Birmingham Local Information: 10 top things to know... more

  • 1. History of Birmingham

    Birmingham was declared a city in 1889. The Cadbury family company set up in the Bournville area of the city in the late 1800s. The Cadbury company’s international success made the region famous. Birmingham was known as the “City of a Thousand Trades” because it was a leading producer of pens, buckles, buttons, jewellery and guns. It played an important part in the Second...Read more World War because it had four aircraft factories. Ammunition, armoured vehicles and trucks were also produced in the city. As a result, Birmingham was bombed many times and a lot of its buildings were destroyed and many people killed. The city was rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s and in the 1990s it was given another major facelift. Read less

  • 2. Now in Birmingham

    Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city and is home to the National Exhibition Centre, which is the biggest exhibition centre in the UK. It is also a city known for its great shopping facilities. When industry declined in the 1970s, Birmingham suffered. The service industry has since taken over and many old factories and industrial buildings have been turned into entertain...Read morement or art venues. Cadbury World is now a family attraction in the Bournville area of the city where the company began. Read less

  • 3. Events in Birmingham

    Birmingham is home to Aston Villa Football Club and Birmingham City Football Club, so football matches are always high on the list of events in the city. The Baby Show and BBC Gardeners’ World Live are just two of the famous annual events to take place at the NEC. Birmingham’s Gay Village hosts the annual Gay Pride festival. The annual New Generation Arts Festival celebrate...Read mores fashion, music and art at venues around the city centre. Read less

  • 4. Attractions in Birmingham

    Visitors flock to Birmingham for a variety of reasons. As well as Cadbury World, the NEC and the city’s football clubs, there is the Thinktank science museum, National Sealife Centre and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Many visitors enjoy the National Trust Back to Backs - the last of the city’s back-to-back housing courts. These have been set up to demonstrate what ...Read morelife was like for people living in these properties from the 1840s to the 1970s. The historic Jewellery Quarter of the city has museums, jewellery shops, art galleries and listed buildings to enjoy. Read less

  • 5. Things To Do in Birmingham

    The BBC gives members of the public a chance to see themselves on TV at its Public Space at BBC Birmingham in the city centre. You can try reading an autocue to present the news or weather while friends and family watch you live on screen in another room. The huge IMAX 3D cinema in the city centre is an option for those who need a rest from all the shopping and sightseeing. The...Read more beautiful Birmingham Botanical Gardens are based in the Edgbaston area of the city. Read less

  • 6. Business in Birmingham

    Birmingham has become known as a meeting place, offering venues for every type and size of event. It is a thriving shopping city with centres galore to choose from. The Bullring hosts all the high street names, has 25 restaurants and is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK. Other centres include The Mailbox, The Pallasades, Pavillions and The Great Western Arcade. The ...Read morelist goes on, and markets and stalls fill in the gaps. Read less

  • 7. Transport in Birmingham

    Birmingham has its own international airport. By road Birmingham links to the M5 from the south west, the M40 then M42 from the south, the M1 and M6 from the south east and the M6 from the north. Birmingham New Street train station has good links to the rest of the country’s rail network.

  • 8. Entertainment in Birmingham

    The Birmingham Royal Hippodrome is a respected venue for ballet, comedy, dance, kids’ shows, musical and opera. The Birmingham Royal Ballet (formerly Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet) is based in purpose built premises at the Hippodrome and performs regularly there when it is not touring around the world. There are many music venues including the LG Arena, the National Indoor Ar...Read moreena and the O2 Academy Birmingham. Read less

  • 9. Famous Landmarks in Birmingham

    Probably the most famous Birmingham landmark is the NEC, which was opened in 1976 and has become an image associated with various annual events. The famous Jewellery Quarter is an area steeped in history with many listed buildings.

  • 10. Interesting Facts about Birmingham

    There are another 29 Birminghams in the world and one crater on the Moon called Birmingham.

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  • Free servicing on all new installations

    Free servicing on all new installations

    We are currently offering free servicing on any equipment installed between march and may 2012. This offer covers the first service visit on the equipment that has been installed, when a service agreement is taken out to cover your equipment. Regular maintenance is now your legal responsibility; air conditioning systems must be serviced twice per year to comply with Fgas regulations, and gas fired appliances, such as central heating boiler, must be serviced annually to meet Gas Safe regulations. Regular servicing is also a benefit to you, ensuring that your equipment runs reliably and efficiently, saving you money on your running costs and repair costs. It also qualifies your equipment for an extended warranty in many cases; for example if you take out a bi-annual service agreement on your new air conditioning equipment we can offer up to five year parts and labour warranties, meaning that in the case of equipment breakdown we would attend site, diagnose the problem, supply and install the replacement parts and re-commission the equipment, all at no extra cost to you. Please quote "Free Servicing Offer" when placing your order to qualify.
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Birmingham Events

  • 13 June 2012 - 17 June 2012

    BBC Summer Good Food Show

    This annual event takes place
    at the NEC for five days in
    June and sees celebrity chefs
    sharing their seasonal recipe
    ideas in the Summer Kitchen.
    There are 250 stalls at the
    show, displaying all the
    latest kitchen gadgets and
    must-have ingredients. Th ...more

  • 18 May 2012 - 20 May 2012

    The Baby Show

    The annual Baby Show event
    attracts visitors from all
    over the country, all hoping
    to get advice, hear the
    latest trends and buy
    everything they need for
    their little ones. The show,
    at the NEC, gives parents or
    parents-to-be a chance to
    shop for ...more

  • The Bass Music Festival

    June 2012 The BASS Music
    Festival celebrates black
    music and art and is made up
    of a list of events in venues
    around Birmingham. BASS,
    which stands for British Arts
    and Street Sounds, runs every
    year in June for a whole
    month. Some festival events
    ...more

  • 01 July 2012

    Latin American Festival

    Birmingham city centre goes
    Latin American crazy every
    year for this one-day event
    in July. This is an event
    suitable for all the family
    and gives revellers a chance
    to enjoy and learn about
    Latin American food, culture
    and music. The festival,
    w ...more

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Birmingham Blog

  • Quick-thinking son saves family from Walmley house blaze

    Jack Rees, a schoolboy from Sutton Coldfield, proved himself a hero when his actions saved the lives of his family and neighbours when there was a serious chimney blaze at his home. 11 year old Jack raised the alarm and alerted his neighbours who were unaware of the fire. His heroic actions meant that his parents could call the fire brigade and save an elderly couple who were in danger of being seriously hurt. Jack’s mum Angela said that without …

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  • Marie Curie Big Build project gets law firm’s backing

    The ambitious Big Build project spearheaded by Marie Curie Cancer Care has just received backing from trainee solicitors at Anthony Collins Solicitors in Birmingham. The project aims to build a brand new state-of-the-art hospice in Solihull and it is being substantially boosted by the trainee solicitors’ fundraising efforts. They hope to raise some of the £7 million needed for the hospice over the next two years. The hospice will provide state of the art facilities with bigger patient capacity and …

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  • Leonardo da Vinci art to be displayed at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

    Ten rarely seen drawings by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci are to be displayed in Birmingham in 2012. The sketches include a study of Leda, anatomical sketches, chariot designs, Helen of Troy’s mythological mother and an old bearded man which is thought to be one of the artist’s last drawings. The drawings have never been on permanent public display before because of the risk of light damage. The exhibition will be held at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery …

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  • Shropshire river rescue men hailed as life-savers

    A 22 year old soldier and 56 year old man are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a woman from a river in Shropshire. The two men saved a woman after they saw her in the River Severn near Washbrook Road in Bridgnorth. West Midlands Ambulance Service will be writing to the soldier’s commanding officer and the other man to recognize their efforts and thank them for their work: “to help a member of the public in extremely difficult and …

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