Birmingham is a massive city with an area of 267.8 sq km, and even someone born here is unlikely to have seen all of it. However, there are some unique places hidden around the city. If you consider yourself an urban explorer, this list will help you.
Whether you are new to Birmingham or are an old-timer, you are likely to find something new in this list that you can add to your weekend plans. You can rediscover your city thanks to the massive number of places to explore it has to offer.
From nature reserves to old homes and museums, Birmingham and its surrounding areas has much to offer to visitors and residents. Every old city has layers and layers of stories within itself that can be unpeeled - and there would still be more to know.
Here are 24 hidden gems that will take you away from the usual shopping centres, and into interesting corners that have a unique story behind it:
1. Warstone Lane Cemetery Catacombs
Warstone Lane Cemetery Catacombs or Brookfield Cemetery has a secret catacomb. It was established in 1848 and burials took place until 1982. It looks like a semicircle just like a Roman amphitheatre. (Photo - Tony Hisgett/Wikimedia Commons) | Wikimedia Commons
2. Peace Pagoda, Edgbaston
The Peace Pagoda or the Dhamma Talaka Pagoda in Edgbaston opened in 1998. It was planned by scholar and meditation teacher, Aggamahapandita Rewata Dhamma to enshrine the Buddha relics of the former Burmese royal family. (Photo - Google Street View) | google street view
3. Birmingham Back to Backs
The Back to Backs is a carefully restored, atmospheric 19th-century courtyard of working people’s houses. It has a second-hand bookstore as well. (Photo - NotFromUtrecht / Wikimedia Commons) | NotFromUtrecht / Wikimedia Commons
4. Archeological remains at Sutton Park
Sutton Park has a number of previously unrecorded archaeological features, spanning prehistory to the present day. The park is home to Bronze Age burnt mounds (associated with hot-stone technology), and one of the best-preserved Roman roads in the country (part of Ryknield Street). (Photo - Getty Images/iStockphoto) | Getty Images/iStockphoto