Birmingham - Aug 2026
| Birmingham - Aug 2026 | |
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We had frequent traveller points to burn with Choice Hotels. There aren't many options in this
chain in the UK. We had already visited the one in Arundel in West Sussex, so our next option was in
Birmingham (Comfort Inn). We decided to take the train due to car parking costs near the downtown hotel.
Liz dropped us off at Highbridge and Burnham train station in the morning. We changed trains in
Bristol and arrived at Birmingham New Street Station.
We had planned for a 12-15 minute transfer time in Bristol, but we were delayed and had to run (walk very fast) between platforms. We sat down in our seats with one minute to spare before our train departed. The train ride wasn't as entertaining as we had hoped because there were lots of hedges and trees along the line so we couldn't see much. In particular, we had hoped to see views of the Cotswolds but we didn't. It was comfortable to arrive by train though. |
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| We arrived in Birmingham before we could check in at our hotel. Since we had a small backpack each, we decided to explore the famous Bullring shopping area. We learnt that it is called the Bullring because in the 16th century Jeff Cooper got a licence to do bull-baiting, where bulls were tied to an iron ring to be baited by dogs before slaughter. Happily none of that here now. | |
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While it can't quite measure up to Canadian and US shopping, it was quite big with
many stores and dining options. We quickly realized that Birmingham is not flat
and it has many levels of roads leading to similar confusion as in Edinburgh:
you arrive at a corner and find that you don't just want to turn right, you first
have to find some stairs to climb down to the roads below.
We found two of the main tourist attractions: Ozzy the mechanical bull in the train station lobby, and the bronze Bull in the Bullring. |
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| Because we were meandering willy-nilly we stumbled across the original Bullring markets laid out on one level with stalls for oh so many things. Fruit and veg of every kind - Rob was reminded of Dhaka (Bangladesh) with the number of different eggplants. Material stores with those specialising in saris. | |
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| Sea food and meat stalls with things we wouldn't even know how to cook. We learnt from a local that the market had existed since 1166. Market buildings with 600 stalls were from 1830s but much was destroyed by German bombs in 1940. It was since restored and functional again. Next year the stalls and buildings will be taken down to make way for high rises. Seems a shame since it was a bustling place even on a normal Tuesday afternoon. | |
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| During our stroll we had scoped out a few options for where to eat lunch. Choice fell on Chaophraya Thai Restaurant with Tom Kha soup, satay sticks and maize cakes. Delicious and Tom Kha was just like we remember it that first time in Bangkok in 1995. We spilled a drink glass and were quickly relocated to another table while staff cleared up the mess. | |
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Our next bit of exploring took us around the outside of the Bullring so Hild
could take a photo with Paddington. As it turned out it took us two days to find him.
From having been outside, Paddington had been relocated to inside Selfridges
next to the Medicine Bakery.
After stopping at Tim Hortons for familiar coffee, tea, and doughnut, we had a short walk to our hotel. Very convenient for the train station. Friendly staff and clean room and window that could open. Big kettle to make tea. What more could we ask? It would have been nice with a fridge for milk, but we have now learnt that having a fridge in your hotel room is a Canadian/US thing. We bought a sandwich and milk from M&S for evening meal later. Then we binge-watched the latest season of Clarkson's Farm. |
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| The next day was our main day for exploring. We set off to find the canals. It was lovely to find the canals well maintained with plenty of riverboats and restaurants along side. | |
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| Along the canal we climbed up to street level to see the famous Black Sabbath bridge. The bench celebrating the band has been there since 2019. There were many greetings hung up on the fence for Ozzy Osbourne who died earlier this year. | |
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We watched one canal boat work its way through Lock One on the Farmer's Bridge
section of Canal. It was built in 1789 and named after James Farmer,
a Birmingham landowner and gunmaker. The canal descends 25 meters in 13 locks.
We even met a guy from Alexandria in Ontario/Canada. He was enjoying a holiday in a canal boat. It didn't look like a relaxing holiday with all the work to get through 13 locks to get to the other side of Birmingham. Exhausting. |
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| Along the way, we also tracked down the Indian restaurant Rajdoot. They were not open for business so we just took photos. According to Martin, this is where he enjoyed his first ever curry when he lived nearby in the 1980s. We wonder if the decor has changed at all... | |
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| We learnt the lesson that distances are short here, and we covered the interesting bits on the canal quickly. So we extended our hike to include the Jewellery Quarter. The area has a rich history dating back to the 18th century for jewellery manufacturing. It was clear that there are still many jewelers in the area. | |
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| We also didn't know that there is such a thing as a Pen Museum. Yes, a museum celebrating the making of fountain pens. At one point in the 1800, the pen factory employed 8,000 people (mostly women). They supplied more than half of the world's steel pen nibs. The things we learn! | |
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| On our way back to downtown, we stopped by St. Paul's Church from 1779. We just took some photos from the outside. | |
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| Next stop was Birmingham Cathedral. Then we did go inside to view the beautiful stained glass windows. It was such a surprise because the windows don't look special from the outside. | |
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| Along our way, we also found a very fancy building for the Birmingham Town Council on Victoria Square. | |
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| Not being terribly into just looking at old buildings, we were more fascinated by the bollards that turned out to be movable security gates. Looked a lot like Daleks! See video below. | |
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The next square along our sightseeing route was Chamberlain Square with a memorial fountain- built in 1880
in honour of Joseph Chamberlain - a businessman, councillor, mayor, and MP.
On the stairs near the fountain we found Sir Thomas Atwood (or at least a bronze likeness).
He was a politician and economist campaigning for the Reform Act 1832.
The act increased the number of people allowed to vote. Before the act
about 500,000 men were allowed to vote. After the act between 700,000 and
800,000 could vote. Not women yet though.
The page in his hand signifies his 1817 writing: "Prosperity Restored, or, Reflections on the cause of the public distresses, and on the only means of relieving them". We are clearly not familiar with his body of work.... |
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| We had planned this route to end up at the University of Birmingham library. It is a spectacular building to look at. We wanted to enjoy a snack and the view on either of the outdoor terraces or the observation deck at the top. Sadly these were all closed this week since someone had fallen off (or jumped?) and there was an investigation pending. So we took a photo of the shiny outside of the building and went on our merry way. | |
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| We had not expected to meet the three golden boys: The three men are celebrated for their roles in the industrial revolution in late 18th century England. The skills of James Watt with his steam engine and William Murdoch with his gas lighting were harnessed by Matthew Boulton in a company that made everything from tableware and copper coinage to steam engines. | |
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| Our day was rolling along nicely, so we decided to also add a side trip to the Custard Factory area in Digbeth. It is just a short walk from the Bullring. The area is known as the bustling creative quarter of Birmingham. The factory was built by Alfred Bird in 1906 to make Bird's Custard - our favourite! The surrounding area has lots of art installations including a drift-wood sculpture similar to Groot alongside many big murals. | |
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| We're not sure when art becomes graffiti and vice-versa, but very colourful displays indeed. | |
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| We like this parking lot which showed what could happen if you stayed too long, maybe? Squished cars stacked high! | |
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| While the area has mostly industrial buildings - some renovated and some falling down - we also found The Old Crown from 1368. Good mix of history. | |
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| At one point during the day we spotted this rather derelict building overgrown with weeds and small trees. We are not sure what the purpose of the traffic cone on the roof was. | |
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| We followed part of the "Snoopy in Birmingham" art trail. Out of the 12 installations around town, we found 4. Admittedly, we didn't try very hard and found them largely accidentally. Our favourite was the book-themed one in the Mailbox building at the canal. It had book-puns like "A Tail of Two Lovers by William Shakespaw", "Lord of the Fleas", "Game of Bones", "Around the Garden in 80 Seconds", "Bark and Prejudice" and many more. | |
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| Just before we had to go to catch our train home, we made one last-ditch-effort to find Paddington. We ended up asking staff in Selfridges. They said that Paddington and his bench had recently moved from outside to inside the shop. Happily we found him and got the usual photo with him. | |
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| Our train journey home was largely uneventful - except for another sprint through Bristol station to make our connection to Highbridge/Burnham. Made it just in time. It was a lovely warm day, so we walked back home to our flat. Beautiful end to a great mini-holiday exploring Birmingham. |
Aug 2026