Checked off all of Birmingham’s landmarks? Stuck for a few more places to visit? We hear you. So here are some of the more obscure places within Birmingham to get out and explore!
The Walk of Stars.
Forget about the Hollywood walk of fame, take a walk down Birmingham’s Walk of Stars!
Head down to Broad Street (a 20-minute walk from New Street Station), it’s right by Brindley Place. The walk celebrates 31 local heroes from Lenny Henry to Ozzy Osbourne, the pavement is full of stars celebrating the people of Birmingham and the Black Country who have helped put Birmingham on the entertainment map.
Newman Brothers Coffin Works.
Just around the college from University College Birmingham on Fleet Street, you’ll find the Newman Brothers factory that hasn’t changed a bit since the factory’s heyday in the 1960s. Alfred and Edwin Newman opened the business in 1882, originally casting brass for toys and jewellery. But they soon found their coffin castings were the most profitable products, and this became the primary business. Coffin decorations made at the Newman Brothers factory would adorn the final resting places of Winston Churchill, the Queen Mother and Princess Diana.
The company didn’t update after the 1960s, so walking into the factory is like stepping back in time. How cool would this obscure Birmingham place be for a Insta pic or three! Entry costs £7.50 and you can find out all about the Coffin Works here.
Birmingham Moor Street Railway Station.
No doubt you will have been to the Bullring and Grand Central by now and probably caught a train either from or to the hideous concrete cavern underneath of New Street Station – especially if you’re living with Host at The Metalworks or Host Student Apartments.
But did you know just a 5 minutes’ walk down Swan Passage leads to you the fully restored art-deco masterpiece of Birmingham Moor Street Station?
In the late 1980s the main station terminus was closed, with a new station being built next to it, but, following local rallying, the original building was completely restored in 2002 to its 1930s splendour with local trains plus intercity services to London.
Methodist Central Hall and the Victoria Law Courts.
A few minutes walk from the Bullring and Birmingham City Centre, you’ll find one of the most impressive yet obscure Birmingham places. Thanks to its imposing tower of red terracotta brick. Located at the northern end of Corporation Street, the building’s main hall seated 2000. And its original street-level frontage is now occupied by shops. The Central Hall should have been part of a £35 million project which would have seen it transformed into a hotel complete with a rooftop bar & terrace. But even in its current state, it’ll make a cool insta pic!
The opposite side of the road to Central Hall you’ll find the Victoria Law Courts finished in the same terracotta brick as Central Hall. First opened in 1891, the building housed the Crown Court until 1988, since then it has been home to Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. It’s still the largest single court complex in Europe, housing 22 courts.
The interior is a sight to behold and you can usually visit the public areas to take a look but hopefully, you’ll never see the inside of the courtroom! For that Instagram pic, the exterior is just as beautiful – remember it’s actually illegal in the UK to take photos inside any court building when it is open.
Living with Host in Birmingham? We would love to know what’s the most obscure place within Birmingham that you’ve discovered?
