Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

About the museum

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has stood beside Chamberlain Square since 1885, when the Prince of Wales opened it. The roots of the collection go back to the 1860s, when the first pictures were given to the city council and displayed in a municipal building, and a donation from Sir Richard and George Tangye helped to launch the campaign for a proper gallery. The new gallery was built as part of the Council House complex, above the offices of the city's gas department, and was designed by Yeoville Thomason with distinctive cast-iron columns in the main hall.

The building was damaged by bombing in 1940, and several galleries had to be rebuilt after the Second World War. Over the 20th century the collection grew to cover fine art, decorative art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, archaeology, natural history and local history. Today the museum is run by Birmingham Museums Trust, a charity that also looks after other museums in the city.

The Grade II* listed building has recently been restored, with work on the floors and roof, and it has reopened in stages. The open galleries now include the Pre-Raphaelite galleries, the Staffordshire Hoard gallery, Birmingham: Its People, Its History, the Round Room and the Industrial Gallery, together with a new children's gallery called Wild City. Some other parts of the building, including the art galleries on level 2 and the ancient history galleries on level 3, are still closed.

Highlights

• Pre-Raphaelite galleries with over 60 paintings, sculptures and stained glass panels
• Staffordshire Hoard gallery, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found
• Birmingham: Its People, Its History, the story of the city since the 12th century
• Round Room with Jacob Epstein's bronze Lucifer
• Industrial Gallery with the Made in Birmingham display
• Wild City, galleries for children and families

Permanent exhibitions

• The Pre-Raphaelites – Four refurbished galleries with over 60 paintings, sculptures and stained glass panels by artists including Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
• The Staffordshire Hoard – The story of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found.
• Birmingham: Its People, Its History – Galleries that follow Birmingham from a small medieval settlement to a large modern city.

Founded

1885

Operated by

Birmingham Museums Trust

Visitors per year

approx. 856,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

General admission is free and donations are welcome; no booking is needed. Some events and exhibitions charge an entry fee, shown in the What's On listings. Members of Birmingham Museums get 10% off in the tearoom and shop.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The listed Victorian building has some access limits. The main entrance on Chamberlain Square has 10 steps to the doors and a further 42 steps to the galleries, so visitors needing step-free access use the Gas Hall entrance on Edmund Street, where a lift serves all open floors (door width 109 cm). The Industrial Gallery balcony can only be reached by stairs. Floors are smooth Victorian tiles, and seating is provided throughout the galleries. Accessible toilets are on level 1 and level 2, although the door widths at the Gas Hall toilet may be tight for some wheelchairs. Blue Badge parking is on Margaret Street and Edmund Street close to the lift entrance. Real-time British Sign Language interpreting is offered through the Convo service by scanning a QR code at the entrance, and assistance dogs are welcome. Quieter Morning Explorers sessions before opening are held for visitors who prefer less crowded surroundings.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

Baby changing is in the ladies' toilets and one of the accessible toilets, and the tearoom has a children's menu, highchairs, a bottle warmer and a buggy park. The main entrance has steps, so families with pushchairs use the lift entrance. Wild City, two galleries for children and families, plus family-friendly events at weekends and in school holidays.

Getting there & parking

The main entrance is on Chamberlain Square (sat-nav postcode B3 3DH). The step-free lift entrance is at the Gas Hall on Edmund Street. Birmingham city centre is a Clean Air Zone. Visitors get 25% off National Express West Midlands Day Saver bus tickets, and bike racks are in front of One Chamberlain Square.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

The tearoom is on level 2 and serves breakfast, light meals, sandwiches, cakes and a children's menu, with free Wi-Fi, highchairs and a buggy park. The museum shop is next to the Round Room. Lockers cost £1, which is not refunded. There is a picnic space upstairs above the tearoom, reached by stairs, and a small picnic area in Wild City.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 120 guests.

The Round Room, Industrial Gallery and tearoom can be hired in the evening for dinners, receptions, parties and Christmas events, for up to 120 people.

Plan your visit