Rounding up 2015 We’ve had an incredible 6 months of discoveries in Birmingham, here’s to 2016, more cool heritage projects and more tea (or coffee!) We thought the best way to round up this half of the year was to unleash a place a day for you all on twitter - So we’ve been counting down to Christmas for the last 24 days with 24 cool places to visit it the West Midlands. 1. Cannon Hill Park Cannon Hill ParK is Birmingham’s popular parK. WalK, jog, have a picnic or wonder around 2 acres of beautiful scenery. 2. Frankfurt Christmas market Birmingham’s Christmas marKet has been running for over a decade! With 180 stalls it is the largest outdoor Christmas marKet in Britain. Keep in touch and find out when they’re bacK in town by following their twitter @BIRMINGHAMFCM 3. Moor Street Station This grad 2 listed station has been carefully refurbished in a 1930’s style. It mainly has services for local places such as Stratford-upon-Avon with London Marylebone being the furthest station. 4. The Pen Museum The Pen Museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the history of Birmingham’s steel pan trade. The only museum in the United Kingdom devoted to the history of the pen making industry. 5. Cadbury World Morgan Anderson opened Cadbury World on 14 August 1990. Cadbury World has gone on to become one of Birmingham’s largest leisure attraction- welcoming over 500,000 visitors a year. 6. The Drum From its origins in the early 1990’s, addressing the absence of blacK and minority ethnic voices, the drum has evolved into a modern arts organisation serving the needs of diverse audiences and communities. 7. St Philips Cathedral It was consecrated as the parish church of St Philip’s on the 4th October 1715. It’s a rare and very fine example of English baroque architecture and can be said to represent Birmingham’s pride and ambition @BHAMCATHEDRAL 8. Old Crown Pub The Old Crown a pub in Deritend is the oldest extant secular building in Birmingham, England. It is Grade II* listed, and claims to date bacK to c. 1368, retaining its "blacK and white" timber frame, although almost all of the present building dates from the early 16th century. 9. Lickey Hills LicKey Hills Country ParK is a country parK in England. It is 10.3 miles south west of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester. The 524 acres parK is situated just south of Rednal and close to Barnt Green. 10. Custard Factory The Custard Factory is set in 15 acres of beautifully renovated riverside factories, built more than 100 years ago by Alfred Bird to manufacture and marKet his famous invention, eggless Custard. At one time he had a thousand people making the stuff and was exporting it across the globe. We tooK The Custard Factory over in 1988. We began to restore the buildings and opened it up to the best of Birmingham’s young creative talent. The first phase, Scott House, launched in 1993 and was so popular that it was full before the brochures had finished printing. 11. Vintage Trains Vintage Trains is a charitable trust. The Trust is the custodian of the Tyseley Collection of railway engines. The Collection belongs to 7029 Clun Castle Ltd, which is a registered educational charity. The Trust was established to preserve and demonstrate the steam locomotives. In 1999 it achieved its long held objective of running a regular steam train service on the national mainline railway networK between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. Tyseley steam depot was originally built by the Great Western Railway for that purpose. So Vintage Trains continues Tyseley's historic traditions. 12. RBSA Gallery The RBSA was established as the Birmingham Society of Artists in 1821, though it can trace its origins bacK further to the life drawing academy opened by Samuel Lines, Moses Haughton, Vincent Barber and Charles Barber in PecK Lane (now the site of New Street Station) in 1809.[3] From this group was founded the Birmingham Academy of Arts in 1814, whose first exhibition was held that year 13. Sarehole Mill There has been a mill on this site since 1542, but the current building dates from the mid-18th Century. In the 1850s a steam engine was installed and a chimney built, which provides Sarehole Mill with its distinctive silhouette. The mill has two waterwheels, one of which is operational and is used to grind wheat every Wednesday and Sunday, water levels permitting. Sare (w) hole meal flour is sold from the mill shop. 14. The Walker Building – Impact Hub Birmingham Impact Hub Birmingham is a networK of amazing citizens, makers, doers, entrepreneurs, activists and dreamers committed to building a better Birmingham and a better world. 15. Selly Manor Museum Selly Manor dates bacK to the 1400’s, but at the end of the 20th century, it had fallen into disrepair. In 1907, chocolate maker George Cadbury, saved it from demolition and decided to move it into his new village of Bournville, less than 1 mile away. He used the architect William Alexander Harvey to oversee its move, and in 1916 it opened to the public as a museum. Next to it is a magnificent crucK-framed medieval hall house, Minworth Greaves that is used for events, activities and weddings. 16. Highgate Baptist Church The minister at Highgate Baptist Church between 1889 and 1895 was Revd. Peter T. Stanford, an African American ex slave who spent about 12 years in Britain and was a significant person in Birmingham's civic life. Stanford was Birmingham's first blacK minister and the Birmingham Civic Society honoured him by placing a Blue Plaque on Highgate Baptist Church during BlacK History Month 2011. 17. New Street Station The original New Street station formally opened on 1 June 1854 and was constructed as a joint station by the London and North Western Railway and the Midland Railway. At the time of completion, it had the largest iron and glass roof in the world at 65m wide and 256m long. 18. The Hippodrome The first venue built on the Hippodrome site was a building of assembly rooms in 1895. In 1899 a stage and circus ring was added together with a miniature of BlacKpool Tower (removed 1963) and the enterprise named the "Tower of Varieties". After failing, this reopened as the "Tivoli" in 1900, finally becoming "The Hippodrome" under the ownership of impresario Thomas Barrasford in October 1903. The current neo-classical auditorium seats 1,900 and was designed by Burdwood and Mitchell in 1924. 19. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalworK, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local history and industrial history. Birmingham Museums Trust runs the museum/gallery, the largest independent museums trust in the United Kingdom, which also runs eight other museums around the city. Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee. 20. EdgBaston Reservoir Edgbaston Reservoir, originally Known as Rotton ParK Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as RocK Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in the Ladywood district of Birmingham, England. It is situated close to Birmingham City Centre and is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. 21. Victoria Law Courts The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham, England is a Grade I listed red bricK and terracotta building that now houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 23 March 1887 in her Golden Jubilee year. Built by Birmingham firm, John Bowen and Sons, the courts were opened on 21 July 1891 by Prince & Princess of Wales. Additions were made adding a projecting bow window on the left in 1891-4 and extensions along Newton Street in 1914. 22. AVFC Villa ParK is the largest football stadium in the English Midlands, and the eighth largest stadium in England. It has hosted 16 England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899, and the most recent in 2005. Thus, it was the first English ground to stage international football in three different centuries. 23. Soho House Museum Soho House was the elegant home of the industrialist and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton from 1766 to 1809. Soho House was also a favourite meeting place of the Lunar Society, a leading Enlightenment group. The Lunar Society would meet every month on the night of the full moon to dine, conduct experiments, and discuss philosophical matters of the day. 24. The Electric Cinema The Electric in the Southside district of Birmingham is the UK’s oldest worKing cinema and is now home to sofas, a bar and waiter service. We have two digital screens and show a mixture of the latest quality mainstream, independent, foreign and classic films. Have an aBsolute Blast of a holiday! Enjoy the food, the company and all the festivities. We are Back for Routes2Roots on the Road on 6th May 2016 – Save the date! All photos and information on these 24 places are on our twitter @HLFRoutes2Roots .