Ian Jelf's Walking Tours for Groups

Around Birmingham

Birmingham - the basics!

Think you know Birmingham? Then think again! Wonder why anyone would want a walk around Birmingham? Once more, think again! This is the ultimate introduction to one of the world's most surprising cities, a voyage through time from mediaeval field lines to a twenty first century redevelopment to match anything else in the world. En route we hear of Georgian gentry, Victorian social reformers, and postwar planners. Not to be missed!

Birmingham 2 - Off the beaten track!

Away from the historic and redeveloped core of Birmingham we wander through areas that most visitors and even locals miss. We explore part of the city's famous canal system, find a forgotten railway, a gift from China and even a ghost, before exploring some of the best Victorian architecture in Birmingham.

Birmingham 3 - Birmingham's "Dirtey End"!

We walk through an area of change to find Birmingham's secret river and even learn the secret behind the discovery of custard powder! Add a Civil War battle and a mediaeval tavern and you have the ingredients necessary to discover the most secret part of the City. This is a walk through an area of change and upheaval, encompassing the mediaeval markets of the famous Bull Ring as well as Digbeth and Deritend, the High Street of Birmingham in Tudor times.

Birmingham 4 - "Made in Birmingham"

This offbeat walk takes us well off the beaten track to discover the story of the men and women, some great engineers, others toilers in the City's factories, who made Birmingham great. Railway and canal engineers, architects, Birmingham's oldest radio station and what was once "the toughest street in town" all feature in this most unusual of tours.

Birmingham 5 - from Saxons to Selfridge's!

Birmingham's Bull ring is now the talk of the country with the opening of its new state-of-the-art shopping centre. Everyone's attention is now focussed on the ultra-modern malls and the "distinctive" new Selfridge's building.  But while this tour includes these, it also goes back in time to the era of smiths and tanners from which the world's first true industrial city grew.

Be prepared for the unexpected, which include mediaeval knights, back to back houses…….and what cow dung has taught us about Birmingham's past!  It is in some ways the most riveting story in Birmingham!

Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter - all that glistens

Unique in Britain, Birmingham's celebrated Jewellery Quarter started off as a plush Georgian suburb before succumbing to the advance of small-scale industry. Today, jewellery workshops rub shoulders with retail outlets and modern apartments but the alleyways and squares of this most individual of areas still resound with a past just waiting to be discovered.

Ghostly & Grisly Birmingham - the unexplained side of city life

And now (as they say) for something rather different.......

This Birmingham Walk is something of a departure, looking this time as the City's more grisly, ghoulish past. Through the darkened streets we go, hearing tales of a murder (or two), some ghostly theatrical goings on.......and the tale of Birmingham's most (in)famous corpse. Bring a stout heart, warm clothing and a sense of adventure!

Bournville - More than a Chocolate Factory!

The name Bournville is renowned the world over as the home of Cadbury's Chocolate. But fewer people realise that the Cadbury family also developed perhaps the world's finest "Garden Village" around (but quite separate from) their factory. On our tour we hear of the man who made it all possible, see how he went to extreme lengths to create a "lived in" community and even take a look at one of his wedding anniversary presents!

Moseley Village - a walk that could get Hobbit forming!

A stroll around Birmingham's suburbia to sylvan Moseley, a place apart with a village atmosphere which is to Birmingham what Hampstead is to North London. With its connections with the author J.R.R. Tolkien, Moseley is now in the limelight more than ever with the release of the "Lord of the Rings" films. But we find that there's much more to this elegant suburb, which boats listed buildings and an ancient church and even an example of Anglo-Saxon humour.

Sutton Coldfield - Discover the "Royal Town"

The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield has never quite recovered from being "swallowed" up by its big neighbour Birmingham in 1974! This stroll around the "royal and ancient town" reveals a great deal though about its fascinating past, including a much-married King, a benevolent Bishop and even the occasional commoner!

Solihull - The Town in the Country

Solihull is often seen by outsiders as an extension to Birmingham. In fact, the town still often referred to as "the village" by locals is a quite distinct community with a heritage all its own and a regular finalist in the "Britain in Bloom" competition. During our stroll we look at the town's past and present, with stories ranging from a Saxon Archbishop to the first motor car used at a wedding!

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© Ian Jelf. This site was last updated on 20 November 2003 .