Birmingham has an incredible number of old buildings – many of them built more than 500 years ago.
When we think of Birmingham’s history, we often think of the city’s contribution art, culture and music - it’s the home of Black Sabbath and the Peaky Blinders. The city also led the Industrial Revolution from 1760 to 1840 and was hailed as the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’.
But we’d be amiss to forget the older history of Brum. The development of Birmingham as a city is said to date back to 1166 when Lord of the Manor Peter de Bermingham obtained a charter to hold a market on his land around the site where the Bullring is today.
We’ve taken a look at 12 of the oldest buildings still standing in Birmingham today:
1. The Church of St Laurence, Northfield - 12th century
The Grade I listed church dates from the 12th century and contains some of the finest Early English work in the county. It also has a rare 14th-century timber porch outside the south door. The north aisle was added in 1900 by George Frederick Bodley | Google
2. The Old Crown, Digbeth - Founded in 1368
Located in Digbeth, The Old Crown is Birmingham’s oldest pub and the oldest non-religious building in the city. This Grade II listed Tudor building has a rich history, including a rumoured visit by Queen Elizabeth I in 1575 | Facebook
3. Saint Nicolas’ Church, King’s Norton - 1213
A church on this site has been recorded in documents since 1213. It is not known if this was the result of a rebuild of a previous church. The current St Nicolas’s Church dates from the early 13th century and the spire was constructed between 1446 and 1475 | Google
4. The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Aston - 1480
The church is one of the city’s oldest buildings. It has many high quality monuments dating from 1360 to 2018. These include 3 chest tombs commemorating the Arden family who were ancestors of William Shakespeare. There is also a Shakespeare window. | Google