Walk through centuries at Aston Hall and the city's historic houses
Step into the restored Jacobean mansion at Aston Hall, where the rooms still bear the scars of English Civil War cannon fire and period furnishings transport you to the 1620s. The house was built between 1618 and 1635 and has hosted literary giants—Washington Irving visited and drew inspiration for his 'Bracebridge Hall', while Arthur Conan Doyle walked these same rooms. Admission to the grounds is free; entry to the house costs £8 for adults. If you visit in December of an even-numbered year, return for Aston Hall by Candlelight, when the whole grounds illuminate for 17th-century festivities.
For a glimpse of Tudor Birmingham, Blakesley Hall preserves a timber-framed farmhouse from 1590 with authentic candlesticks and pewter goblets on display. Closer to the city centre, Birmingham Back to Backs—the last surviving set of 19th-century cramped working-class houses—opens by guided tour only, offering a raw view of how ordinary Birminghamians lived during the industrial boom.
Discover Pre-Raphaelite paintings and the city's art riches
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery holds one of the most extensive Pre-Raphaelite collections anywhere, and it also houses part of the Anglo-Saxon hoard—the largest discovery of Anglo-Saxon gold metalwork ever found, unearthed just north of the city in 2009. The permanent collection spans local history and contemporary work, including the Gas Hall and Waterhall Gallery of Modern Art. Entry is free (donations welcome), though note that as of August 2025 some galleries are undergoing refurbishment.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts on the University of Birmingham campus curates an excellent small collection of eclectic works with notable Pre-Raphaelite holdings. It was named Britain Guide gallery of the year in 2004. Entry is free. IKON Gallery, set in Brindleyplace, showcases temporary installations of modern and conceptual art with an excellent café for a break between galleries.
Explore the industrial past at factories, mills and the Lunar Society
Sarehole Mill, built in 1765, stands as a fine example of the more than fifty water mills that once powered Birmingham's economy. Matthew Boulton used it for button-making and metal rolling before relocating his operations to Soho. The mill later became the childhood haunt of J.R.R. Tolkien in the late 1890s, and its woodland setting famously inspired The Shire in The Lord of the Rings. Admission to the grounds is free; the house costs £6 for adults. The mill is open April to October, Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 AM to 4 PM (closed Mondays except Bank Holidays).
At Soho House in Handsworth, enter the elegant home where Matthew Boulton—the industrial pioneer who transformed Birmingham—hosted gatherings of the Lunar Society from 1766 to 1809. Here some of the most important scientists, engineers and thinkers of the era met to discuss ideas that shaped the modern world. Entry is by guided tour only (11:30 AM, 1 PM and 2:30 PM); adults pay £7. Nearby, The Coffin Works in the Jewellery Quarter preserves the Newman Brothers factory, which operated from 1894 to 1998 and decorated the coffins of Sir Winston Churchill and Joseph Chamberlain. Guided tours, highly recommended, run at 1 PM, 2 PM and 3 PM; adults pay £6.60.
For something sweeter, Cadbury World south of the city centre at Bournville offers factory tours that cover the history of chocolate and the Cadbury company, with a brief glimpse of the factory floor and free samples. Entry begins at £24 if booked online.
See science, geology and the stories behind Birmingham's making
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum at Millennium Point, fills its spaces with hands-on activities, vehicles and industrial machines that illustrate how Birmingham became a centre of innovation. The IMAX cinema is housed in the same building. Hours are daily 10 AM to 5 PM during school holidays (last admission 4 PM).
The Lapworth Museum of Geology on the University of Birmingham campus displays rocks and fossils across galleries redesigned in 2017. It was shortlisted for the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award following that major redevelopment. Entry is free.
Experience spiritual architecture and the sacred spaces of many faiths
St Philip's Cathedral on Colmore Row stands as a Grade 1 listed Baroque church built between 1709 and 1715 by architect Thomas Archer. Inside, four spectacular pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows by Burne Jones catch the light and draw the eye upward. The cathedral is open Monday to Friday 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM (5 PM from late July to early September) and Saturday to Sunday 8:30 AM to 5 PM.
The Birmingham Peace Pagoda in Ladywood, close to Edgbaston Reservoir, rises with its gold roof as a striking sight in the inner city, a physical expression of peaceful practice in the heart of a working neighbourhood.
Birmingham's story is written in its buildings—from the mills that powered the Industrial Revolution to the galleries that now hold the works of the Pre-Raphaelites, from the Jacobean mansion bearing Civil War scars to the Victorian terraces where writers and visionaries found inspiration. Begin planning your visit by choosing which layer of that history calls to you first.