Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tipton Community Heritage Centre

Small display on the industrial and social history of Tipton, the "Venice of the Midlands", housed in Tipton Library.

Opening hours Wheelchair accessible

About the museum

Tipton Community Heritage Centre is a small museum run by Sandwell Council inside Tipton Library. Its display tells the industrial and social story of Tipton, whose growth followed the opening of the first canal in 1769.

About 13 miles of waterway ran through the parish, which earned Tipton the nickname "Venice of the Midlands". The display also covers the Aaron Manby, the first iron steamship, which was built in the town in 1822.

The heritage centre was formerly inside the library at the Tipton shopping centre on Owen Street. Sandwell Council announced that it would move to the original Carnegie library building on Victoria Road, which reopened as Tipton Library in 2024.

Highlights

Display on Tipton's canals and industrial growth
The Aaron Manby, the first iron steamship, built in Tipton in 1822
Housed in the Carnegie-era library building

Permanent exhibition

Tipton industrial and social history display – A small display on Tipton's canals, its nickname "Venice of the Midlands" and the iron steamship Aaron Manby of 1822.

Operated by: Sandwell Council

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible
Elevator: no information
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

Visit Sandwell lists Tipton Library as wheelchair accessible with level access or a ramp, accessible toilets, parking bays for disabled visitors and facilities for visitors with hearing or visual impairments. These details describe the library building that houses the heritage centre.