Blink and you'll miss it…read more There's more to Old Square than the larger and conspicuous tribute to Birmingham's reluctant son, Tony Hancock. Situated opposite Hancock's glassy pixel effigy is another Brummie 1960s icon. Rendered in fibreglass, brass and iron, the eponymous relief by Kenneth Budd pays tribute to this part of Birmingham, which was destroyed to make way for a ring-road in the late 1960s. The brief is quite simple - Budd tells the chronological story of Old Square from its earliest days as a 13th Century Priory up until the 1890s when the last of the residencies were razed by pick-axes as the city centre became more and more commercialised. In between, Budd's story of this tiny corner of Birmingham reads like a biography of the whole city. Look closely and you'll find a world of stagecoaches, inns, gun makers, bankers, intellectuals and rioters. Next time you hurry past to catch a bus, please take a moment to notice.

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

A lot of historic buildings are owned and run by either local councils, or other large bodies like…read moreEnglish Heritage. This one is neither, and as such provides a quirky and welcome anomaly in the landscape of heritage venues. Very unassuming, nestled between housing in a residential area - you might pass it and remark on how pretty a building it is, but really the beauty is inside. The building has higgledypiggledy narrow corridors and stairs with obligatory beamed ceilings and creaking floorboards. If any house was likely to open a doorway to Narnia, this would be it. Because it isn't supported by any larger organisation, accessing this beauty requires some planning in advance. I was lucky enough to attend a meeting by the Historical Society here (where they also served tea and biscuits and speakers retold their memories of the past - fascinating!) and was able to explore the building at the same time. Definitely worth a trip!

Handsworth Historical Society are an amazing bunch of people that helped to save the Old Town Hall…read more One half of this building is rented out to an artist whilst the other side is home to the Historical Society, a tea room and an upstairs full of old documents and postcards that pertain to the history of Handsworth. The Old Town Hall is a fin example of a 15th Centure Cuck built house and whilst I can't remember what that means, if you visit they will tell you. This building is a little gem that's lucky to be preserved and the knowledge about the local area is astounding, as soon as you get them talking you are lost in the history of the area. They even have a few books and bits and bobs to sell as well. As a member of the society they host regular outings and talks with guest speakers. As a visitor to the Old Town Hall you should attend one of their coffee mornings or free events they run over the summer. It's a quaint, fun trip out that is pleasantly surprising and it;'s great to support such a group to continue fighting for and preserving local history.

Warstone Lane Cemetery is a bit of a hidden gem within the Jewellery Quarter. It's easy to dismiss…read moreit as another cemetery which provides a hand cut through between Warstone Lane and Vyse St, or as a place to sit and eat lunch when the weather is nice. Actually, if you take the time to walk further into the cemetery, you'll be surprised to discover incredible catacombs which cut two storeys down into the land. With businesses on all sides, and buses and the metro skirting alongside, people are always walking around and through the cemetery - but it's definitely worth making the effort to go and explore the catacombs, as aside from being vaguely maudlin they're incredibly beautiful and curious in a day and age where people can barely afford a cremation or regular burial, let alone the glamorous expense of a catacomb. In addition, the famous John Baskerville (creator of the font Baskerville!) is buried here, and if you're curious about the historical side of this cemetery, there are guided walks every so often organised by The Friends of Key Hill and Warstone Lane - http://www.fkwc.org/

This was the most interesting thing I saw in the Jewelry Quarter. It's an old cemetery with loads…read moreof atmosphere, an interesting slope to it, and easy to find near the train station. Without this little gem, my visit to the Quarter would have been a total waste of time.

Very historic, beautiful site, what can i say nicest castle in England definetly reccomend and…read morevisit other places around there too

Lovely little hive of history, especially when my childhood castle was ruins, it's always nice to…read morespend some time in one that would still have some chance of holding fort. Did have a good giggle about the people ranting about it being the same tour- funny that, when it's history!

Really great venue where Tolkien got his inspiration for the Two Towers. Not open all the time…read more Check the Ikon Gallery for details as they have their art instillations there. Basically a really tall town with spiral stair case. Amazing views of the City and fab decaying decor.

You can find Perrott's Folly just off the Hagley Road - for a while it's future looked uncertain as…read moreit was in a bit of a state but thanks to a renewed interest in all things Tolkien-y (sorry, that's not really a word but hopefully you catch my drift) - it was renovated and in 2008 reopened. It's now owned by Trident Housing and mainly used for art projects - the tower itself has lots of little rooms which makes it conducive to that sort of thing and it's certainly a beautiful space. Built in the 18th century, it's rumoured that John Perrott built the tower so that he could see his wife's grave, 15 miles away - I'm not sure if that's true but records show that from 1884 right through to 1979 the tower was used as a weather recording station for the Birmingham and Midland Institute. And that in the 60s the Geography Department of the University of Birmingham took over the running of the observatory until operations were transferred to the main campus. As for the Tolkien connection - it's said that this inspired him to write about the two towers in Lord of the Rings - again I'm not sure if that's true but if you find yourself nearby it's worth popping along for a look.

Beautiful old building and grounds…read more Unfortunately, not open to the public but I walk past it daily and nosey through the windows, although I think the elderly live there! One of the grand historic buildings of Coventry that survived the Blitz.

To paraphrase John Lydon, 'side of Sutton that the tourists never see'. Not that many tourists…read moremake it to Sutton but, unless they're interested in old railway stations, those few who do would be highly unlikely to check this place out. Sutton Town station shut way back in 1924 and there's very few pictures of it in use. Thankfully, both buildings still remain. The one building can be seen quite easily simply by walking up Midland Drive and keeping an eye out for the very station looking building which is now an office block. For the more adventurous the building on the other side of the tracks is still standing (just), strangely never having been demolished (although it has been bricked up in the ten years since I first encountered it). A disclaimer: There are no signs that the building is on private land and I personally nor anyone I know has ever been challenged walking to it BUT it does lie at the end of a very overgrown path so go prepared and take care. The path to it begins between the railway bridge and Sutton College at the top of the High Street. You keep walking down, over a bridge which crosses the Cross City Line and then keep going straight and you will be confronted with a 1920s station building. It's very eerie and last time I went down there I got spooked out quite quickly and made good my escape. I've got a feeling some unsavoury activities go on there late at night too so go in the morning! If you like your historical buildings not to have been revamped and a long way off the beaten track, it's worth the nettle stings.