Facts

Birmingham is a leading cultural city and much of our creativity has had a lasting legacy across the UK and indeed the world!  Here are 21 facts that you didn’t know about this amazing city.

1. Birmingham is the home of film!  This is where celluloid was invented and first manufactured.

2. The Birmingham Hippodrome is the busiest single theatre in the UK, welcoming over 500,000 paying visitors every year.

3. Birmingham is home to the oldest working steam engine in the world.

4. The Football League was invented in Birmingham at Aston Villa.

5. We have the youngest profile of any major city in Europe with 37% of residents under 25 years of age.

6. J.R.R. Tolkien (TM) lived in Birmingham and used some of the city's landmarks as the inspiration for his book 'Lord of the Rings.'

7. Lawn Tennis was invented and first played here.

8. Not only were football referee whistles invented and first manufactured in Birmingham but this is also where the FA Cup is made.

9. Birmingham Repertory Theatre has helped launch the careers of many great actors including Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Peggy Ashcroft and Julie Christie.

10. The first building in the UK built solely to house exhibitions was in Birmingham.

11. The Margaret Street School of Art was the first purpose-built municipal art college in the country.

12. Birmingham City University is one of the largest centres for training in the arts and creative industries in the UK.

13. Millennium Point is the largest Millennium Project outside of London.

14. Birmingham is home to the first purpose built digital Planetarium in the UK.

15. Centenary Square is where the first live outside web broadcast of a cultural event took place.  This was the St. Patrick’s Day festival in 2004.

16. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is home to more than half a million objects.  Of these there are 27,000 prints, drawings and water colours ranging from medieval manuscripts to contemporary art.

17. Annually, we have the largest Vaisakhi celebrations outside of Asia and the third largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations outside of Dublin and New York.

18. The Museum and Art Gallery’s 19 day exhibition of the Anglo Saxon hoard of gold attracted over 64,000 visitors from across the UK.

19. We are the biggest producers of storytelling activity in the country running events, performances and training locally and nationally.

20. The Birmingham Stage Company produces the longest Christmas season of any theatre in the UK lasting 14 weeks!

21. Birmingham’s School of Jewellery is the largest in Europe.

If you have some facts of your own that you would like to share with us please get in touch.  Our contact details can be found here.