I've been here a few times over the years. Mostly, it's been to see their open days which are free…read moreto enter. It's a lovely old house that's great to see is still intact and right on our doorstep. Whenever there are events on you get to see inside the building. There are loads of lovely rooms both downstairs and up and the main reception hall is quite a space. When the events are on inside, you'll find various stalls dotted round both floors and in almost all the rooms. This can make it quite tricky to squeeze round with a pushchair, and my daughter wasn't too keen on the crowds squashing her in tighter spots. For me the best tine to go if you want to take the whole family are the summer open days, the next one is 15th July. You can get round both the house and gardens and there's just more space as everyone's not crammed into the one space at the same time-unless it's raining, of course! There are refreshments available and on family special days, there are lots of activities for the kids to join in. Check out the events calendar on the web page for details of more free family events through the year.

I've been to Highbury a couple of times previously - as a child I was dragged round on a school…read moretrip and don't really remember much about it except for a shameful game of rounders in the grounds after (I was always useless at rounders). Later still I went to a brilliant play here - all Victorian melodrama and audience participation. Anyway this weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding here and I have to say the setting, the gardens, the ambiance, the staff - everything was perfect. Things that stick out - apart from the fact I got to wear a fascinator, which was of course brilliant - the main reception room with staircase is stunning. Secondly the room where the wedding took place - with patio doors that lead out to the garden was straight out of Downton Abbey - and because it was south facing I could blame the sunlight for making my eyes stream (and not have to admit I was blubbing because it was all so lovely). Thirdly - the grounds - absolutely resplendent. The whole event was incredibly well organised and the staff were really, really sweet. I can't recommend this enough really - history buffs take note - this was the family home of Birmingham MP Joseph Chamberlain MP who lived here from 1878 onwards. To find out more it's worth popping along to one of their open days - full details can be found on the website.

@piccadillysuite | Piccadilly Banqueting Suite, Stratford Road. Bham…read more (I see you removed my negative review and 9 other "1 star rated" reviews!) Maybe you should address these issues? They have also hidden their Facebook page! I wonder why.. Let me help you out again, Overall Disgusting Service! As a film maker we engage with a lot of people and visit ample places. I can honestly say THIS is the WORST place of them all. There's two Issues here, Issue 1 relating to me. Issue 2 the screw up of the Bride Entrance, yes you heard me right, totally screwed it up! (I have the footage if anyone at Piccadilly wants to see) Issue 1: Breaking of my filming equipment. (They REFUSED to give me their insurance details) A staff member knocked over my tripod which resulted in my camera and lens wacked the floor hard. The tripod was not in the way. The staff who dropped it happened to be Raaj's son he is one of the many owners/manager's Son. To put this into perspective the equipment is worth around £5,000. When I heard that loud BANG and looked over and thought please don't tell me that was my tripod. Low and behold it way. Look, accidents happen, and I accept that, the staff member who dropped the tripod was very upset understandably he accepted he didn't see it, and clearly said my dad will pay for it. Dad being the boss. As I was speaking to the staff, I was very calm given what had happened, what unfolded next was disgusting. A serving staff member came, rudely interrupted our conversation and demanded the lad who dropped my camera simple "walk away from the conversation". Seriously, how rude and unprofessional is that. We continued to have a conversation and I told the young boy, look don't worry about it and don't stress over it. It's done. I'll let your dad pay for it and its end of. The serving team manager came back, and I said, look what you did was rude, and to be honest its taking the P (mick) I said your staff member was negligent he accepted his fault and clearly told me and others round me he "forget it was there and that he would get his dad to cover the costs for it". Guys... you won't believe what happened next. This serving manager flipped out, he went mental, he started throwing his arms about, and ended up calling me a M"-fker and to shut the Fk up", yes, in front of all the guests!!!! This is how professional these lot are. Well done to the photographer who recorded all this! I'm happy to post it if you want to view it? So, the owner gets involved (who' son dropped the tripod) I told him look this is disgusting, is this the level of service you provide. I asked for an apology from that serving manager, which didn't happen, instead as he walked passed me he hissed at me???? (not sure what that meant, but there you go!) I noticed both these managers were all friendly "sorry sorry" whilst guests where watching to contain everything, when guests left, I took my damaged lens to him and shown him the price, I said look its worth £400 used, I purchased it for £850. You won't believe what the owner offered me, he offered me £50!!! He went on to say, "trust me I can't pay more, I only give you £50, as my staff wages are £35, and my son or not, I pay you £50". honestly his exact words. What an Insult. I took the £50 and told him I will be giving this to charity. Issue 2: Brides Entrance Ok look at this for unprofessional. Bride is looking stunning, walking down the aisle with her brother, and the music stops, not once, but THREE TIMES!!! I ended up waving both hands at the venue guy (suggesting what the hell are you doing!!) As the bride makes her way down the aisle, the waitress about 6 of them, think it's a good idea to walk up the aisle hold big black TRAYS with chutne and salad in them!!! Seriously, WTH moment! Well done to my photographer who stopped all of them in their tracks! Otherwise that would have been a disaster for the bride. These Piccadilly lot are unprofessional and rude. Avoid if you cant, since my review they have removed all their 1 to 4 stars rating, I wonder why....

I had my wedding at this venue not long ago and I don't know how to describe how disgusted I am…read morewith how they treated me and my guests . Guests were not given enough food, food we PAID for , they were also not given more than half of the drinks we bought. As the bride I asked for a something to drink and the waiter told me that they had finished. Two days later we had realised that piccadilly had 'Misplaced' 90 bottles of the drinks we bought ..which they did not want to give back until my husband went to pay them a visit. The waiters attitude was beyond disgusting ...they were texting and serving food, they were taking glasses out of guests hands because they were in a rush to go home . I had the hall until 11:30 pm but waiters were putting tables and chairs away at 8pm...I have never been so embarrassed in all my life. The food was cold to the point where my guests could not eat it, they were looking forward to dessert as they were starving but when it came to dessert 3out of 12 people on each table got dessert...again dessert I paid for , for all of my guests . The toilets had no toilet paper and they were not cleaned from an event prior to mine. The kitchen where the food was stored was unhygienic it was disgusting . Finally the wedding was a only women party...but that did not stop male employees standing at the door and perving !and when confronted he resorted to threats. Piccadilly might look like a nice venue from the outside but if you begin to scratch the surface you would be out of your mind to book this hall for your special day, my day was a disaster from the second I walked into the venue! P.s It took me an hour to upload this until I realised I HAVE to give this a star, which quite frankly it does NOT deserve!

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!

I would never ever recommend this wedding hall to anyone. management extremely poor. before signing…read morethe contract with them guys everything looks good. they make lots of promises which they never deliver.so please look out, do not let anybody disappoint you on your big day!!! Watch out for the waiters. very poor service. You will be very disappointed!!!

The mac (or the Midlands Arts Centre as it used to be know before everything got converted to a…read morelower case acronym ) opened in the early sixties. It's where filmmaker Mike Leigh developed his method of making performance, dontcha know? I used to love it here as kid. I'd attend drama, pottery, and drawing classes. When I was a theatre student, I'd come and see performances here, including some spectacular ones in the outside arena. In terms of films, the place was the embodiment of an arthouse cinema. The whole place had a great vibe to it, and with it's original 1960's architecture it was a living example of recent art centre history. Then in 2008 the asses decided to 'develop it'. The update was a shot in the foot. mac was turned into a modern monstrosity of open-plan shiny-ness, all TV screens, glass and metal. It immediately lost it's Bohemian charm, and soul. On long Summer days parents and children would meet up with friends on the grassy banks that surrounded the courtyard. Mums and dads would chat, smoke and drink, and the children would enjoy scooting around on wheeled toys. Then share-what-you've-brought picnics would be the order of the day. Those day are gone. This area has been replaced by a series of harsh child-unfriendly raised concrete terraces each with a very uncommunal table that seats a nuclear family of four. As a result, they've cut the amount of people that can use this beloved outdoor area by about 90%. mac, if you're wondering why it's all going down the pan for you, it's not just that you don't do any marketing outside the building itself, it's that darn outside 'development' that has spoiled a unique part of what you once were about.

The MAC is a brilliant example of how to run an arts centre. The new building is bright and airy…read morewith many different areas to explore, a great cafe, a lovely studio theatre, pottery studio, and I don't know what else. They also have free Wi-Fi (woo-hoo!), and a beautiful location in Cannon Hill Park, right next to Edgebaston cricket ground. There is always something going on, from shows to exhibitions, workshops, courses, talks and so forth - it's the busiest arts centre I've ever been in, and many other arts centres in the UK could benefit from careful studying of the MAC's programming model. Whatever it is they're doing, it definitely seems to be working for them! A minor criticism is that because there is so much going on, the staff sometimes don't know what's happening, which can lead to some confusion. I also noticed that the cafe only had one staff member serving during the busiest period of lunchtime, leading to a long queue at the counter - not really acceptable during the mid-day rush. Despite these minor niggles, It's a wonderful space in a great location and I wish I'd had more time to explore it. Definitely a star in Birmingham's crown.

A magnificent looking pub from the outside and on the inside if you're into a rowdy atmosphere…read moreinduced often by booze-fuelled football viewing then this is a place you may want to visit. It's a spectator pub really - drink up, watch and shout. I quickly adjusted my expectations, cut out the small talk, and I commenced drinking and watching the football too. It's nice not having the burden of saying anything to anyone for 90 minutes, it offers time for self-expression through other mediums that aid in the release of suppressed emotions accrued after another week of life's rich tapestry. A pub full of grunting, shouting and bold characters - go here if you want a predominantly non-verbal experience but nonetheless still one with a lot of self-expression.

Top little boozer If…read moreyou're after a decent cheap pint and/or food in a venue without loud music this is pretty good unless there is a 'match game' or something on. Even then on the weekend its quieter than other places. They show football. rugby and horse-racing here and there. The place is a bit of a step back in time compared to the 'trendy' places nearby, and it's nice if you just want something simple in an environment that's easy to warm up to. In the nearby JQ or Colemore business district most places have moved upmarket in their interior design and moved their prices up to match. It's good to a place sticking to the basics and getting it right. There is a function/lunch room upstairs with booths and stuff you and hang about in if it's open at a lunchtime, usually is though the week. Oh and this is the place ol' Queen Victoria stayed in when she resided in Birmingham... so if it's good enough for a queen ... ;)