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Photo: Graham Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Internationally renowned concert venue with two to four classical concerts per week. Also offers free pre-concert talks.
Symphony Hall is a 2,262-seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events a year. It was completed at a cost of £30 million. The hall's interior is modelled on the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The venue, managed alongside Birmingham Town Hall, presents a programme of jazz, world, folk, rock, pop and classical concerts, organ recitals, spoken word, dance, comedy, educational and community performances, and is also used for conferences and business events as part of the International Convention Centre.
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A modern convention centre sharing a building with Symphony Hall.
The Rep
Well-established theatre putting on classical and modern plays. Supports new work through The Door.
Small gallery with two or three temporary modern and conceptual art installations. Excellent cafe (see below).
The new library building at Centenary Square was opened in September 2013 to replace the 1970 Birmingham Central Library nearby (demolished 2016). It is the single largest public library in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. The building was designed by the Dutch firm Mecanoo architecten, and took four years to build. It includes an intricate facade decoration, despite the very simple form of the building, as well as a number of innovative sustainable features. To explore the building take the lift to the top (9th) floor to see the Shakespeare Memorial Room, a fine wooden panelled library, which used to be in the city's library built in 1882. There is also a viewing window to look over the city. There are outside garden spaces on the 7th and 3rd floors which give different city views. The four lower floors house the public library, laid out in impressive style.
Large sea life centre with a multitude of aquatic animals, including piranhas, turtles, sea horses, rays and otters. Feeding demonstrations throughout the day.
A war memorial built in 1925 for the 12,320 Birmingham citizens killed in the First World War.