Birmingham Sights

  1. Birmingham Town Hall

    To the south of the town centre stands the Town Hall, opened in 1834, and designed by Joseph Hansom (creator of the hansom cab, forerunner to London's black taxis) to look like the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome.

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  2. Council House

    The imposing Council House forms the northeastern face of the town centre.

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  3. Selly Manor

    Selly Manor, dating from 1327 or earlier, was carefully taken apart and reconstructed by George Cadbury - who looks remarkably like Sigmund Freud - in order to save it from destruction. It has 18th-century furnishings and a Tudor garden.

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  4. Soho House

    Matthew Boulton, inventor of the steam engine, lived in Georgian Soho House in Handsworth between 1766 and 1809. As befits a scientific innovator he installed central heating and plumbing, which may be why he had so many friends. The Lunar Society, of which he was a member, often held their 'brainstorming' sessions there. It has been restored to look as it did in the 18th century and visitors can admire some of Boulton's own furniture and effects. Displays chart the technological advancements of the time.

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