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Help preserve working-class history at the Birmingham Back to Backs. Donate today to help relight our fires and preserve these unique homes, for everyone for ever.
Birmingham Back to Backs
Experience 200 years of working people's lives in the heart of Birmingham.
55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4TE
Book a visit
Important notice
Please note all visits to the Back to Backs must be booked in advance and are by guided tour only. Tickets are released every Thursday.
Opening times for 3 December 2023
Asset Opening time Birmingham Back to Backs 10:30 - 15:00 Second-hand bookshop 10:30 - 17:00 Exhibition space 10:30 - 17:00 Book a visitMTWTFSS2728293012345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031OpenPartially openClosedGround floor guided tour
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £8.80 £8.00 Child £4.40 £4.00 Family £22.00 £20.00 Family (one adult) £13.20 £12.00 Guided tour
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £11.00 £10.00 Child £5.50 £5.00 Family £27.50 £25.00 Family (one adult) £16.50 £15.00 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Assistance dogs only
Guided tour
Visits to the houses are by guided tour only and must be pre-booked online.
Book shop
Second-hand bookshop on Hurst Street, free to enter.
Toilet
There is accessible drop-off available outside the property, on Inge Street, by our gated alleyway. You can notify your arrival at the visitor reception on the corner of Hurst Street and Inge Street. The alleyway access on Inge Street provides level access into the yard. A wheelchair is available for accessing the ground floors of the houses. Please note, tours feature multiple winding, narrow staircases, a ground floor only tour is also available.
Accessible route and/or map
Ground floor only tours are available with level access to the courtyard and all four show houses
Narrow corridors
Accessible toilet
Seating available
Braille (guide or menu)
Steps/uneven terrain
Drop-off point
Wheelchairs available
By road
Nearest parking is at the Arcadian Centre which is not National Trust, use postcode B5 4TD. The entrance is off Bromsgrove Street. Pricing information available here http://www.thearcadian.co.uk/whos-here/euro-carpark/ Birmingham City Council has introduced a Clean Air Zone. Please visit https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/ for your vehicle's eligibility.
Parking: Arcadian Centre, Bromsgrove Street. B5 4TD (not National Trust). Birmingham City Council has introduced a Clean Air Zone. Please visit https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/ for your vehicle's eligibility.
Sat Nav: For property, use B5 4TE, for Arcadian Centre car park use B5 4TD. No National Trust car parking available. Please be aware that Birmingham City Council has introduced a Clean Air Zone.
On foot
within easy walking distance of bus and railway stations (follow signs for Hippodrome Theatre). Visitor Reception is on the corner of Inge Street and Hurst Street right next to the Hippodrome and Pride Plaza.
By train
Birmingham New Street ¼ mile: When leaving station, head for exit sign-posted "Southside" (on maps labelled "Hill Street Exit"). Upon leaving exit, turn left onto Hill Street and walk down hill. Cross dual carriageway onto Hurst Street and walk towards Hippodrome Theatre from where the Back to Backs is visible. Birmingham Moor Street ½ mile: At station exit, cross the road towards Bullring entrance but do not enter Bullring. Turn right to walk along St Martins Queensway, this will take you under a road bridge and bring you onto Smallbrook Queensway. Follow road till you reach a cross roads, turn left onto Hurst Street and walk towards Hippodrome Theatre from where the Back to Backs is visible.
By bus
Various Travel West Midlands routes from across city into the city centre. Find out more here https://nxbus.co.uk/
55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4TE
Planning your visit
Events at Birmingham Back to Backs
See our upcoming events, including special tours and talks.
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Booking your visit to Birmingham Back to Backs
Birmingham Back to Backs are open for visits by guided tour only, book online in advance to explore the stories of Court 15.
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School visits to the Birmingham Back to Backs
School visits to the Birmingham Back to Backs are a fun and interactive way to engage young minds. Find out more about our workshops.
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Reminiscence sessions for people with Dementia
Join the award-winning Back in Time volunteer team from the Birmingham Back to Backs, for a group session designed to spark memory sharing in those with mild dementia.
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Christmas at the Birmingham Back to Backs
For Christmas 2023 we invite you to get into the festive spirit with a trip back in time at the Back to Backs.
Activity
Neighbourhood Passes at Birmingham Back to Backs
If you live or work near the Birmingham Back to Backs, you, another adult and up to three children could visit us for free.
Highlights
Back to Back houses
Carefully restored, atmospheric 19th-century courtyard of working people's houses. Visits by pre-booked guided tour only.
The George Saunders collection
The only collection of work by a Caribbean tailor in the UK. George operated a successful tailor's shop from the Back to Backs for many years and left some of his items to the National Trust to preserve this last living link to the houses.
Court 15 Books - Second-hand bookshop
With a range of new and used books, every penny you spend helps us to preserve this unique place. You can also donate your books to support the Back to Backs.
Free exhibition space
There is a free-to-enter exhibition space above the second-hand bookshop on Hurst Street.
Spotlight events
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Gary Lindsay-Moore: It's Not Unusual
Explore the story of iconic fashion legends Patti Bell and Jane Kahn through the contemporary photography of Gary Lindsay-Moore.
Project
Project
George Saunders Reimagined: Creative responses by students from Birmingham City University
Explore the story and skill of George Saunders, a master tailor who was based at the Back to Backs, through the work of Birmingham City University students.
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Back in Time Reminiscence for people with mild Dementia
Join our award-winning team for monthly reminiscence groups at the Back to Backs.
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Opportunities for young people at the Birmingham Back to Backs
The Birmingham Back to Backs run an annual Summer Challenge programme aimed at engaging young people from the local area in heritage. The programme allows 16-21 year olds to gain valuable work experience and practical skills.
Things to see and do
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Things to see and do at Birmingham Back to Backs
Step back in time and experience life in Birmingham’s last surviving court of back-to-back houses, taking you from the 1840s through to the 1970s on an intimate guided tour.
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Second-hand bookshop at the Birmingham Back to Backs
Buy new and used books at Court 15, the second-hand bookshop at Birmingham Back to Backs. Donate your pre-loved books or become a volunteer.
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Reminiscence sessions for people with Dementia
Join the award-winning Back in Time volunteer team from the Birmingham Back to Backs, for a group session designed to spark memory sharing in those with mild dementia.
Places to stay
Rosedene
A great spot for watching birds and butterflies near the Clent Hills with miles of walking trails nearby.
Upcoming events
Event
Back in Time reminiscence session for people living with mild Dementia
Do you know someone living with mild dementia who enjoys reminiscing about the past? Our “Back in Time” sessions at the Birmingham Back to Backs are designed to spark memory sharing.
Event
Gary Lindsay-Moore: It's Not Unusual Exhibition Talk
Join us for a talk from Gary Lindsay-Moore, the photographer behind our current exhibition on local fashion icons, Kahn and Bell.
About Birmingham Back to Backs
An atmospheric glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people who helped make Birmingham an extraordinary city.
Visits to the Birmingham Back to Backs houses are by pre-booked guided tours only. Please book your visit online or read the how to book article for more information.
On a fascinating guided tour, step back in time at Birmingham's last surviving court of back to backs; houses built literally back-to-back around a communal courtyard.
Moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s, discover the lives of some of the former residents who crammed into these small houses to live and work. With fires alight in the grates, and sounds and smells from the past, experience an evocative and intimate insight into life at the Back to Backs.
History
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The history of Birmingham Back to Backs
Find out what life was like in back-to-back housing for the working classes of the 19th and 20th centuries and discover the people who brought the Back to Backs to life.
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Black history in Birmingham: the story of George Saunders
Discover the history behind the George Saunders’ collection at Birmingham Back to Backs, a story that is inextricably linked with Birmingham’s black history.
Discover a community at Birmingham Back to Backs with Findmypast
In collaboration with Findmypast, we've been exploring the 1921 Census of England and Wales. It's helped us get closer to the lives of people at the Back to Backs; people like Harry Dowell, one of only two residents in Birmingham who list their profession as ‘theatrical comedian’. Experts believe that Harry went on to have a successful career with the stage name Harry Shiels, likely performing just across the road at the Hippodrome. Discover more stories at Birmingham Back to Backs, as well as research from nine other places in our care. By clicking this link, you’ll access a third-party website. Please see their privacy policy for how they handle your personal data.
Art and collections
Birmingham Back to Backs' objects and collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Birmingham Back to Backs on the National Trust Collections website.
Our work
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Our work at the Birmingham Back to Backs
Explore what goes into caring for a particularly unusual collection, which offers a glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people who helped shaped Birmingham.
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Birmingham Back to Backs fundraising appeal
The Birmingham Back to Backs are a court of Grade II listed buildings which have been lovingly restored, and now give visitors a chance to step back in time and experience working-class history. We need your support to raise the funds we need to care for these unique buildings.
Support us
Volunteer with us
We're recruiting for tour guide volunteers, bookshop volunteers and welcome volunteers. Head to our volunteering page to learn more or sign up for an open day.