Birmingham Slogging Gangs Walking Tour: A Cultural Exploration with Edward Shelby

Join Edward Shelby, a former member of the Birmingham slogging gangs, on a cultural exploration of the city. Learn about the historical and cultural aspects of the gangs and how they differed from their portrayal in popular culture.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • West Midlands Police Museum - Here you learn about where the Birmingham Gangs were held before trial. Please note that we will not enter the museum.
  • The Gunmakers Quarter - Stop for a drink and learn about weapons in Birmingham and their impact on the slave trade.
  • Chinese Quarter - Here you will learn about international gangs
  • High Street - Learn about Birmingham’s impact on the tea trade.
What's Included
  • Fun and educational experience
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Parking Fees (£5 to £30)
Additional Information

Are you ready to become part of a Birmingham Slogging gang? If so, new recruits are welcome to join under the guidance of Edward Shelby, a seasoned member of the slogging gangs. He will guide you through the city and teach you about the gangs, highlighting how their reality contrasts with their depiction in popular culture. This tour, offered by the…

Location
Costa Coffee
Aston Street
Just look for the slogging gang member in the flat cap and cravat.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(296 Ratings)
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Skibeyond
Oct 27, 2025
A great walking historical tour of Birmingham - A very informative walking tour with an excellent guide in Ed who was very knowledgeable and sociable too- we all had an excellent historical tour of the good old gang days of Birmingham with very interesting information along the way. Ed was very chatty throughout and a pint was also had the 2nd oldest pub - The Bull- This is a very worthwhile tour and excellent value for money - even though it rained for a little while If your in Birmingham it’s a must do tour - thanks Ed - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Markcu9576ys
Oct 26, 2025
Very Informative - Edward took us on a comprehensive tour of the world of gangs in Birmingham, providing the truth behind what went on and dispelling some myths. There were some good stops at the West Midlands Police Museum, The Bulk pub and St Chad's church. There was a lot of walking but most of it was on level ground so you have to have a reasonable level of fitness but this should be within most people's ability. A great tour and it was reasonably priced for two and a half hours of history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louise_d
Oct 15, 2025
Sunday - Very pleasant, informative Sunday afternoon scroll round Brum to corners not visited before, even second oldest pub!
Review provided by Viator
Jakedakotaj
Oct 13, 2025
Best walking tour in town - Really enjoyed the tour and learnt a fair bit about Birmingham but the real star was the guide who had really good banter- it really makes a difference to have a guide who'll chat and is clearly very knowledgeable about the city. For me Birmingham is a bit of an odd one as a city but the tour helped me find my footing a bit more and will leave me with a more positive impression than expected:) Side note to the guide, feel free to come up to Scotland after we declare independence :P
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rupert_c
Oct 6, 2025
Great fun - would highly... - Great fun - would highly recommend. It is a Peaky Blinders tour, but its an interesting look back at the history of Birmingham
Review provided by Viator
Coralees2024
Oct 5, 2025
Informative tour and a great way to spend a couple of hours in Birmingham. - Great insight into the history of slogging gangs in Birmingham. Liked the role play and “Edward Shelby’s” story telling and the welcome respite from the weather at the historical Bull pub. Walked around areas of Birmingham that I’d not been to before! Particularly liked our dip into the Police Station museum.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
1walk
Oct 3, 2025
Exploring the past - Really enjoyed our tour great to know more about the Peaky Blinders and Birmingham. Had a great time and would recommend this experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard_m
Oct 2, 2025
Lots of fun. Our guide... - Lots of fun. Our guide was fantastic! Learned a lot about the history of Birmingham and England as a whole. Entertaining for those with and without Peaky Blinders knowledge. Would recommend to anyone coming to Birmingham!
Review provided by Viator
Roam05424138636
Nov 1, 2025
If you don’t know Birmingham, you will be the end of this tour - Really informative tour that takes you all over Birmingham city centre and gave us opportunity to explore areas we’ve never been before. Ed is a very good, knowledgeable guide, and really sociable so makes you feel at ease straight from the start. Highlights was definitely the visit inside the old police station and the drink stop in The Bull, definitely could’ve spent the afternoon in there sampling the different ales in the company of the pub cat! Only downside was the tour doesn’t end back at the meeting point, as advertised on TripAdvisor. Not the end of the world, but we had purposefully parked close to the meeting point so we could shoot off straight away and get back in time for childcare arrangements, but instead had a good 15-minute walk back to where we started.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
524alexya
Sep 22, 2025
The worst possible tour of Birmingham - Lovely chap running the tour but genuinely THE WORST experience of Birmingham possible. Takes you to the ugliest parts, friend’s smelly pub, through the train station mall, onto a chinatown roundabout, 4/5 times over and under the loud ring road, and stopping after tons of walking to share a single interesting factoid with a strange accent that not only is difficult to understand but also seems off for the character he’s trying to portray. Having seen other nice parts of the city I would recommend finding another experience to book!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $26
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).