Jewellery Quarter Museum, Soho House and Aston Hall: Birmingham History

This guide is for anyone who has moved to Birmingham from abroad and wants to understand the city they now live in, whether you are exploring alone, as a couple or with children. It covers three heritage sites run by Birmingham Museums, what each one tells you about how Birmingham made its money and its people, and the practical details you need before you go.

• Three sites, one city story
• Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
• Soho House
• Aston Hall
• Planning your visits
• FAQ

Three sites, one city story

Birmingham does not wear its history on its sleeve the way some British cities do. There is no cathedral close or medieval wall to stumble across on your way to work. The story here is about making things, trading them and arguing about new ideas, and you find it in workshops and family houses rather than castles.

These three sites fit together well. Aston Hall takes you back to the early 1600s and the English Civil War. Soho House moves you into the Georgian period, when Birmingham’s industrialists and scientists were meeting to swap ideas. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter brings you into the twentieth century, to a working factory that closed its doors in 1981. Visit all three and you get a rough timeline of the city across nearly four centuries.

All three are run by Birmingham Museums, which matters for one practical reason covered further down: a single membership gets you into all of them.

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

If you only have time for one of these, this is the one most locals would send you to. According to the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter page, when the owners of the Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturing firm retired in 1981, they simply stopped trading and locked the door. They had no idea they were leaving a time capsule behind. The factory is now a museum telling the story of the Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham’s long record in jewellery and metalworking.

The way you see it is part of the appeal. Entry is by guided tour only, and tours last about 45 minutes. The museum is open Thursday to Sunday, 10:30am to 4pm, with tours at 10:45am, 11:15am, 11:45am, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:45pm, 2:15pm, 2:45pm and 3:15pm. Admission charges apply and pre-booking is advised, so book ahead rather than turning up and hoping. The museum is closed on bank holiday Mondays, 24 to 26 December and 1 January.

For families, the museum’s events listing has included a Kids Jewellery Workshop, which is a good way to give children something hands-on rather than asking them to stand still for a tour. Adults may prefer events such as Workshops at War. There is also the Craft & Culture café bar on site, which has run its own workshops. Check the museum’s what’s on page for current dates, as events change through the year.

A tip from experience: the Jewellery Quarter itself is worth an hour’s wander before or after your tour. Once you have seen how Smith & Pepper worked, the streets around it make far more sense.

Soho House

Soho House, in Handsworth, was the home of the industrialist and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton from 1766 to 1809. The Soho House page describes it as a favourite meeting place of the Lunar Society, a group of free-thinking scientists and industrialists that included Joseph Priestley, Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood, James Watt and William Withering.

If you came to the UK knowing the name James Watt from a physics textbook, or Wedgwood from a shop window, this is where they sat around a dinner table in Birmingham. The house has been restored to reflect the fashions and tastes of the late Georgian period, so it suits adults interested in history, science or interiors. Older children who have studied the Industrial Revolution at school may get a lot out of it too.

Soho House also connects to a more recent chapter of local history. Birmingham Museums has featured Vanley Burke, one of the UK’s leading Black artists of the Commonwealth generation, talking about his “Rivers of Birminam” photographs. That collection of 100 black and white images records 40 years of Caribbean heritage in Birmingham. For anyone who has settled in Handsworth or nearby, it is a useful reminder that the area’s history did not stop with Boulton.

The address is Soho House, Soho Avenue (off Soho Road), Handsworth, Birmingham, B18 5LB. The page does not list opening times or prices, so check the Birmingham Museums website for current details before you travel.

Aston Hall

Aston Hall is the oldest of the three. The Aston Hall page explains that it was designed by John Thorpe and built by Sir Thomas Holte between 1618 and 1635. It is one of the last great houses built in the Jacobean style. Highlights include the Long Gallery and the great oak staircase, which still shows damage from the English Civil War. It is also said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the UK, which tends to go down well with older children.

Standard opening is Friday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, with last entry to the Hall at 3pm. Admission charges apply to the Hall and pre-booking is advised. The gardens are free to visit from 11am to 4pm, which makes them an easy, no-cost outing with young children who might not last long indoors.

Timing matters right now. The Hall is closed on bank holidays and on 24, 30 and 31 October. It then closes for the winter season from 2 November 2026, except for special events, and plans to resume standard opening hours from 13 February 2027. Special events listed include Aston by Candlelight: A Christmas Tour and The Haunted Hall: A Candlelit Ghost Tour, along with the Astonishingly Aston Friday Tour. If you want to see the Hall this winter, those events are your route in, so check the what’s on listing.

One local detail newcomers often miss: Aston Hall sits close to Aston Villa’s ground. On Aston Villa FC home match and event days there are road closures in the area and the Hall’s car park is closed. Check the fixture list before you drive. The Hall may also sometimes close for private hire. The address is Aston Hall, Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6JD.

Planning your visits

If you think you will visit more than once, look at Birmingham Museums membership. The venue pages say it gives you 12 months of free access to Birmingham Museums venues, plus other benefits. For a family living in the city, that can make return visits feel easy rather than a special occasion. The membership page on the Birmingham Museums site has the current prices and terms.

Two of the three sites advise pre-booking and the Jewellery Quarter museum is tour-only, so booking online is the safe habit. Opening days are limited as well. The Jewellery Quarter museum opens Thursday to Sunday and Aston Hall Friday to Sunday, so weekends work best if you work Monday to Friday. Ticket prices are not listed on the pages above, so use each venue’s ticket page for current charges.

For more guides to settling into life in the UK, visit Mylistingo.

FAQ

Do I need to book the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in advance?

Pre-booking is advised. Entry is by guided tour only, with set tour times between 10:45am and 3:15pm on Thursdays to Sundays, and each tour lasts about 45 minutes. Booking ahead is the best way to be sure of a place.

Is Aston Hall open in winter?

Aston Hall closes for the winter season from 2 November 2026, except for special events such as candlelit Christmas and ghost tours. It plans to resume standard opening hours from 13 February 2027. It is also closed on 30 and 31 October.

Is there anything free at these sites?

The gardens at Aston Hall are free to visit from 11am to 4pm when the site is open, though admission charges apply to enter the Hall itself. Birmingham Museums membership also gives free access to its venues for 12 months.

What are the opening times and prices for Soho House?

The Soho House page does not list opening times or ticket prices. Check the Birmingham Museums website for current details before visiting. The address is Soho Avenue (off Soho Road), Handsworth, Birmingham, B18 5LB.

Official sources: birminghammuseums.org.uk · birminghammuseums.org.uk · birminghammuseums.org.uk

Last checked: 27 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.