Anyone familiar with Tommy Shelby and his gang of Peaky Blinders will know the area of Small Heath was home. However, that doesn’t mean fans of the BBC One show are restricted to Small Heath. Birmingham City is filled with fun and exciting Peaky Blinder attractions.
In this article, we’ll cover 7 Peaky Blinders Birmingham attractions and a few others you can find elsewhere in the UK.
| Read More: Take a break from exploring the Peaky Blinders spots with these 30 exquisite Birmingham restaurants. If you’d like to spend an evening enjoying Birmingham’s bustling Broad Street, check out 15 exciting things to do on Broad Street. |
This Article Contains:
7 Peaky Blinders Birmingham Attractions
- The Rainbow Pub
- West Midlands Police Museum
- Walking Peaky Blinders tour led by Professor Chinn
- Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders
- Black Country Living Museum
- Escape Live
- Peaky Blinders mural
3 Other Peaky Blinders Attractions
7 Peaky Blinders Birmingham Attractions
Although the final series of the hit BBC One show has wrapped, fans can still get their Peaky Blinders fix from any of these attractions.
Find Them on the Map:
1. The Rainbow Pub
Aside from offering a wide range of beers, ciders, and cocktails, the pub also shares history with the Peaky Blinders.
It’s believed that the term Peaky Blinders was first used in the Birmingham Mail after a patron, George Eastwood, became the first victim of the gang on 23 March 1890. After leaving the pub, gang members attacked George for committing a cardinal sin – drinking non-alcoholic beverages. The following Monday evening, the Birmingham Mail reported that the Peaky Blinders gang carried out the attack, marking the term’s first appearance in print.
Address: 160 High Street, Deritend, Birmingham, B12 0LD
Website: https://therainbowpub.com/
Phone No: Not listed, but you can contact them through https://therainbowpub.com/contact/
Entry fee: N/A
Opening times:
Monday to Thursday: 4 PM to 12 AM
Friday: 4 PM to 2 AM
Saturday: 12 PM to 2 AM
Sunday: 12 PM to 12 AM
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Adderley Street (1 min walk)
Train: Bordesley (BBS) (4 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Vivid projects (0.31 miles away), ThinkTank Science Museum (0.46 miles away)
2. West Midlands Police Museum
Constructed in 1891, the cells of Steelhouse Lane housed more than a million inmates until its retirement in 2016.
Now, a new police museum has opened after it was transformed from a Victorian prison. The West Midlands Police Museum covers three floors with more than 200 years of policing history. Among that history are the cells dedicated to the real Peaky Blinder gang members.
There are also several hands-on activities. Try your hand as a detective at a crime scene, examine evidence in forensic labs, take your own mugshot, and dress up in police uniforms from bygone eras.
Address: The Lock-up, 40 Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6BJ, UK
Website: https://museum.west-midlands.police.uk/
Phone No: 0121 609 1700
Entry fee: £9
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Avondale Road (2 min walk)
Train: Tyseley (20 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Victoria Law Courts (0.1 miles away), St Philip’s Cathedral (0.3 miles away)
3. Walking Peaky Blinders tour led by Professor Chinn
If the final Peaky Blinders season has you longing to learn more about the real-life gang, the Peaky Blinders Tour is one to consider. Professor Carl Chinn heads the tour. Aside from being a historian, prof Carl Chinn MBE is a direct descendant of real Peaky Blinders member Edward Derrick.
Brum Tours begins the evening with a talk at The Old Crown pub. Built in 1368, The Old Crown is the oldest secular building in Birmingham. Here, Professor Carl Chinn or one of the other guides will teach you about the real gangs like Billy Kimber and his Birmingham Boys and how they terrorised the streets of Birmingham.
Then, you’ll go on a tour back to the late 1890s and early 1900s, recounting the tales of the real Peaky Blinders gang before Brum Tours bring you back to the Old Crown.
Address: The Old Crown, 188 High Street, Deritend, Birmingham B12 0LD
Website: https://www.brumtours.com/tours/peaky-blinders-tour-birmingham/
Phone No: 0121 284 0909
Entry fee:
Peaky Talks: £14.95
Peaky Tour with complimentary drink: £34.95
Peaky Tour with drink and dinner: £44.95
Opening times: Tour begins at 7 PM
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Station Street Stop NS11 (2 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street Station (2 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (0.2 miles away), The Coffin Works (0.5 miles away)
4. Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders at the Birmingham Hippodrome
For Peaky Blinders fans who feel like they need some culture, the Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders – The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is a must-see. Written by Steven Knight, the dance event delves into the backstory of Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders beginning in the trenches in France and unfolding into post-war Birmingham.
The dance tells the personal story of the Shelby family and how they navigate the decisions that determine their lives. The dance is showing at the Birmingham Hippodrome and will premiere on 27 September and run until 2 October 2022.
Address: Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB
Website: https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/peaky-blinders-the-redemptio/
Phone No: 0844 338 5000
Entry fee: Ticket prices range from £22.50 to £30
Opening times: Showtimes range from 2 PM to 7:30 PM
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: 02 Academy (3 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (3 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Back to Backs (0.06 miles away), Birmingham Open Media (0.22 miles away)
5. Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum is 26 acres encompassing 300 years of history. There are reconstructed houses, shops, and pubs, bringing to life the story of the Black Country in one of the most industrialised areas in Britain.
Situated just 12 miles from the real Peaky Blinder gang’s real-life home, it’s also frequently used to shoot scenes from the Peaky Blinders series. Fans will recognise Charlie Strong’s yard, with creator Steven Knight referring to it as “the heart” of the programme.
Address: Black Country Living Museum, Tipton Rd, Dudley DY1 4SQ
Website: https://bclm.com/
Phone No: 0121 557 9643
Entry fee: £19.95
Opening times:
4 April to 30 October: Open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM
31 October to 27 November (Monday and Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday to Sunday: 10 AM to 4 PM)
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Tipton railway station (22 min walk)
Train: Black Country Living Museum bus stop (2 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Dudley Zoo and Castle (0.64 miles away), Baggerridge Country Park (3.43 miles away)
6. Escape Live
If you’re looking for a more immersive experience after the final Peaky Blinders season, Escape Live Birmingham offers Peaky Blinders fans a chance to live like a Shelby.
Specially licensed by the BBC, there are two Peaky Blinders-themed escape rooms, The Raid and Double Cross. Fans are tasked with either finding all the incriminating documents or finding a way to infiltrate Alfie Solomon’s gang. You have just 60 minutes to crack a baffling number of codes, puzzles, and brainteasers.
Address: 18 – 24 Constitution Hill, Birmingham, B19 3LY, UK
Website: https://www.escapelive.co.uk/locations/birmingham/
Phone No: 0121 572 3131
Entry fee: £25 per person
Opening times: Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 11 PM
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Water Street Stop CN2 (3 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (10 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Jewellery Quarter (0.5 miles away), The Coffin Works (0.45 miles away)
7. Peaky Blinders mural
You can find a massive 50ft mural featuring Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), Michael Gray (Finn Cole), Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle), and several other main characters on Hill Street close to New Street Station. In addition to commemorating the final season of the Peaky Blinders series, Birmingham-born artist Jon Jones created the mural to raise funds for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital Charity. The Castle Fine Art gallery will donate £1 for every photo of the artwork posted on social media. Tag @castlegalleries and add the hashtag #Brum4BCH.
Address: 84 Hill Street, Birmingham, UK
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Station Street Stop NS11 (2 min walk)
Train: New Street Station (2 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (0.2 miles away), The Coffin Works (0.5 miles away)
3 Other Peaky Blinders Attractions Outside Birmingham
While the Peaky Blinder gang may have called Birmingham home, filming of the show took place all over the UK. Here are a few other Peaky Blinders attractions worth visiting:
1. Arley Hall
Arley Hall, located in Cheshire, makes frequent appearances in Peaky Blinders as Tommy Shelby’s sprawling manor house. The Hall was built in 1832, but the grounds have been home to Viscount Ashbrook and his family for more than 500 years.
When visiting Arley Hall, you can see Tommy’s dining room, drawing rooms, library, and more. The garden, trails, and restaurant are also open to visitors. The gardens are available daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, while access to the Hall itself is limited to several weekends a year, depending on if the Hall is being used.
2. Birmingham City FC
By order of the Peaky Blinders, the Birmingham City Football Club reverted to its roots by changing its name to the Small Heath Alliance. BBC Creative issued a ‘Last Order’ ahead of the final series premiere. Birmingham City FC quickly responded with “order accepted”, adding that its home ground of St Andrew stadium would become home once more.
Growing up in the 19th century, Small Heath Alliance would have been Tommy’s football team of choice. The club, formed in 1875, changed its name to Birmingham City in 1943. The St Andrew stadium is a stone’s throw from the Shelby’s Small Heath premises.
3. Port Sunlight
While the real Polly Gray may have lived in Sutton Coldfield, just outside Birmingham, the house used for filming is in Port Sunlight, a model village in Liverpool. The Lever Brothers constructed it in the late 1800s as living quarters for workers at the nearby Sunlight Soap factory. The area is also home to the Port Sunlight museum should you wish to learn more about its history.