Birmingham Botanical Gardens

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses are a British 15 acre botanical garden that appeared in the early 1997 episodes of the Teletubbies television series, located Birmingham, England, United Kingdom in the Edgbaston suburb, in the West Midlands. It only appeared in the first four episodes featuring King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. They also performed at this location on 15 July 2012, as part of the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival, 16 years after the nursery rhyme music video selections were filmed. Gangs of Pupils of Chuckery Infant School were also in the botanical gardens, which was filmed in 1996, after the (soon-to-be vacant) Lawn Aviary was built. In addition, their introductions were filmed at the Herbaceous Border. King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys also performed at this location on 5 May 2019 as part of the 2019 Swingamajig Music Festival, 23 years after they filmed their nursery rhyme music video selections, and nearly seven years after the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival. On 30 April 2023, King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys performed again at this location as part of the 2023 Swingamajig Music Festival, nearly four years after they performed at this location for the same festival, nearly 11 years after the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival, and 27 years after they filmed their music videos singing the first four nursery rhymes.

Episode Appearances

• The Grand Old Duke of York (first appearance)
• See-Saw
• Humpty Dumpty
• Hey Diddle Diddle (last appearance)

Trivia

• The Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses were originally designed by John Claudius Loudon in 1829, and construction took three years before it opened on 11 June 1832.
• The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses are located in the West Midlands region of Edgbaston in the United Kingdom city of Birmingham, England, one and a half miles southwest of the city's centre.
• The botanical gardens are managed by Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society, a registered charity created in 1829, when the intention was to develop a botanical garden. The site selected for this location was "Holly Bank Farm" on 18 acres of leased land of Lord Calthorpe's Estate.
• In the late 1930s, before World War II, Neville Chamberlain gave his first public speech as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain at the bandstand in 1937, the year the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses celebrated its 105th anniversary.
• On the Teletubbies TV series, the entire exterior of the Pavilion Tea Room was white, there were a pair of fir trees that stood in front of the West Terrace arched glasshouse on both sides of the semi-circle cactus and succulent display, and a deciduous tree in front of the glasshouses. The bandstand was white with white ironwork on the top with dark ironwork on the bottom, and the panels with a line going across were white, had yellow and purple flowers, and also had tall bushes behind and around it.
• The cacti and succulent display was constructed in 1971.
• The botanical gardens and glasshouses are located in the United Kingdom city of Birmingham, England, in the West Midlands region of Edgbaston.
• The fountain, which was constructed in 1850, was originally four tiers. After it stopped spraying from the original design in 1940, the second, third, and fourth tiers, the water tubes above the first tier, and the spout at the top were removed. Since its restoration in 1982, to help promote the botanical gardens' 150th anniversary being celebrated, the fountain sprays straight from the first tier.
• The bandstand was constructed in 1873. The glass sound screens were installed in the early 20th century, and the plinth, was added in 1973, the bandstand's 100th anniversary. Nearly 50 years later, the plinth was changed to a double staircase. The roof had asbestos tiles, but was replaced by diamond Welsh slate. In many old photographs, the bandstand had horizontal ironwork between the twin finials, which was removed after the 1950s. During the events of World War II in the early 1940s, the basement under the bandstand was used as an air-raid shelter, but the door to the basement after the end of the war was locked ever since then, sitting as a monument. Until the bandstand renovation project that ran from fall 2020 to March 2021, the arched window was covered by a wooden staircase with a gate, which was removed in fall 2020, and now, the arched window in basement portion of the bandstand when it was an air-raid shelter during the events of World War II in the early 1940s is visible.
• The in-ground analemmatic sundial was constructed in the 1980s.
• In 1984, this location appeared in the fifth episode from the second season of Treasure Hunt.
• On 1 July 1986, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens was designated a place on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
• The pavilion tea room was constructed in 1990.
• The gazebo was donated to the botanical gardens in 1994, since when it was completely restored.
• The walking paths in the botanical gardens feature lots of benches.
• The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary was built in 1995-1996, shortly before the nursery rhyme music videos were filmed. It opened on 2 July 1996. On the Teletubbies TV series, the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary was in its early stage after construction was completed.
• On 8 May 1998, under the headline The Pleasure's all ours in the Evening Telegram, Mark Skirving said the band changed their name for the appearance where they sang the first four nursery rhymes, The Grand Old Duke of York, See-Saw Margery Daw, Humpty Dumpty, and Hey Diddle Diddle with a rhythm and blues version to different selections of Pupils of Chuckery Infants School, which were gangs of kids from Chuckery School at this location, but King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys regretted the name change when the show, which became the Teletubbies TV series, attracts a cult following.
• On 16 May 1998, the gala dinner took place at this location presented by the Summit G8, featuring Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton from the United States of America with Tony Blair and Cherie Blair from the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
• On 12 March 1999, under the headline Swing Kings Back Their Roots in The Walsall Observer, Mark Skirving from King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys said he wore the yellow double-breasted suit to sing The Grand Old Duke of York, See-Saw Margery Daw, Humpty Dumpty, and Hey Diddle Diddle at this location, and strangely, the kids in the music videos were the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School, however, their first four appearances were filmed separately from the four episodes that contain their music videos.
• On 22 March 2002 under the headline Biscuit Boys in Tubblyand in a British news company, Mark Skirving said that after he met Teletubbies co-creator Anne Wood at a gig in Stafford, she asked King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys to sing nursery rhymes on the Teletubbies TV series, so he rewrote the first four nursery rhymes, The Grand Old Duke of York, See-Saw Margery Daw, Humpty Dumpty, and Hey Diddle Diddle with a swing style by adding more lyrics, which then were filmed performed them at this location featuring different gangs of Pupils of Chuckery Infant School in different selections. Although the nursery rhyme music selections were filmed in 1996, they were not shown on British television until 1997.
• Between 2002 and 2003, the window sills outside the Pavilion Tea Room, the arch above the semicircle window, and the walls in between the windows that face the Main Lawn were changed from white to gray.
• In 2005, the pair of fir trees on the sides of the cacti and succulent display were removed, and the curve in front of the cacti and succulent display was extended outward to allow room for benches, surrounded by hedges going around them and to the far left side of the glasshouses, joining the other hedges on the opposite side. The pair of fir trees were replaced by a pair of half-trapezoid shaped garden beds with hedges all around them.
• In 2010, the deciduous tree in front of the glasshouses was removed. The area once containing the deciduous tree is now a grassy slope.
• In December 2010, The Dirty Robbers, a rock and roll band featuring member Oliver Darling (who sometimes performs with former King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys members Dean Beresford, Alan Gare, and Daniel McCormack), filmed the Going F*cking Nowhere music video at this location, with scenes filmed at the children's playground, the Arid House, the band members performing at the bandstand, and other locations including the Loudon Terrace.
• In 2011, the glass panel sound screens, the upper ironwork and the line in the middle of roof panels on bandstand were changed from white to green with the green ironwork on the bottom slightly lightened from pine to emerald, and the windows in the Pavilion Tea Room that face the Main Lawn were replaced with new energy efficient windows.
• In May 2012, the Butterfly House opened for the first time.
• On 11 June 2012, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses celebrated its 180th anniversary.
• In 2012, this location appeared in the sixth episode from the first season of How Britain Worked.
• In 2013, the tall bushes behind and around the bandstand were removed. The bushes eventually regrew, but shorter.
• In 2014, the side railings and bottom columns on the staircase to the bandstand were changed from white to green, but the top columns remained white.
• In addition to the early 1997 episodes of the Teletubbies TV series, Treasure Hunt in 1984, and How Britain Worked in 2012, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses has also appeared in many other television shows.
• On 11 June 2017, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses celebrated its 185th anniversary.
• King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys notably performed at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in the years 1995, 2012, and 2019. They performed there to entertain the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School while filming their nursery rhyme music video selections. They then performed there as part of a Brum Jazz Festival on 15 July 2012. They then performed there as part of the Swingamajig Music Festival on 5 May 2019, where a substitute musician in a black single breasted business suit filled in.
• On 5 May 2019, nearly seven years after the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival, King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys performed at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as part of the Swingmajig Music Festival, 23 years after the nursery rhyme music video selections were filmed. However, a substitute musician in a black single breasted business filled in.
• The Swingamajig Music Festival has been held annually at this location since 2014. In 2020, the event was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2019, the window sills outside the Pavilion Tea Room, the arch above the semicircle window, and the walls in between the windows that face the Main Lawn were changed from gray to bright green.
• On 11 March 2020, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens announced that its annual events would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where some events were postponed to later dates in 2020 and some events cancelled for 2020 until the next annual events in 2021 and 2022.
• The Edgbaston Convention Rotary Club festival has been held annually at this location every year since 1991, except for 2020, the year where the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In September 2020, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens announced that the bandstand would be restored to its 1874 glory, so it can be used as an all-weather outdoor space under the Taking A Stand! fundraising campaign launched in 2019. The results of the campaign was £16,463, raised of a target worth £24,000 by 22 supporters, the Taking A Stand campaign alone raised a total of £138,000.
• In October 2020, the renovation project on the bandstand, originally built in 1873 commenced, and the project was completed in March 2021. In the events of bandstand renovation project, the white wood barriers with the green door to the air raid shelter used in World War II were replaced by green and unpainted metal barriers with a light brown door to the basement that was once used as an air raid shelter in the early 1940s in the events of World War II.
• On 11 June 2022, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses celebrated its 190th anniversary.
• In August 2022, the botanical gardens launched the "Spread the Composting" campaign of £15,000 to make environmentally sustainable composting facilities, with more than £86,000 through grants and support from environmental organisations.
• In September 2022, the botanical gardens, a Grade II charity based in Edgbaston, Birmingham received £590,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, where the botanical gardens was awarded £590,814 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund with the potential to secure £4,400,000 to restore its four historic listed glasshouses. The botanical gardens received the development grant to develop plans for its "Growing Our Green Heritage" project of £13,000,000, aimed to to restore its historic glasshouse estate, as well as additional visitor and community resources, to make a place of horticultural excellence and outstanding green space. As the project progresses, the botanical gardens would have the chance to secure an additional funding amount of £4,409,186 to deliver the project, made possible thanks to players of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The total project was expected to take about a half decade to complete. The gardens was awarded a development funding of nearly £600,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to develop the first phase of the project, with a farther £4,400,000 available as the programme progresses.
• On 30 April 2023, King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys performed at this location again for the 2023 Swingamajig Music Festival, nearly four years after they performed at the same festival, nearly 11 years after the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival, and 27 years after they filmed their music videos performing the first four nursery rhymes. Richard Breedon (professionally known as Velum Break), a former kid from the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School, now a synthesist who appeared on an episode of Teletubbies as one of the kids from the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School featuring King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys at this location filmed in 1996, appeared at the 2023 Swingamajig Music Festival featuring the band at this location by reliving the same experience from 27 years earlier. However, a substitute musician in the dark blue suit filled in.
• On 10 July 2023, the botanical gardens revealed a transformation project of £13,000,000, the largest redevelopment in its history of 191 years since the botanical gardens opened on 11 June 1832. The "Growing our Green Heritage" scheme is expected to take about a half decade to complete with work due to commence in 2025.
• In December 2023, the botanical gardens announced it would catalogue the plants in its collection for the first time in one decade since 2013.
• On 12 January 2024, The "Spreading the Composting" campaign was completed.
• On 18 February 2024, Birmingham Botanical Gardens announced to remove its bird collection forever after the botanical gardens reconsidered its animal welfare and conservation practices, with all of its birds leaving the Lawn Aviary to be rehomed at a number of carefully-chosen specialist bird sanctuaries such as Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Lincolnshire, Birdland Park and Gardens in Gloucestershire, and Tropical Birdland in Leicestershire, with the Lawn Aviary to be become vacant. The change aligned with their strategic mission and vision to prioritise horticulture as well as to allow the botanical gardens to focus on horticulture.
• In March 2024, the Lawn Aviary, which opened on 2 July 1996, closed after 27 2/3 years, when the structure became vacant.

Gallery

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens, when in appeared in 1999.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary which opened on 2 July 1996.

The Bandstand

The Loudon Terrace between 1995 and 2002.

The Pavilion Tea Room between 1995 and 2002.

The Loudon Terrace with the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in the background.

The trees at Herbaceous Border, seen in The Grand Old Duke of York.

The trees at Herbaceous Border, seen in See Saw (alternately known as See Saw Marjorie Daw)

Another view of the Herbaceous Border trees, seen in Humpty Dumpty.

The trees at the Herbaceous Border, seen in Hey Diddle Diddle.

The rose garden bed seen in spring 1999. You can see the bandstand and glasshouses.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary seen on 11 July 2003.

The main lawn and bandstand seen on 11 July 2003. The window sills, arch above the semicircle window, and the walls in between the windows of the Pavilion Tea Room were gray instead of white.

View of the main lawn and bandstand on 11 July 2003 from the Loudon Terrace.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary shown far away from the Loudon Terrace.

The bandstand seen in 2004.

The botanical gardens when it appeared in 2002, the year it celebrated its 170th anniversary.

The Main Lawn and Bandstand, and the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in a rare photograph.

Rare photograph of the rose garden with the main lawn and bandstand, with the glasshouses in the background.

The Main Lawn and Bandstand, Glasshouses and Pavilion Tea Room in September 2014.

The Herbaceous Border in September 2014.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in September 2014.

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys at the Botanical Gardens on 15 July 2012 as part of the 2012 Brum Jazz Festival.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary. You can also see shadows.

The Loudon Terrace, photographed before 2005.

The Botanical Gardens when it appeared in 2008.

Another shot of the bandstand, photographed in the late 2000s decade.

Winter at the botanical gardens.

The bandstand in winter.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in winter, photographed between 1995 and 2002.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton with Tony Blair and Cherie Blair at the botanical gardens on 16 May 1998 as part of the gala dinner with the Summit G8.

Rare photograph of the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary.

Rare photograph of the exterior of the Pavilion Tea Room featuring the Glorishears of Brummagem Morris Dancers on 8 May 1995.

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys at the Botanical Gardens at the Swingamajig Music Festival on 5 May 2019.

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys singing Humpty Dumpty at the botanical gardens, featuring the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys singing The Grand Old Duke of York at the botanical gardens, featuring the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School.

Mark Skirving singing Hey Diddle Diddle at the botanical gardens.

Mark Skirving singing The Grand Old Duke of York at the botanical gardens.

The bandstand under renovation in October 2020. You can see the exterior bricks, the brick plinth, and wood stairs with the gate have been removed.

The bandstand in October 2020, after the glass panel sound screens were removed with fences around it. You can also see a cameraperson with another person being interviewed in the foreground.

The bandstand under renovation in October 2020, with a rainbow in the sky above the botanical gardens.

The bandstand in November 2020, being restored to its 19th century glory. You can see the scaffold tower, excavator, fences, and renovation equipment in the picture.

The bandstand under renovation in November 2020. You can see two hard hat workers and a scaffold tower surrounded by fences in the photograph.

Two hard hat workers working together on the bandstand in November 2020.

The bandstand in December 2020, under renovation.

A rare 1996 photograph of the benches between trees at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the Loudon Terrace seen from far away. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the Herbaceous Border. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of rose gardens near the (soon-to-be torn down) Lawn Aviary with the bandstand. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the fountain. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the walkway at Loudon Terrace. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the garden with the shade structure at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of the rock pond at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

A rare 1996 photograph of a (now-vacant) bird cage on the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Courtesy by Dana Tomečková.

The new roof on the bandstand, made from diamond Welsh slate that replaced the asbestos tiles. You can also see the Pavilion Tea Room and the Glasshouses from far away.

A closeup of the new roof on the bandstand. You can see that the twin finials have been temporarily removed.

The bandstand under renovation in January 2021. You can see that the columns are now red instead of white, the upper ironwork is now red instead of green, and roof trim is now green flat panels instead of white with a middle line going across.

The fountain at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, consisted of one tier only instead of a tower when it was first installed.

The Loudon Terrace as it appears today. The window sills, arch above the semicircle window, and walls in between the Pavilion Tea Room are now pale green instead of gray.

The bandstand undergoing changes. The roof now has red brackets added, and now has two brick staircases on the sides with the landing now at the plinth with historically sympathetic balustrades instead of a single wood staircase with side railings next to the glass sound screens in the rear, now with red columns, the lower and upper column supports are dark green, and the glass sound screens with new glass are already put back into their original positions.

The bandstand in the early 1940s.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1943. There was ironwork between the two finials.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1907.

Bandstand dedication plaque from 1973, the 100th anniversary of the bandstand construction completion, which reads "This plaque commemorates the renovation of the bandstand in its centenary year and was unveiled by the Rt. Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Mrs. Marjorie A, Brown on the 28th June 1973". This plaque was removed in fall 2020 as part of the bandstand renovation project.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens in the 1870s. The original conservatory glasshouses were shown.

The glasshouses between 1884 and the late 1960s. The Holly Farm bank villa is shown in the background of the picture.

The gazebo at the botanical gardens.

The fountain in an old black and white photograph, consisted of four tiers.

The main lawn and glasshouses of the botanical gardens in 2002.

The bandstand near completion, before the glass sound screens were reinstalled, now has dark green semi-circle outlines under the roof, with red poles almost similar to the past poles around the edge of the roof.

The bandstand close to completion, seen by three men. The twin finials are now gold leaf instead of silver. The sound screens, already put back into place, have new glass.

The bandstand before restoration. You can also see landscaping in front of the plinth, which was removed in fall 2020 as part of bandstand renovation project.

The bandstand in 2013. The sound screen grids were changed from white to green, alongside in the middle of the trim around the roof, but the ironwork above the grids remained white above the glass sound screens, alongside the columns. The top ironwork changed from white to emerald green to match the bottom ironwork, which was lightened from pine to emerald and the ironwork on the plinth changed from pine green to white, As well, the large bushes behind the bandstand have been removed.

The bandstand and fountain in 2013. You can see a gate at the bottom of the staircase to the bandstand, which was removed in fall 2020 as part of the bandstand renovation project.

The bandstand in the 2010s, with a band playing.

The bandstand surrounded by fences in fall 2020, before the project commenced.

The bandstand in March 2021 after the project was completed, before the rails were added to the bottom on the open sides. The ironwork at the new double staircase, previously a brick plinth, was painted red to match the top and bottom ironworks on the structure with new paths toward the main lawn and a walkway paved around the bandstand.

The bandstand in March 2021, now with the colours red and green, and the twin finials are gold leaf.

The Herbaceous Border in spring bloom.

The Herbaceous Border in April 2021.

A gang of the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School at the botanical gardens.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys singing See Saw Margery Daw at the botanical gardens, featuring the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School.

The bandstand in its 1874 glory, with colours red and green, featuring Martin Rowe, James Wheeler, Liz Frostick, Matthew Vaughan, and Ash Reynolds, where the person in the middle is holding a new round dedication plaque that replaced 100th anniversary plaque from 1973 removed in fall 2020. The bandstand had been redecorated up to 18 times in history. The structure was The Peter Sowerby Bandstand, following a substantial donation from The Peter Sowerby Foundation.

The fountain behind the bandstand in April 2021. You can see the walkway from the fountain to the bandstand has changed.

The bandstand in April 2021, before the rails added on to the bottom of the open sides. The arch under the bandstand, once covered by a staircase, is now visible. As well, the ironwork on both top and bottom are red.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys singing Hey Diddle Diddle at the botanical gardens, featuring the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School.

Another gang of Chuckery Infants School Pupils at the botanical gardens.

The botanical gardens in 1991, with a peacock in the foreground.

The main lawn and glasshouses of the botanical gardens on 16 May 1998.

The bandstand, now red and green, has a whole new landscaping near the walkway, and metal railings were added to the bottom side of the open areas on the bandstand, to match the rails on the double staircase.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys on a mobile stage at the botanical gardens on 5 May 2019 as part of the Swingamajig Music Festival.

The bandstand at the botanical gardens when it appeared in the 1950s.

Seven postcards from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in either the late 1990s or early 2000s decade. Other than the name on one postcard, six postcards feature rare photographs of the West Terrace Glasshouse interior and exterior, cacti and succulent display, and the bandstand. The postcards were sold from a collector in January 2022.

A rare photograph of the Herbaceous Border, shown on a postcard, sold from a collector in July 2023.

The bandstand as it appears today.

The bandstand before restoration (left) and the bandstand after restoration (right).

A very rare photograph of the bandstand with someone standing on the analemmatic sundial.

A costume department reunion from the now-defunct BBC Pebble Mill Studios at the botanical gardens in 1999. The designer in the front centre was the late Robert Gale.

The Herbaceous Border as it appears today.

The gazebo on the back cover of "An Oasis of Delight: The History of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens", published in 2003 by Brewin Books. The book sold from a collector in 2023.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys at the botanical gardens to sing Humpty Dumpty, featuring the Pupils of Chuckery Infants School.

The bandstand and the fountain in the early 20th century. The postcard was sold from a collector in April 2023.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens when it appeared in 1950.

King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys performing on a mobile stage in front of the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary at the botanical gardens on 30 April 2023 as part of the 2023 Swingamajig Festival.

The rose garden at the botanical gardens in spring 1999. The postcard was sold from a collector in 2023.

Mark Skirving from King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys performing See Saw Margery Daw at the botanical gardens.

The herbaceous border of the botanical gardens shown in a postcard, sold from a collector in August 2023.

The bandstand at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens between the 1981 and 1990.

The rose garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as it appeared in 2008.

Oliver Darling's band The Dirty Robbers at the children's playground of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, seen in the Going F*cking Nowhere music video.

The Pavilion Tea Room in July 2011, before the original windows were replaced with new energy-efficient windows.

The children's playground as it appears today.

The children's playground of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 2004.

The fountain at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 2007, the year it celebrated its 175th anniversary, seen from across the terrace.

Rare photograph of the July 1999 Elkie Brooks concert at the botanical gardens.

The Tudor Gardens of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses shown on four postcards.

The Rock Garden of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses shown on a postcard.

A fence in Chad Valley at the botanical gardens

Easter Splendour at Birmingham Botanical Gardens jigsaw puzzle of 250 pieces, manufactured by Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw.

Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw, the manufacturer of the Easter Splendour at Birmingham Botanical Gardens puzzle.

The Bronze Macaws and the Orangery in a glasshouse at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, shown on a postcard.

The Tropical House at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, shown on a postcard.

A blue leather bookmark of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, featuring pictures of the bandstand, a peacock, and an iris.

The Herbaceous Border in October 2023.

The main lawn and conservatories of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1932, the year it celebrated its 100th anniversary. The postcard was sold from a collector.

The back side of the 1932 postcard containing handwritten words.

The main lawn and bandstand of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1950 on a postcard.

The handwriting on the 1950 postcard.

The rock garden of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses in 1930, shown on a postcard.

The back side of the 1930 postcard with handwriting written on the postcard.

The main lawn and glasshouses of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 2013.

The bandstand in November 2023, when it was missing part of a railing from the structure with a white area shown on a red column.

A watercolour painting of the botanical gardens in Edgbaston by Westfield, sold from a collector on 7 January 2024.

A hard plastic refrigerator magnet of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, with the (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in the photograph.

A plastic refrigerator magnet of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, with the bandstand in the photograph.

The (now-vacant) Lawn Aviary in February 2024, before the structure became vacant in March 2024.