Gas Street Basin
Gas Street Basin, Birmingham
Jake Davies
Birmingham, the UK's "second city" in the heart of England, and Venice, the famous historical city and tourist hot spot in Italy, would seem to have little in common, but nevertheless comparisons are often made.
Venice is obviously most famous for its canals, and it is in regard to canals that these comparisons are made.
It is said that Birmingham has more canals than Venice when you consider the 35 miles of canals within Birmingham's city centre, and the 100 miles of canals within its city boundaries.
History
Canals were instrumental in bringing about the conditions that led to the Industrial Revolution in Britain.
The waterways allowed massive quantities of raw materials to be transported and then the finished products made could be easily transported around the country and exported. Eleven different canals converged on Birmingham allowing the city to earn the nickname "the workshop of the world".
The industrial canalscapes of Birmingham are the setting for the very popular TV series Peaky Blinders, though the canal scenes were not actually filmed in Birmingham.
The TV show was set in the early part of the 20th century, but by mid century the canals of Birmingham had fallen into disuse and decay, their role having been supplanted by the expansion of railways and road systems.
Since the late 20th century however the canals in Birmingham, like elsewhere in the country, have been restored and revived, though not for their original purpose.
Inland Port
Gas Street Basin, right in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, is like an oasis, with brightly-coloured narrow-boats surrounded by listed buildings against a backdrop of modern high-rise offices. The area has been transformed into a centre for leisure and entertainment.
A basin is the equivalent of an inland port where goods and materials were loaded and unloaded and transshipped.
Gas Street Basin is where two major canals met, and a physical barrier, called the Worcester Bar was constructed across the basin to stop the two canals from "sharing" their water. Now moored to this bar are dozens of brightly colored narrow-boats, several of them lived in.
Many of the old warehouses and cottages that lined the basin have been renovated, restored, and converted.
The area is now home to a wide variety of restaurants and bistros, pubs, bars, clubs, coffee shops and cafes.
Many of these establishments have views of the picturesque basin, and a few have outdoor seating on the waterfront. The heritage of the canals has also been conserved in various ways.
You can cruise on the canals, either on a "Party Boat" that offers day and nighttime cruises with full bar facilities plus food, or on the Waterbus which travels a loop around the city center with Gas Street Basin being one of the 5 stops.
The basin is popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists as the towpaths alongside the canals offer a convenient route through the city center that are quiet, scenic, and traffic-free. They are well signed and easy to find your way around.
Accommodation
There are places to stay to suit all budgets in Birmingham.
At the top end try the Clayton Hotel Birmingham or the Jurys Inn on Broad Street.
See a list of hotels in Birmingham.
Access - Getting to Birmingham
Birmingham New Street Station, right in the city centre, is Birmingham's main station with trains to Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street and London Euston.
There are local train services from Snow Hill and Moor Street stations to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Worcester and Malvern.
Long distance National Express buses run nationwide from the bus station in Digbeth.
City transport in Birmingham is good and getting better with the Midland Metro a light rail system connecting Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich, Bilston and Wednesbury.
Centro organizes and co-ordinates the transport network in the West Midlands which includes the Midland Metro, buses and trains. Eventually the SWIFT smart card will be valid over the whole network.
Birmingham Airport, formerly Birmingham International Airport, is just over 5 miles south east of the city centre and offers both domestic and international flights. Birmingham International Station serves the airport and is just 10-15 minutes from New Street. There are buses to the airport from Birmingham city centre, Coventry, Erdington and Solihull.
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