Places to visit: Museums

• Aston Hall - 'Discover one of England’s finest Jacobean mansion houses. Aston Hall still bears the scars of the English Civil War and is surrounded by 50-acres of beautiful parks and gardens.'
  Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 6JD.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Aston Hall is closed for the winter season and will be closed throughout 2007 for a £10 million make over. Watch out for special open days when you'll be able to see how the work is progressing.
  Tel: 0121 327 0062
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• Birmingham & Midland Museum of Transport
  Chapel Lane, Wythall, Birmingham B47 6JX.
  Months Open: 10 Apr-31 Oct, Sat, Sun, Bank Hol, 1100-1700.
  Groups/Parties Welcome: Yes - Please pre-book. Discount for Groups: Yes
  Catering: Refreshments.
  Tel: 01564 826471
• Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery - 'Marvel at BM&AG's vast collections, telling the story of the last 400,000 years of history. The art galleries include the world-famous Pre-Raphaelite collection, the largest in the country.'
  Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Monday - Thursday 10.00am - 5.00pm.
  Friday 10.30am - 5.00pm. Sat 10.00am - 5.00pm. Sunday 12.30pm - 5.00pm
  Birmingham Museums & Art Galleries will be closed on December 25th, 26th, 27th and on January 1st.
  Tel: 0121 303 2834
  http://www.bmag.org.uk
  
• Tyseley Locomotive Works Visitor Centre (formerly known as Birmingham Railway Museum) - 'In 1999 Birmingham Railway Museum Trust achieved its long held objective of running a regular steam train service on the national mainline railway network between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. The Trust (which is a registered educational charity and custodian of the Tyseley Collection of railway engines & railway artefacts) was established to preserve and demonstrate the steam locomotives.'
  Tyseley Locomotive Works Visitor Centre, 670 Warwick Road, Tyseley,
  Birmingham B11 2HL.
  Open: Sat - Sun 1000 - 1600 Open Bank holidays.
  Tel : 0121 707 4696. Fax : 0121 764 4645.
  http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk/brm.htm
• Bishop Asbury Cottage - 'An eighteenth century cottage which was the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop.'
  Bishop Asbury Cottage, Newton Road, Great Barr B43 6HN.
  Tel: 0121 553 0759 (Oak House)
  
• Blakesley Hall - 'Explore the beautiful 16th-century timber-framed house at Blakesley – one of just a few of its kind remaining in Birmingham. The house is set in picturesque gardens full of wildlife.'
  Blakesley Road, Yardley, Birmingham B25 8RN.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Open from 31st March to 28th October.
  Tuesday to Sunday 11.30am - 4pm. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.
  Tel: 0121 464 2193
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• Lapworth Museum of Geology - 'The Lapworth Museum of Geology has the finest and most extensive collections of fossils, minerals and rocks in the Midland Region. The Museum dates back to 1880, and is one of the oldest specialist geological museums in the UK. Throughout its long history the Lapworth Museum has provided a valuable resource for students, schools and colleges, research workers, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in, or desire to learn, about geology. The museum supports teaching and research in the Earth Sciences and natural history within the University and the West Midlands region.'
  Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
  Saturday & Sunday 2.00pm - 5.00pm
  The University is closed between Christmas and New Year, and also at Easter. Please contact the museum for dates and details.
  Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston,
  Birmingham B15 2TT.
  Tel: 0121 414 7294. Fax: 01214144942.
  http://www.lapworth.bham.ac.uk
  
• Museum Jewellery Quarter - 'Step back in time at the perfectly-preserved Smith & Pepper jewellery factory. Watch live demonstrations and find out what it was like to work in the city’s Jewellery Quarter.'
  75-79 Vyse Street, Hockley, Birmingham B18 6HA.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Now open all year round.
  Easter to October Tuesday - Sunday 11.30am - 4pm.
  November to Easter Tuesday - Saturday 11.30am - 4pm.
  Closed Mondays except for Bank Holiday Mondays).
  The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter will be closed on
  December 25th, 26th, 27th and on January 1st.
  Tel: 0121 554 3598. Cafe Jouel: +44 [0]121 551 6991.
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• Patrick Motor Museum
  The Lakeside Centre, 180 Lifford Lane, Kings Norton, Birmingham B30 3NT.
  Tel: 0121 486 3399. Fax: 0121 486 3388.
  
• Sarehole Mill - 'Enjoy the tranquillity of Sarehole, one of only two surviving watermills in Birmingham. Explore the 200-year-old mill and courtyard and the nearby Shire Country Park.'
  Cole Bank Road, Hall Green, Birmingham B13 0BD.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Open from 31st March to 28th October.
  Tuesday to Sunday 11.30am - 4pm. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.
  Tel: 0121 777 6612
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• Selly Manor Museum - 'A visit to Selly Manor is like stepping back in time to a Tudor house, and offers a fascinating insight into life centuries ago.'
  Opening Times: Tuesday to Friday 10am-5pm all year round. (Closed Christmas and New Year). From April to September - Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 2-5pm.
  Admissions: Adults £3.50. Concessions £2.00. Children £1.50.
  Family Ticket (2 adults, 3 children) £7.50. Free admission to Bournville Village Trust residents with proof of address. (Prices may vary for special events). School Educational visits £2 per child self guiding or £3 per child with a member of our education staff (maximum of two classes per day).
  Tel: 0121 472 0199. E-mail: sellymanor@bvt.org.uk.
  http://www.bvt.org.uk/sellymanor
  
• Soho House - 'Visit the home of Matthew Boulton, one of the fathers of the industrial revolution. Here he met with the greatest minds of the 18th-century and founded his manufacturing empire.'
  Soho Avenue (off Soho Road), Handsworth, Birmingham B18 5LB.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Open from 31st March to 28th October.
  Tuesday to Sunday 11.30am - 4pm. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.
  Tel: 0121 554 9122
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
  Thinktank, Birmingham’s museum of science - a place where science and history come alive. Attractions include the IMAX cinema with its huge screen and surround sound, and a Planetarium powered by the world's most advanced digital projection system.
  Thinktank at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG.
  Tel : 0121 202 2222
  E-mail : findout@thinktank.ac
  http://www.thinktank.ac | http://www.imax.ac
• The Transport Museum, Wythall - 'There are now three halls which accommodate one of the most significant collections of preserved buses in the country. It has the largest collection of preserved Midland Red buses and can probably make the same claim for Birmingham City Transport.'
  Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX.
  Open every weekend from Easter to the end of November, 11am to 4.30pm (10.30am to 5pm on major operating days). In July also open from 1pm to 4.30pm each Wednesday.
  Tel : 01564 826471
  http://www.bammot.org.uk
  
• Weoley Castle (contact Blakesley Hall) - 'View the 700-year-old ruins of Weoley Castle, the remains of a medieval moated house, and learn about the lives of the wealthy aristocrats who once lived here.'
  Alwold Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham B29.
  Admission: Free. Opening Times: Weekends and Bank Holidays only.
  Viewing platform Open from 31st March to 28th October.
  Tel: 0121 464 2193
  http://www.bmag.org.uk - Community Museums
• West Midlands Police Museum - 'Children are welcome to attend the open days, and visitors will be allowed to take photographs in the cell. Visitors will also be given the opportunity to have their photograph taken as a Victorian prisoner.'
  Sparkhill Police Station, 639 Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham B11 4EA.
  Tel: 0845 1135000. Ext: 7835 6243.
  http://www.westmidlandspolicemuseum.co.uk
  
  
• Commercial Services
  
• Tel: 0121 464 9885 - BM&AG Shop
  
• Tel: 0121 464 3790 - Venue Hire at Birmingham Museum
  
• Tel: 0121 327 0062 - Venue hire at Aston Hall
  
• Tel: 0121 464 2193 - Weddings and venue hire at Blakesley Hall
  
• Tel: 0121 554 3598 - Venue hire at Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
  
• Tel: 0121 554 9122 - Venue hire at Soho House
  
• Tel: 0121 303 3155 - Picture Library