Masshouse

Masshouse is a site within Birmingham, United Kingdom under development with the construction of 13 new highrise blocks intended for public services, commerce and residential purposes. When completed, the blocks will have a prominent position on the Eastside skyline.

The Masshouse area existed in the Victorian times as nothing else but Masshouse Lane. It was a small lane which was connected to Dale End and the junction at Albert Street and Duddeston Row. The name derives from the establishment of a Roman Catholic chapel (i.e. for the celebration of Mass) there by a Franciscan priest, Leo Randolph, in 1687, followed by a convent in March 1688. Both were burned down by a mob, instigated by the Protestant Lord Delamere, in November 1688.

Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham (1885) describes the building and destruction of the "mass house":

From 1749 to 1943 it was the site of St Bartholomew’s Church, Birmingham.

It was developed in the 1960s into an elevated 800-metre (2,625 ft) road intersection on the A4400 road and was named Masshouse Circus. The area below it was cleared and used as a surface car park. The elevated roadways were made of concrete which created an appearance disliked by locals. Under the roads was a large car park with pedestrian subways. There were six subways:

The ring road became known as the "concrete collar" and restricted the expansion of the city centre core beyond it into the east.

In March 2002, the roundabout was demolished to clear the land for development and this demolition was named the "breaking of the concrete collar". The work was carried out by Birse Civils and designed by Gifford & Partners in a contract worth £24.2 million. The contractors sought to reuse the 20,000 cubic metres (26,000 cu yd) of reinforced concrete that was removed during demolition. Over £9 million from the European Regional Development Fund was invested into the project.

A replacement road to connect the Bullring Shopping Centre with Jennens Road was completed and opened in August 2003. However, this has been closed due to a number of injuries to pedestrians. However, the land was left as a car park for a number of years as plans and designs for the development were created. Pieces of the rubble collected from the demolished structure, were put on sale by the Birmingham branch of Friends of the Earth with a price tag of 50p per piece.

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