The UK's second city has a capacity to surprise, partly because many people come here with visions of a grey, industrial place. But it has spruced up its act, writes JAMES HELM
WHAT IMAGES does the UK’s second city conjure up for you? Bullring shopping centre, Aston Villa, Cadbury, Simon Le Bon, curry, UB40, Jasper Carrott and that unmistakeable accent?
Whatever is in your mind’s eye, it could be time to revise your views of Birmingham. To say that the city has a lot to offer is a bit like suggesting that Duran Duran once knocked out a couple of songs.
The list of things to do, places to see, children’s events, galleries, restaurants, museums, matches and concerts seems to go on for ever. It is as bewildering as trying to navigate Spaghetti Junction, the notorious knot of slip roads and motorways on the city’s outskirts, except much more fun.
Birmingham has a capacity to surprise, partly because many people come here with low expectations and visions of a sprawling, grey industrial place and partly because it has spruced up its act. If you haven’t been for a long while, then you may not recognise parts of the city centre.
We crammed in the attractions. Our highlights included a trip to the theatre, a chocolate overdose, meeting hungry sharks, learning to swordfight at a world-beating castle, getting a taste of Premiership action, enjoying some great food and staying in a really good hotel. Thankfully, there was enough walking between to undo any indulgences.
And indulgence is what Cadbury World is pretty much about. Having tucked away a fair few of those purple-wrapped bars in my time, going there felt like a pilgrimage. For the children, it was as if they had discovered their very own golden tickets and won a visit to meet Willy Wonka himself.
In Bournville, a few kilometres from the city centre, we heard about the origins of chocolate, saw the production line, had a go at writing our names with the stuff, saw films on its evolution and, yes, got to eat lots of it.
On arrival, as we handed over our tickets we were handed back a bagful of chocolate bars to eat. Halfway round, in case we were getting peckish, more were dished out. At the end of the tour there was the chance to buy some more.
The children wallowed in it all, as did their sweet-toothed dad. Thankfully, our trip was before Lent; otherwise it would have been torture.
Birmingham has a world-class cultural scene, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, ballet, theatre, pop and more. The Rep theatre, the Symphony Hall and the National Indoor Arena are clustered together, and the quality on offer here and in the city’s other venues is excellent.
Birmingham’s canals, once the lifeblood of England’s industrial heartland, have been the focus of much work, and they are now lined by cafes and bars. The city’s Jewellery Quarter has also been transformed. Yet even Birmingham’s most ardent advocates could not call it a beautiful city. The panorama, in the centre, at least, is a sea of concrete, office blocks, car parks and dual carriageways. If you come for the views then you are in the wrong place, but don’t write Birmingham off the moment you emerge from the depths of New Street railway station or step out of your airport taxi.
A short hop from the city centre is Millennium Point, itself a gleaming example of imaginative modern architecture. We visited the Thinktank science museum, which was a good match for inquiring young minds, with lots of interactive exhibitions for children. If you’ve ever been thrilled by W5, in Belfast, then you’ll love this place, too. Next door, in the Imax cinema, we donned our 3-D specs and felt as if we were diving with the monsters of the deep that leaped out of the big screen towards us.
Next it was on to the National Sea Life Centre, always a winner, where we crowded in to see turtles as they swam around our perspex tunnel, to marvel at stingrays close up and to gaze at young sharks and piranhas.
In Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion, the city hosts two Premiership soccer teams. (The other club, Birmingham City, slipped out of the top flight last year.) We saw a game at Aston Villa’s home, Villa Park, where Irishman Martin O’Neill has moulded a fine young team that is pulling in the crowds after years of underachievement.
The ground had a great family atmosphere, and the game was good (despite Villa’s suffering a rare defeat).
Birmingham’s large Asian communities have ensured that, if you are going to enjoy a curry anywhere, this is the place to do it. There are upmarket places and more basic, furry- wallpaper types, plus hundreds more between. An area of the city has even become known as the Balti Triangle.
If you yearn for gentler architecture and a sight of green fields, then Oxford, Shakespeare’s Stratford and beautiful Shropshire are all easy day trips. We went to Warwick Castle, which was a step back to medieval times (plus ice creams and a car park) and a fantastic day out.
Warwick Castle, whose grandeur has survived the ravages of history, lived up to our high expectations, and earned the accolade of “one of the best places in the world” from our delighted seven-year-old. He perfected his swordsmanship in free lessons in the shadows of the castle’s towering ramparts. His brother tried archery, while we all watched a falconry display and saw a mighty trebuchet, the giant catapult used in 15th century warfare, swing into action. The various “medieval” hosts cooked up pots of pigs’ trotters and gave us bloodcurdling demonstrations of medieval warfare. We loved it.
The instant verdict from our two elder boys? “Brilliant!” Not a word I had ever previously associated with Birmingham, I readily admit, but then this place enjoys surpassing the expectations of its visitors.
** www.visitbirmingham.com. James Helm was a guest of Marketing Birmingham
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go if you’re in the city
5 places to stay
Malmaison. The Mailbox, 1 Wharfside Street, 00-44-121- 2465000, www.malmaison- birmingham.com. Centrally located, with good food and a lively bar.
Crowne Plaza. Holliday Street, 00-44-8704-009150, www.crowneplaza birmingham.com. Close to Malmaison and to the city centre’s concert and conference venues.
Hotel du Vin Bistro. Church Street, 00-44-121-2000600, www.hotelduvin.com. On the site of the former Birmingham Eye Hospital. Now part of the revitalised Jewellery Quarter. Stylish, with bistro, spa and gym.
Jurys Inn. 245 Broad Street, 00-44-121-6069000, www.jurysinn.com. Very centrally located. Rooms from £69 (€77).
Hardingwood House. Fillongley, Warwickshire, 00-44-1676-542579, www.sawdays.co.uk. Out of the city, yet within range of Birmingham’s attractions. Doubles £75 (€84).
5 places to eat
Bank. 4 Brindleyplace, 00-44-1216-334466, www.bankrestaurants.com. Beside the canal, big and airy with an outside terrace, a great menu and good service.
Simpsons. 20 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, 00-44-1214- 543434, www.simpsons restaurant.co.uk. Michelin-starred restaurant in a leafy suburb a couple of kilometres from the city centre.
Shimla Pinks. 263 Broad Street, 00-44-1216-330366, www.shimlapinks.com. Probably the best known of the city’s upmarket curry restaurants.
The Mash House. Waters Edge, Brindleyplace, 00-44-121-6432707, www.mashhouse.co.uk. Simple yet effective menu, with 11 types of sausage that change on a daily basis, and mash galore. Great for children.
Purnell’s. 55 Cornwall Street, 00-44-121-2129799, www. purnellsrestaurant.com. One of three Birmingham restaurants with Michelin stars, Purnell’s is the stage for acclaimed local chef Glynn Purnell. Try the seven-course menu gastronomique (£65/€75) and enjoy the atmosphere in this Victorian building.
5 places to go
Thinktank. Millennium Point, Curzon Street, 00-44-1212-022222, www.thinktank.ac. An innovative science museum with permanent exhibitions and a rolling programme of visiting attractions. The BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs will feature from May.
National Sea Life Centre. 3a Brindleyplace, 00-44-121- 6436777, www.sealife europe.com. See creatures from the deep at close quarters.
Warwick Castle. 00-44-8704-422000, www.warwick-castle.com. From Easter a new attraction, Warwick Dungeon, will open, with the same blood and gore as London Dungeon. The castle is open from 10am to 5pm until April 3rd, and 10am-6pm after that. Warwick is about 40km from Birmingham, off junction 15 of the M40, or a train ride from Birmingham Snow Hill station. Entry for a family of four costs £45 (€50).
Aston Villa. Villa Park, 00-44-1213-272299, www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk. Check online for ticket availability to experience the Premiership in action.
Cadbury World. Bournville, 00-44-845-4503599, www.cadburyworld.co.uk. A whole day out at a chocolate factory. You can see how it’s made and learn the origins of the brand, as well as eating plenty of it, too. A family ticket (two adults, two children) costs £40 (€45).
Where to shop
Bullring. 00-44-121-6321500, www.bullring.co.uk. The epicentre of shopping in the city, slap bang in the heart of Birmingham. No matadors, just loads of retail rambling to be had in a newly-refurbished setting. The complex includes one of the city’s modern icons: the Selfridges department store designed by the visionary architect Jan Kaplicky, who died in January.
Check out
The Custard Factory. Gibb Street, 00-44-121-2247777, www.custardfactory.co.uk. Crazy name, lively place. Built, as hinted in the name, as a custard factory back in the 1880s. Now a creative hub and home to galleries, a theatre, cafe-bars, offices and a nightclub, all of which surround an ornamental lake.
Go there
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) flies to Birmingham from Dublin and Cork. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin, Derry and Shannon.