The Black Sabbath Bench

The Black Sabbath Bench is a heavy metal bench on Broad Street which sits above the bridge off Canal Street and celebrates Birmingham’s best known rock band.  It was opened in 2019 by Tony Iommi and Geezy Butler in a blaze of publicity, following a canal trip through Gas Street.  The idea for the bench came from a ‘super-fan’, Mohammed Osam, an architect.  There are images of the four founding members of the band, Tony Iommi (lead guitarist), Ozzy Osbourne (singer), Geezer Butler (bassist) and Bill Ward (drummer).  The bridge was re-installed after refurbishment in January 2021.

Black Sabbath were formed in Aston in 1968 and are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music.  Famous hits included Paranoid (1970), Black Sabbath and Master Reality (1971), and Sabbath Black Sabbath (1973).   Musicians came and went over many years, before the band finally disbanded in March 2017.