Birmingham Back to Backs

Over het museum

The Birmingham Back to Backs, originally known as Court 15, are the last surviving court of back-to-back housing in Birmingham, a type of cheap working-class dwelling that once defined the city's streets. In 1789 the landowner Sir Thomas Gooch leased the plot at the corner of Inge Street and Hurst Street to a local toymaker, John Wilmore, and the houses were built from about 1802. By 1831 the court was complete, with houses on both streets and a group of back houses around a shared yard, with communal privies and wash houses. The houses on Hurst Street were later turned into shops, and over the years they held a cycle shop, a baker's, a hairdresser's and a fish and chip shop.

More than 500 families are said to have lived in the court before the last resident left in 1967. Residents included blacksmiths, watchmakers and glassworkers, and the court was home to people from many places, including Poland and the United States. Water came from a standpipe from about 1870, and simple plumbing arrived only in the early 20th century. A tailor's workshop run by George Saunders, who came from Saint Kitts in 1958 and worked in the court from 1974, was the last business to close, in 2002.

Today the court is cared for by the National Trust. Visitors follow a guided tour through restored houses furnished and lit to show different periods from the 1840s to the 1970s, with fires in the grates and period sounds and smells. The tour also includes Mr Levi's workshop, Mrs Oldfield's kitchen and George Saunders' tailor's shop, which holds the only collection in the United Kingdom of the work of a Caribbean tailor.

Hoogtepunten

• Last surviving court of back-to-back houses in Birmingham
• Guided tour through restored houses from the 1840s to the 1970s
• George Saunders' tailor's shop and collection
• Rooms with lit fires, scent pods and period sounds
• Free second-hand bookshop and exhibition space on Hurst Street

Vaste collectie

• Guided tour of Court 15 – A guided visit through restored houses and workshops that shows how working people lived from the 1840s to the 1970s.
• The George Saunders collection – Clothes, fabrics and tailoring tools from the Caribbean tailor who worked in the court, the only collection of its kind in the National Trust.

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Standard prices are £12 for the 60-minute ground-floor tour and £13 for the 90-minute full tour; Gift Aid prices are about 10% higher. National Trust members enter free but should still book. A Neighbourhood Pass offers free visits to people who live or work nearby. The bookshop and exhibition space on Hurst Street are free to enter. Booking is also possible by phone on 0344 249 1895.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The historic houses are not fully accessible: the full tour climbs eight sets of steep, narrow stairs and the courtyard is cobbled and uneven. A ground-floor tour of about 60 minutes has level access to the courtyard and all four show houses, with a photo album of the upstairs rooms, and a wheelchair is available at reception. Alleyway access on Inge Street gives level access into the yard, and there is an accessible drop-off point and a few Blue Badge spaces on Hurst Street. The bookshop has street-level access, but the exhibition space is up steep stairs. An accessible toilet is in the courtyard, there is an induction loop at the till, and sensory bags, written guides and braille guides are available. British Sign Language tours can be arranged with at least four weeks' notice. Assistance dogs are welcome, and chairs are provided in most rooms.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Verschoonruimte

The museum offers school workshops and family craft events in the bookshop, (for example a clay craft activity), and family tickets are available. Children under 5 are free. Baby changing is in the accessible toilet in the courtyard. Sensory bags with ear defenders and fidget toys can be picked up at reception.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Visitor reception is on the corner of Inge Street and Hurst Street, next to the Hippodrome Theatre. Use postcode B5 4TE for the property. Birmingham has a Clean Air Zone, so drivers should check whether their vehicle is eligible.

Service & horeca

• Café: niet aanwezig
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel
• Wifi: niet aanwezig

There is no cafe, but there are many cafes, pubs and restaurants nearby. Court 15 Books, a second-hand bookshop on Hurst Street, is free to enter. There is no Wi-Fi on site, though mobile phone reception is generally good. Food is not allowed in the houses; bottled water is allowed on tours.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Je bezoek plannen