One of the best council i have come across since i have come into UK…read more The staff are very polite,kind,helpful and supportive. They are also very quick at responding to emails and calls. I have been very pleased with Sandwell Register office.

The Sandwell Register Office can be found on the High Street in West Bromwich. The Register Office…read morehas a car park that is free of charge so parking should not be an issue. I have only been to the Register Office once for my cousin's wedding. The room in which the ceremony took place in felt a bit to crammed for my liking and there was not much room to move in. The Sandwell Register Office has two rooms the Sandwell Suite and Highfields room. The Office is a Grade II listed building and could be a place for you if you are planning a civil marriage, civil partnership, naming ceremony, renewal of vows or a citizenship ceremony. Its not exactly spacious on the inside but outside the Office, there is plenty of space and there are so many opportunities for photographs. The Register Office is available for ceremonies on weekdays, weekends and also public holidays.

The Argent Centre in the Jewellery Quarter is an amazing building. I used to love walking past this…read moreevery day on my way to work. It was built as a factory/ workshop set-up during Birmingham's Victorian industrial boom - and still functions as a collection of workshops today: built around an open courtyard. So, despite looking solid and enormous it's quite a hollow building - a series of narrow workshop corridors with open space in the middle. The brickwork is reminiscent of Italian renaissance churches, but without being too fussy - not really suitable for, essentially, an industrial workplace. Personally, I think it's a beautiful building, with enough design to be aethetically and historically appealing, but not too elaborate or imposing. It's also great that it's been Grade II listed and still functions as workshops and office space for small firms. It also houses the Pen Room Museum.

Despite my living around the corner from this and undoubtedly walking past it a few times, I never…read morereally noticed the impressive building perched on the corner of Frederick Street and Legge Road in the Jewellery Quarter. It was only on the Jewellery Quarter tour with Midlands Discover that we stopped to learn about it and even in the rain, it was impressive. The front of the building is thankfully Grade 2 listed and despite it looking like a big square is actually full of long, workshop spaces, as originally designed. Then it was for pen manufacturer, now however, there is a bit modern addition so there are plenty of office spaces and this has got to be a great place to work. This is also a great place if you are new in business and don't want to commit to long term leases on huge workshops; perfect for the creative jewellery quarter.

A very friendly information service manned by some wonderful ladies. Plenty of tourist brochures…read morefor the whole of Warwickshire. You can even buy castle tickets here at the reduced rate of 18£ and avoid the ticket queue at the castle. There is a gift shop here that has much better souvenirs than the tacky stuff at "you know where" Do spend 15 minutes browsing through the town history display behind the information counters. Very well illustrated and a nice overview before you visit the town. There's a yeomanry museum in the basement that's free to visit. When I told the lady at the desk that we had read about the history of the building, she took us upstairs to show us the gorgeous ballroom that's hired out for weddings.

As I walked down Old Hill high street, I noticed loads of notices in business windows saying "Keep…read moreOld Hill Fire Station Open 24/7". I soon realised that the Fire Brigades Union is quite a big deal around these parts. This is the headquarters for the region 7 branch of the union - so it represents fire brigades all over the Midlands, including Hereford and Worcester, Shropshire and Staffordshire. You can't really "visit" the offices as such, unless you are there on official FBU business. From the outside it looked very neat, with smart red paintwork and voile curtains covering the windows. It is nice to know that the trade union movement is still alive and kicking in Old Hill, 102 years on from the great Chainmakers' Strike.

A public square adjacent to the Chamberlain Square. We happened to visit the city the day after the…read moreCommonwealth Games had ended, so the place was still decorated in bright rainbow colors. The place has nice sights of historical sculptures and landmarks, plus important buildings such as the Town Hall and Council House. Although it was bustling with people at our weekday evening passthrough. I was astonished to witness the sheer number of children playing in the waters of The River "Floozie in the Jacuzzi". If visiting, I recommend coming in the morning when it is not so crowded.

Home to The Town Hall and the Council House in Birmingham, Victoria Square is a rather nice open…read moresquare and is in-between New Street and Colmore Row in the city - although partially ruined at the moment by ongoing construction works which make parts of the city a mess for the metro extension, I can't let this affect my opinion on the square as the construction is only temporary and of course the metro extension will bring lots of benefits to the West Midlands city as a whole. With fountains and benches, although there aren't really many cafes directly in the square - there is both a Starbucks on New Street and Colmore Row, however, where you can get multiple train and bus services respectively, it can be a nice place to sit in the city away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping areas on a nice sunny day - sadly in the UK we don't get many of them. In the square, you also have the Queen Victoria Statue, it is pretty much a common attraction most people will pass through while in Birmingham - this was pretty much part of my journey into the main city centre having to pass through the square to get to and from Broad Street, where many of the hotels from the Jury's Inn, Hampton by Hilton and Garden Inn Hilton, Hyatt Regency brands and more are located. I do feel there could be more of a welcome to tell people about the square including the historical parts of it including the Grade I listed building which is nice to see rather than having to look online after a visit and find it out. Pretty cool place in the city and it doesn't get as busy as the Bullring / New Street too on a regular day - pretty much Birmingham's answer to Piccadilly Gardens in a way. 3*

As a fan of the arts and crafts movement Wightwick Manor was a delight to visit, home of the…read moreManders family (manders paint) the house was built in the 1880s in the style of a medieval manor house. The guided tour of the house was informal and informative, the rooms are in there original decor the only alterations that have been made are for health and safety reasons and you wouldnt notice if not shown. William Morris wallpaper and textiles William de Morgan tiles its an alladins cave of treasures. The gardens are well kept , and very pretty . There if a tiny tearoom where i had the best sandwich ,ever stilton and apple yum.The National Trust maintain this property but the family still keeps a flat in the house for their own use. Admission is by timed tickets and openings vary so it might be worth phoning beforhand well worth a visit (tel 01902 761400)

A lovely property, wonderfully preserved by the National Trust…read more I honestly do not think you will find a better example of the arts & crafts movement anywhere. There is an enormous amount of William Morris interior items - in fact the house stands pretty much as a William Morris museum. A lovely exterior too with quaint and attractive gardens.

Centenary Square is one of the gorgeous areas I get to walk through almost every single day. The…read morelandscape of this area has changed a lot in the time I have lived in Birmingham (between Baskerville House getting a facelift and Library being added). It's loaded with history (and it's own interesting stories). Did you know John Baskerville was an atheist and buried in his back garden behind Baskerville house? He is officially the most moved corpse in Birmingham after being relocated for the construction of the canals and changing locations several times before finally resting in the Jewellery Quarter (after being buried in Hallowed Ground, which he wouldn't be best pleased about). The "Hall of Memories" is a gorgeous monument which was built in dedication to the Birmingham people who lost their lives in World War 1. As a pro tip (not many people know this), but you can get inside the building on selected days, as well as admire just from the outside. It's the connecting area between Victoria Square and Broad Street and is home to the Library, Baskerville House, The Hall of Memories, the REP theatre and Symphony Hall. It's also an outdoor space which is used over winter and summer, hosting the Birmingham Wheel, ice skating rinks, an area of the German Market and various fairs all year long. Come rain, shine or snow, this is always a beautiful area to walk through. There's not actually a lot here in terms of bars and restaurants (there is a brasserie in the REP now though and some venues within Symphony Hall itself), but you're a stones throw away from several decent venues in either direction. Whether you are visiting Birmingham or a local, it's well worth heading here and checking out the Library, the monuments (the Virgil monument is quite lovely in Baskerville typeface) and just taking a second to admire one of the lovely areas of the City.

I haven't visited centenary square to watch events in years! So far this year I've been twice, to…read morevisit the international dance festival and then the coors ice cave!! It is worth looking online for what's on, or posters bout events as many are free and worth attending! They generally have food n drink for sale, toilets you could go to the library or the ICC unless they do have portaloos which I'm not keen on myself lol

Having worked around St Paul's Square for the past 4 years, this Georgian square is one of the most…read moreprettiest parts of Birmingham's City Centre. Located in the historic Jewellery Quarter, the square itself is the only Georgian square left in Birmingham. With St Paul's Church located in the centre, the grounds make for a lovely green spot to take a picnic or catch some rays in the Summer time. It also looks gorgeous in the winter when topped with snow. It's also far less busy than other green spaces such as Birmingham Cathedral which can attract unwanted types. Their is the 24 Carrots market held here twice a year as well as live music from Birmingham's Jazz festival and I've even attended a film event at the church for Jameson's Cult Film club and seen live painting classes. Surrounding the church and it's ground the rest of the square is a mix of residential and commercial premises as well as a flourish of bars and restaurants. It's definitely a sought after area and one people pay a premium to live in and you can see why. This is a piece of Birmingham heritage that I'm proud to shout about.

Birmingham has loads of green public spaces (200 parks maintained by the Council) and areas close…read moreto the Centre, but this space is one of the better spaces in the Jewellery Quarter. It's technically a graveyard, but doesn't feel like one! In the summer it's filled with people reading, playing games and picnicking and over Winter it's full of sledgers and urban snowman makers ready for cold weather fun! With the background of the Church, it's a great place to take your lunch or just sit and while away some time enjoying the view. The area around the square has Coffee shops, bars, art galleries and restaurants. It's really easy to get to from the City Centre (a 5 minute walk) and is reasonably well signposted if you fancy an explore. It feels like the gateway to the Quarter, as from the square you can get straight to Caroline Street which is a haven for hairdressers, signmakers, spa's and deli's. A couple of great places which are just a stones throw away from the square are the RBSA Gallery and St Paul's Gallery (which showcases album cover artwork and all manner of interesting pieces). 3 times a year a community market is held on the space, so a good chance to buy locally produced food, crafts and goods while taking in the Church and meeting the residents of the area. St Paul's Square is well maintained and green all year round. If you feel like you need a little retreat from the bustling centre of town, this is a great place to chill and contemplate.