Digbeth Historical Tour: Explore Public Art and Peaky Blinders Filming Locations
5.0
75 Ratings
West Midlands
Discover the rich history of Digbeth, the birthplace of Birmingham, on a guided tour. Explore public art, Peaky Blinders filming locations, and the area's transformation into a modern city.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Bullring Shopping Centre Walkway - We start by the Bull statue
- St. Martin in the Bull Ring - We walk past this historic church
- Digbeth - We walk the streets of Digbeth and discover the origins of Birmingham as well as the modern city. We see atmospheric areas that are full of public art and which will form the backdrop for the filming of the Peaky Blinders feature film.
- Custard Factory - The bome of Birds custard this is a bohemian part of the city and includes grafitti art in the most unexpected places.
- Old Square - We stop and look at the public art in Old Square
- Great Western Arcade - This is an amazing Victorian shopping arcade now full of modern shops and eateries. We aim to stop here where if you wish you can buy a lunch. You can even buy take away food and eat it in the ‘not for profit’ pub in the arcade.
What's Included
- Live audio receiver for clear guide listening
- Bring your own earphones (3.5 mm jack) or obtain for a charity donation
What's Not Included
- You need to bring earphones for the audio system or we can provide at cost. (£1)
Additional Information
Perfect for individuals curious about this unique neighborhood where Birminhgam was established. We explore the evolution of it, from a trading hamlet to becoming the world’s industrial hub. The popular TV show Peaky Blinders is set in this very district, along with the neighboring Small Heath, and it’s also the planned production location for the forthcoming feature film. The neighborhood is home to various expressions of public artwork and features ambient canals and modern infrastructure developments like the HS2 in the works. It presents an enthralling combination of bohemian elements amidst a city that’s constantly remodeling itself. The tour is scheduled such that you could also participate in our Saturday afternoon journey from the Library of Birmingham, for an all-rounded experience! The guide for the Digbeth tour is Jonathan Berg, a local author who’s penning the book ‘Birmingham’s Public Art’, scheduled for publication in 2023.
Location
The Bull by Laurence Broderick
We meet at the Bull statue. Look for the guide wearing a Positively Birmingham walking tour coat or T-shirt
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(75 Ratings)
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Gl847
Apr 1, 2024
Entertaining and informative tour - Fabulous tour on Saturday. It was really great for our group and Jonathan led it brilliantly. It was entertaining and informative - we all loved it and plan to do other guided walks with Positively Birmingham in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gl847
Mar 31, 2024
Informative and entertaining walk. - Fabulous tour yesterday. It was really great for our group and Jonathan led it brilliantly. It was entertaining and informative - we all loved it and plan to do other guided walks with Positively Birmingham in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z1973vtchadk
Mar 30, 2024
Great experience - Jonathan was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining as he pointed out public art works and shared the history of Bham
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gl847
Mar 30, 2024
Informative and entertaining Spring Stroll - Excellent dog friendly tour covering just over 4km in 2 hours. Jonathan’s tours raise money for the Birmingham charity Sifa Fireside, a
charity working on homelessness based in Digbeth. £34,000 has been donated since 2016.
We visited the ancient area where Birmingham began as a market hamlet and discovered where the Peaky Blinders film will be produced by Stephen Knight. Jonathan pointed out public art of all descriptions, as well as canals and modern developments including the HS2 railway line.
Jonathan was an energetic, fun and informative guide. We will definitely book again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jaimemj485wh
Mar 27, 2024
I would repeat it! - Excellent I love it!, the explanation was awesome I love it. I'll do it again. I went with my family. They are ~twentyish old for them was ok.
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Iainn2013
Mar 25, 2024
Digbeth brought to life - A really eye opening tour of the Digbeth area .
Starting by the bull at the Bull Ring, we were given a fascinating glimpse of the history of Digbeth - finding out part of the area used to be a deer park for instance!
Jonathan showed us the full range of public art, mainly focused on street artists. Their work is exciting, and Jonathan's enthusiasm brought the artists and their work to life.
An outstanding 2 hours. The technology of headphones worked perfectly - we could hear everything Jonathan said.
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Johnkc9134hv
Mar 23, 2024
So good my knee didn’t hurt - This was a Christmas present and because I have a dodgy knee I was going to drop out when my knee gave in.
It was so interesting and engaging that I lasted to the end.
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611hilarym
Mar 22, 2024
Walking tour for Blossomfield u3a - We engaged Jonathan to run a walking tour of Digbeth for our u3a Local Studies group (22 people). Although based on his public Digbeth tour, Jonathan was more than happy to modify the route to suit our group (including ensuring that it was fully wheelchair-accessible).
The (unsolicited) feedback we received from the group after the end of the tour was all excellent. For example, one participant commented “it was nothing like the visit I expected but Jonathan's enthusiasm was amazing, his insight into Birmingham street art fascinating and some of the history behind the Digbeth area enlightening. A new way of looking at the area.”
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O2444tbmaryw
Mar 22, 2024
Free art for all - the lesser known side of Digbeth - What Jonathan doesn't know about Birmingham street art isn't worth knowing. We had an excellent walk and talk, made so easy to hear with earphones (take your hearing aids out first). He has such an easy, fluent delivery, full of interesting facts about the street art and the artists responsible. The skill which goes into these large works of art is unbelievable. Well done, Jonathan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shirleycourse1
Feb 18, 2024
A fantastic tour lead by a great guide. - We learned a lot and Jonathan covered history, art, politics and of course, Peaky Blinders. His passion for street art and Birmingham really came through. The tour was a fantastic way to learn more about the city, we really enjoyed it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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