Birmingham is known as England’s ‘Second City’, Birmingham is the largest city in England after London. Being the world’s first manufacturing town, It’s also known as the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’.
Here are 5 things you must know about Birmingham
1-Cadbury World
The company was founded in 1824 by John Cadbury, who began his entrepreneurial journey by selling tea, and coffee, and drinking chocolate on the streets of Birmingham. Today Cadbury is one of the Fortune 500 companies in the world. It has transformed the neighbourhood of Bournville, and the entire city of Birmingham, forever.
“Cadbury’s” is by far the most liked chocolate brand by Brits. Also, if you were to ask someone from Birmingham what they thought their city of Birmingham is most famous for, they would probably also reply “Cadbury’s”.
2-Peaky Blinders
The modern phenomenon of the TV show Peaky Blinders that has taken the nation, and parts of the world, by storm, has also brought great attention to Birmingham.
The BBC has recently shone a light on the rich history of Birmingham with its hit success of a TV series Peaky Blinders, telling the story of a real gang that operated on the streets of Birmingham in the early 20th century.
With such high-profile actors as Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy playing big roles in the TV show, Peaky Blinders has captured the imagination of millions and, for the first time, put Birmingham in the limelight.
3- More canals than Venice
Yes, it’s true. Birmingham really does have more canals than Venice. In fact, Birmingham is known as the “ Venice of the north”
Its extensive network of waterways allowed Birmingham to become the world’s first manufacturing city and helped it rise to such prominence as a city.
These days, however, the canals are a much more peaceful place where you’ll find groups of people taking a stroll or enjoying an after-work pint at a waterside pub.
4- World’s Largest collection of Pre – Raphaelite art
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is more than just a cursory city centre gallery. It’s actually a place of significant artistic and historic importance that is home to the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite artwork in the world.
Not many people will know that the best of Birmingham also includes a huge artistic tradition, making it a wonderful place for a city break for art aficionados as well.
5- Digbeth
This little part of Birmingham, just a short stroll from the city centre, is part of the city where all the cool kids hang out. When you’re spending some time in Birmingham, Digbeth is well worth a visit if you want to escape the polished elegance of the city and experience the trendy independence of this neighbourhood.
