Birmingham’s a real treat for museum lovers and fans of the past! From dinosaur skeletons to Peaky Blinders and everything in between, here are our pick of Brum’s museums.
Birmingham didn’t gain the nickname ‘Workshop of the World’ for nothing! In its heyday in the 1910s, over 30,000 people made their living in Birmingham’s jewellery trade, and you can step inside this perfectly preserved workshop for a glimpse into this glittering past.
Nestled amongst Birmingham Hippodrome, the Gay Village and Chinatown, you’ll find the Back to Backs where you can explore the lives of the ordinary people who helped make Birmingham what it is today. While you’re there, you can check out a collection of clothes made by a 1970s Caribbean tailor and even pop into a second-hand bookshop.
Open to the public once every two weeks, the Museum Collections Centre is the main storage facility used by Birmingham Museums Trust. It’s an absolute treasure trove packed with almost a million items including aircraft engines, sculptures, cars, a giant spider crab and a retro chip fryer.
Another workshop-turned-museum, the Coffin Works invites you inside the factory of the Newman Brothers to immerse yourself in factory life. Alongside tours of the workshops, they regularly host performances, craft markets and, as expected, they go pretty big on Halloween!
Head down to Steelhouse Lane lock-up to discover what life was like on both sides of the bars! Take a guided tour to hear stories of two centuries of policing, or peek into the cells to find out about some of the prison’s most notorious inmates including the real Peaky Blinders.
Right in the heart of our City Centre campus in Millennium Point, you’ll find Thinktank. It’s a brilliant hands-on science museum and perfect for a family day out. Journey to the stars in the Planetarium, take a deep dive in marine life, or play in the Science Garden.
If you’re more into fossils, dinosaurs and ancient history, then this is the place for you with one of the most extensive collections of specimens in the Midlands. You can explore minerals, maps, scientific instruments and even a dinosaur skeleton. Plus, entry is free!
One of the last great Jacobean houses (despite its Civil War battle scars!), Aston Hall is reputedly one of the most haunted buildings in the UK. They regularly host night-time tours where you can explore the spooky surroundings, plus plays, music performances and food festivals throughout the year. It also boasts manicured gardens and is set in beautiful parkland, in case you have a hankering for the great outdoors.
