Bookings about to open for ‘biggest ever’ Birmingham Heritage Week
Bookings for the annual celebrations of Birmingham’s rich and diverse heritage will open at 12 noon on Saturday.
The Birmingham Heritage Week 2025 is set to be the biggest in its 11-year history, with over 200 events taking place across the city.
From historic cemeteries and grand civic buildings to hidden industrial landmarks and hands-on craft workshops, the festival runs from 12 to 21 September, inviting residents and visitors to discover the stories behind the buildings, people, and places that have shaped the city.
Most events are free or low cost, with plenty of family-friendly activities available.
Birmingham Heritage Week 2025 is supported by Birmingham Museums Trust, National Trust, University of Birmingham, William A Cadbury Charitable Trust, and Birmingham Municipal Charity.
Media partners include the five city-centre Business Improvement Districts: Central BID, Colmore BID, Jewellery Quarter BID, Southside BID, and Westside BID.
From suburban religious buildings to Brutalist landmarks, secret gardens to iconic factories, there’s something for everyone to discover.
This year’s Heritage Week will celebrate Birmingham’s World Craft City status, with the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and JW Evans Silver Factory opening their doors, a talk on Birmingham author Kathleen Dayus and an exhibition about the Jewellery Quarter’s role in the early days of photography.
In north Birmingham, events will span New Hall Water Mill, Sutton Masonic Hall, Sutton Town Hall, Oscott College, St Michael’s Church, Boldmere, and Sutton Coldfield station and an opportunity to experience the heat in a reconstructed bronze age sweat lodge in Sutton Park.
Irene De Boo, co-ordinator of Birmingham Heritage Week, said: “We’re thrilled to open bookings for this year’s festival, which offers the chance to see the city in a whole new light.
“Every year, we’re amazed by the public’s enthusiasm for exploring Birmingham’s past – and this year’s programme is our biggest yet.
“Whether you’re a lifelong Brummie or new to the city, I’d encourage everyone to get involved and experience the stories, spaces and histories that make Birmingham special.”
Highlights this year include:
- ACME Whistle Factory – explore the home of Birmingham’s famous whistle-making heritage
- Aston Fire Station – historic fire service architecture and history
- Oscott Catholic Seminary – one of the oldest Roman Catholic seminaries in the country
- School of Jewellery – delve into the craft and history of the city’s jewellery industry
- School of Art – tour this iconic Victorian red-brick building in the city centre
- Catacomb Visits in Jewellery Quarter Cemeteries – discover hidden burial spaces beneath the city
- Tyseley Locomotive Works – an insight into rail heritage in the city
- Heritage Narrow Boat Tours – explore Birmingham’s canals as they were meant to be seen
- 21 Yateley Road – visit an original Arts & Crafts house designed by Herbert Tudor Buckland
- Birmingham Proof House – a rare insight into one of the UK’s last gun barrel proofing houses
- Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Assay Office – discover the hallmarking history of Birmingham
- West Midlands Police Museum – free entry and access to the Steelhouse Lane Lock-Up
- Victoria Law Courts – view inside one of Birmingham’s most iconic red-brick landmarks
Click here for more information and to book tickets.
Pictured: Victoria Law Courts
