Birmingham’s historic Town Hall has announced plans for a specially curated outdoor exhibition on Victoria Square.

The collection will serve as a preview of a wider archive installation to be housed at Town Hall as part of the Amplify Town Hall project,.

Delivered by B:Music, the charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall, Amplify Town Hall launched in 2025 with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, dedicated to celebrating the venue’s legacy, while also safeguarding its long-term future.

Last summer, B:Music partnered with Birmingham Music Archive to create a comprehensive new archive. Following a public call-out, more than 1,500 treasured items and memories were contributed by music lovers across the city and beyond.

In total, including previously unseen collections, 2,700 items have now been digitised, safeguarding programmes, tickets, posters and photographs that might otherwise have been lost. Among the highlights are materials from landmark moments, including Black Sabbath’s debut performance at Town Hall in April 1970, and a 1949 poster signed by civil rights activist Paul Robeson.

These materials now form a permanent installation inside Town Hall, alongside a digital archive, developed with Birmingham Open Media, making nearly two centuries of history accessible worldwide for the first time.

The Victoria Square exhibition presents a snapshot of this installation, inviting the public to discover the venue’s story in the heart of the city. Visitors can scan a QR code onsite to explore the full digital archive.

A major milestone in the project came in December with the unveiling of a Blue Plaque commemorating the first ever public reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which took place at Town Hall on 27 December 1853.

The plaque was unveiled by acclaimed Birmingham actor Anton Lesser and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE.

Alongside the heritage programme, significant refurbishment works were completed during a six-week closure in summer 2025 to improve accessibility, comfort and environmental sustainability.

Upgrades included:

• Installation of two new passenger lifts in the main foyer
• Improvements to insulation and energy efficiency
• Reupholstery of all 416 circle-level seats
• Full refurbishment of eight dressing rooms
• Replacement of approximately 2,000 square metres of carpet throughout public and backstage areas

Between the end of August 2025 and January 2026, the revitalised venue has already hosted 93 events, welcoming over 50,500 visitors.

Final works, including a new backstage accessible lift, a new front-of-house access ramp, and a heating and cooling upgrade in the foyer, are currently underway and are expected to be completed by the end of March.

The new lift will accommodate modern wheelchair sizes and weights, reinforcing Town Hall’s commitment to inclusivity for performers and audiences alike.

As part of this new chapter, B:Music has announced internationally acclaimed author Lee Child as Town Hall’s latest ‘Amplifier’, a cohort that includes Joan Armatrading, Joe Lycett, Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, and Toyah Willcox.

Lee Child said, “I spent hundreds of ecstatic hours in Birmingham Town Hall, with everyone from Led Zeppelin to Captain Beefheart to Nigel Kennedy to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. It was a huge part of my life. Let’s make it a huge part of the future, too.”

Rachel Cranny, Head of Development and Impact for B:Music said, “The Amplify Town Hall campaign represents a defining new chapter for one of the UK’s most historic performance venues. By bringing together essential conservation works, community-driven heritage activity and digital innovation, we are ensuring Town Hall is ready to serve the next generation of artists and audiences.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Central BID for their support in making this outdoor exhibition possible. As the Victoria Square display marks the final public moment of the campaign, Amplify Town Hall leaves a powerful and lasting legacy- safeguarding Birmingham’s rich musical and civic history while opening the doors wider than ever before.”

The Amplify Town Hall exhibition runs from Tue 17 Feb until the end of March.