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BIRMINGHAM HERITAGE WALKS
WELCOME TO BIRMINGHAM BONANZA WALK
The walk starts at the mediaeval centre around St Martin’s Church and the Bullring including the latest `shop till you drop’ iconic building of Selfridges. Did you know that approximately 16,000 aluminium discs reside on a concrete background painted in Yves Klein blue! Follow the time line to Victorian Birmingham and the 21st century of Queen Elizabeth II. Discover the hidden secrets of the city - where is the little black dog, the smallest woman? New Street, Victoria Square, Centenary Square, the ICC, Symphony Hall, Brindley Place. The walk finishes at Gas Street Basin to look at the canal system which played a major role in the industrialisation of the city – learn about Birmingham’s unique past, architectural heritage and the people who put Birmingham on the map.
This is the ultimate Birmingham walk which can be used for any event.
Finish your walk with a visit to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Walks by appointment at any time of the year. Minimum numbers or minimum charge applies. Contact Birmingham Tours on 0121 427 2555 or 078051 15998.
Start point: St Martin's Church main entrance at 1pm - these walks take place on a Saturday.
Dates: 10th May, 17th May, 24th May, 31st May, 7th June, 14th June, 21st June, 28th June, 5th July, 12th July, 19th July, 26th July, 9th August, 16th August, 23rd August, 30th August, 6th September, 13th September, 20th September, 27th September.
Time: 1pm – lasting approximately 1 hour. Cost: £4.00 per person on the day if spaces available, £5 per person through the Tourist Centre Ticket Shop, children under 10 free of charge.
MORE CANALS THAN VENICE WALKS
A guided tour around the Silver Cross – starting from Gas Street Basin the walk encompasses the Old Turn Junction, Oozel Street Loop and the flight of Farmer’s Bridge Locks on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. Find out how the Duke of Bridgewater influenced the development of the canal network. Where was Birmingham's first gas works? Can you find the site of Cadbury's first chocolate factory and on the site of which restaurant was the first recording of the Archers made in 1951.
Start point: The Canal Shop, Gas Street Basin
Dates: 14th June, 21st June, 5th July, 19th July, 26th July, 2nd August, 9th August. These walks take place on a Saturday. Walks at any time of the year by arrangement.
Time: 11am – lasting approximately 1 hour. Cost: £5 per person through Birmingham Tours or the Tourist Centre Ticket Shop – limited availability, suitable for children over 12. Check out: www.waterscape.com.
Contact Birmingham Tours on 0121 427 2555 or 078051 15998. Finish your walk with a trip on a narrow boat - check out Party Boats Birmingham on 0121 236 7057 (07931 648239) or Sherborne Wharts on 0121 455 6163 email@sherbornewharfs.co.uk.
DIAMOND JEWELLERY QUARTER WALK
A unique guided tour around the Jewellery Quarter learning about its colourful past and present day glory. Visit St. Paul’s Square, the last remaining Georgian Square in Birmingham and the `jewellers’ church where Matthew Boulton, pioneer of the Industrial Revolution worshipped. Discover the architecture of the buildings around the square particularly those converted into workshops called `shopping’ where jewellery of all sorts has been manufactured over the centuries. Find the `Golden Triangle’ and marvel at the Chamberlain Memorial Clock, Key Hill cemetery – where many of Birmingham’s illustrious citizens are buried, Warstone Lane cemetery – site of the glacial War Stone and the Druids grave, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, the Pen Museum, the Assay Office to name but a few of the fascinating sites on this hidden gem of a walk!
Finish your walk with a visit to the Jewellery Quarter Museum.
Walks by appointment at any time of year. Minimum numbers or minimum charge applies. Contact Birmingham Tours on 0121 427 2555 or 078051 15998.
GREEN MAN WALKS
The Green Man was carved by mediaeval masons on many churches and cathedrals. He has a face with foliage growing from his mouth, his eyes and nose. He is believed to symbolise the spirits of nature or re-birth. He has links all over the world. He is sometimes called `Green George, `Jack in the Green’, `John Barleycorn’ and `Green Knight’. He became less common during Elizabethan times but enjoyed a huge resurgence in the Victorian building of Birmingham. In Birmingham city centre there are 25 sites containing over 150 Green Men.
WALK ONE is around the Colmore Row and St Philip’s area and, for those that are after quantity, has the greater `Green Man per footstep’ ratio.
WALK TWO is a longer walk covering the New Street, Corporation Street and Bull Ring areas.
Both walks are delivered in a fun, light hearted, entertaining way and last approximately 2 hours. Places on walks needed to be reserved in advance. All you need is a sense of humour, good eyesight and imagination – and a pair of binoculars will help!
These walks are led by Birmingham born Dr Colin Harris who, as well as having experience in education, has spent many years running walks on this and other subjects.
Contact Dr Colin Harris on 0121 745 1803, 07791 520422 or email him by clicking here.
TOLKEIN WALKS
J.R.R. Tolkein one of England’s finest fiction writers spent most of his early life in what is now modern Birmingham. The places and people of the time led to the creation of Middle Earth and his great books The Hobbitt and Lord of the Rings. By what can only be described as a miracle many of his childhood haunts have survived to the present day.
Guided tours by appointment at any time of the year for groups of between 9 and 12 people. If you do not have a group, your name can be added to a list to make up a party.
Contact Bob Blackham on 0121 444 4046 or email him by clicking here.
WHERE THE LUNAR MEN LIE - INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WALK.
St Mary’s Church, Handsworth, overlooking a recently rejuvenated Handsworth Park, is noteworthy as the resting place of the chief progenitors of the industrial age, being described, on that account as “the cathedral of the Industrial Revolution”. Visitors are invited to take a guided stroll through aisles of lime trees, discovering the churchyard’s rare black poplars and gaze on clusters of memorials to 19th century residents, including inventors, manufacturers and scientists – of whom the most notable – Matthew Boulton, James Watt, William Murdoch – lie within the Church.
This one hour tour, which takes in graveyard and church, will be led by Simon Baddeley, honorary lecturer at Birmingham University, Handsworth resident, and a founding member of the Friends of St. Mary’s Churchyard.
Dates and meeting place to be announced. Donation to the Friends of St. Mary’s Churchyard. Contact Simon Baddeley on 0121 554 9794, mobile 07775 655842 or email him by clicking here: Find out more about St Mary's Church here.
HANDSWORTH PARK HISTORY TOUR
The Grand Opening of Handsworth Park took place, amid much public pride and excitement, on 20th June 1988. At that time, the Park was less than half its present size and was called “Victoria Park” after the Queen. It was so well received that it quickly expanded and by 1901, many thought it the most beautiful park in the city. By the 1960’s, however, Handsworth Park became less popular. But from the 1990’s, public campaigns supported by city leaders attracted major Lottery money. A new park began to take shape. Historic walls and railings were rebuilt. Mud was cleared from the ponds. Planting of trees, shrubs and flowers brought back colour and beauty. Old gates were reinstated, two fountains were returned and new seats allowed people to again relax and enjoy the views. In 2005 the bandstand was restored and on 8th July 2006 the Lord Mayor reopened a restored Handsworth Park.
This tour led by the park’s local historian and co-founder of the friends of Handsworth Park will involve a relaxed stroll around Handsworth Park and an account of the park’s controversial beginning at the height of Birmingham’s industrial expansion, its long success and the reasons for its decline and the circumstances of its revival at the turn of the 21st century.
Dates and meeting place to be announced. Donation to the Handsworth Park Association. Contact Simon Baddeley on 0121 554 9794, mobile 07775 655842 or email him by clicking here. Learn more about Handsworth Park here.
CHILDRENS WALKS & TALKS
Guided tours from St Martin’s Church to Brindley Place. These are fun, light hearted, entertaining walks discovering how Birmingham developed, the names that made Birmingham great and how many animals, fishs and birds can be found! Sit on the steps near St Martin’s and find the cockrel, see the fish in the pond of the Floozi in the Jacuzzi, where is the little black dog Ebony in Victoria Square? NEW FOR 2008 - talks at your school - slide show suited to your school study and the year group by arrangement.
Walks by appointment at any time of the year. Minimum numbers or minimum charge applies. Contact Birmingham Tours on 0121 427 2555 or 078051 15998.
