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Chris Upton

Chris Upton: Tyranny at the restaurant table
Economic Development
About a decade ago, when I delivered my very first after-dinner speech, I mistakenly paid compliments to the cook.
Worcestershire's fruits of the revolution
Retail & Consumer
A tranquil village now overrun with apple, plum and pear trees was born out of great political unrest.
Chris Upton: Road to a sleepless night
Economic Development
Seneca was one of the first to realise that cities are intrinsically noisy places.
Birmingham's pub The Rocket goes out with a bang
Retail & Consumer
These are difficult days in the life of our public houses.
Chris Upton: Graduation ceremonies are now a business opportunity
Economic Development
A couple of weeks back we journeyed up to St Andrews for a friend’s graduation.
Chris Upton: Why the world needs historians
Economic Development
Another academic year is drawing to its close. It must be because I’m shattered.
Love, espionage and Matthew Boulton
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton discovers a bizarre case of industrial spying during the days of Matthew Boulton.
Chris Upton: The ill-fated Scottish colony
Economic Development
Our banks, we trust, are built on sure foundations, though we have reasons to doubt this.
Chris Upton: House of Commons is now our master and no longer our protector
Economic Development
As I was cleaning out our moat the other day (one of very few in Balsall Heath), my thoughts turned back to the 14th-century England, and to a man called Peter de la Mare.
How Charles Darwin discovered Malvern water
Retail & Consumer
Charles Darwin regained his health when he sampled Malvern’s famous waters, says Chris Upton.
Contents of an ancient history found in Shropshire
Economic Development
There are, as you know, legal deposit libraries (six in all) which receive copies of every item published in the United Kingdom?
Whatever happened to Bilston enamel?
Retail & Consumer
Birmingham Post historian Chris Upton on the rise and fall of Bilston’s enamelling industry.
Football’s growing sense of ritual
Economic Development
Some years ago a friend of mine had the effrontery to suggest that football was my religion.
The forgotten souls of Birmingham's changing landscape
Retail & Consumer
Slum clearance programmes changed the face of Birmingham. Chris Upton looks back at a lost world
Chris Upton: On the Pershore Road to the correct pronunciation
Economic Development
Who, apart from those with local knowledge, will know that Brewood – the village outside Wolverhhampton – is pronounced Brood or that Alcester should sound like a province of Ireland ?
Croome Court provides reminder of Coade stone expertise
Economic Development
The recipe goes something like this. Take ten per cent of grog, ten per cent crushed flint, ten per cent fine quartz or sand, ten per cent crushed glass and 60 per cent ball clay, and mix thoroughly.
Two saints for the Midlands
Retail & Consumer
Home-grown saints are hard to find, says Chris Upton who recounts the story of St Winefride.
Tales from the Black Country coal mines
Retail & Consumer
Chris Upton recounts some tales from the Black Country’s days as a coal mining area.
Chris Upton: A tale of great kindness by Birmingham industrialist Matthew Boulton
Economic Development
You will be hearing much of Matthew Boulton over the next few months, as the bicentenary of his death approaches.
Chris Upton: Choral car crash avoided on our big night
Economic Development
If you strayed into this column a few weeks back, you may recall my momentous decision (well, it felt so to me) to join a choir after several decades of only singing to and with myself.
Chris Upton: Pub’s priceless for community
Economic Development
To visitors from abroad, and perhaps to natives too on Sunday afternoons, Great Britain appears the most timeless island on the planet.
Chris Upton: Can I put you on Holbein?
Economic Development
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the opening of an art exhibition at Hilton Hall, north of Wolverhampton.
Chris Upton: No more Mr Nice Guy
Economic Development
Far be it from me to step into the BBC’s little local difficulty with one or two of its presenters.
Chris Upton: Stay tuned for my choir debut
Economic Development
I have joined the college choir.