Tag Archives: Birmingham

What to do in Birmingham, England and the best Birmingham attractions.

UK Travel Tips ‘n’ Tweets: What to do and see in Birmingham

I asked for tips on the Europe a la Carte Blog and on Twitter on what to do and see when I was on the Birmingham stop of the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. So if you’re planning a visit to Birmingham here are some insider tips from locals and tweets, to help you get the most out of your visit.

UK Travel Tips n Tweets: What to do and see in Birmingham

The Blooming Mini part of the Birminghal Floral Trail 2009

Tips

Dave Harte recommends having a peek inside a couple of Birmingham concert halls in the city centre. The Town Hall and the Symphony Hall. Both are free to look inside and are impressive. Take a quick look in the Museum & Art Gallery as well. The pre-raphaelites are superb and the Obama’s people photographs worth a peek.

UK Travel Tips n Tweets: What to do and see in Birmingham

Town Hall, Birmingham

Emily Bridgewater author of Meet and Two Veg suggests that in the city centre you should go to the Bull Ring Shopping centre and the iconic Selfridges building, also the famous bronze bull, which is great for photos.

UK Travel Tips n Tweets: What to do and see in Birmingham

The blue studded Selfridges at night

Birmingham Art Gallery is good. It’s in Victoria Square, home to the famous Anthony Gormley Iron Man, and currently the manmade beach! The Mailbox is the old Royal Mail Building which has been converted into a designer shopping area and there are lots of good places to eat and drink there too. Comore Row and the business district is very visually beautiful, as is St Paul’s Square in the famous Jewellery Quarter, which offers plenty of shops and workshops selling gold and contemporary jewellery.

UK Travel Tips n Tweets: What to do and see in Birmingham

St Paul’s Square, Birmingham by St Paul’s Gallery

Brindley Place is situated around the city’s canals and is a revamped area home to good restaurants, high class apartments and the Ikon Gallery, which is good for art and Spanish food! Places to eat include good burgers at Handmade Burger Company on the canalside, Edmunds in Brindley Place for fine dining, Chez Jules for rustic French in Ethel Street, chic breakfast or lunch at Hotel Du Vin in Church Street or fab sushi in Woktastic near to the library!

Or if you fancy a real taste of Bham go to the Balti Triangle and try Al Faisals in Sparkbrook, alternatively, if you like Oriental head to the Chinese Quarter and visit Cafe Soya in Cathay Street, or Chung Ying Garden in Thorp Street!

More Tips for Things to Do in England

We’ve plenty of travel tips for what to do in England, outside London.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

Birmingham was the first stop on the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. I arrived in Birmingham on the evening of Wednesday 22 July and made my way to my accommodation in the penthouse at the Staying Cool Apartments on the 20th floor of the Rotunda in the city centre. I was absolutely wowed by the views over Birmingham.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

The views over Birmningham from the Staying Cool penthouse

The morning of 23 July kicked off when I met up with Jon Bounds, who took me on a two hour circular trip on the city’s number 11 bus. The no 11 route shows you almost every part of Birmingham, apart from the city centre. Jon led a project on 11 November last year 11-11-11 where a posse including artists, bloggers and photographers spent eleven hours on the number 11 bus.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

View from no 11 bus, Birmingham

I then made my way to the Jewellery Quarter,where I visited the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, some jewellery workshops, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and St Pauls Church.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

Showcase at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

Next was a whistlestop tour of the Balti Triangle, before calling in at the Art Deco Electric Cinema, the oldest working cinema in the UK, celebrating its centenary later this year. You can sip an Absinthe served from a traditional Parisian style fountain, as you sit on a leather sofa watching the best in independent and mainstream films.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

The Electric, Birmingham

In the evening I met up with local blogger Nicky Getgood of Digbeth is Good and Karen Strunks, photographer and blogger, for an evening tour around Digbeth taking in some street art, a canalside walk and a tour of the local bus depot.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

Karen Strunks in the driver’s seat

On the morning of 24 July I visited to the National Trust Back to Backs a restored courtyard where the domestic and working lives of four families has been recreated.

Birmingham stop on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour

1840s house, photo taken with permission of The National Trust

I had a really enjoyable time in Birmingham. It was great to meet up with some fellow bloggers and get some local insight. I found everyone in Birmingham to be very friendly and helpful which drew me even more to the city. To me that’s a really important factor in my rating of a destination. I hate it when locals are unapproachable or obviously can’t be bothered with visitors.

Birmingham: Birthplace of the Balti

Balti is a style of cooking and serving the food in a thin pressed steel bowl. I only discovered that Balti was created by the local Kashmiri/Pakistani community in Birmingham in the mid 1970s during my brief visit to The Balti Triangle on the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. There are around twelve restaurants in the Balti Triangle which specialise in the authentic Balti style such as Adil, Al Frash and Shabab.

Birmingham: Birthplace of the Balti

Adil Restaurant, Balti Triangle, Birmingham by CaterinaAnna

If you want to try cooking your own version of Balti, there are several stores where you can but ingredients such as the vegetables arabi, duddi and okra and special cooking pans.

There are also many jewellery and clothing stores in the area. You can have a tailor made suit ready within days from around £250.

It’s possible to have a Balti Break package put together to suit your requirements whether that be a cooking demonstration and/or shopping tour by contacting Andy Munro, phone 07985 169462 or email munroandy at hotmail.com.

On my short visit to the Balti Triangle, Andy showed me around a few shops, where I admired some lovely dresses and sparkly shoes. Unfortunately, it was mid afternoon and I already had an evening appointment in Digbeth so there was no opportunity to sample a Balti.

Back to Backs, Birmingham: A glimpse of life in the past

I visited Back to Backs, a reconstruction of the domestic and working lives of four families in a block of terraced back to back houses on the Birmingham stop of the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. There are houses/working premises from different periods, illustrating life from the 1840s, the 1870s, the 1930s and a tailors workshop from the 1970s.

Back to Backs, Birmingham: A glimpse of life in the past

1840s house; photo taken with permission of National Trust

The National Trust have made the properties as authentic as possible with real coal fires, gas lighting, kitchen tables set out ready for cooking or eating and clothes hanging around the bedrooms. Many people worked from home in trades such as glass eye and clock hand manufacture and their work benches are laid out with their tools in various locations around their homes.

What came across to me was how cramped living and working conditions were in the past compared to what we’re used to now. Even families with eight children would need to squeeze in lodgers to make enough money to survive. It must have been hard to concentrate on intricate work with kids running around and the clattering of food preparation.

Then there’s the issue of the communal toilet facilities, as flushing toilets were only introduced around the 1930s. Each family would be assigned a specific day for use of the wash house to do that weeks laundry and if it happened to be raining that day you’d be in trouble. The families would have to collect their water from the pump/tap in the courtyard.

There’s also an exhibition area where you can watch videos and read more about the lives of the families who lived in the courtyard and how the life of Birmingham residents has changed over time.

I enjoyed my visit to Back to Backs as it does evoke a feeling of glimpsing into lives of real families, much more so than reading about it in a history book or even seeing a documentary or historical drama on TV.

You can only see Back to Backs on a guided tour, so it’s best to phone in advance to book a time slot.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birmingham’s Gem

During the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour I spent an afternoon in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. The Jewellery Quarter still produces around 40% of UK jewellery output, with a flow of fresh talent from Europe’s largest School of Jewellery.

I started my visit at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, named by TripAdvisor as the third best free tourist attraction in Europe in 2008. The museum used to be a family run factory producing jewellery, which was abandoned when the elderly owners retired in the early 1980s. The factory has now been carefully restored to it’s former state giving you a really good feel for what it would have been like to work in such a factory during the earlier decades of the 20th century.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birminghams Gem

The factory floor, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

It must have been very noisy and hot working there with all the machinery operational. Gold dust would be flying around everywhere meaning that the daily floor sweepings and sandwich wrappings of the employees would be burnt to retrieve the gold.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birminghams Gem

Workbench at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

The Museum also tells the history of Jewellery Quarter with many displays and information boards. In the lobby there are showcases of locally produced jewellery available to purchase. There’s a cafe with some outdoor seating in the courtyard.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birminghams Gem

Showcase at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

The Jewellery Quarter is brimming with small independent retailers and workshops where you can commission a piece of jewellery from under £100, so you don’t have to be in the millionaire bracket to have a piece custom made.

I had a quick look around Artfull Expression, where part of the floorspace is devoted to showcasing the work of recent graduates of the School of Jewellery. Upstairs in the same building is the David Loius design studio whose popular products include The Godfather Spaghetti Measuring Device and a magnetic slot egg cup.

You can easily spend a couple of days exploring the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, so it makes a great UK short break destination as you can reach Birmingham with a few hours from most parts of the UK by train, plane, coach or car.

There is a choice of accommodation in the area, such as the Newhall Travelodge or Hatters Hostel. You don’t even have to leave the Jewellery Quarter to eat and drink, as there are 25 bars and restaurants in the area.

You can enjoy an urban picnic in the Georgian St Paul’s Square and visit St Paul’s Church, where you can admire Francis Eginton’s East Window depicting the Conversion of St Paul.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birminghams Gem

St Paul’s Square, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

St Paul’s Gallery has one of the biggest collections of signed limited edition record album artwork for sale in the world. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to look around the gallery, a shame as you never know who you might bump into. However, Gallery Director Symon Bland kindly emailed me the photo below.

The Jewellery Quarter: Birminghams Gem

St Paul’s Gallery, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists’ base, the oldest private gallery in Birmingham, hosts various exhibitions; it was watercolours and ceramics when I was there.

All in all, the Jewellery Quarter makes for a great day out or short break destination. I wish I’d had more time to explore the area in more depth.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

During my Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour, I arranged to meet up with Nicky Getgood, author of Digbeth is Good, and Karen Strunks photographer and blogger, in the Digbeth area of Birmingham.

Before Karen arrived, Nicky showed me some street art around Digbeth and did a video interview.

After eating at The Old Crown, the oldest inn in Birmingham, we set off on a walk around Digbeth. I liked The Green Man, a living tree statue, near the Custard Factory, an arts and media quarter located in the old Bird’s custard factory in Digbeth.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

The Green Man

Then we had a walk along the canal.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

Canalside, Digbeth

Just up from the canal there was some more street art.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

Street Art, Digbeth

As we walked past the Travel West Midlands bus depot, Karen’s curiousity was piqued and she decided that she’d like to see more of the bus depot. So, being a girl who’s not afraid to ask for what she wants, she marched in and charmed her way into arranging a tour of the bus depot. We donned our high vis jackets and started our tour with our fab guide Myron. Nicky was soon snapping away.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

Nicky shoots into photographic action at the bus depot

We were then whisked through the bus wash on a double decker, boarded a brand new bus about to go into service, and Karen sat at the driver’s chair posing for photos.

Street art, canalside walk and bus depot tour: An evening in Digbeth, Birmingham

Karen Strunks at the wheel with Myron, our expert guide.

You can see more photos of our bus depot tour on Nicky’s blog.

So all in all, I had a a very unusual and entertaining time in Digbeth. A big thank you to Nicky, Karen and Myron for a memorable evening.

Why I was so impressed by Birmingham

I’d never been to Birmingham before my visit on the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. To be quite honest I didn’t know much about Birmingham (affectionately known as Brum) beyond having heard of The Bullring and Spaghetti Junction.

Why I was so impressed by Birmingham

Birmingham city centre

Well if there’s one thing that makes a city, it’s the residents and I have to say that every Brummie I encountered couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Often when you approach strangers to ask for assistance, their reaction is one of a combination of fear, suspicion and closed body language but that wasn’t the case in Brum, quite the opposite.

When I arrived at Birmingham Airport on the bmibaby flight from Edinburgh, I had trouble locating the Air Link, which wasn’t very clearly signed. When I finally got there, it looked as though I’d merely reached the end of a corridor with nowhere to purchase a ticket or board a train. One of the bmibaby crew from my flight was the only other person standing there. I approached him with some trepidation, thinking he’ll be hacked off at being asked more questions as soon as he’d finished his shift. Well no, he was charming and chatty, explaining that the Air Link is merely an unmanned shuttle to the rail staion.

Why I was so impressed by Birmingham

Birmingham Airport Air Link by gavinandrewstewart

On reaching the rail station proper I went to purchase my rail ticket into the city centre, I asked if I should buy a single or return ticket, omiting to say my destination. Well instead of being snappy, the lady at the ticket window very politely asked my destination.

On arrival at New Street station I exited the station by a different exit than the one from which my directions to the Staying Cool Apartments had been given and was soon lost. I stopped a guy walking past and he happily gave me clear directions.

On my final day when I got lost on my way to Back to Backs, a National Trust reconstruction of city life in the past, I’d to ask for directions twice. Both the guys I asked came toward me when I said excuse me with open body language and were very pleasantt, giving the impression that they were happy to help.

On my return rail trip to Birmingham airport, I was assisted with my luggage both on and off the train.

Brumies, I award you top marks for politeness, helpfulness and openess, it’s such a positive influence on a visitor’s impression of a city.

Review of Staying Cool Apartments at the Rotunda Birmingham

I stayed in the Roadster Penthouse apartment at Staying Cool on the 20th floor of the Rotunda in Birmingham (UK) city centre in July 2009, on a complimentary basis, for the first two nights of my Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour.

I arrived at the Staying Cool apartments at dusk and was gobsmacked by the views over the city of Birmingham. There’s a large balcony accessed through three sets of doors in the wall to ceiling curved windows.

Review of Staying Cool Apartments at the Rotunda Birmingham

View from the Staying Cool Penthouse apartment at the Rotunda, Birmingham

The double beds are really comfortable, Both bedrooms have ensuite bedrooms, one with a bath/shower and the other with a large shower. There’s a wonderful array of complimentary aromotherpary toiletries in the bathrooms.

The kitchen is equipped with Gaggia expresso coffee machine, a dishwasher, washing machine and electric juicer (oranges provided)/ The lounge/kitchen area is spacious with a couple of sofas and a dining table with chairs. There’s a Apple Mac entertainment system, free wifi and Sky TV. I was sorry that I had such a busy schedule and hardly had any time to enjoy the apartment.

The Rotunda is a landmark building in Birmingham city centre, constructed in the 1960s as an office block, recently refurbished by Urban Splash and converted into living accommodation with the 19th and 20th floors becoming serviced apartments.

The Staying Cool apartments are a couple of minutes walk from New Street railway station, close to shops such as Selfridges and Debenhams and a selection of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Review of Staying Cool Apartments at the Rotunda Birmingham

Birmingham city centre at night

There are four types of apartment at the Rotunda Birmingham, ranging from studios to the two bed penthouse with prices from £115 to £450 a night.

My verdict: Absolutely fantastic views, trendy, comfy and extremely well equipped, ideal for a special occasion or celebration.

Review of Staying Cool Apartments at the Rotunda Birmingham

Keep It Real Travel Review – No Fluff

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