A Weekend in Birmingham

It is not often that, given time off, I opt to stay put in the UK. Usually I give way to temptation and find myself booking a plane or rail ticket to somewhere across the water. When it comes to European cities I have pretty much ticked the majority off – although there are plenty of places that I would return to in a heartbeat – which makes it pretty embarrassing to admit that there are a fair number of Great British cities that I still haven’t explored. It was definitely time to change that and so the first UK city break that I booked up was a weekend in Birmingham – the powerhouse of the Midlands.

Day 1

After an early start and an eventful train journey, we were pleased when we arrived into the newly redeveloped Birmingham New Street station. We eagerly got off the train craving fresh air and space where we could walk and stretch our legs. It was not too far to our hotel, which was located on Broad Street, and after dropping off our bags we set off to find somewhere to stop for lunch. It was just after one o’clock when we ordered our burgers and drinks, in a local pub, and just after two as we once again stepped out into the sunshine to continue our ‘tour’.

From the pub, we crossed the road and headed into Brindley Place, the bustling area around the canal, which certainly exuded a good atmosphere. All of the pubs and restaurants were seemingly doing a brisk trade with locals, tourists and businessmen and women.

As well as the variety of eateries and ‘watering holes’, the canalside location is also home to the internationally reknowned Ikon Gallery, the National Sea Life Centre as well as a number of independent art galleries. If you fancy a cultural evening, The Crescent Theatre is also not far away and hosts a wide range of productions from classics to more modern pieces.

After a quick look around the area we crossed the canal and walked through the ICC, a major conference venue, to the Symphony Hall and Centenary Square. Looking across the road on our right we could see the golden statues of three of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution – Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch – standing as a memorial to Birmingham’s industrial past and shining in the sunshine.

Centenary Square was named back in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. Previously the area had been an industrial space containing small workshops and canal wharves, but was bought by the city’s council in the 1920s to create a public space for Birmingham’s inhabitants and was designed to house museums, council offices, a cathedral and an opera house. However, as World War 2 arrived, the plan was abandoned with only the Hall of Memory and half of the planned Baskerville House complete.

Continuing on, we walked past the Hall of Memory, which remembers the men and women who gave their lives in both World Wars and in active service since 1945, through Fletchers Walk/ Paradise Place and out into Chamberlain Square, from where we were able to see the Town Hall.

Despite its name, the Town Hall is actually used for concerts and is a venue for popular assemblies. It was also the first of the monumental town halls that would come to characterise the cities of Victorian England and was also the first significant work of the 19th century revival of Roman architecture, with the design being based on the proportions of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. I don’t think you could mistake Birmingham for Rome though..

From here it was into Victoria Square where we admired the Council House buildings and the various sculptures and arty pieces in front. The public square was formerly named and known as Council House Square (not very catchy!) but was renamed in January 1901 to honour Queen Victoria, who died shortly after. The square is often considered to be the heart of Birmingham and is the point from which local road sign distances are measured. In November/ December this whole area becomes the main focus of the Christmas market, the largest German market outside of Europe, and well worth a visit!

From the Council House we strolled along Colmore Row to the cathedral. Officially called The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip, it was originally built as a parish church but later became a cathedral in 1905.  You don’t need too long to look around inside, considering St Philip’s is the third smallest cathedral in England (after Derby and Chelmsford) but it is worth a peek inside nonetheless!

We then made our way through the cathedral green to House of Fraser for the statutory look at shoes and handbags! Having fulfilled that urge, we emerged on to Corporation Street and turned down in the direction of the Aston Triangle, passing the Law Courts on our way.

I was keen to explore Aston University ‘village’, as it is where my Dad studied. It was certainly interesting to hear about his university experiences and it was also interesting to hear how the area had developed since my Dad’s time there!

Leaving the University behind us, we walked back up into the town as far as the Priory Queensway and then through the Square Shopping Centre to the elegant Great Western Arcade. Lying between Colmore Row and Temple Road, the Grade II listed Victorian shopping arcade is located over the former Great Western Railway line cutting at the London end of Snow Hill station. The fancy arcade is often referred to as the ‘home of hidden gems’ due to its collection of award-winning independent retailers and boutiques. It definitely offers shoppers a place to escape the monotony of the high street.

By now our legs were starting to complain so it was decided that we should stop for a drink and a rest. We opted for Costa and after a caffeine boost and a good rest we were ready to re-start the motor, get going again and slowly head back in the direction of the hotel.

Before calling it a day we decided to return to Brindley Place and explore a little more of area this time walking a little way along the canal to the Gas Street Basin, not only a mooring point for numerous canal boats but also an historic junction for traffic moving goods around the country via the canal system.

Passing the various canal boats on our way, we walked around the basin before re-crossing the canal and walking in the opposite direction towards the Mailbox. As we approached we were faced by three levels of restaurants and bars, all busy and buzzing with conversation.

After a short spot of browsing, we turned tail and headed back outside, retracing our steps across the access bridge and then through the back streets until we reached Broad Street and our hotel once again. It was the end of our first day in the city but it had certainly given us a taste of what this rejuvenated, vibrant city had to offer..

Day 2

We started the day with a leisurely breakfast and once we were fully contented we slowly made our way to the bus stop, to catch the bus to the Botanical Gardens. The journey took us about ten minutes and we were conveniently dropped off just outside the entrance. The Gardens were just opening as we walked into the foyer and bought our tickets. It was nice and quiet, with few people yet on the move.

The first area we entered was full to the brim with exotic plants representing both tropical rainforest and arid desert and off to the side was the Japanese and Bonsai displays.

After a good look around we eventually emerged from these ‘exotic climes’ inside, out into the fresh air. There was still a slight chill to the air as we strolled around the gardens. We began by following the path around the perimeter hedge and dropped down through the rhododendrons and herbaceous borders to the Butterfly House. Always fascinating, these humid oases cater for the large, richly-coloured butterflies of the tropics, and we must have picked the ideal time to visit as the glasshouse was a visual feast, with beautiful butterflies flitting hither and thither and occasionally resting nearby. In addition there were others just emerging from the chrysalis stage and drying out their wings.

After admiring the butterflies, we strolled back up the hill, passing various planted beds on the way, to play ‘find the bird’ in the Garden’s Aviary. Although reasonably small, the aviary provided a variety of species with plenty of contrasting sizes, colours, plumage and calls. Always a favourite of mine!

It was soon time for a sit-down on one of the park benches where apart from taking a well-earned breather we were able to admire some of the statuettes that had been ‘planted’ in front of the aviary. The vast majority were stylised pieces of African art they gave pause for some thought and reflection.

From there it was back up past the tea room and along the terrace, taking in one or two of the glasshouses on the way. We decided that we had seen most of what there was to see and that it was time to catch the bus back into the city centre. From there we had decided to make our way to the second chosen place of interest, Aston Hall.

Top Tip: Aston Hall offers free admission on the first Sunday of the month. To get to Aston Hall from the city centre, take bus number 7 as far as Witton Lane. From there, Aston Hall is a few minutes away by foot. 

On our way to Aston Hall, our route took us past Aston Villa‘s football ground. Aston Villa just happens to be my boyfriend’s favourite team so naturally I had to stop and take few photos to send through to him!

Once past the ground it was but a few more minutes to the park and then a short climb up to the Hall. Our first stop on arrival was the café for some refreshments and from there a short walk through to the front of the house. One of the last great Jacobean houses to be built, the house now stands as a magnificent seventeenth century red-brick mansion in the middle of Aston Park. The layout of rooms remains largely unchanged, and they are linked by the original imposing grand staircase and splendid Long Gallery. The house still retains many early seventeenth century decorative features in stone, plaster and wood. Well worth a visit!

From the Hall we made our way, once again by bus, back into the centre. It took about ten minutes to get back into town and once off the bus we meandered with the crowds along the High Street to the Bull Ring. A very quick look inside the shopping centre (cannot suppress the urge!) before making a few attempts to get a good photo of the famous bull itself (without any supporting cast!) and it was then time to think about a late lunch.

An hour or so later, and after gorging on pizza and sorbet, we were ready once more to hit the road. We continued our walk along New Street and then followed our normal route back to Canalside. Instead of going over the bridge as normal we turned to the right and walked alongside the canal as far as the Malt House, crossed over to the other side (by the National Indoor Arena) before re-crossing the canal to get back to Brindley place. Historically this was a ‘crossroads’ for water-traffic as the canals split here, offering four different routes for navigation purposes. To complete our exploration of this now ‘busy’ part of the city we made our way back through Central Square and the streets feeding off from it. We were soon back on Broad Street and from there it was just minutes before we were back at base and our hotel.

Birmingham had really impressed me – not only does the city centre have a variety of activities and sights for every category of visitor, it has its industrial history, fully documented in its museums, its centre provides a good range of shops and markets but also I was pleasantly surprised with what you can find if you venture further afield and escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Wherever you go you can be sure of a good ‘Brummie’ welcome!

Love, V xx