6 Quaint Places In Birmingham You Didnt Know Existed

From the outside, Birmingham may seem like a concrete jungle. While the city is packed with high-rise buildings and lined with shops, the UK’s second city is also home to a number of quaint places to take a look at when you’re visiting for the first time.

1. Cannon Hill Park

Park

Treat yourself to a day at Cannon Hill Park and you won’t be disappointed. This 250-acre park – just south of the city centre – houses an abundance of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Take mac Birmingham for example; a free-to-enter renowned arts centre with its own amphitheatre and café, right in the middle of the park. Surrounding the picturesque waterside is the park’s very own mini golf – and in the summer you can rent pedalo boats. If that wasn’t enough, to one side you’ve got the Wildlife Conservation Park, and to the other there’s Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

2. Aston Hall & Gardens

Park

Aston Hall in Birmingham © Birmingham News Room Flickr

Aston Hall is a stunning, 16th century Jacobean house, which sits pretty in the north of the city. Now owned by Birmingham Museums, Aston Hall is operated as a popular visitor attraction in the city and hosts a number of tours and events throughout the year. The house’s gardens are free to enter, though there is a small admission fee for entry to the 17th century red-brick mansion, which was once the home of James Watt Jr.

Aston Hall, Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 6JD, England, UK

Aston Hall and Gardens | © Andrew Callow/Flickr

3. Bournville village

Cottages

Set up by the Cadbury family during the construction of their model village for factory workers, this picturesque village is a great stop-off for history fanatics. In the early 1900s, George Cadbury and co. built cottages, schools, a church and other amenities to ensure their staff were kept happy within the vicinity of their workplace. The village is still home to some of the original 20th century facilities, including its famous school and clocktower, rest house and cricket pavilion.

Bournville, Birmingham, England, UK

Bournville village green shops | © Elliot Brown/Flickr

Harborne

Harborne is a picturesque Victorian village in the south of Birmingham, just three miles away from the city. Though its high street may seem like a chain-haven, the outskirts of Harborne manage to retain a country feel, mostly thanks to its array of historic, local-feel pubs, large Victorian-era houses and the popular walking trail in the space of a disused railway line. Harborne is full of character and should be checked out.

Harborne, Birmingham, England, UK

5. Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

A fully restored Baroque garden, Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is another quaint area of the city to visit. Set over a 10-acre walled space, the gardens are officially Grade II listed with the house being built in 1599. Following a period of restoration during the mid-20th century, the gardens are now a sight to behold and its Holly Maze is a distorted mirror image of the one at Hampton Court Palace.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Chester Road, Birmingham B36, England, UK

Castle Bromwich Hall and Gardens | © Tony Hisgett/Flickr

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