Located in the centre of England, in the
Black Country, Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city and is well known
for its past days of heavy industry. Today Birmingham is both
cosmopolitan and stylish and features some great shopping and some
worthwhile attractions.
The emergence of
Birmingham
on the tourism front has been helped by the redevelopment of the city
centre and the sprucing up of already-established attractions. One such
highlight is Cadbury World, where they make the world famous Cadbury
brand of chocolate, which has been produced in Birmingham for well over
a century.
Major cultural sights
include the stunning Jacobean Aston Hall, the brilliant
Ikon Art Gallery, Sarehole Mill (of JRR Tolkien fame) and the
ancient St Philip's Cathedral. The city is also loaded with
museums, with the Black Country Museum detailing heavy industries and the
people that used to work in them. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is
another must-see for the culture-vulture, while kids will
love the Thinktank Science Museum.
Birmingham hosts many
world famous events owing to its central positioning in England and its
quality world class venues which include the
National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and National Indoor Arena (NIA).
Located right next door to Birmingham International Airport, the NEC hosts
everything from live TV shows to the Crufts Dog Show,
prominent equestrian events and big-name concerts.
The shopping in Birmingham is particularly good with the
redevelopment of old shopping complexes and the mass
building of new ones. All well known brand names are represented here
as well as many specialised stores and fashion-conscious boutiques.
Birmingham has abundant dining options owing to the
multicultural make up of the city, and the city was awarded with the
Ethnicity Culinary Award in 2004. Indian and Asian food is particularly
good here, and the ‘Balti Mile’ is a must-try
for those into curries, where dozens of Kashmiri restaurants can be found. In
addition, prominent theatres, hundreds of pubs and
numerous nightclubs make for a good night out.
Accommodation
options in Birmingham are wide-ranging and better priced than
those in many other big UK cities. Everything is available here from good
mid-range guesthouses to
five-star big chain city centre hotels and some in between are
available too. The good public transport network means that wherever you stay,
getting into town is not a problem. Due to the popularity of Birmingham as a
tourist destination and the sheer number of business
conferences held here,
hotels
and guesthouses are often full. Booking in advance is
recommended to save disappointment.
Getting here is easy, with Birmingham International Airport
located very close to the city centre
and receiving flights from all over the world. Birmingham is also well connected
by rail with direct links with London and other prominent UK
cities, and there are excellent public transport connections
with the airport.
History
Birmingham has a busy 2,000-year history stretching from Roman
times through to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century to
today. ‘City of a Thousand Trades’ and ‘Workshop of the World’
were coined along the way and represent perfectly Birmingham’s ethos.
The Romans originally built a large fort and
roads in the area, after which the Anglo Saxons established a settlement.
The settlement grew steadily and became a small
market hamlet which was eventually named as the Bull Ring. Trading
continued at a fast pace and it wasn’t long before what was once a little
Roman outpost became a thriving market town.
Trade grew under the Saxons, Vikings and Normans into the
Middle Ages, and the discovery of iron ore and coal and the subsequent setting
up of huge metalworking industries in the 16th century sealed
Birmingham’s fate as a heavy industry town. The 17th century
saw the creation of the so-called Gun Quarter in the town, where Birmingham
produced small arms and supplied Oliver Cromwell during the
long English Civil War.
Birmingham was a prominent city by the time
of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, when it became
a major industrial centre. A network of canals was
subsequently constructed in the Black Country and city centre to transport
goods. It was also at this time that new railway lines were
built including the Grand Junction Railway and London/Birmingham Railway,
after which the town grew at a heady rate.
Queen Victoria thus granted Birmingham city status in 1889 due
to its massive advancement, and 10 years later the much vaunted University of
Birmingham was built.
Birmingham was hit badly by the Luftwaffe
during WWII although, luckily, iconic landmarks such as the university, the
cathedral and Soho House remained. The rebuilding of Birmingham
went ahead with little thought—only that it must be rebuilt into some form
of working order. This had the effect of drastically changing the
skyline, and ugly concrete façades emerged.
Since then new life has been breathed into Birmingham, along
with the likes of Manchester and Newcastle, to create a lovable city again. The
old industrial warehouses, city squares and canals have been
revamped and now feature trendy condos, cafés and tourist attractions, while the
ugly Bull Ring building was flattened to make way for an
eye-catching shopping complex.
Birmingham today is one of the most cosmopolitan
cities in the UK, with large Hindu and Chinese communities, and
boasts many pedestrianised areas and great swathes of
parkland; a far cry from its post-war days. It has hosted a G8
summit, has a well known football team and regularly stages
world class events at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
Weather
 Birmingham sees its best weather between May and September, as with the rest of the UK, although blustery spells can happen at any time of the year. The hottest time is in July and August, when highs can often reach the mid-30s (°C), but tend to hover around the 20s (°C).
Another popular time to visit Birmingham is in the springtime during March, April and May as well as in the autumn, when prices tend to be lower for accommodation and the crowds fewer. The autumn is generally warmer and more pleasant than the spring, when winter conditions can sometimes stretch into March and even April.
 If you are here in the wintertime, expect shorter days and cold weather with the chance of snow in January and February. It can also get really wet in the winter with days-on-end of drizzle—pack accordingly.
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