Birmingham Area Guide - SevenCapital

Regeneration
Transport Connections
Things To Do
Culture & Entertainment
Green Spaces
Drinking & Dining
Employment
Education
Map
Property for Sale

Located in central England, Birmingham is officially known as the UK’s “Second City” and for good reason. Birmingham is a young and vibrant city that is steeped in rich industrial history and holds a strong cultural significance that spans literature, food, music, art and so much more. It’s considered the birthplace of heavy metal music, inspiration for the world’s most popular fantasy author, JRR Tolkien, and home of the Peaky Blinders.

One of the best places to live

Birmingham has been voted amongst the best cities to live in the world, whilst its suburbs, Moseley and Harborne, often make the list of best areas to live in the UK.

Regeneration

As host of the Commonwealth Games 2022 and is currently undergoing substantial regeneration, including the development of HS2.

Employment

Many global company have chosen Birmingham for their company headquarters, including HSBC, BT and Goldman Sachs.

Recreation

With over 8,000 acres of green space and over 571 parks, Birmingham is the UK’s fourth greenest city.

BIRMINGHAM’S COMMONWEALTH GAMES AND REGENERATION

Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games has elevated the city’s status and acted as a catalyst for both direct and indirect investment across Birmingham and the West Midlands region, with a number of extensive regeneration schemes well underway. An estimated £778 million has been dedicated to improving the area and its facilities, with the Games predicted to contribute an extra £750million to the local economy.

HS2 BIRMINGHAM

Perhaps the most significant regeneration project is High Speed 2 (HS2), a new train line which will connect London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Phase 1 of this new line aims to link Birmingham with London and is already making great progress. Not only will this see the Birmingham to London journey time reduced to just 49 minutes, saving an average of 32 minutes of the current traveling time, but it is likely to increase the number of jobs available significantly. This makes Birmingham to a viable option for the London workforce who are looking for more affordable living outside the capital.

LOCATION AND TRANSPORT LINKS: GETTING AROUND BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham city centre is extremely well connected, and its public transportation network includes three major train stations, a National Express coach station, Birmingham International Airport as well as extensive bus and tram networks, making it easy to get around whether it be locally or beyond.

The city’s main station, Birmingham New Street, is the busiest train station in the UK outside of London and offers great connectivity to numerous cities and towns in the UK including Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff.

Coinciding with the Commonwealth Games, the city has enjoyed an investment of around £500 million which aims to improve accessibility including additional transport, cycling routes and road work projects.

Distances and journey times approximate and are sourced via Google Maps and the TrainLine.

By Car

Birmingham is perfectly positioned in the heart of the UK motorway network, with great links to the M5, M6, M40 and M42 motorways. In fact, over 95% of the UK is within a four hour’s drive of Birmingham, which means the city’s connectivity is unrivalled and is best placed for enjoying daytrips.

Coventry	35 minutes
Leicester	55 minutes
Manchester	1 hour 46 minutes
Liverpool	1 hour 56 minutes
Cardiff	2 hour 15 minutes
London	2 hour 35 minutes

By Train

Birmingham’s city centre has three major train stations: Birmingham New Street, Snow Hill and Moor Street. Each station provides fast connections across the UK.

Coventry	20 minutes
Leicester	48 minutes
London Euston	1 hour 22 minutes
Manchester	1 hour 26 minutes
Liverpool	1 hour 36 minutes
Cardiff	1 hour 55 minutes

By Bus

Birmingham has an extensive bus network which connects its centre with nearby suburbs and extends outwards to the wider West Midlands area, including Dudley, Wolverhampton and beyond. You can find more information about bus routes here.

By Bike

With an abundance of cycle paths, greenways and canal networks, Birmingham offers miles and miles of traffic-free cycling routes and collectively hosts the largest cycle route network of any UK city.

THINGS TO DO IN BIRMINGHAM

There are plenty of fun things to do in Birmingham, from its museums to extensive shopping opportunities and other leisure activities. It’s a thriving metropolitan city which boasts considerable shopping facilities, sprawling canal networks, bustling nightlife and a strong culinary scene which entices thousands of visitors every year.

Home to the famous Bullring Shopping Centre, Grand Central as well as The Mailbox and the historic Rag Market, Birmingham city centre caters to everyone’s shopping needs. It includes everything from the world’s largest Primark and an abundance of high street stores to high-end shopping such as Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and other designers.

Birmingham’s museums provide a fascinating glimpse into the city’s rich, vibrant history and showcases it contributions to the arts, science, technology and the industrial heritage that is synonymous with the West Midlands. Take in the history at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, learn something new at the ThinkTank Science Museum or try something a little more unusual at the Coffin Works or the Pen Museum.

Sports enthusiasts are well catered for in Birmingham, with three professional football clubs: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion, as well as Edgbaston, which is home to the historic Cricket Ground used by Warwickshire County Cricket Club for its home matches.

CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT

Birmingham has a rich cultural background and hosts a wide variety of festivals and exciting events throughout the city every year that caters to a range of tastes. From music and comedy, to sports and foodie events, Birmingham has it all.

The city is home to some iconic event venues, including the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), which is the largest event space in the UK and Star City, an all-purpose family entertainment complex that includes mini golf, laser tag, rock climbing as well as a 25-screen cinema – the largest cinema in the UK by number of screens.

Birmingham also houses a beautiful Town Hall, the celebrated Symphony Hall which hosts around 270 events across the year, Utilita Arena and several major theatres including the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, The Hippodrome, Crescent Theatre and The Alexandra Theatre.

Key events in Birmingham include Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival, Birmingham Weekender, The Great Birmingham Run, the renowned Frankfurt Christmas Market and much, much more.

GREEN SPACE

The West Midlands area includes five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Wye Valley, Shropshire Hills, Cannock Chase, Malvern Hills, and parts of the Cotswolds.

Nestled in the heart of these, it is estimated that Birmingham itself consists of up to 25% of green space, earning it the title of the UK’s fourth greenest city. Boasting over 8,000 acres of green space and an impressive 571 parks in total, living in Birmingham provides the perfect balance between bustling city life and tranquil outdoor space to enjoy.

Cannon Hill Park is a firm favourite amongst locals, with an abundance of greenery and activities such as mini golf and Birmingham’s Wildlife Conservation Park nearby. The park is also home to MAC Birmingham – a popular venue that hosts numerous shows, galleries, exhibitions and a wide variety of workshops to enjoy throughout the year.

Other popular green spaces include Lickey Hills, Woodgate Valley Country Park and Sutton Park.

DRINKING & DINING

The city offers an exceptional dining experience regardless of your preferences, being home to the famous Balti Triangle as well as the highest number of Michelin star restaurants outside of London. There are over 300 restaurants in the city centre alone, bringing cuisine from around 27 different countries.

Birmingham also boasts a huge independent food scene and has several venues dotted around the city that host regular street food events, social clubs and food festivals. With the likes of Hockley Social Club, Digbeth Dining Club and individual vendors such as the award-winning Original Patty Men, Fat Snags and many, many more, Birmingham is a foodie heaven.

The city also has a lively nightlife scene, with a host of bars serving everything from creative cocktails to an endless choice of craft beers and multiple live music venues and large theatres across the city.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

For those looking for great employment opportunities, Birmingham has plenty of potential to suit a variety of professional needs. With more and more people choosing Birmingham as a place to settle outside of the hustle and bustle of London, with them they bring a host of talents and expertise, creating a diverse and skilled workforce.

Historically a hub for manufacturing, Birmingham now has a strong tech sector and flourishing financial sector. In fact, the West Midlands is the fastest growing region for tech jobs, projected to have an extra 52,000 by the end of 2025, adding £2.5 – £3billion to the regional economy.

This has ultimately led to numerous global companies choosing the city as the perfect place to house their company headquarters, with the likes of HSBC, BT and Goldman Sachs reinforcing Birmingham’s place as a viable alternative to the Capital.

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Birmingham is a popular choice for both domestic and international university students and has five universities to choose from: Aston University, Birmingham City University, Birmingham University, Newman University and University College Birmingham.

Being the UK’s second largest city, Birmingham and its suburbs are not short of primary and secondary schools, making it a great place for families to settle.

There are 21 ‘Outstanding’-rated primary schools within three miles of the city centre, including: St Matthew’s CofE Primary School, St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School, St Thomas’ CofE Academy and Cromwell Junior and Infant School.

There are also several ‘Outstanding’-rated Secondary schools within three miles of the city centre including: Heartlands Academy, Aston Manor Academy, Ark St Alban’s Academy and King Edward VI Aston School.

Points of Interest

Birmingham has plenty of interesting things to see and do, and is primely located in the heart of England with unrivalled transport links to other major UK cities.

It’s transport connections mean easy access to London and the wider South East region, with The Elizabeth Line acting as an extension to London underground network.

SevenCapital proudly present The , a newly completed property development just a 10 minute walk from Slough town centre.