Birmingham mourns the Queen

Birmingham is paying its respects following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral on Thursday 8 September, aged 96.

Books of condolence have opened at the Hall of Memory in Centenary Square, and people are laying flowers in the grounds of St Philip's Cathedral.

How to pay your respects

The books of condolence at the Hall of Memory are open from 9am to 5pm every day until 5pm on Tuesday 20 September. They will be kept in Birmingham, in line with the wishes of the royal household, and will be placed in the council's archive at the Library of Birmingham after the period of mourning. Other books are available at venues across the city, and the official royal book of condolence is online.

People wishing to leave flowers can do so at the official site in the grounds of the cathedral, off Colmore Row. Mourners are asked to remove plastic wrapping and to leave flowers only, rather than other items.

The new King proclaimed

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish, read the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III outside the Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square at 1pm on Sunday 11 September.

"The Queen's reign was an extraordinary one that will never be forgotten," she said. "I know the people of Birmingham will want to pay their respects and our opening of the books of condolence will give them an appropriate way in which to do this."

"On behalf of the citizens of Birmingham, I have written a letter of condolence to The King, offering our deepest sympathies and to convey the sadness that is being felt."

Flags and lights

The Union flag is flying at half-mast from the Council House, and the Library of Birmingham is being lit purple every night during the period of mourning. Flags will return to full mast at 8am on Tuesday 20 September, the day after the funeral.

A vigil was held at the cathedral on Friday 9 September, and a civic service of thanksgiving will take place there at 6pm on Friday 16 September. All public council meetings have been cancelled during the period of mourning.

The funeral on the big screen

The Queen's state funeral on Monday 19 September will be shown on a big screen in Centenary Square, so that people can watch together.

The Queen and Birmingham

The Library of Birmingham has put together an exhibition of photographs and documents from its archives telling the story of the Queen's many visits to the city over her 70-year reign.

Dawn Beaumont, the city's chief librarian, said: "We know each of these occasions will be fondly remembered by those who were in attendance, so we wanted to offer the citizens of Birmingham and visitors to the library an opportunity to reflect upon these moments and learn more about how the city warmly welcomed the Queen whenever she came here."

Among her visits, the Queen opened the International Convention Centre in 1991 and returned to the city many times, meeting people at hospitals, factories and community projects. The exhibition is open during normal library hours until 20 September.

Only weeks ago, the Games held in her name as head of the Commonwealth brought the world to Birmingham, and a video tribute to her life was shown at the opening ceremony. Now the city is joining the country in mourning the only monarch most of its residents have ever known.