How one man's passion saved a city's historic buildings from the wrecking ball

For more than five decades, Joe Holyoak worked to protect Birmingham's architectural heritage believing its historic buildings had a future not just a past.

The architect, designer and conservationist, who died earlier this month, was "born in Birmingham and he stayed in the city he loved and tried to influence and improve it", says Stephen Hartland.

Hartland, chair of the Victorian Society's Birmingham and West Midlands Regional Group and former colleague of Holyoak's, says he was a leading voice in the city's conservation movement, campaigning for intelligent reuse of historic buildings not demolition.

Holyoak's approach was rooted in the belief that keeping existing buildings in use was not only important for the environment but also helped preserve the identity of communities, Hartland explained.

One of the city centre buildings he fought to save was the Central Post Office in Victoria Square, which was threatened with demolition in 1976.

On a rather more opulent scale, Holyoak also spearheaded calls to save the city's Grand Hotel, on Colmore Row, which enjoyed a £50m renovation in 2020 to gain Grade II*-listed status, enabling it again to welcomes guests in historic style, .

"[The post office] was going to be demolished, and Joe, who obviously was involved in the Victorian Society, made the case that what you were trying to achieve commercially could be done without demolishing it," Hartland said.

In 1973, when he was just 29, Holyoak had provided evidence against proposals to demolish the city's old library.

"For over 50 years, he tried to get people to understand that intelligent reuse of old buildings was the way ahead," Hartland said.

But protecting Birmingham's heritage was not about standing in the way of the city's continuing development.

"It was environmentally friendly to do so, and also it was very much a community-led, it was important - people, places are important," Hartland added.

He argued historic buildings and commercial development could work alongside each other if schemes were designed with preservation in mind.

That approach made him a respected figure among Birmingham's architectural history and environmental communities, his former colleague said.

For those who knew and worked with him, Holyoak's legacy was visible across the city – in the buildings he helped save and in the idea that Birmingham's past could remain part of its future.

"He will be missed by so many people," Hartland said.

"He was always fighting and making the case that we can do what we need to do without losing these beautiful buildings."

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