City
Museum and Art Gallery
The Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, designed by H. Yeoville and
opened by HRH the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in 1885, is one of
the finest in the country outside London. Its art treasures include a
matchless collection of Pre-Raphaelites (Ford Madox Brown, Arthur Hughes,
Dante Gabriel Rossetti and others), as well as paintings from the 17th to
19th centuries, among them Canaletto's picture of Warwick Castle (1748),
Lely's portrait (1654) of Oliver Cromwell, Victorian works by David Cox,
the Birmingham landscape painter, and modern art - pictures by Wendy
Ramshaw and sculptures by Henry Moore, Rodin and James Tower.
There are also interesting displays related to the city's history, ranging
from medieval coins and historic paintings to Cadbury's chocolate products
and turn-of-the-century modes of transport. Other sections are devoted to
archaeological finds dating back to the Stone Age and superb 17th to 19th
century silver. The Pinto Collection contains 6,000 toys and other items (including
"love spoons"), all of them made of wood.
Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Situated close to Birmingham University is the Barber Institute of Fine
Arts. Evolving initially from a private bequest by Lady Barber, the
Institute now houses the University's excellent collection of art from the
Renaissance to the 20th century. It includes works by Botticelli, Bellini,
Tintoretto, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau, Manet, Monet, Gainsborough,
Constable and Degas.
Black Country Museum
The Black Country Museum in Dudley (Tipton Road), about 9mi/14km west of
Birmingham, offers a vivid insight into the history of mining. An old mine
shaft and reconstructed turn-of-the-century industrial community can be
inspected at close hand. Interesting trips are also run on the network of
canals, in the type of narrow boat traditionally used for transporting
coal.
Central Library
The Birmingham Central Library has what is probably the largest
Shakespeare collection outside the United States, (50,000 volumes in 90
languages). The coin and stamp collections and the archaeological section
are also outstanding.
Jeweler's District
A short distance north of the Museum of Science and Industry, along
Newhall Street, lies an area of Birmingham steeped in tradition. Here more
than 200 jewelers' workshops and silversmiths are concentrated, chiefly in
the vicinity of the Clock Tower on the corner of Vyse Street and Frederick
Street and around the Georgian church of St Paul's.
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City
Museum and Art Gallery
