now running all the way between Wolverhampton St George's and Edgbaston Village.

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West Midlands Metro trams passing Victoria Square and stopping at Town Hall Tram Stop, in both directions.

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See more of that day here Riding trams in Zone 1.

 

6th August 2022

Super Saturday, and the final weekend of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the City Centre was very busy. It was also the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence which was being celebrated in Victoria Square at the time. This would be my final visit to 103 Colmore Row, before Key to the City ended the following day.

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Thank you to 103 Colmore Row, the Key to the City volunteers, to Fierce and Yale Locks.

 

Next up is PoliNations in September 2022, but will have to get views from Victoria Square itself.

 

Photography by Elliott Brown

The return of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch to Centenary Square after almost 5 years!

It's been a long time in waiting, but William Bloye's 1939 statue of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch is back. Now located in Centenary Square next to Symphony Hall. They were formerly on what was part of Broad Street from 1956 until 2017. By then the land behind them was Arena Central, and they had to move for Library Tram Stop. Back in time for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The history of the Boulton, Watt & Murdoch statue by William Bloye

The gilded bronze statue of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch was by the sculptors William Bloye and Raymond Forbes-Kings and it stood on a plinth of Portland stone, (formerly) outside the old Register Office on Broad Street in Birmingham (later the House of Sport after the Register Office moved to Holliday Street).

It is known locally as The Golden Boys after its colour, or The Carpet Salesmen after the partially-rolled-up plan of a steam engine which they are examining.  

All three men were members of the Lunar Society.  

Sponsored by an £8,000 bequest from Richard Wheatley in 1939, and £7,500 from the City Council, it was unveiled in 1956, from preliminary designs drawn up in 1938.  

The statue was restored and re-gilded, and replaced in its old position in September 2006. 

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Views of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch in 2009

While I initally first took the statue on my first digital camera around April 2009, by the time I got my first bridge camera in June 2009, I headed to Broad Street, and took the follow photos below outside of the House of Sport. This was only about 3 years after the bronze statue had been re-gilded in 2006, now making it shiny and golden!

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Boulton, Watt & Murdoch from 2011 to 2017

More occasional photos in the years following my initial shots of the statues, such as when the Library of Birmingham opened, or when Arena Central started.

January 2011 - a (then) new information sign about the statue, and details about Matthew Boulton, James Watt & William Murdoch.

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July 2013 - red flowers were planted in front of the Boulton, Watt & Murdoch statue on what was then still a part of Broad Street.

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September 2013 - the Library of Birmingham is now open, and at the time, a view down to the Bouton, Watt & Murdoch statue, still surrounded by red flowers.

dndimg alt="Boulton, Watt & Murdoch" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Boulton Watt Murdoch (Sep 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

April 2015 - early work begins to fence of the House of Sport (the old Birmingham Register Office) on Broad Street. As Arena Central got underway, but Boulton, Watt & Murdoch remained in place. Traffic was being diverted onto Bridge Street.

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May 2015 - Hoardings had gone up in front of the House of Sport ahead of it's demolition later in 2015. But you could still see the Boulton, Watt & Murdoch statue.

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October 2015 - demolition on the former Register Office / House of Sport was well underway, just a section near Bridge Street to come down. You could still get close up to the Boulton, Watt & Murdoch statue at the time.

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November 2015 - a view from the Library of Birmingham. DSM Demolition had a lot of rubble to clear of the House of Sport, while scaffolding had gone up the Boulton, Watt & Murdoch statues to protect them.

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April 2016 - by this point the demolition behind Boulton, Watt & Murdoch had been complete, and it was now the site of One Arena Central. Library of Birmingham view.

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There was plant machinery in front of the statue.

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And there was a temporary path between Arena Central and where Boulton, Watt & Murdoch were.

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February 2017 - a night shot of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch from Centenary Square. You could now see views to the hotels behind including Crowne Plaza and the newly built Holiday Inn Express (TETRIS building) at Arena Central.

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April 2017 - a rear view of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch, taken from Bridge Street, looking over Arena Central towards the Library of Birmingham.

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August 2017 - the last views of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch for 5 years before they went into storage. One Arena Central hoardings still behind them, and Midland Metro Alliance hoardings in front of them.

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A daylight view towards Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express. This was my last actual photo of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch for almost 5 years (before they went into storage). This view on the 10th August 2017, the statue was removed on the 23rd August 2017 (ahead of the building of the Westside Metro extension). Library Tram Stop would open on their old spot by December 2019.

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Return of Boulton, Watt & Murdoch - late April 2022

While the Portland stone plinth was back in place by St George's Day, the actual gold covered bronze statue was lowered into place on the 29th April 2022. Just in time for the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend. Although there is still fences around it, and more paving work to do. As well as the installation of a future plaque, about Boulton, Watt & Murdoch's slavery links (post Black Lives Matter).

With Library Tram Stop (opened end of 2019).

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Seen outside of Symphony Hall, their new home.

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With the Library of Birmingham.

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Lookig towards Paradise Birmingham.

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Looking towards HSBC UK - One Centenary Square and The Exchange | University of Birmingham at Arena Central.

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Looking towards Three Arena Central (One Arena Central aka Five Centenary Square still hasn't been built yet).

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Looking towards the Hyatt Regency Birmingham and near the new foyer of Symphony Hall.

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The view of Centenary Square on the 30th April 2022. Boulton & Watt & Murdoch now join The ICC, Symphony Hall, The REP, Library of Birmingham, Baskerville House and Hall of Memory. As well as Library Tram Stop.

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dndimg alt="Boulton, Watt & Murdoch" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/BWM Centenary Sq 30042022 (15).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

From the other side of Centenary Square in this wide panoramic (centred on the Library of Birmingham). Bit hard to see Boulton, Watt & Murdoch but they are on the far left near Symphony Hall, while Edward VII is near Baskerville House. From HSBC UK to the old Copthorne Hotel (which will be demolished in the next few years).

dndimg alt="Boulton, Watt & Murdoch" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/BWM Centenary Sq 30042022 (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Welcome back lads, you have been missed!

For other monuments of Matthew Boulton, James Watt & William Murdoch, see the post on St Mary's Church, Handsworth.

Photography by Elliott Brown

Demolition and Site Prep for Octagon at Paradise Birmingham

Demolition is well underway at 77 Paradise Circus. The building's roof and supports have now been fully dismantled, and a long reacher is now on site to quickly demolish the body. 

Take a look at our article for a full reverse photo journey of the building from February 2021, to the present day.

25th September 2021

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21st February 2022

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23rd February 2022

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Photography by Daniel Sturley.

26th February 2022

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Photography by Stephen Giles.

8th March 2022

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Photography by Daniel Sturley.

26th March 2022

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Photography by Daniel Sturley.

28th March 2022

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Image from Paradise Birmingham webcam.

5th April 2022

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8th April 2022

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12th April 2022

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20th April 2022

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Photography by Daniel Sturley.

26 April 2022

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Image from Paradise Birmingham webcam.

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Octagon; ©Glenn Howells Architects.

There are now nearly 100 photos of the demolition and site preparation for this building, which can be seen in reverse date order in our full gallery here: One The Octagon Full Construction Gallery