BIRMINGHAM HERITAGE TALKS

We are now giving talks to local history groups and other interested folk. The talk about the Outer Circle is entitled “A Virtual Tour of The Outer Circle” and lasts about an hour. It accompanied by over 180 slides. If you are involved with such a group, or know someone who is, then you can contact us by emailing info@outercirclebus.com or clicking on the “Comments” tab below this page.

Just think – a two and a half hour journey in an hour! Great, isn’t it?

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We have more talks that may appeal to you. Here is the complete list. Most last about one hour and all are accompanied by slides:

“A Virtual Tour of the Outer Circle” – This lasts about one hour and is accompanied by over 180 slides. It takes you on a journey around Birmingham’s Outer Circle bus route highlighting the interesting places and people we see and meet along the way.

“Those Damn Tin Cans” – The story of the “temporary” prefabricated bungalows that became home to many after the Second World War. The “prefabs” became home to over 5,000 families in Birmingham and are still fondly remembered by many. Just 17 remain standing in the city and plans are afoot to save them.

“How We Got Here” – the story of back to back housing in Birmingham. Find out what was happening in the Town of Birmingham in the 18th & 19th centuries that led to half the population living in these tiny houses – and about their disappearance.

“A Brief History of the Birmingham Hippodrome” – find out about the ups and downs of this Birmingham icon that led to it becoming the most visited theatre in Britain.

“The Coffin Works” (30 minutes) – Hear about the story of the Newman Brothers, at the Coffin Works in Fleet Street, which is now run as a well respected heritage attraction. Surprisingly, Newman Brothers did not make coffins!

“Second City Executions” – Hear about the crimes that led to the miscreants facing the hangman’s noose in Birmingham during the last couple of centuries.

“The House where the Weather Was Made” – A tour of Joseph Chamberlain’s house in Moseley called “Highbury”, and a look at his influence upon late Victorian Birmingham.

“The Number 8 – the Inner Circle” – Join us on a “virtual” tour of The Inner Circle, which passes through some of the most significant industrial and residential areas of Birmingham. The story is more interesting than you would imagine, because the route has changed considerably over the last 90 years and so have the surroundings.

“A Journey Along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal” – Find out about the start of the canal revolution in the towns around Birmingham. Then take a “virtual” journey along the waterway to the home of The Bard, meeting some of the folk connected with the canal on the way.

“The Lost Theatres of Birmingham” – There have been well over 150 theatres and cinemas in Birmingham, and very few still exist – but each one has a tale to tell and here are a few with the first dating back to the middle of the the 1700s.

“St Chad’s, Snow Hill and Sterra” – A stroll around a part of Birmingham that includes a jail, a hospital, a Cathedral, gun factories and a once proud mainline railway station. 

To book your talk, or to find out more – get in touch by sending an email to info@outercirclebus.com