If you've ever fancied having one of the country's finest small galleries to yourself then the…read moreBarber Institute is the place for you. I've visited several times and on each occasion it's just been me and the security guards. This is nothing short of a travesty as the collection is one to be treasured. Situated within the grounds of the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston campus the permanent collection is housed within four adjoined galleries telling the story of European Art from the 13th to the early 20th Century. The Green gallery contains works from the Renaissance era with a particularly stunning collection of Albrecht Durer woodcuts in a darkened side-room. This leads to the Red gallery, which in addition to 17th Century works by Rubens, Van Dyck and Murillo contains representation of a personal favourite painter, Frans Hals (check out the brushwork - hands like lightning that man). The Beige gallery contains what is arguably the stand-out work of the whole collection, and from one of it's lesser known artists; Vigee-Lebrun's "Portrait of Francois Langois". Finally, the Blue gallery reads like a who's-who of Romantic and Impressionist artists - Turner, Manet, Delacroix, Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, Gaugin. I could go on. Temporary exhibits can also be found in the Education Gallery. There is a small gift shop and cafe on the ground floor. Entrance free; donations appreciated. It's just a shame there aren't more people there to appreciate it.

Birmingham is a world class city concerning the subject of art, this much cannot be disputed. Once…read moreone has thoroughly inspected the collections at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the next stop should be four miles south, at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts on the campus of the University of Birmingham. This fine institute was founded only in the 1930's as both a art gallery and campus building for the study of art. As with other collections on campus, there is no required admission fee, though a £5 donation is requested. The bequest used in the founding of the institute required that acquisitions be of a quality on par with the National Gallery in London. Almost all of the works on display are housed on the second floor of the building. The collection is smaller than art museums of a national scale, but it is very focused and robust in its own right. Arguably some of the most important works on display are 'The Harvest Wagon' (Gainsborough), Symphony in White No. 3 (Whistler), Shakespeare's folios, and a combined Roman & Byzantine coin collection (one of the world's largest). In addition you'll find works by Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Gauguin. Unlike pretty much every gallery in London, you can relax and take in the works at the institute on a lazy afternoon with very few people milling about to break your concentration. Downstairs, a lecture hall and auditorium completes the institute, with a nice gift shop near the door. If you are only visiting, live in Birmingham, or even only have a passing passion for art, the Barber Institute is a must see regardless!

A large conference centre in the city centre of Birmingham, inside it, is pretty modern and…read morefeatures a few stores including a WHSmith, Subway and Starbucks - do take note of the opening hours of these though as some might not open on Sunday's and/or close early sometimes. It's now served by the Library stop on the West Midlands Metro, following the tram extension which goes onto Broad Street. It is also next to The Library of Birmingham, while the building isn't as stunning as the aforementioned, it still remains rather modern and cool. The conference auditorium has a capacity of 1,500 which is quite impressive. I do think the staff didn't seem too helpful, I originally asked where the Starbucks was and felt the need to explain myself as he seemed rather confused. It is pretty expensive inside with one of the most expensive Starbucks' locations I've seen ever outside of a travel location (airport, station or motorway services). 3*

A well designed events complex with additional pop-up stores including an art gallery.read more

I came here once for a course and this venue was perfect. It's very clean, feels new and modern…read morewith spacious rooms, rooms with large screens for lectures as well as a coffee break room. The studio is perfect for hosting courses, lectures etc. and is very centrally located in Birmingham city.

The Orange Studio, now renamed 'The Studio' has to be one of my favourite restaurants. I love how…read moreit's hidden away, even though it's right in the middle of the city centre. It's situated above the old Orange store on Cannon street, where there is now just an internet cafe on the ground floor. Below the restaurant are conference rooms and the restaurant sits on the top floor. The setting is modern and the atmosphere cool and relaxing. The outdoor seating has some pretty plants decorating it and it's really lovely to sit outside on a sunny day. The food is good and well presented. Perhaps slightly pricey, but not unreasonable and staff are friendly and attentive too!

When we were scouring South Brum for an affordable family home in 2010, one of our main…read moreconsiderations was the schools in the area. We have a young son who will be starting school in a year, so we were planning ahead. One of the big factors for picking the house we did was it's proximity to Raddlebarn school. Once we'd removed all the faith schools from equation, Raddlebarn is in the Top 40 schools in the entire city, which was a fairly good recommendation. A better recommendation comes from the parents of the kid who go there (many of whom are either our friends, or else neighbours) and almost all of them have got nothing but good things to say about the place. The school has a lovely feel to it and I feel 100% confident in sending our boy there next year.

Beautiful venue, with a pretty music hall feeling, good-size-for-not-a-city theatre- red velvet,…read moreold decor. The kitchen is huge, halls for hire- the crush hall, theatre (with a well stocked bar), conference rooms. They're making more effort with weddings, hold fayres, events, pantos, burlesque, tributes, amateur and pro theatre (It's definitely worth checking out what is on)- they just held a very busy vegan fair. Staff are fab, facilities are great- it's not super shiny, but they are constantly working to improve it.

Rooms for public hire are what justifies a review; there's very little scope for appraising it as a…read morecivic landmark unto itself. "Rooms", though, may be a little broad; we're really talking about a range of genuine halls and suites available for weddings and wedding receptions, conferences, meetings, exhibitions and other social activities. They've even been known to hold the odd inquest. In appearance, they are very 'town hall', all a bit brass and velvet, although the formal decor must carry an attraction, especially judging by the amount of wedding guests you see milling around outside on Saturday evenings (and they're just the smokers). Versatility is the watch-word, with the venue able to cater for both a range of numbers and a range of food needs, from buffets to literal banquets. The venue has its own catering team. Menus and rates are available on the site's comprehensive website.

The Rotunda Square is the outdoor area by the Rotunda building towards the bull and bull ring…read more This area is used for promotions, usually giving away samples and products to the general public. I love to see what is being offered!! Previous giveaways have included lagers, chocolates, microwave meals, biscuits and crisps! Keep an eye out for more things! I will write tips here if I find any in advance!

This is a really nice nursery, quite a nice size. The staff are very friendly and the children…read morealways seem happy. They have a very nice outdoor play area where the children can play with various outdoor toys. There is a wide variety of toys for each age group, which is good for stimulation.

Great place to visit for something a bit more interesting for a Saturday out. There's a farm for…read morekids (and big kids) and some quaint little craft and jewellery shop. On arrival this time round there was a woman doing samples of sausages outside the farm shop (the bologonese sausage was delicious). We headed to the antiques shop and picked up three lovely items, of which we managed to haggle a discount and the man helped load things into the car. I have it on good authority the cafe there is lovely, as it's the place my mum stops for lunch on her cycling, and so will be back to try it soon.

I really love this place. There are many quaint little shops and craft shops where you can see…read morepeople at work. A great sweet shop selling Ye Olde Sweets, a cafe, a play park and a small animal village and the farm.a great day out!