Top Rated Attractions in Birmingham

Birmingham City Center, like mentioned in the short description is certainly a business paradise for all. Having said that, this center is divided into seven areas, City Center Core being the main one and hence the name. The rest being Greater Convention Center Quarter, Digbeth Millennium Quarter, Bull Ring Markets Quarter, Jewelery Quarter, Gun Quarter and Aston Triangle. So, from production of jewelery and firearms to your daily shopping, it all happens here. A must drop by especially if your in this metropolitan city of Birmingham.

The epicenter of the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham was once known as the 'city of 1001 trades'. A master of reinvention, the city has shed its once gritty, industrial vibe towards a more contemporary, cultural outlook with institutions like the City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, International Convention Center, and Coffin Works paving the way for cultural exploration. Georgian-era landmarks like St. Paul’s Church, Victorian-era Law Courts and the Neo-Gothic St. Martin’s Church offer a glimpse of a bygone era while the Selfridges Building and Library of Birmingham serve as a modern symbol of the city's evolution. With a vibrant dining, theater and nightlife scene, the city offers much along its canal-lined streets and is a powerhouse of modern British life.

Birmingham has a long tradition of non-conformist religion, and this fine building stands as a monument to that tradition. It beautifully complements the Victoria Law Courts (almost opposite), as it too is in terracotta; its tall spire is a major landmark. Friezes in the doorway depict scenes of preaching and of firefighting. There are regular Sunday services and the Chinese Christian Church also holds its services here.

Perhaps more closely resembling a totem pole, this enjoyable and unmistakable modern sculpture stands as a memorial to Birmingham industrialist James Watt. The obelisk features a large block of stone, on top of which is another with the crude beginnings of a carved human head. On top of that is a third block, with more recognizable features, then another, which is still more sophisticated. The final head, at the top of the pile, is the smallest and is recognizably that of James Watt. The Wattelisk is located in front of the new Queen Elizabeth Law Courts, just off Corporation Street. Open everyday.

A real architectural gem, the foundation stone to this beautiful terracotta building was laid by Queen Victoria herself in 1887. It's not to be confused with the modern Queen Elizabeth Courts in nearby Dalton Street: not that you could confuse the two. This monumental edifice is lavishly decorated with fine sculptures and prompted a rash of terracotta buildings elsewhere in the city. The russet architectural marvel is as inviting as it is exotic. It is now home to the city's Magistrate Court

Placed in Old Square in the city center, this statue honors comedian Tony Hancock who was born in Hall Green, Birmingham in 1924 and tragically committed suicide in 1968. Hancock was the archetypal "man in the street" and his radio and television programs, Hancock's Half Hour, are seen as classics of British comedy. The monument itself is of a modern style; a huge flat image showing Hancock's face with some quotations around the statue base. It was unveiled in 1996 by Sir Harry Secombe.