History - Digbeth

During the industrial revolution Digbeth developed into an area teaming with

factories and workshops, the district could be accessed by a series of canal networks most notably the Grand Union Canal. Digbeth and Birmingham as a whole posed a key location within the UK for the manufacturing and distribution of goods due to its central location. It became an integral part of the life force fuelling British industrial gaining titles such as the ‘city of a thousand trades’ and ‘the workshop of the world.’ The development of industry led to mass migration to the region from the 1820’s to the present day. This may account in some ways for Birmingham’s multicultural and diverse society.

In Birmingham, Digbeth is an area formerly at the heart of British industry; it is now

labelled ‘Eastside’ a term developed during the early stages of its continuing cultural regeneration. Within Digbeth the introduction of Art galleries in former industrial spaces such as IKON Eastside, Eastside Projects and Vivid epitomize the growth of creative endeavour within the area. The Custard factory and the Bond act as a hub for creative businesses and most recently the development of artist-run spaces such as Grand Union and The Lombard Method have enabled artistic activity to develop at a grass roots level.