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| Birmingham Information |
| Welcome to Birmingham, a diverse and dynamic
city, vibrant by day and by night, a city where yesterday and today combine
to give you a glimpse into a city full of surprises. With its fascinating history and world-class cultural scene, combined with superb shopping, major international events and exhibitions, great nightlife and award-winning restaurants, Birmingham has a unique quality that brings with it an exciting and dynamic spirit. The creation of world-class attractions and facilities, such as The Water's Edge at Brindleyplace, an award-winning waterfront, it's pedestrian friendly squares and streets, coupled with venues such as the National Indoor Arena, Symphony Hall and the NEC Arena, the city resounds to world-class live music and sport, and ensures a city experience like no other. Cosmopolitan in its make-up, Birmingham is an exciting city, hosting a range of visual and performing arts and a variety of music and theatre, difficult to surpass. Home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham really is a city of world-class culture. A city located at the heart of a region full of history and heritage, beautiful quaint villages and access to lush rolling countryside - Birmingham really is a gateway to the heart of England! |
| Attraction |
| If you're looking for a destination that
offers you easy access to some of the UK's top attractions, look no further
than Birmingham and the heart of England. Major city attractions include Cadbury World (http://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/), showcasing the history of chocolate, the National Sea Life Centre (http://www.sealife.co.uk/), with 3000 creatures and the world's first 360 degree transparent tunnel, and the fabulous Jewellery Quarter with hundreds of individual shops producing over one third of the UK's jewellery. Whatever your interests, Birmingham and the region offers a host of fascinating museums, stunning art galleries, beautiful gardens, historic castles and houses, zoos and parks. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery : In Chamberlain Square, the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is famous for its excellent permanent collection of Pre-Raphaelite art. There's a room devoted to work by local lad Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-93) and you can see paintings by other members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (founded 1848), including Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Madox Brown. The museum has exhibitions celebrating the city's industries, and displays on local and natural history, ethnography and archaeology. Look out for William Morris' illustrations of Dante's Inferno and outside, Big Brum, Birmingham's answer to Big Ben. Don't miss the charming Edwardian Tea Room. Jewellery Quarter : If you've got someone to impress, look no further than Birmingham's atmospheric jewellery quarter. Only a 15-minute walk from the heart of the city, this part of town has been full of jewellers' workshops since the 16th century. The workshops are fascinating, and it can be a good place to find bargains. You may be lucky enough to catch the Craft & Antiques Sunday Market, which is on around once a month. At the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter visitors can look around the Smith & Pepper jewellery factory, which has been kept as it was in its heyday. There's the chance to see workers creating pieces on old machines, and to learn about the history of Birmingham's jewellery industry. The Canals & Brindleyplace : Birmingham's canal network goes right through the heart of the city. Visiting narrow boats moor at Gas St Basin, where the Worcester & Birmingham and Birmingham & Fazeley canals meet. If you fancy a go in the driving seat, you can hire a boat from here and have a turn on the tiller. Next to the International Convention Centre, Brindleyplace is a ?250-million (US$357 million) development comprising trendy bars and restaurants, shops and a theatre. In this complex, the Ikon Gallery features temporary exhibitions of video, photography, installations and other contemporary art. Collections are usually either exciting or ridiculous, you decide. Also in this area is the ever popular National Sea Life Centre, where you can stand in a glass tunnel and watch stingrays, sharks and other scary creatures swim past you. Barber Institute of Fine Arts : Built by Robert Atkinson (1935-39), this art gallery by Birmingham University is becoming quite a hot little attraction. The diverse collection includes drawings, paintings and sculpture from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Among the various works on display are pieces by Rubens, Turner, Gainsborough, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh; there are also some excellent Rembrandt studies. The guy on a horse outside the building is George I. St Philip's Cathedral : If all the modern buildings are beginning to make you feel Birmingham has no soul, check out the neoclassical St Philip's Cathedral, designed by Thomas Archer and built between 1709 and 1715. The stained-glass windows were created by local pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones when the building was extended in the 1880s: at the western end is the Last Judgement, and at the eastern end the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension. As those who've already been to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will know, Burne-Jones was a busy boy. In 1905 St Philip's beat parish church St Martin's to the position of city's cathedral, because it was in a swankier part of town. Cadbury World : For chocaholics this attraction should come with a warning sign. At Cadbury World visitors can learn the history of chocolate, see it being made, and, most importantly, sample the stuff! It gets very busy at weekends and during school holidays, so if you want to go then it's best to book ahead. Nearby Bournville village is sweet and happily fat-free (there's not even a pub). One of the world's first garden suburbs, the Quaker Cadbury brothers built it to house their workers at the beginning of the 20th century. In the village is Selly Manor, an attractive half-timbered house with Elizabethan herb garden which has been restored and opened to the public. To get to Bournville village and Cadbury World take a train to Bournville station from Birmingham New St. Canal cruises run from Gas St Basin in the city centre to Cadbury World. Soho House Matthew Boulton, inventor of the steam engine, lived in Georgian Soho House in Handsworth between 1766 and 1809. As befits a scientific innovator he installed central heating and plumbing, which may be why he had so many friends. The Lunar Society, of which he was a member, often held their 'brainstorming' sessions there. It has been restored to look as it did in the 18th century and visitors can admire some of Boulton's own furniture and effects. Displays chart the technological advancements of the time. Aston Hall : If stories of the roundhead-cavalier conflict turn you on, Aston Hall, 3mi (4.9km) north of the city centre, is a must. For Royalists the draw is the room where Charles I stayed in 1642. The other side will appreciate the gunshot marks on the staircase inflicted by the Parliamentarians during a battle with the Holte family for whom the Jacobean mansion was built (1618-1653). And for those who don't take sides, there are turrets, gables, plaster ceilings and friezes, and a panelled gallery that's over 130ft (40m) long - not to mention paintings by Romney and Gainsborough in the dining room. |
| Shopping |
| Shopping is, of course, one of Birmingham's
main delights and with the mixture of restored arcades, modern malls and
old-fashioned markets it all adds up to the character-filled and pleasurable
environment the city has to offer! With many special 'pedestrian only' streets, you can stroll at your leisure in a relaxed atmosphere, and although there are over 700 shops, this compact city layout is easy to get around, so you can enjoy all the benefits of shopping in the city with less of the hassle and more of the 'shop till you drop' experience. Whatever the influences of your wardrobe you'll find something to suit, with all the designer stores and labels are right here in Birmingham! Just wander through the many arcades to seek out a wide variety of more up-market designer shops such as Karen Miller, Jaeger, Sidewalk, and Gap - to name just a few! The arrival of world-renowned fashion house, Christian Lacroix, situated in one of the many new dynamic developments within the city centre, The Mailbox, will be sure to tempt you; and with high-fashion boutiques, stocked with the latest designer labels, nestled alongside the major names in high street shopping - you will certainly be spoilt for choice. If you want to take home gifts to impress, visit Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter where beautiful hand-crafted jewellery is on sale at less than retail price. Alternatively commission your own design from one of the many workshops. And don't forget the city's famous markets where you'll be sure to pick up a bargain or two! Birmingham City Centre has everything you'll need but, as you would expect, there are myriad more shopping centres and speciality shops littered throughout the city suburbs and the surrounding region. For example, visit the Black Country where glassworks such as Royal Brierley produce the finest cut glass crystal, or visit 'The Potteries', home to the factories of Spode, Royal Doulton and Wedgewood, or even investigate Walsall, home of leather. So go on, try a little retail therapy! Jewellery Quarter : If you've got someone to impress, look no further than Birmingham's atmospheric jewellery quarter. Only a 15-minute walk from the heart of the city, this part of town has been full of jewellers' workshops since the 16th century. The workshops are fascinating, and it can be a good place to find bargains. You may be lucky enough to catch the Craft & Antiques Sunday Market, which is on around once a month. At the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter visitors can look around the Smith & Pepper jewellery factory, which has been kept as it was in its heyday. There's the chance to see workers creating pieces on old machines, and to learn about the history of Birmingham's jewellery industry. |
| How to get there |
| Birmingham is one of the most accessible
cities in the UK. Situated in the heart of the country and well served
by all major forms of transport, travel to and from the city couldn't
be easier. By road : Birmingham lies at the crossroads of the UK's motorway system with direct links to the M6, M5, M1, M42 and M40. It is also at the centre of Britain's national coach network, connecting directly with 500 destinations. - American Airlines (http://www.aa.com/) - Birmingham International Airport (http://www.bhx.co.uk/) - British Airways (http://www.british-airways.com/) - British European (http://www.british-european.com/) By air : More than 25 scheduled airlines operate direct flights to over 58 destinations in Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Asia, including New York, Chicago and 13 capital cities. Frequent flights to the main European hub airports provide convenient connections to destinations worldwide. The airport is situated 8 miles southeast of Birmingham and, with its own mainline station next door, access to the city centre and London couldn't be easier. - Central Trains (http://www.centraltrains.co.uk) - Chiltern (http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk) - Railtrack (http://www.railtrack.co.uk) - Silverlinkm (http://www.silverlink-trains.com) - Virgin Trains (http://www.virgintrains.co.uk) By Coach: For information on coach times, fares and more, please visit National Express (http://www.nationalexpress.co.uk) Getting Around By Bus : For information on bus times, fares and more, please visit Travel West Midlands (http://www.travelwm.co.uk) By train : For information on local train times, fares and more, please visit Centro (http://www.centro.org.uk) The Midland Metro Line One is the brand new light rail link between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. By taxi : For information on taxis, fares and more, please visit TOA Taxis (http://www.toa-taxis.co.uk) Map Site : Try the following sites for general maps of the UK and Birmingham. Multimap (http://www.multimap.com) Street Map (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/) Easymap http://www.easymap.co.uk |
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