Birmingham started life in the 6th century as an Anglo-Saxon farming hamlet on the banks of the River Rea.

In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a royal charter to hold a market, which in time became known as the Bull Ring, transforming Birmingham from a village to a market town. As early as the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. By the English Civil War in the 17th century Birmingham had become an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms.
Birmingham's industrial development and population growth accelerated in the 17th and 18th cent.

Birmingham has many museums and art galleries like Chamberlain Square Birmingham Gallery which has renowned displays of artwork that include a leading collection of work by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the world's largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones. The group also owns other museums in the city such as Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Sarehole Mill, a popular attraction for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien.

It is home to two of the country's oldest professional football teams: Birmingham City (1875) and Aston Villa (1874), which proves as a very popular city tradition.

Like most cities in the U.K, Birmingham hosts a thriving busy shopping city centre with a huge range of bars, clubs, restaurants and multicultural activities.