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Activity: Design An Infographic Based On This Magazine Article

Birmingham, UK is known as the City of 1,000 Trades due to its industrial heritage. It has transformed into a vibrant city renowned for its culinary excellence, with canals and an array of attractions highlighting its history. Birmingham offers a variety of museums, parks, and neighborhoods to explore, as well as renowned restaurants influenced by its immigrant population that have developed famous dishes like balti curry. Visitors can experience Birmingham's culture, history, and diverse food scene through attractions like the Library of Birmingham, Back to Backs, and Digbeth Dining Club.

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Vethashri Narasingam
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102 views2 pages

Activity: Design An Infographic Based On This Magazine Article

Birmingham, UK is known as the City of 1,000 Trades due to its industrial heritage. It has transformed into a vibrant city renowned for its culinary excellence, with canals and an array of attractions highlighting its history. Birmingham offers a variety of museums, parks, and neighborhoods to explore, as well as renowned restaurants influenced by its immigrant population that have developed famous dishes like balti curry. Visitors can experience Birmingham's culture, history, and diverse food scene through attractions like the Library of Birmingham, Back to Backs, and Digbeth Dining Club.

Uploaded by

Vethashri Narasingam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Activity: 

Design an infographic based on this magazine article.

Nicknamed the City of 1,000 Trades due to its industrial heritage, Birmingham has blossomed into
a vibrant city with a reputation for culinary excellence. ‘More canals than Venice’ was once the only
thing of note that you could say about Birmingham.

To know the City of 1,000 Trades is to know its heritage, which starts on the canals. These days,
they’re unrecognisable from the smoky industrial heyday of the 19th century. A walk down the Gas
Street Basin is one of most pleasant experiences a visitor can have in Birmingham, especially at
night, when the colourful lights from the bars and restaurants of Brindley Place reflect on the calm
waters of the canals.

The Library of Birmingham opened to great fanfare in 2013, and its distinctive design and
spacious interior have made it a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike. The top floor offers
a sweeping panorama of the city, but the real hidden gem is the Secret Garden on the seventh
floor. This quiet green space offers similar views to the top floor and is a surprising, welcome
retreat from the busy streets below.

Discover more about the history of Birmingham at the excellent Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery, which often features special art exhibitions. For a more interactive experience about what
life was like for the people who lived in the city during the Industrial Revolution, the Birmingham
Back to Backs, with its well-maintained 19th-century terraced houses, is the place to go. To get
an idea of the working conditions of the past, take a short walk out of the city into the handsome
neighbourhood of the Jewellery Quarter. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is a fascinating
time capsule – an immaculately preserved workshop that looks exactly as it did when the resident
company ceased trading in 1981. 

If the Birmingham of the past was shaped by industry, then the Birmingham of 2019 is defined by
gastronomy. From award-winning fine dining restaurants such as Purnell’s through a potpourri of
fabulous independents, there’s never been a better time to eat in the U.K.’s ‘Second City’. Some of
the country’s most creative cooking can be found at Digbeth Dining Club. This lively street food
event is held every weekend in the cultural hotspot of Digbeth, just south of the city centre.

The culinary reputation of Birmingham would be nothing, however, without the contribution of its
immigrant population, who started to arrive in the city in the post-war years. Birmingham’s most
famous dish, the Balti curry, was developed over 40 years ago by the local Pakistani community
and is still popular today. Head to the celebrated Balti Triangle neighbourhood for some of the
finest South Asian flavours anywhere in the U.K.

Located less than two kilometres from the Balti Triangle, Central Mosque has been the focal point
for Birmingham’s Muslim community for over 40 years. It was the largest mosque in Western
Europe when it was opened in 1975 and now welcomes visitors of all faiths who want to worship or
learn more about Islam.
Just south of the mosque is Cannon Hill Park. Birmingham has more green spaces than any
other equivalent-sized European city, and Cannon Hill has a great community feel to it. Nature
lovers can enjoy the Wildlife Conservation Park next door, but the main park is also home to an
arts centre, tennis courts, crazy golf, and a boating lake. For those seeking refreshments, the
cafés, restaurants and bars of the beautiful, village-like Moseley neighbourhood are only a short
walk away.

William Shakespeare is by far the most famous figure to come out of the Midlands, and a day trip
to his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon is within easy reach of Birmingham. Less than an hour
by train from Moor Street Station, The Bard’s medieval hometown is compact and walkable, with
pleasant streets of wooden Tudor houses and a pretty waterfront. Shakespeare’s Birthplace is
the main attraction, but those looking for the full experience should head to the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre to see a play in action by the world’s greatest dramatist.

Birmingham’s wildly creative independent food scene is one of the biggest reasons to visit the city.
Visitors should download the Independent Birmingham App for discounts at over 110
independent cafés, bars, restaurants, theatres and experiences, and an interactive map on where
to find them.

Birmingham is a big city of over one million people, but its centre (known locally as ‘town’) is
surprisingly small and walkable. Two of its most exciting neighbourhoods, Digbeth and the
Jewellery Quarter, are within a 10-minute walk of the city centre.

There are multiple train options from London to Birmingham, but for the most value for money, take
the Chiltern Line train from London Marylebone. It’s around 30 minutes slower than the Virgin
train from Euston, but tickets can often be incredibly cheap. Off-peak tickets to Birmingham, if
booked in advance, can be bought for as little as £5.50 (RM30).

Taken from: Birmingham, UK: The City of 1,000 Flavours, Going Places Magazine, 2019

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