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Chris Upton

Chris Upton: Boundary changes will see Chartists finally get their way
Economic Development
It has taken all of 175 years, but the last of the six demands of the Chartists is about to come to pass.
Chris Upton: To the manor born out of geographical confusion
Economic Development
One of my first acts as head of the English Tourist Board would be to sort out the ownership of our stately homes.
Hidden pages of history in Thomas Phillipps' tower
Retail & Consumer
A hilltop folly was once home to one of the world's great lost libraries, writes Chris Upton.
Saxon charters shining a new light on the Dark Ages
Retail & Consumer
While the Staffordshire Hoard is dazzling people across the Midlands another Anglo Saxon treasure is proving just as precious, as Chris Upton finds out.
Chris Upton: Hide and seek, from priests to cocaine
Economic Development
As far as I know, the Tudors did not consume much in the way of drugs.
Seeds of the Big Society sewn in 19th century Birmingham workhouse
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton reveals a pioneering economist's vision of the Big Society – 300 years before David Cameron coined the phrase.
Chris Upton: Hereford closed on a Sunday - and it could catch on
Economic Development
Recall, if you will, those tranquil Sundays of yesteryear. Days filled with Sunday roasts and metrical psalms, when the most exciting thing to do was the washing-up.
Chris Upton: Latin texts are safe as Brum burns
Economic Development
One of those deep-seated fears is that all you have earned and accumulated over a lifetime’s hard work – or in the case of a Premier League footballer about a week’s training – gets snatched away from you.
Andrew Yarranton the forgotten visionary
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton reflects on the colourful life of an English pioneer of the waterways.
Looking down the centuries
Retail & Consumer
Since Neolithic times, a mysterious Worcestershire hill has formed the focal point for generations of people, writes Chris Upton.
Chris Upton: They make cocktails, but can they pull a good pint?
Economic Development
Back in the old days, getting a drink in Birmingham city centre was simplicity itself.
Robert Dudley was a Tudor man about town
Retail & Consumer
The Earl of Leicester was the man who almost swept Queen Elizabeth I off her feet.
Chris Upton: Millions of us bought in to scurrilous tittle-tattle of NOTW
Economic Development
I would like to call for the resignation of Mr and Mrs (Alf) Roberts of Acacia Gardens, Harborne.
On an urban mission in 19th century Birmingham
Retail & Consumer
Victorian missionaries often delivered their message to the unconverted poor a little closer to home, writes Chris Upton.
Chris Upton: High speed rail? A case of the quick or the dead
Economic Development
There’s little doubt that – thus far – the opponents of high speed rail have made more headway than its supporters in the battle for hearts and minds.
How Cornwall made its mark on Birmingham
Retail & Consumer
A Cornish fishing village was once the inspiration for a colony of Birmingham artists in the late 1800s, writes Chris Upton.
Chris Upton: Book gives a real bird's eye view of city trade
Economic Development
I would not have difficulty choosing the complimentary book that comes with being marooned on a desert island with eight gramaphone records.
The art of a fine home at Weston Park
Retail & Consumer
The fine paintings of Weston Park are a tribute to the excellent taste of a 17th century family, writes Chris Upton.
Chris Upton: Historians, politicians - it's all the same on TV
Economic Development
I’ve noticed that in recent months historians have been turning up as panellists on Question Time.
Edward Capern was a man of many letters
Retail & Consumer
Victorian Edward Capern was a humble postman who captivated the nation with his appealing verse, writes Chris Upton.
Hold your horses at Wixford church
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton discovers something rather unusual at a church yard in a small Warwickshire town.
Chris Upton: Drinking in the old and new down Quarter way
Economic Development
This is the third of a very occasional series, inviting you to partake of some of Birmingham’s historic public houses.
And so it came to pass...
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton discovers how the Black Country got its name.
Chris Upton: A new vote of confidence in a public controversy
Economic Development
There’s a curious building with funny shaped windows and pink glass in the middle of West Bromwich.