By Graeme Brown
Birmingham has been around a good, long, while which means Brummies are fairly set in their ways. More than most cities, we seem to like to pick our particular labels for things and then stick to them. So when, for example, the National Indoor Arena (NIA) gets seven or eight other names, we don’t necessarily go with it. Read more: The Brummiest surnames revealed Recently, BirminghamLive published a list of parts of Birmingham Brummies simply refuse to call by their own name – and it sparked a response. It got people listing more places where the old name sticks no matter what. Below are just some of them… It’s not a town and none of us can ever remember it being, but Brummies call Birmingham city centre “town”. Also, people go up town, not down town. It is actually called Utilita Arena Birmingham, but not to Brummies by and large. It’s also previously been the Barclaycard Arena and Arena Birmingham, which had similar cut through in the city. Not lovely this, but the Old Square roundabout in Dale End has come to be known as Mamba Island. BirminghamLive has been out there to witness first hand why – it is a bit of a favourite with people high on more than just life. The real name of Pump Island in Birmingham is Dartmouth Circus. It’s a roundabout on the A38(M) motorway and is named after the nearby Dartmouth Street. The island got its nickname due to the presence of a Boulton and Watt beam engine, formerly used at a local ironworks. Another one that changed years ago but nobody really paid attention. Once there was a “Clock Garage” showroom, selling Peugeots among other things, in Castle Bromwich. It’s a BP now, but will forever be The Clock. Call it City Hospital, City Health Campus, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust, whatever, it is unlikely to stick. You say ” Dudley Road hospital” and people know what you mean. Simple but obvious – Castle Vale will forever be “The Vale” to many. There hasn’t been a Sam Wellers on Hill Street for generations but it was around for a long time – from 1979 into the 1990s. As a result, for many the name has just stuck. It’s been called Bullring for ages now, but the “The” sticks.