Patrick Hughes (geb. 1939 Birmingham)

The gifted filmmaker, corduroy activist and amateur dentist, Richard Ayoade, first chanced upon a copy of The Two-Hander Trilogy by Harauld Hughes in a second-hand bookshop. At fir...

Chapter 5 shows the opportunities and limits of participating in Birmingham’s government. A lively print culture and competing newspapers led to high levels of engagement. Since Bi...

St. Patrick did not consider himself a man of letters; the short texts that survive reflect, however, his powerful personality. A contemporary and fellow missionary of St. Patrick,...

Hutton’s business success and social mobility are viewed in the context of Birmingham’s industrial development, a booming land market, the lack of government regulation, and the di...

Chapter 6 revisits the Priestley riots (1791) from the viewpoint of a victim, and finds causes concerning the wealth and power of rough diamonds. Birmingham’s print culture and att...