Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Birmingham (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, National Motorcycle Museum, and Great Western Arcade. Also, be sure to include Thinktank in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Birmingham (England).
Table of Contents
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Museum in Birmingham, England. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local history and industrial history.
The museum/gallery is run by Birmingham Museums Trust, the largest independent museums trust in the United Kingdom, which also runs eight other museums around the city. Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee.[1]
Address: Chamberlain Square, B3 3DH Birmingham
National Motorcycle Museum
Museum in Hampton-in-Arden, England. The National Motorcycle Museum occupies an 8-acre site in Bickenhill, Solihull, England and holds the world's largest collection of British motorcycles. In addition to over 850 motorcycles, which cover a century of motorcycle manufacture, the museum has conference facilities. It is located close to the junction of the A45 and the M42, close to Birmingham Airport.[2]
Address: Coventry Rd, B92 0EJ Bickenhill
Great Western Arcade
Shopping arcade in Birmingham, England. The Great Western Arcade is a covered Grade II listed Victorian shopping arcade lying between Colmore Row and Temple Row in Birmingham City Centre, England.
It was built (1875-6) over the Great Western Railway line cutting at the London end of Snow Hill station. The cutting was covered in 1874. Originally the broad gauge Paddington line ran through a tunnel which stopped at Temple Row and then an open cutting to Snow Hill station. The cutting was roofed over in 1874 and the Great Western Arcade built on top, the line of the new 'tunnel' being offset slightly to the north of the centre of the arcade. The extended tunnel has a length of 596 yards (545 m). The arcade was designed by W. H. Ward of Paradise Street, Birmingham.
The arcade has entrances at each end: that at Temple Row being ornate, unlike the modern reworking at Colmore Row, opposite the entrance to the station. The arcade's roof was originally a glazed semi-circular barrel vault with a glazed central dome, similar to that of the Gallerio Vittoria Emmanuele in Milan which was constructed at the same time. It was destroyed during World War II and has been replaced. The arcade, containing shops on both sides, has a clock which strikes the quarters on a set of five exposed bells.[3]
Address: Colmore Row, B2 5HU Birmingham
Thinktank
Museum in Birmingham, England. Thinktank, Birmingham is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it is part of Birmingham Museums Trust and is located within the Millennium Point complex on Curzon Street, Digbeth.[4]
Address: Millennium Point, B4 7XG Birmingham
St Martin in the Bull Ring
Building in Birmingham, England. St Martin in the Bull Ring is a parish church in Birmingham, England, of the Church of England. It is the original parish church of Birmingham and stands between the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the markets.
The church is a Grade II* listed building. The current rector is Jeremy Allcock.[5]
Address: 14 Birmingham, B5 5BB Birmingham
Villa Park
Stadium in Birmingham, England. Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,749. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations and has hosted sixteen England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899 and the most recent in 2005. Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other stadium.
In 1897, Aston Villa moved into the Aston Lower Grounds, a sports ground in a Victorian amusement park in the former grounds of Aston Hall, a Jacobean stately home. The stadium has gone through various stages of renovation and development, resulting in the current stand configuration of the Holte End, Trinity Road Stand, North Stand and Doug Ellis Stand. The club has preliminary plans to redevelop the North Stand, starting from the summer of 2023. This would increase the capacity of Villa Park from 42,785 to around 55,000. Such plans also include the construction of an accompanying hotel, museum, and 'megastore'.
Before 1914, a cycling track ran around the perimeter of the pitch where regular cycling meetings were hosted as well as athletic events. Aside from football-related uses, the stadium has seen various concerts staged along with other sporting events including boxing matches and international rugby league and rugby union matches. In 1999, the last final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup took place at Villa Park. Villa Park also hosted the 2012 FA Community Shield, as Wembley Stadium was in use for the final of the Olympic football tournament.[6]
Address: Trinity Rd, B6 6HE Birmingham
City Hall
Concert hall in Birmingham, England. Birmingham Town Hall is a concert hall and venue for popular assemblies opened in 1834 and situated in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The hall underwent a major renovation between 2002 and 2007. It now hosts a diverse programme of events including jazz, world, folk, rock, pop and classical concerts, organ recitals, spoken word, dance, family, educational and community performances, as well as annual general meetings, product launches, conferences, dinners, fashion shows, graduation ceremonies and broadcasts.[7]
Address: Victoria Sq, B3 3DQ Birmingham
Victoria Square
Victoria Square is a pedestrianised public square in Birmingham, England. It is home to both the Town Hall and the Council House, and directly adjacent to Chamberlain Square.
The square is often considered to be the centre of Birmingham, and is the point from where local road sign distances are measured. It is a short walk from St. Philip's Cathedral on Colmore Row and is on the main pedestrian route between the Bull Ring and Brindleyplace areas. Three major roads, Colmore Row, New Street and Paradise Street, and others, meet there.[8]
The Hawthorns
Stadium in West Bromwich, England. The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of Championship club West Bromwich Albion since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The Hawthorns was the last Football League ground to be built in the 19th century, opening in September 1900 after construction work took only 4 months. The official record attendance at The Hawthorns stands at 64,815, set in 1937.
Alongside being the home of West Bromwich Albion for over 120 years, The Hawthorns has also hosted a number of England internationals, as well as two FA Cup semi-finals. At an altitude of 551 feet (168 m), it is the highest ground above sea level of all Premier League and Football League clubs.[9]
Address: Birmingham Road, B71 4LF West Bromwich (Sandwell)
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Cricket stadium in Birmingham, England. Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England. It is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club and its T20 team Birmingham Bears. Edgbaston has also been the venue for Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. Edgbaston has hosted the T20 Finals Day more than any other cricket ground. Edgbaston is the main home ground for the Birmingham Phoenix men's team in The Hundred competition from 2021.
Edgbaston was the first English ground outside Lord's to host a major international one-day tournament final when it hosted the ICC Champions Trophy final in 2013. With permanent seating for approximately 25,000 spectators, it is the fourth-largest cricketing venue in England, after Lord's, Old Trafford and The Oval.
Edgbaston has played host to matches in major tournaments as it hosted matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 where England won its first World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 where Pakistan won.
Edgbaston was the venue of the first senior game under floodlights in English cricket in July 1997 between Warwickshire and Somerset in the then AXA Life Sunday League and hosted the first day/night Test match in England in August 2017 when England played the West Indies.[10]
Address: Edgbaston Rd., B5 7QU Birmingham
Birmingham Wheels Park
Sports arena in Birmingham, England. Birmingham Wheels Park is a dedicated Wheeled-sports park with short-track oval motor racing circuit, MSA approved kart circuit, drifting arenas, off-road rally stage and the UK's only purpose built outdoor speed-skating arena. It is based in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, England. Formerly run by a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, and controlled by Birmingham City Council. It is now operated by Motor Racing Live Ltd.[11]
Statue of Horatio Nelson
Statue by Richard Westmacott. The Statue of Horatio Nelson by Richard Westmacott, RA stands in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, England.[12]
Address: Bull Ring Markets, B5 4DG Birmingham
Aston Hall
Early-1600s mansion with tours and gardens. Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean house in Aston, Birmingham, England, designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635. It is a leading example of the Jacobean prodigy house.
In 1864, the house was bought by Birmingham Corporation, becoming the first historic country house to pass into municipal ownership, and is still owned by Birmingham City Council. It is now a community museum managed by the Birmingham Museums Trust and, following a major renovation completed in 2009, is open to the public spring to winter.[13]
Address: Trinity Rd, B6 6JD Birmingham
St Philip's Cathedral
18th-century CofE place of worship. The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church in the Baroque style by Thomas Archer, it was consecrated in 1715. Located on Colmore Row in central Birmingham, St Philip's later became the cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Birmingham. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.[14]
Address: Colmore Row, B3 2QB Birmingham
Council House
Government office in Birmingham, England. Birmingham City Council House in Birmingham, England, is the home of Birmingham City Council, and thus the seat of local government for the city. It provides office accommodation for both employed council officers, including the Chief Executive, and elected council members, plus the council chamber, Lord Mayor's Suite, committee rooms and a large and ornate banqueting suite, complete with minstrel's gallery. The first-floor's exterior balcony is used by visiting dignitaries and victorious sports teams, to address crowds assembled below. The Council House, which has its own postcode, B1 1BB, is located in Victoria Square in the city centre and is a Grade II* listed building.
The side of the building that faces Chamberlain Square is the entrance and façade of the Museum and Art Gallery, which is partly housed within the same building.[15]
Address: Victoria Square, Birmingham
National Sea Life Centre
Aquarium in Birmingham, England. The National Sea Life Centre is an aquarium with over 60 displays of freshwater and marine life in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, England. Its ocean tank has a capacity of 1,000,000 litres of water and houses giant green sea turtles, blacktip reef sharks and tropical reef fish, with the only fully transparent 360-degree underwater tunnel in the United Kingdom. The building was designed by Sir Norman Foster.[16]
Address: The Water's Edge, Brindleyplace, B1 2HL Birmingham
Perry Barr Stadium
Stadium in Birmingham, England. Perry Barr Stadium is a stadium and a Greyhound Board of Great Britain regulated greyhound racing track on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England. The track is operated by the Arena Racing Company, who lease it from owners the National Asset Management Agency. Racing takes place every Saturday evening, in addition to their four ARC fixtures.
Opened in 1929, it was built for Birchfield Harriers, who left in 1977. It is now used for greyhound racing and speedway. It is not to be confused with the Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium that is also known as the old Perry Barr Stadium which closed in 1984.[17]
Address: Aldridge Rd, B42 2ET Birmingham
Brookvale Park Lake
Reservoir in England. Brookvale Park Lake previously known as Lower Witton Reservoir is a former drinking water reservoir in the Erdington area of Birmingham, England.
Two brooks, arising at Kingstanding and Bleak Hill, Erdington, respectively, feed first Witton Lakes (previously known as Upper Witton Reservoir and Middle Witton Reservoir), then overspill into Brookvale Park Lake, before reaching the River Tame, and ultimately the North Sea, via the Trent and Humber.
The brooks are natural; the lakes were created at the end of the 19th century to supply drinking water for Birmingham. They were then in the countryside, and the water relatively clean. Industrialisation and urban sprawl led to the water no longer being fit for drinking, so the City turned to the Elan Valley in Wales for a supply.
From 7 October 1909 until 1926, Brookvale Park Lake was used as an open air swimming pool operated by the Birmingham Baths Committee. The lakes and the surrounding area, Brookvale Park, are now maintained as a leisure amenity by Birmingham City Council.
The first ring-necked duck in the West Midlands county was found here in 2001.[18]
Aston Reservoir
Lake in England. Aston Reservoir, sometimes known as Salford Lake, Salford Park Pool or Salford Bridge Reservoir, is a 19th-century reservoir, formerly used for drinking water extracted from the River Tame, in Birmingham, England. It was built by the Birmingham Waterworks Company and was at that time situated in the parish of Aston. On 1 January 1876 the company was purchased by Birmingham Corporation Water Department.
More recently, it has been a boating lake, although this is no longer the case. In the 1950s it was used for speedboat racing. The area around the reservoir is used as a park, Salford Park.
It has a capacity of 111,400 m3 (145,700 cu yd) behind an earthfill dam, and sits immediately adjacent to Gravelly Hill Interchange, and in a bend of the river.[19]
Cadbury World
Chocolate history and interactive exhibits. Cadbury World is a visitor attraction in Birmingham, England, featuring a self-guided exhibition tour, created and run by the Cadbury Company. The tour tells the history of chocolate, and of the Cadbury business.
A second location in Dunedin, New Zealand, closed in May 2018.[20]
Address: Linden Rd, B30 1JR Bournville
Gas Street Basin
Gas Street Basin is a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham, England, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line. It is located on Gas Street, off Broad Street, and between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace canal-side developments.[21]
Address: 41 Gas St, B1 2JT Birmingham
Edgbaston Reservoir
Reservoir in England. Edgbaston Reservoir, originally known as Rotton Park Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as Rock Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in Birmingham, England, maintained by the Canal & River Trust. It is situated close to Birmingham City Centre and is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.[22]
Chamberlain Square
Chamberlain Square or Chamberlain Place is a public square in central Birmingham, England, named after statesman and notable mayor of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain. The Victorian square was drastically remodelled in the 1970s, with most of the Victorian buildings demolished and the construction of the Brutalist Central Library. Re-landscaping occurred most recently when the square was closed to the public for five years until March 2021 for remodelling as part of the Paradise scheme.
Its features include:
- Chamberlain Memorial
- Birmingham Council House (side elevation)
- Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
- Birmingham Town Hall
- One and Two Chamberlain Square
Address: Chamberlain Square, Birmingham
Ward End Park
Country park in Birmingham, England. Ward End Park is a Green Flag awarded public park located in Ward End, Birmingham.
The park covers an area of 54 acres and contains a historic mansion, the 18th century Ward End Park House.
Facilities include a fishing and boating lake, a basketball court and a tennis court.[24]
Birmingham Back to Backs
Museum in Birmingham, England. The Birmingham Back to Backs are the city's last surviving court of back-to-back houses. They are preserved as examples of the thousands of similar houses that were built around shared courtyards, for the rapidly increasing population of Britain's expanding industrial towns. They are a very particular sort of British terraced housing. This sort of housing was deemed unsatisfactory, and the passage of the Public Health Act 1875 meant that no more were built; instead byelaw terraced houses took their place. This court, at 50–54 Inge Street and 55–63 Hurst Street, is now operated as a historic house museum by the National Trust.
Numerous back-to-back houses, two or three storeys high, were built in Birmingham during the 19th century. Most of these houses were concentrated in inner-city areas such as Ladywood, Handsworth, Aston, Small Heath and Highgate. Most were still in quite good condition in the early 20th century and also prior to their demolition. By the early 1970s, almost all of Birmingham's back-to-back houses had been demolished. The occupants were rehoused in new council houses and flats, some in redeveloped inner-city areas, while the majority moved to new housing estates such as Castle Vale and Chelmsley Wood.[25]
Address: Hurst St., B5 4TE Birmingham
St Cyprian's Church
Parish church. St Cyprian's Church, Hay Mills is a parish church of the Church of England in Hay Mills, Birmingham, England. It is situated on the southern side of the main Birmingham to Coventry Road A45 at the end of a lane called the Fordrough that leads to the factory of Webster & Horsfall Ltd. It has long been associated with the Horsfall family who built the church and continue to be its owners. Built in the 19th century of red brick in the Gothic Revival style it is dedicated to St Cyprian the third century martyr and Bishop of Carthage who although coming from a wealthy background gave away a portion of his wealth to the poor of Carthage, he was beheaded by the Romans in 258. The church is now Grade II listed.[26]
Newman Brothers Coffin Furniture Factory
Museum in Birmingham, England. Newman Brothers at The Coffin Works is a museum in the Newman Brothers Coffin Furniture Factory building in the Jewellery Quarter conservation area in Birmingham, England. The museum educates visitors about the social and industrial history of the site, which operated from 1894–1998 as a coffin furniture factory. The museum opened in October 2014 after a fifteen-year campaign by the Birmingham Conservation Trust to save the factory building, which ceased trading in 1998, and raise the funds to transform it into a heritage attraction. Located at 13–15 Fleet Street, the building is Grade II* listed.[27]
Address: 13-15 Fleet Street, B3 1JP Birmingham
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Botanical garden in Birmingham, England. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a 15-acre botanical garden situated in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The gardens are located 1+1⁄2 miles south-west of Birmingham city centre at grid reference SP049854. Designed in 1829, the gardens are Grade II listed and retain many original features and layout, which was designed by the landscape gardener and horticulturalist John Claudius Loudon. The site is notable for its range of glasshouses and gardens, which display a wide variety of plants and birds. Birmingham Botanical Gardens is managed by Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society, a registered charity. The gardens are open daily to the public with paid admission.[28]
Address: Westbourne Rd, B15 3TR Edgbaston
Lapworth Museum of Geology
Museum in Birmingham, England. The Lapworth Museum of Geology is a geological museum run by the University of Birmingham and located on the University's campus in Edgbaston, south Birmingham, England. The museum is named after the geologist Charles Lapworth, its origins dating back to 1880. It reopened in 2016 following a £2.7 million redevelopment project that created new galleries and displays, as well as modern visitor and educational facilities.
The Lapworth Museum is free to visit; its galleries are aimed at a broad range of audiences, from families and children to undergraduate students and specialist geology groups. The galleries use the Lapworth's collections to tell the story of the evolution of life and the planet over 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, with a particular focus on how the environment, climate, plants, and animals of the English Midlands have changed over time. The Lapworth's collection includes more than 250,000 specimens of fossils, rocks and minerals that are of international scientific significance, as well as an important archive that documents key scientific discoveries and historical geologists. The Lapworth was one of five UK museums shortlisted for the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award in 2017.[29]
Address: Aston Webb Bldg, B15 2TT Birmingham
St Chad's Cathedral
A cathedral with notable stained glass. The Metropolitan Cathedral Church and Basilica of Saint Chad is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and province of the Catholic Church in Great Britain and is dedicated to Saint Chad of Mercia. Designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and substantially complete by 1841, St Chad's is one of the first four Catholic churches that were constructed after the English Reformation and raised to cathedral status in 1852. It is one of only four minor basilicas in England. St Chad's is a Grade II* listed building. The cathedral is located in a public greenspace near St Chad's Queensway, in central Birmingham. The current archbishop is Bernard Longley, and the dean is Monsignor Timothy Menezes.[30]
Address: 3540 St. Chads Queensway, B4 6EY Birmingham
Sarehole Mill
Museum in Birmingham, England. Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill, in an area once called Sarehole, on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham Museums Trust. It is known for its association with J. R. R. Tolkien and is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.[31]
Address: Cole Bank Rd, B13 0BD Birmingham
The Electric
Sound recording studios in Birmingham, England. The Electric is a cinema in Birmingham, England. It opened in Station Street in 1909, showing its first silent film on 27 December of that year, and as of 2022 is thought to be the oldest working cinema in the country. It predates its namesake, the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, London, by around two months. Originally called the Electric Theatre, the cinema has undergone a number of name changes since its opening, but returned as The Electric in October 1993. The cinema closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with the owner making most of its staff redundant. In January 2022 it the cinema reopened under new ownership.[32]
Address: Birmingham, 47-49 Station Street
Odeon
Movie theater in Birmingham, England. The Birmingham Odeon is a cinema and former concert venue, located in Birmingham, England.[33]
Address: Birmingham, 139 New St, Birmingham B2 4NU England
Cannon Hill Park
Country park in Birmingham, England. Cannon Hill Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England. It is the most popular park in the city, covering 250 acres consisting of formal, conservation, woodland and sports areas. Recreational activities at the park include boating, fishing, bowls, tennis, putting and picnic areas.
It also contains Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, the mac theatre, and adjacent to the park is Edgbaston Cricket Ground.[34]
Address: 2 Russell Rd., B13 8RD Moseley
The Leasowes
Country park in Halesowen, England. The Leasowes is a 57-hectare estate in Halesowen, historically in the county of Shropshire, England, comprising house and gardens. The parkland is now listed Grade I on English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens and the home of the Halesowen Golf Club. The name means "rough pasture land".[35]
Address: Leasowes Greencare Depot Leasowes Lane, B62 8QF Birmingham (Dudley)