Birmingham has one of the most vibrant arts and cultural scenes in the UK outside London and is also home to some of the best venues too. Symphony Hall (Cente-nary Square, www.necgroup.co.uk/visitor/ symphonyhall) is a world renowned concert venue and home to the critically-acclaimed City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra(www.cbso.co.uk). The Birmingham Rep is also located in Centenary Square and has a year-round programme of productions (www.birmingham-rep.co.uk). The Hippodromere-opened in 2002 after a £30-million facelift and as well as staging regular touring productions, is home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet (www.hippodrometheatre.co.uk).
The visual arts are also a central part of Birmingham’s rich cultural life—Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (www.bmag.org.uk) in Chamberlain Square and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (www.barber. org.uk) on the Selly Oak campus of Birmingham University (a 10-minute train ride from New Street) both house internationally-acclaimed collections. The Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace (www.ikon-gallery.co.uk) offers more contemporary exhibitions, while St Paul’s Square in the Jewellery Quarter is home to both The New Gallery (www.thenewgallery.co.uk) and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (www.rbsa.org.uk). The MAC (Midlands Arts Centre, www.macarts.co.uk) in Edgbaston offers a year-round programme of performances. Sport enthusiasts are well catered for, with the city providing homes for two Premiership football teams—Aston Villa FC (www.avfc.co.uk) and Birmingham City FC (www.bcfc.com)—as well as reigning cricket champions Warwickshire CCC (www.thebears.co.uk), while Test matches are regularly held at its Edgbaston ground. For those with a sweet tooth, Cadbury World (www.cadburyworld.co.uk) provides extensive tours of the giant factory (15 minutes’ train ride from New Street) and tells the story of the Cadbury family and their role in helping to create the village of Bournville. Soho House in Handsworth (www.bmag. org.uk/soho_house) is the elegant former home of industrial pioneer Matthew Boulton, where he met with some of the most important scientists, engineers and thinkers of his time. Known as the Lunar Society, they were behind some of the key inventions and innovations of the 19th century. Finally, for Lord of the Rings fans: JRR Tolkien gained much inspiration from childhood haunts in Birmingham; you can take the Tolkien Trail devised by Birmingham City Council (www.birmingham.gov.uk).
Excursions
Walking Birmingham is a great city to explore on foot. To plan your trip contact Marketing Birmingham (Tel: 202 5116 or Email: info@marketingbirmingham.com). Details of what to do and where to go are also available at www.birmingham.org.ukThey’re based at Millennium Point, which is also home to Thinktank—the award-winning new interactive science museum within a five-minute walk of the center (Tel: 202 2222 or go to www.thinktank.ac).
History For an insight into the rich history of Birmingham, take a tour of the last remaining examples of the traditional back-to-back houses dating back to the 1840s. Located in Hurst Street, next to the famous Hippodrome theatre, the once derelict block has been painstakingly and faithfully restored by the National Trust (Tel: 753 7757, www.nationtrust.org.uk). Canals Birmingham reputedly has more canals than Venice and various companies operate tours. Exploring the towpaths is a great way of discovering the city; use Brindleyplace and the Gas Street Basin as your starting point. For information contact British Waterways (Tel: 200 7400 or go to www.waterscape.com)