Looking up ...

Couldn't think what to blip today, so as I passed the National Westminster Bank (exchange Street/Queen Square) Wolverhampton, I looked up and took inspiration.
It's little known that Wolverhampton was once, very much a market town; many of the commercial buildings erected had an agricultural purpose, although these sadly are entirely gone.
"The Exchange public house is a reminder that near to this site stood the Exchange building, erected between 1850 and 1853 to a design by G.T. Robinson. The building was originally intended as a corn exchange for farmers and millers. Shares raised the money for its building, £15,000.
The main room was 120 feet by 50 feet and had a gallery, a permanent platform and an orchestra pit capable of containing over one hundred players. Despite this the acoustics were apparently dreadful. The Exchange was also used for ironmasters and other public meetings. There were newsrooms attached to the building, which were well supplied with national and provincial papers.
From the start the building proved to be unsatisfactory and there was an acrimonious public debate as to where blame should lie. The Secretary of the Exchange Company tried to blame the architect as the building was poorly lit, badly ventilated and the sound was poor. Good lighting was essential to the corn merchants who needed to see the quality of the corn.
One feature of the original building was a large cupola which had to be removed almost immediately as it began to subside into the building. The architect who advised removal was Ewan Christian who was called in for advice. It was said at the time that it was the only building ever built with the foundations at the top. The Exchange did not have a very long life, being demolished in 1898."
More information can be found here:
http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/VictorianBuildings/Banks.htm