John 
This article is the first part of our series on places to visit in Birmingham. We thought it was a good idea to start with the museums you can go to in the City of a Thousand Trades. There are many museums to talk about, so we won’t waste any more time with exposition. Enjoy reading!
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Situated in the heart of the city, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery attracts over 600,000 visitors every year with its numerous historical and art collections. It started off as a gallery founded on 28 November 1885 and officially opened by the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII).
The gallery was sponsored by many private individuals such as Sir Richard and George Tangye who helped the council bring it to life. This generosity continued throughout the years when the gallery experienced financial issues.
The building of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was designed by Yeoville Thomason. At the time, it was considered a feat of Victorian architecture with its metal work. The building has experienced many changes since the 19th century, and nowadays the only original part of it is the Industrial Gallery.
Some of the museum and gallery’s permanent collections include Pre-Raphaelite paintings (the biggest collection in the world), artefacts from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, along with items associated with the history of Birmingham. Unfortunately, the museum is not open right now, but it will open partially on 28 April 2022.
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
If you want to go on a trip back in time, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is the perfect place for you. The museum is a perfectly preserved workshop that once housed the family-owned company Smith and Pepper that produced gold jewellery.
The red-brick building with green details is a masterpiece on its own, and you’ll also get the chance to see where the magic happened. Situated in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, the museum is not only a workshop, but a time machine exploring the 200 years of jewellery history of Birmingham. It was first opened in 1992 and it attracts around 20,000 visitors every year.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic though, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is not open every day. You can visit it during one of the special events. These events include jewellery workshops and courses.
Thinktank
Thinktank or the Birmingham Science Museum is a wonderful place to visit, especially if you are with your kids. There are many activities for children, including the innovative MiniBrum where “children are in charge”. The interactive gallery portrays the beauty of the city and it has a few play zones such as a racetrack, a den-building area and a climbing tower.
The Birmingham Collection of Science and Industry was first established in the mid-19th century, but the council decided to relocate the museum in the 1990’s and they allowed the creation of a new building. Thinktank officially opened in 2001.
Thinktank includes exhibitions of aircrafts, locomotives, steam engines and many other feats of modern technology. It also has exhibitions dedicated to famous inventors like James Watt. Last, but not least, Thinktank has a functional planetarium. The museum will reopen on 19 February 2022.
National Motorcycle Museum
For the fans of speed, we have the National Motorcycle Museum. It is considered to be Britain’s largest and finest motorcycle museum. Indeed, the museum is massive, occupying 8 acres of land! This is the reason why it’s situated close to the Birmingham Airport.
The museum is the brain-child of billionaire Roy Richards who started collecting rare motorcycles in the 1970’s. The National Motorcycle Museum was founded in 1985 and it initially exhibited 350 items, but it now has hundreds of more motorcycles from different eras in British history.
Tragically, a fire broke out on 16 September 2003 and it destroyed hundreds of precious motorcycles, some of which could not be replaced. It was estimated that the cost of the fire was around £14 million.
Still, the fire only encouraged the museum curators to look for more motorcycles to exhibit. The museum now welcomes 250,000 visitors a year, making it one of Britain’s most visited museums. The National Motorcycle Museum is open every day.
Pen Museum
Pen Museum is a speciality museum that details the history of Birmingham’s steel pen industry. It’s the only such museum in the whole country, and there’s a reason for it. Birmingham is the world’s centre of steel pen production and you’ll find out how if you visit this magnificent museum.
The Pen Museum is located in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, and the building that houses it, the Argent Centre (built 1863), used to serve as a pen factory. The museum was opened in 2001 and it tells the story of the hundred pen companies that emerged in the 19th century. It details their history, as well as the lives of their workers.
Visitors can see recreations of pen workshops and even try out different types of pens, typewriters, and even Braille machines. At the end of their visit, tourists can treat themselves to an authentic Birmingham steel pen at the gift shop. The museum is open every day of the week.