Once upon a time, a vast area sprawled with market stalls filled with all manner of goods, wares and animals marked the centre of a bustling city. Birmingham, as it was known, held this very marketplace that dated back to the middle ages, called the ‘Bull Ring’. The Bull Ring has a rich folklore history associated with it, one of the most pervasive being its association with a massive sandstone boulder often referred to as the ‘Bull Stone’. According to legend, this stone was used in a cruel, but culturally accepted sport in the Middle Ages known as Bull-baiting, the origin behind the name of the Bull Ring. Capturing the essence of the era, massive bulls would be tied to the stone and dogs were set on them causing a ruthless blood sport. It was a brutal event that often ended with the bull being slain. The lore tells that the bull-baiting was so popular amongst the locals that it symbolically marked the character of the early inhabitants in Birmingham. The sport was supposedly banned in the early 19th century, but the Bull Stone remains as a reminder of this gruesome past and it is said that the energy from those vicious battles still permeate the area. Nowadays, the Bull Ring has transformed into a celebrated modern shopping complex, attracting millions of visitors each year. But the folklore tied to the Bull Stone illustrates an integral slice of Birmingham’s cultural history, providing glimpses of the past in the present. Next time you find yourself standing in the bustling heart of Birmingham, remember the Bull Stone and the folklore tale that it carries – a tale of transformation from a violent pastime, now filled with retail outlets and public squares yet still echoing with the tumultuous cries of a long forgotten sport.