Christmas in Birmingham from Dickens to Santa’s Grotto

Carl Chinn, well-known broadcaster and author, tells the story of Christmas in Birmingham from the mid-19th century to the 1950’s.

He takes us to the Town Hall to meet Charles Dickens and Scrooge; to the back-to-backs where children sing carols outside pubs; and, to the poverty of Sheepcote Street where Father Christmas still manages to half-fill children’s stockings.

Finally, we queue with other excited children for what seems an eternity on the stairs of Lewis’s store to see the “real” Father Christmas in his Grotto.

With students and the choir from Perry Beeches II School, Christmas comes alive in this 30 minute podcast.

KEYWORDS: Christmas, Birmingham, Charles Dickens, Back-to-Backs, Poverty, Children, Lewis's, Carl Chinn, Books