The truth can be a bitter pill to swallow, but couldn’t you sugarcoat it a little? We all know that Birmingham’s days as the “workshop of the world” are behind it, but there’s still plenty to be proud of, right…!? The Telegraph’s destination expert, Chris Moss, has given his honest review of the Second City, and actually, it could be worse.
The legendary travel writer and a former journalist has detailed his strong opinions about Britain’s 20 biggest cities, ranking them on ‘visitor appeal’. Usually, the butt of Britain’s jokes, Birmingham didn’t fare that badly—beating Nottingham (18th), Sheffield (14th) and Bristol (9th).
Birmingham ranked 8th overall with a ‘visitor appeal’ of 6.5/10. That’s not too shabby, finishing only one place behind London (‘visitor appeal’ of 7/10), while the top spot went to Liverpool (‘visitor appeal’ of 9/10). Of course, that doesn’t mean it escaped criticism—it’s an honest review, after all—and honestly, some ot needs to be said.
What does the honest review say?
Highlighting recent achievements like the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Peaky Blinders (2013-2022), Ozzy Osborne’s last ever gig, “their fancy Selfridges, amazing new library and Ozzy the Bull”, there’s plenty for Brummies be proud of, it says. But Birmingham needs “far more ambitious cultural self-assertion if it wants serious limelight time.”
And, overall, the review of Birmingham is a bit ‘meh’. “Something in Birmingham’s DNA or the basic reality of being both in the “Midlands” (and therefore “middling”) and surrounded by the hard-to-distinguish mega-sprawl of the West Midlands/Black Country, makes it hard for the city to stand out and turn on the style.”
It complains that the canals are many but dirty, “the food is good, but the golden era of Balti is long gone,” and that most cities have got “posh South Asian restaurants” now. This is all mostly true, and there’s plenty here that Brummies have to accept, but there’s plenty more the ‘honest review’ misses.
Sure, right now, Birmingham is in the news for all the wrong reasons, but it’s also on the cusp of something exciting and new—you just have to look at Digbeth’s exciting Creative Quarter, like Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc. Studios, to know that, while Birmingham has long moved on from the Balti, with an incredible street food scene.
We will accept that the canals do need a little cleaning, though. And the less said about the whole Birmingham/Black Country/West Midlands-thing, the better, in my opinion. Until someone can come along and unite the strengths of the whole region, it will always struggle to compete with Greater London or even Greater Manchester.
To see Britain’s 20 biggest cities, ranked from worst to best, head here.