Birmingham is one of those cities that I've never had much cause to go to - somewhere in the middle that you rarely hear a great deal about. Granted, it's been put on the map in recent years thanks to the likes of the blue eyed, high cheek boned gang leader Tommy Shelby - but it has so much more to offer than the reinvention of men in caps, new themed bars and Race Day fancy dress. Sorry Cillian.
A few years ago my uncle met a Birmingham girl at a festival: they fell in love , he moved down from the North East, they got married and the rest is history. Having new family ties in Birmingham has given me the opportunity to start getting to know the city for myself. Perhaps I am wrong, unfair or even ignorant in calling Birmingham an unsung city. Maybe I've been missing something that everyone else has already been in on for years. Being from the North of England and Yorkshire within that - gives you a real sense of place, because they are two parts of the country with such strong cultural identities. I'm very used to being around people who are loud and proud about where they come from - their northern heritage or their Yorkshire roots. Birmingham is different. It happily sits: quietly, humbly and assumedly under the radar - not feeling the need to shout out louder than its northern counterparts. This self-effacing nature can at times make it hard to have a sensibility towards the city or to gauge its character. But its modesty is what makes it all the more interesting when you do discover something new.
According to my Aunty, "Birmingham has more canals than Venice". This is a fact that I am yet to be sold on, but I can say with certainty that Birmingham has a lot going for it in terms of green spaces: more parks than any other city in Europe and the biggest urban park in Europe in addition to that, Botanical Gardens, nature reserves and rows upon rows of trees. One of the first things I noticed on visiting Birmingham was the amount of tree-lined avenues it has. In Kings Heath, the leafy south suburb where my family live, you can see the house J R R Tolkien spent some of his early childhood growing up in. Just down the road from there is Moseley Bog, a hidden part of the city that was young Tolkien's playground wonderland. It's not hard to see why - stepping down the hill and into the tree root gnarled walkways, enclosed by a thick canopy of greens and browns - it's easy to lose yourself. The outside world becomes a distant memory - you could be any place, any time. Moseley Bog is said to have inspired much of the settings in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as did other local sites such as Sarehole Mill and Edgbaston Waterworks. You can undertake the Tolkien Trail to discover all these points of interest. On my last trip down to Birmingham in late spring this year I went to the Botanical Gardens for the first time - just as the daffodils had come into late bloom after a long cold winter and the magnolia trees were in full blossom.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens were designed by J.C. Loudon in 1829 and opened to the public in the summer of 1832.
Magnolia stellate, native of Japan.
Birmingham is a city with a wealth of diversity, which is strongly reflected in its arts and music scene. Again, with Birmingham, it's all about knowing where to look. Lots of its top cultural venues aren't always as central as you might expect. Places like Kings Heath and Moseley are great spots for soaking up some alternative culture. My personal favourite live music venue in Birmingham is a pub in Kings Heath called the Hare and Hounds. You can always count on it for some great live artists in a more intimate setting and the pub itself is a gorgeous victorian buliding with Art Nouveau wall tiles worth swooning over - if you happen to be that way inclined.
Digbeth is an area close to the city centre that is well and truly at the forefront of arts culture in Birmingham. Years of redvelopment of this former industrial hub have cemented its place as Birmingham's Creative Quarter. Rough around the edges, to say the least - it is an area scarred by industry: abandoned warehouses, railway arches and former factories make up the architecture here. It's a stark contrast to the green calm of the city parks. Proper pubs with character and history are easy to come by and great music can be found at Mama Roux's or the Night Owl, to name just a couple of places. In the middle of it all is the Custard Factory. Comprising independent shops, digital and creative businesses and studio and event spaces. It plays host to regular fairs, gigs, festivals and other creative events. Similarly, Centrala is another creative community space in Digbeth - bringing artists and like-minded people together through workshops, gigs, visual art events, galleries and an onsite café - with food inspired by its Polish founders. It's this independent, creative ethos that can be seen flowing throughout Digbeth, as literal as the Rea itself.
Alongside it's reputation as Birmingham's Creative Quarter, Digbeth is also known for it's connections with the Irish community. These connections began predominantly in the early 1800s, when Irish emigrants came to Birmingham in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Driven to escape the deathly clutches of the potato famine back home, they sought to find work building new canal networks and railroads. Ever since then, the Irish spirit has been at the heart of Digbeth. This can still be seen today in its pubs, The Irish Centre and the annual St Patrick's Day Parade, which is the biggest of its kind in the UK.
There's still a lot of Birmingham for me to explore - the Back to Backs and the Canal Systems are next on my list - so perhaps I shall be sharing posts from them in the future, but until then - go and check out all the understated cool this city has to offer for yourself.
Thanks for reading.
Beth