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Wednesday 27 November
Lola Tartaglia-Baker
If you are familiar with Bertz Associates, then you will be familiar with the Tower Ballroom. Bertz has based three previous projects on the Tower before. Our first project, Dreaming Tower Ballroom, collected histories and further dreams of the tower; next was Tower of Dreams, a project that engaged with the cultural history of the tower from a musical angle, and finally Sporting Tower, in which the history of sport within the towner was engaged with. This time we are taking a deep dive into the history of roller skating at the Tower Ballroom, which was a massive part of the buildings incredible history.
The Tower Ballroom was located at the Edgbaston Reservoir in Ladywood. It was officially closed in 2017 and demolished in 2022 to make space for luxury flats. However, its story begins in 1870 with William Wyatt. Wyatt leased 62 acres of land that encompassed Edgbaston Reservoir. He converted this land into a pleasure garden with refreshment rooms, entertainment and even a boat house containing over 500 boats.
Although this was enough to satisfy Wyatt for a couple years, he began to look for an additional project to bring more revenue. As it happens, it was around this period the demand for roller skating rinks was increasing and readers of the Birmingham Daily Post began writing in proposing building a rink in Birmingham. There was suggestions for the rink to be built at the Botanical Gardens, however, Wyatt's plans for the reservoir soon became known. In 1875, just 5 years after obtaining the land, the construction of the Tower Ballroom (then known as the Edgbaston Skating Rink) began. The residents of Birmingham avidly anticipated its opening, sharing their excitement and gratitude to Wyatt in the local paper.
Birmingham Daily Post, Tuesday 8 June 1975
Image courtesy of British Newspaper Archives
Birmingham Daily Post, Wednesday 9 June 1975
Image courtesy of British Newspaper Archives
Birmingham Daily Post, Thursday 10 June 1975
Image courtesy of British Newspaper Archives
Just a year after construction began on March 27th, the rink was declared open to ‘subscribers and the public’. The rink was 75 yards long and 20 yards wide, totalling a huge 14,600 square feet, making it the largest in England. The rink quickly became incredibly popular not only because of its great size but also because of Wyatt’s investment in the newest most sought after skates. On top of the 20 shillings per pair of skates, Wyatt paid an additional £400 to use ‘Plimpton’s new patterned skates’. Plimpton’s skates were much safer and easier to use than previous models, on these skates one could steer by simply leaning left or right.
Illustration of Plimpton Roller Skates
The rink was generally a success, cropping up frequently in the paper in advertisements. In an 1887 article recapping the best skating spots in Birmingham, the Edgbason Skating Rinks gets a special mention; the ‘covered skating rink’ is recommended as an easier and less dangerous alternative to ice skating suitable for even the most ‘timid’ of people.
Unfortunately, later that year William Wyatt went bankrupt. It was suggested this was because of the failure of winter frost which meant no ice skating on Edgbaston Reservoir, an activity that normally totalled £2 a week, and the debt acquired building the Edgbaston Skating Rink itself cost him between £5000-£6000.
Wyatt’s estate was liquidated, but the creditors intended to keep the rink open and appointed Mr Messers to continue running it. However, it took a while for Messers to officially take over and so Wyatt in his final months as proprietor capitalised on his powers at the rink and booked celebrated figure skater Mr E. Cresswell to skate to the music of a ‘splendid band’ ending his ownership in a memorable and positive note.
Despite the financial troubles encountered by Wyatt, the rink remained a success for many, many years which can likely be attributed to Edgbaston Skating Rink providing Plimption’s newest gear to skate with and the “rinkomania” that was sweeping the country. Even ten years later articles, were still being published about the rink in the local paper; one commented on the masses of people visiting the Edgbaston ‘resort’ including hundreds of skaters who were accompanied by an ‘attractive program of songs’, another recomended skating as ‘one of the most healthy winter amusements’ and giving a special mention to Edgbaston rink. Another article published in 1883 announced that as the rink was one of the largest in England it would hold a major speed skating competition which was then won by Midland’s own J.H Greenland.
And so, from pleasure gardens to roller rinks, the Tower Ballroom skated its way into Birmingham's heart faster than you can say "Plimpton's patent"! This Victorian hotspot had it all - record-breaking size, cutting-edge skates, and enough excitement to bankrupt its founder! Little did those first skaters know that they were carving the first grooves of an almost 150-year legacy, one that would roll on through the ages, leaving an indelible mark on Birmingham's cultural and skating landscape. This was just the beginning of the Tower Ballroom’s incredible history.
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