What is the oldest building in birmingham?
Digbeth is the old heart of Birmingham. Everything started here. Life used to revolve around the market and later the church. The River Lea provided water for its earlier settlements. In the Domesday survery of 1086, Birmingham is shown as belonging to William Fitz-Ansculf from Dudley Castle and Birmingham was valued at only £1. Birmingham really started with permission being granted for a market in 1166 to a Peter de Birmingham. This brought traders together from the surrounding hamlets and villages. The reason for it being called the Bull Ring is the granting of a license to a certain Mr John Cooper in the 16th century for the purposes of baiting bulls. The Birmingham market became very popular and the foundations of Birmingham were sown. No one could have anticipated the rate at which it would expand in the future or how strategically and economically important it would be in future years.
