Set in Stone?

A new app called Set in Stone? offers a guided augmented reality journey through the heart of Birmingham.

Ideal for anyone who has ever wanted to find out more about some of the statues in and around Paradise, the app takes users on a journey from Chamberlain Square to Centenary Square, pausing on the way to learn how three icons from the city’s past became part of the Birmingham landscape, what they represent, and how they speak to the issues we face today.

Thomas Attwood, Birmingham’s first Member of Parliament and a campaigner for human rights and an equitable and just society, features as the first statue the app explores. From his recline on the steps of Chamberlain Square, Attwood regularly contributes to the Paradise website through his blogs and in many ways was a man before his time. Thanks to his tireless commitment to equality and prosperity for all, he was one of the major figures behind the Great Reform Act of 1832 that made parliament a fairer and more representative body.

Today, the contemporary statue of Attwood from 1993 sits, having left his plinth and scattered his bronze pages, on the steps of the square.

It celebrates both his aims and his achievements and its relaxed, down to earth pose upon the steps shows he was indeed a man of the people and a man of principle. Visitors to the square can find out more about him from the soap box and sheaves of paper that surround him, and by using the Set in Stone? app.

Find out more about the app here: Set in Stone App

Get the latest updates: