Devon House

Chamberlain Memorial Fountain

Chinese Quarter · 0.6 miles

The Chamberlain Memorial, also known as the Chamberlain Memorial Fountain, is a monument in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, England, erected in 1880 to commemorate the public service of Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914), Birmingham businessman, councillor, mayor, Member of Parliament, and statesman. An inauguration ceremony was held on 20 October 1880, when Chamberlain himself was present.

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

Digbeth · 1.2 miles

Thinktank, Birmingham is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it is part of Birmingham Museums Trust and is located within the Millennium Point complex on Curzon Street, Digbeth.

Back To Backs

Chinese Quarter · 1.2 miles

The city’s only surviving court of back-to-back houses offers a rare glimpse of the cramped, courtyard-based terraces that once housed thousands of industrial workers. Set on 50–54 Inge Street and 55–63 Hurst Street, the court lies adjacent to Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter and is run as a historic house museum by the National Trust, with an admission charge required. Inside, four separate dwellings have been restored and furnished to represent distinct periods – the 1840s, 1870s, 1930s and 1970s – illustrating how living conditions and interiors evolved over a century and a half. The original occupants were skilled artisans such as button makers, glassworkers, jewellers and tailors, many of whom worked from home; records show over 500 families lived in Court 15. By the early 20th century the ground floors had been converted into shops, later including a tailor’s premises once owned by George Saunders, whose voice now narrates his story in a recorded exhibit. The court received Grade II listed status in 1988, was surveyed by the City of Hereford Archaeological Unit in 1995, and was restored by the Birmingham Conservation Trust before opening to visitors on 21 July 2004. Visitors reach the site on foot from the Chinese Quarter; the museum is operated by the National Trust and charges an entry fee. No additional facilities are detailed in the source material.

Edgbaston Reservoir Local Nature Reserve

Ladywood · 1.2 miles

70 acre site, less than two miles from the City centre is a site of historic importance, designed and built by Thomas Telford in 1827 to supply his new Main Line Canal. Friends of the Reservoir came together in 1990 to protect and promote the site.

Galton Valley Canal Museum

Smethwick · 2.5 miles

Visitors to Smethwick can explore the development of the Galton Valley canals at a modest museum set beside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line, on the town’s border with Birmingham. The exhibition explains how the canals were designed, constructed and operated, and it is run by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Admission is free, although the venue does not provide wheelchair access. The museum is listed by Historic England and forms part of the heritage centre that occupies the former New Smethwick Pumping Station. The pumping station itself opened in 1892 to lift water from the lower Birmingham New Main Line to the higher Old Main Line, a function that ceased in the mid-1920s as canal traffic fell. After a brief wartime use and a period of vacancy, the building was restored in the late 1980s and later incorporated into the Galton Valley Canal Heritage Centre. In 2011 the museum moved from its earlier Brasshouse Lane location to this historic site, where it is opened occasionally by the Sandwell Museum Service and the Friends of Galton Valley. Because of limited space, many objects were transferred to the Smethwick Heritage Centre in Victoria Park. The site also references James Watt’s original Smethwick Engine, now displayed at Birmingham’s Think Tank Museum, with tours of the original location arranged through the Galton Valley museum. The attraction earned a Silver award for Best Small Visitor Attraction at the 2009 Black Country Tourism Awards.

Lapworth Museum of Geology

Metchley · 3.1 miles

The Lapworth Museum of Geology is a geological museum run by the University of Birmingham and located on the university's campus in Edgbaston, south Birmingham, England. The museum is named after the geologist Charles Lapworth, its origins dating back to 1880. It reopened in 2016 following a £2.7 million redevelopment project that created new galleries and displays, as well as modern visitor and educational facilities.