Home of Metal at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery presents Black Sabbath 50 Years - Elliott went to visit
This Black Sabbath exhibition at the Gas Hall in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery opened on the 26th June 2019, running until 29th September 2019. I finally booked my ticket online and went on the morning of 23rd August 2019. The museum opens at 10:30am on Friday's, so had to wait until they unlocked the doors. Spent around half an hour looking round the exhibition.
My full gallery of photos is now on my Flickr here Home of Metal: Black Sabbath 50 Years. The official website for Home of Metal relating to this exhibition and for booking your ticket online is here Home of Metal: Black Sabbath 50 Years a Major Exhibition.
While the usual route to Chamberlain Square is blocked off due to the Paradise Birmingham works, you can go round the back via Eden Place and Edmund Street. When the doors are open you can go in via the Edmund Street entrance for the Gas Hall. Just show your QR code in the email or PDF, and head through the revolving doors. Ticket was £12 plus £1.57 fee (£13.57 in total).
First thing you would see is this Black Sabbath sign. Take a selfie here. Only a year ago this view would have been on Dippy the dinosaur!
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (1) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Buy your Black Sabbath merchandise from here. T-shirts were £20 when I had a proper look. Was other items such as mugs and coasters. You can also buy Black Sabbath items from the main museum shop.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (2) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Later saw this sign in the Black Sabbath merchandise shop area. They invented Heavy Metal. And it led to all other forms of metal music around the world.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (15) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Behind the shop was a collection of Black Sabbath t-shirts that the fans could buy or have bought in the past. "It's the people's music, it always has been" - Bill Ward.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (14) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Harley Davidson motorbike from 2006. Courtesty of Ric Lovett. It has been heavily customised displaying the owner's love of Black Sabbath.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (13) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
In the centre was this darkened area. At the back was Ozzy and Tony. Later went back in here to find Geezer and Bill at the other side.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (3) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Back of display cases. This side stars with Ozzy in period photos from the 1970s probably.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (4) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
The other end of the back of those display cases. Ozzy Osbourne the main singer, Geezer Butler was the bassist, Tony Iommi on the guitar and Bill Ward on the drums.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (6) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A recreation of Tony Iommi's home recording studio.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (5) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A recreation of the Black Sabbath stage with some of the costumes that they may have worn. They played at venues all over the world.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (7) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
One corner had a display about Ozzy Osbourne, as well as a drawing of him! Known the world over as the "Prince of Darkness".
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (8) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A Black Sabbath fans living room, belonging to Stephen Knowles. Quite a collection of Black Sabbath memorabilia here.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (12) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
I'd seen photos of this on Social Media. Where are you from? A map of the world. Of course I took off a red sticker and placed it over Birmingham! Fans mostly from the West Midlands and around Europe. Some from the America's, China and Australia / New Zealand as well.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (10) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
In the far right hand corner of the Gas Hall was these guitars. Apparently you can try and play them. Was also another selfie spot! Around here showing all the albums that Black Sabbath released.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (9) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
The other side of the guitars and world map. This end of the museum is usually for kids to play or draw. Just behind here is kid tables for colouring in Black Sabbath pictures.
dndimg alt="Black Sabbath" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Home of Metal Black Sabbath Gas Hall BMAG (11) .jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Photos taken by Elliott Brown.
For more posts and a great gallery of photos go HERE.
Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.