Time to come clean. We’re a little bit obsessed with Birmingham’s 10-metre tell mechanical bull. And we’re probably not alone. After it made quite the entrance at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2022, Ozzy The Bull became an instant Brummie icon.
We all fell so in love with the 33ft beast, there was a citywide outcry when we learnt it would be destroyed after the games – with #SaveTheBull trending on social media and a petition gathering nearly 10,000 signatures. Thankfully, Ozzy (yes, named after Ozzy Osbourne, who else?) was saved and now sits proudly and permanently at New Street Station.
What is the connection between Birmingham and the bull?
So, why the bull? And, no, it’s not just a fancy alliterative nickname. The connection can be linked directly to the Bullring shopping centre. Well actually, two shopping centres. First, there was The Bull Ring, which sat in the same location during the 1960s, before being demolished and rebuilt as the Bullring in 2003.
Since then a 7 ft bronze statue of a running bull has sat outside its entrance. Created by Laurence Broderick, The Birmingham Bull has become a popular tourist destination and a de facto city mascot – although the new giant looks to usurp it. Of course, you probably know all of this already. But Birmingham’s history with the bull runs much deeper than a surface-level naming of a shopping centre.
What is the Bull Ring?
It’s not exactly pretty, but the location of Birmingham’s shopping centre has a long storied past of bull-baiting and slaughter. Although there has been a market there since 1166, it was in the 16th century when John Cooper was given the right to bait the bulls there. Back then the area was known as Corn Cheaping.
It had a patch of green by St Martin’s Church that was used for the blood sport that pit bulls and dogs against one another. This is what was first called The Bull Ring. The name specifically refers to a hoop that the bulls were tied to. Bull-baiting stopped at the Bull Ring in 1798 when it moved to Handsworth.
What about now?
This was all a long time, the sport was finally outlawed in 1835. The area’s association with the horrific sport is long dissociated. But to some, it is still a controversial image. Even the Ozzy the Bull comes with some animosity as it was used in the opening ceremony to represent the city’s dark, industrial past. To most, however, the Birmingham bull now symbolises the spirit of the city and its people. Determination, persistence, and strength.