Ingenuity, adaptability and sheer hard work are the values
that have created the city we love and enjoy today. The vision of
Birmingham's earliest industrialists is equally matched in the present
day by the driving force of our entrepreneurs, champions and citizens.
Birmingham has a rich industrial history which is now preserved
in many museums located all over Birmingham city centre and outside
the city centre boundaries. Many museums are preserved buildings
which are restored to the time period in which they were most significant.
The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery looks over Chamberlain
Square. It contains collections of archaeological findings, ethnography,
natural history and social history and also hosts exhibitions
in adjacent halls.
The Birmingham Thinktank is one of the newest museums in the
city which replaced the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery Science
Museum. It is part of the Millennium Point complex in the Eastside
area of Birmingham.
Aston Hall is a large hall in Aston built between 1618 and 1635.
It is now preserved, along with gardens, with free admission.
The Birmingham Back to Backs are the last surviving court of
back-to-back houses in the city. They are decorated in different
time periods to give visitors an idea of what living in each house
was like during different decades.
The Jewellery Quarter in Hockley is the largest concentration
of dedicated jewellers in Europe and the Museum of the Jewellery
Quarter shows the history of the area and the building it is situated
in. The interiors are maintained to the standard to what was found
when the building was first accessed after being abandoned.
Sarehole MillSarehole Mill is a water mill museum in Hall Green.
J. R. R. Tolkien lived within 300 metres of the mill between the
ages four and eight, and would have seen it from his house. This
makes the mill a favourable destination for fans of the author.
Blakesley Hall is a Tudor style house in Yardley which has been
preserved as an attraction along with the gardens and a visitor
centre.
The Gun Quarter was once the foremost gun manufacturing community
in the UK and now contains a wide range of Victorian style buildings.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is both an art gallery and
concert hall. As well as housing some famous works by Vincent
van Gogh and Pablo Picasso, it also has one of the worlds most
detailed and largest coin collections. In 2004, the gallery received
the title, Gallery of the Year.
Cadbury World is a museum showing visitors the stages and steps
of chocolate production and the history of chocolate and the company
which started on Bull Street in the city centre. However, the
museum is located in Bournville.