We visit much-loved Birmingham Museum as major area reopens to the public after five years
Discover the fascinating history of Birmingham as a much-loved museum exhibition reopens after a five-year closure, complete with immersive displays and rare objects.
After years behind closed doors, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is back in business — bit by bit. Since 2024, the city’s beloved museum has been reopening in stages, and just last week, another big piece of the puzzle fell into place: the return of the refurbished history galleries.
Already open are the museum’s iconic Round Room and two fresh additions — the playful Wild City and the interactive Pixel Studio. Now, they’re joined by a space steeped in stories: Birmingham: Its People, Its History.
We popped down to the museum to check it out - and chat with Toby Watley, Director of Collections and Estate at Birmingham Museums Trust, about what visitors can expect. (Watch the video above.)
The museum began welcoming visitors back last October, after a major redevelopment that followed its full closure in 2019. Until recently, only select areas — the Industrial and Bridge Galleries, Pixel Studio, Wild City, the café, shop, and a couple of temporary exhibition spaces — were open to the public.
That changed on May 2, with the return of a much-loved permanent exhibition covering over 850 square metres: Birmingham: Its People, Its History. First opened 12 years ago, the exhibition has had a fresh makeover and is once again inviting visitors to travel through the city’s past.
From Birmingham’s roots as a medieval market town to its rise as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, and on through Victorian highs and lows, wartime resilience, and suburban sprawl, the galleries shine a spotlight on the people who shaped the city. It’s a rich, gritty, and surprising journey — told through rare objects, local voices, and immersive displays.
Thanks to funding from National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund, this slice of Birmingham’s story is back on display — and it’s just the beginning.
More spaces are set to open soon. So if you’ve been waiting for the full museum experience to return, it’s time to start planning your visit.