I HAVE little choice but to like Birmingham: my wife hails from the city and my in-laws here would scarce forgive me if I didn’t. To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan at first, but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate the charms of England’s second city, not least its unflinching determination not to play second fiddle.
Birmingham’s ambition blasted across our TV screens last year when it hosted a highly successful Commonwealth Games. I wasn’t surprised as every time I visit there are a range of massive events on at the city’s multitude of venues and there are cranes swirling around at yet another new project. There is always something going on.
The first time I visited the city centre in the late 1990s, my impressions were of a sprawl of fast A-roads, concrete, and rundown shops. It has been transformed since then with striking modern architecture, like the revamped Bullring with its landmark Selfridges and tarted-up Victoria Square. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, renowned for its pre-Raphaelite masterpieces, is currently being reborn too.
Trams ease around a core that is much more pedestrian-friendly too. And it is a shopping joy – my teenage daughter loves shopping here with the world’s largest Primark the star attraction. The Bullring may be a modern mall, but it has heritage as a market that was held on the site back in the Middle Ages. When you tag on the adjacent Grand Central – connected via a link bridge – together they form the biggest city centre shopping centre in the UK.
By Scottish urban standards, much of Birmingham’s history is modern, the city only really emerging during the Industrial Revolution as a manufacturing powerhouse. A glorious legacy of that golden age is the network of canals – all 35 miles of them! As with so many of Britain’s major engineering projects, Scotsmen were at their heart, with Thomas Telford at one point overseeing work on the whole network.
Birmingham’s Brindley Place is the epicentre of the remaining network. In the last couple of decades it has been reborn as a leisure oasis, all cafes, bars and restaurants. Then there is the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham and the hulking Utilita Arena, just one of the city’s bountiful events venues.
On my most recent Birmingham foray over Christmas, I set off to explore the canals further, sweeping on foot from the city southwest in search of Bournville – yes that Bournville – of Cadbury fame. The 9km route eased to Birmingham University, down tree-shrouded sections that felt miles from the city and by houses with sitooteries lining the banks.
The go-to destination in Bournville is, of course, Cadbury World. It really does look all Willie Wonka – even the railway station is bedecked with Cadbury purple railings. It’s immense fun for kids and big kids alike – you get to see the production, learn about the history of Cadbury’s and, of course, stock up at the chocolate shop at the end.
Given its immense size, Birmingham, like London, is not just one destination, but a collection of villages or quarters. The Jewellery Quarter does what it says on the bejewelled tin. Moseley and now Stirchley are up-and-coming areas with lively nightlife, Birmingham’s versions of Finnieston.
When I first came to Birmingham, Digbeth was pretty down at heel too. It’s still got a raffish edge, but some money and a fair dash of creativity has been injected into Digbeth. The most visible signs are the murals on the sides of buildings – similar to Glasgow’s mural trail. Head around the Custard Factory and Floodgate Street by day to take a look at striking pieces of public art.
One unmissable district is the Balti Triangle. This Balti culinary phenomenon was brought to the city by Pakistani immigrants. The “Balti” refers to the wide metal dish in which the delicious curry arrives. It’s best accompanied by rice and one of the seriously oversized naan bread that many of the Balti houses offer.
I leave this time knowing when I return to Birmingham there will doubtless be more innovative modern architecture and yet another new project or two. And the beauty of Birmingham today is that I don’t even have to tell a white lie when my in-laws ask if I like their city. If you’ve never been – or have just not been for a while – I suggest you explore this dynamic city.
EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly to Birmingham from Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a flurry of train connections available too from all over Scotland
