Birmingham
Birmingham City Guide
Introduction
Birmingham is an enormous urban conurbation, one of the pioneer cities of the Industrial Revolution. Shaped by inventiveness, flexibility and determination, Birmingham was home to many of the great minds and leading figures of the Industrial Age. The Lunar Society, a scientific think-tank credited with many world firsts such as the industrialisation of pottery manufacture, the isolation of oxygen, the invention of the modern factory and the mass production of steam engines, was founded in the city and still influences the development of Birmingham into the 21st century.
Today Birmingham is Britain’s second biggest city, with a population of just under one million. Since the decline of manufacturing and industry, Birmingham has reinvented itself as a major centre of the service industry and is also one of the key focal points of British heritage, culture and the arts. A popular venue for conferences and events, there’s always something going on in the city and the atmosphere is lively, modern and cosmopolitan.
Attractions
Art Galleries
On Digbeth, one of the city’s oldest medieval streets, stands the Custard Factory, a fine example of Birmingham industrial architecture. Built by Sir Alfred Bird, the inventor of the peculiarly British custard powder dessert mix, it’s now home to an impressive arts and media centre, with small independent art workshops and studios, galleries, antique shops, cafes and restaurants. The centrepiece of the complex is the spectacular 12-metre high Green Man, a sculpture of wood, earth and shrubs.
The Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery on Chamberlain Square is a must-see. Its collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings and drawings is the biggest in the world, and there are also numerous 17th and 18th century watercolour landscapes as well as some marvellous 17th century Italian sculptures and paintings. The museum section holds a variety of exhibits, from relics of the Victorian industrial age to natural history specimens. Adjoining the Art Gallery and Museum is the Gas Hall, where there are frequent art exhibitions. Entry to the main collections is free, but there is often a charge for admission to the Gas Hall.
Another interesting gallery is the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists on Brook Street. It’s one of the oldest art societies in the world and is admired for its exciting and varied temporary exhibitions and excellent programme of workshops and courses.
On Oozells Square in the fashionable Brindley Place development in the city centre is the Ikon Gallery, famed for its attention-catching touring exhibitions of contemporary art. Its imposing red brick Victorian exterior stands in sharp contrast to the stark and sleek modern interior and the innovative installations it holds. Entry is free.
Museums
Combine an art gallery and museum visit with a trip to the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, listed above, where there’s something to suit all tastes. To make a day of it, pop into the elegant Edwardian tea room while you’re there to enjoy lunch, coffee and cakes in beautiful surroundings.
Despite its bizarre inland location, the National Sea Life Centre is an excellent marine museum, with fascinating aquariums and educational exhibits. There’s a shark tunnel, rainforest zone, petting zoo and tropical fish reef. It makes a great day out for the whole family.
One of Birmingham’s most attractive city centre areas is the historic Jewellery Quarter, where jewellers, silversmiths, goldsmiths and buckle makers have plied their trade for over 250 years. There are still many jewellery shops today, most of which can be found on Frederick Street and Victoria Street. To find out more about Birmingham’s jewellery heritage, visit the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. It’s housed in the factory of the former Smith and Pepper Jewellery company, which manufactured jewellery there from the 19th century to the early 1980s. Many of the machines and techniques used by the firm had changed little over the centuries, leaving the factory frozen in time and perfect for converting into a museum. Visitors can see jewellery being made using the old equipment and it’s fascinating to watch.
Shopping
Birmingham is a shopping mecca. The multi-million pound redevelopment of the once infamous Bullring shopping centre has brought a new lease of life to the commercial area of the city. The old 1960s concrete-clad disaster of urban planning has been torn down and replaced with an almost space-age looking steel and glass structure that’s bright, spacious and luxurious, with shops, department stores, restaurants, car parks and improved transport links. It has revitalised the whole area, with surrounding streets being cleaned up and old buildings renovated. The history of the Bullring area stretches back centuries. Archaeological digs undertaken during the reconstruction unearthed artefacts dating back to medieval times, and its recorded history dates back to 1166 when the city was granted the right to establish a market to trade in a wide range of goods, from livestock to pottery. The name is thought to have derived from the medieval cattle market and abattoir in the area, where bulls were baited before being slaughtered as it was believed that dying in rage and anger made their meat more succulent.
Other glamourous shopping centres include the City Plaza, which houses a combination of large designer labels and small independent boutiques, the ultra-modern and chic Mailbox, and the Great Western Arcade, a marvellous Victorian mall with an elaborate cast-iron structure and intricate ornamental facades.
Birmingham’s market tradition is still going strong, with the Bullring rag market and open markets, where you’ll find many a bargain and the best fresh produce in the area.
Birmingham suburbs
Chocoholics will love Cadbury World, in Bournville just outside Birmingham. It’s where John Cadbury set up his chocolate factory in the mid 19th century and it still produces chocolate today. Visitors are taken on a guided tour of the production lines, complemented by a fascinating history of the cocoa bean. Anyone expecting eccentric hosts, chocolate rivers, glass lifts and miniature employees will be rather disappointed! Nevertheless, it’s an interesting tour of a functional factory and there’s a treat in store at the end in the tasting session, where samples of a selection of the products can be savoured and enjoyed.
For a bit of rest and relaxation, Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a popular retreat for city-weary tourists. Set in acres of woodland in Edgbaston, a genteel, well-to-do suburb of the city, it has extensive formal gardens, alpine rockeries, herbaceous shrubberies and heated greenhouses. Birmingham has the largest number of green spaces in the whole of Europe. Other great public parks in the city include Cannon Hill, also in Edgbaston, with the Midland Arts Centre in its grounds. While you’re in the area, don’t miss the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, a superb gallery with a fine collection of Rembrandt and Rubens masterpieces as well as some wonderful impressionist and surrealist works.
Aston Hall in Aston, a mile or so north of Birmingham, is a magnificent Jacobean mansion bedecked in turrets, towers and gables. It was built in the 17th century for one of Birmingham’s richest and oldest noble families. Now owned by the Birmingham Corporation, many of its rooms are open to the public and the lavish interiors are breathtaking.
Eating Out
One of the most popular areas for eating out is Brindley Place, redeveloped over the last few decades to create an excellent public space for leisure and social activities. Restored canals weave their way around the tree lined lanes and grassy squares and it’s a peaceful and relaxing haven from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Some of the most popular restaurants include Tin Tins Cantonese Restaurant on the Water’s Edge, Le Petit Blanc – a traditional French restaurant, and Cielo’s, which serves delicious contemporary Italian cuisine.
Birmingham has a large Asian community and there’s a vast concentration of balti houses, particularly in some of the outlying districts of the city. In fact, Birmingham proudly crowns itself the original home of the balti, despite claims from other pretenders such as Bradford, which also has a large Asian population. So you simply can’t visit the city without trying one! The Indian restaurants in Handsworth and Selly Oak offer authentic cuisine at excellent prices and it’s well worth taking a bus or taxi from the city centre to sample what they have to offer.
If Chinese cuisine is more your style, you’ll find no shortage of top quality eating establishments in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter. Take your pick of Cantonese, Szechuan, Indonesian or Thai dishes. You’re unlikely to have a less than excellent meal in any of the restaurants here.
In the city centre itself there’s no shortage of great places to eat. Café Lazeez on Wharfside Street serves mouth-watering modern Indian cuisine, while the Warehouse Café on Allison Street has a tempting selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Ulysees on Bristol Street is a friendly Greek restaurant with regular live music and dancing.
Nightlife
If you want a great night out, Birmingham is the place to be. The city centre is bursting at the seams with bars, pubs and clubs to cater for every taste. The Jam House and other bars on St Paul’s Square in the Jewellery Quarter are great for enjoying a relaxing drink in trendy surroundings, while the bars on Broad Street cater for the younger crowd and are always packed to the brim at weekends. Brindley Place is also has a large concentration of bars and it’s a pleasant place to wander round on a pub crawl.
Birmingham is famed for its excellent events and exhibitions, and there’s something on almost every week. Check out the listings for the International Convention Centre and the National Exhibition Centre at the tourist information office.
There’s always something on a the theatre too. Birmingham has a great deal of highly acclaimed theatres such as the Repertory Theatre on Centenary Square, which shows traditional and modern plays and showcases many local productions. The Symphony Hall in the International Convention Centre is a celebrated music venue with excellent acoustics, home to the prestigious City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Hippodrome is where you’ll find performances by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. For entertainment that’s a little less high-brow, the Alexandra Theatre shows hit musicals and big pop music acts.
