On a recent visit to the UK, I decided to head out of London to spend four days at UK’s second largest city, Birmingham.
With Birmingham just 3 hours away by bus from London (or half that time via high speed train), I wanted to get to know this city better especially as my son and his wife had chosen to live there. I had also been a fan of the Netflix series Peaky Blinders, which was set in Birmingham in the early 1900’s.
Birmingham locals affectionately call it ‘Brum’ (pronounced ‘broom’); and themselves ‘Brummies’. It is said with a West Midlands accent where vowel sounds are dragged out longer, as an example the ‘u’ sound as in ‘up’ is pronounced as ‘oo’ as in ‘oop’.
Here are 7 highlights to look out for at Birmingham.
- The City of 1000 Trades
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Birmingham proudly wears the badge of “Workshop of the World” or the “City of 1000 Trades” because it was one of the UK’s fastest growing cities during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The first steam engine was invented here.
Key industries were metalware products including toys, watches, steel pen nibs, cutlery, bicycles, factory machinery, motorcycles and cars.
Brands such as the Austin and MG Rover were manufactured in Birmingham. If you are a lover of British cars, you can check out the world’s largest collection of historic British cars at the British Motor Museum, just 45 minutes’ drive from Birmingham city centre.
Incidentally, Birmingham produced 75% of the world’s pens in the mid to late 19th century. It was such a major industry at one time that there is even a museum on Birmingham’s pen trade.
My husband and I visited the Pen Museum out of curiosity; after all, literacy owes much to them. Among the thousands of nibs we saw, there were also quill and calligraphy pens.
What I enjoyed most was the hands-on section where guides showed us how to make our own pen nibs with the machinery used in those times.
- The World War II Blitz
It was also because of Birmingham’s know-how in guns and ammunition that the city was decimated in 1940. Birmingham was the third most heavily bombed UK city, after London and Liverpool.
The centre of the city, called the Bull Ring was the first to be targeted. The landmark in that area, St Martin church, was partially destroyed but has since been restored, with church services still being conducted there.
To see Birmingham’s historical sights, consider taking guided walking tours which last about 2 hours. These are available on Viator for S$21 to S$26.
- The Bull Ring Shopping Area
Today the Bull Ring is also a prominent shopping area.
Yes, at its centre there is a bronze bull sculpture which reminded me of the famous Charging Bull sculpture in New York. The latter was installed in 1989 while the Birmingham bull was installed 14 years later.
Unfortunately, the story of the Birmingham bull is quite gory. In the 1800s, this area was a marketplace where cattle were sold. Before the bulls were led to the slaughter, they were baited with an iron loop tied around their noses. The sport was to watch dogs attack them.
I’m glad this practice has ceased. The Bull Ring is now home to Selfridges, a department store that’s well recognised for its high quality and edgy merchandising. For instance, in the drinks section, I saw over 15 types of gin being sold.
- The Jewellery Quarter
I was most curious about visiting this area because Birmingham produces 40% of the nation’s jewellery, with over 800 businesses located here.
It was once called the ‘toy shop of Europe’ because the area was known to produce small personal accessories such as trinkets, buckles and buttons.
I passed shop windows displaying not just engagement rings but also gold bars and watches.
With my husband in tow and getting more bored by the minute, I made a mental note that I should allocate a full day to shop here on my own, or with a girlfriend, when I’m looking to go beyond London next year.
Thankfully, there is another interesting highlight in this Quarter. Just a 5-minute walk away, is the Birmingham Assay office.
To ensure that precious metals like silver and gold meet their claimed purity, assaying became a legal requirement in England in the 1300s. The Birmingham Assay office was set up in the 1700s and is one of the busiest in the world today.
The hallmark of the Birmingham Assay office is the Anchor, while Sheffield’s is the Crown. I thought it was funny that this was a choice made after a coin-toss at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in London. The English have a wonderful sense of humour.
- Home of famous brand names
Many iconic brands were originally founded in Birmingham, amongst which are Cadbury, HP Sauce, Bird’s Custard (if you cook), Mitchells & Butlers Brewery, Typhoo Tea, Byrlcreem and Dunlop Tyres.
I’m so glad that many of these brands are still around today, it is testament to their product value.
Some of these brands, in honour of their founding city, have special attractions at Birmingham. For example, Cadbury World is a family-friendly amusement park with rides as well as activities all themed around Cadbury chocolates.
- Navigating through Canals
A hidden gem about Birmingham is its canals. Built in the 1700s, they were originally constructed to bring coal from the Black Country located northwest of Birmingham.
There used to be 260km (approximate distance from Singapore to Malacca) of canals. Today it is less than half that, and is deeply intertwined with Birmingham’s city centre, with the nightlife and shopping districts developing around them.
We walked on towpaths at Gas Street Basin and saw boats, cafes, pubs as well as quiet, modern residential neighbourhoods. The paths are easy to walk on and a half day’s walk does not feel like it is too much exercise.
- Culture: Music and Books
I like listening to diverse forms of music and so it was fascinating for me that Birmingham is the birthplace of heavy metal music.
The most notable bands spawned here are Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest. Many band members had worked in the factories here which could account for the ways that they named themselves.
Another shocker was The Library of Birmingham. It is an architectural masterpiece, with a facade of three gold and silver stacks of boxes, encased in metallic interlocking circles. Its modernity is a stark contrast to many of Birmingham’s Georgian and Victorian city buildings.
There are so many contrasts in Birmingham. From friendly Brummies who affectionately call you “bab”, to heavy metal rockers. From red brick Victorian buildings to stark modernist architecture. I’m glad that this hidden gem, Birmingham, offered so many interesting experiences for travel beyond London.
How to get to Birmingham from London:
- By train
Duration: 1h 9min by high speed train, 2h 17min by regular trains
How: West Midlands Railway or Avanti West Coast trains
- By bus
Duration: 2h 45min
How: Flixbus or National Express
- By car
Duration: 2h 41min
