Birmingham rewards a visit many times over with its wealth of museums, marvelous public spaces, historic buildings and myriad other sights, sounds and attractions. It is a city with a rich and varied industrial history taking in everything from the first steam engine to button, buckles, clocks and chocolate.

Peter de Bermingham obtained rights of trading in a Market Charter granted in 1166 by King Henry Ii. By the mid-16th century there were some 1,500 people living in 200 homes as well as one main street and a number of side-streets, markets for grain and livestock and mills for tanning. Already the smiths were selling their knives and all manner of tools throughout England. This growth was helped along by the demands of the Parliamentarians who during the Civil War needed a virtually endless supply of swords, pikes and armour. So it was that Birmingham emerged with a strong reputation as a metal centre. The above map is from 1731.

By the 1750's the population had swelled to over 20,000 and by the time of the Industrial Revolution Birmingham had become the industrial, commercial and cultural capital of the Midlands.

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