Historic City Center

In Birmingham city centre, the Town Hall was built in 1832 and is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture. Resembling a Roman temple, this stunning building features forty ornate Corinthian columns made of Anglesey marble. The building has been the city's musical center since it hosted the first performance of Elijah Mendelssohn in 1847. Nowadays, the impressive Symphony Hall, with its world-class acoustics and stunning auditorium, is a hit. The forecourt is adorned by two memorials, one to Queen Victoria and the other to inventor James Watt, while the Renaissance-style Town Hall (1874), houses the famous "Big Brum" (slang for Birmingham) clock. Other must-visit Old Town sites include the pedestrian-only Chamberlain Square and the Central Library, home to the largest Shakespeare collection outside the United States (50,000 volumes in 90 languages).