Birmingham Digbeth Art And Peaky Blinders Tour

As always with Positively Birmingham Tours, our guide Jonathan was well-researched, professional and enthusiastic. A cut above other guided tours of the city, I would recommend this tour to new visitors to Birmingham as well as to other fellow Brummies who think they know everything about the city. Always something to learn on these tours!

15 of us from our WI (Women's Institute) went on Jonathan's new Digbeth walk. We went on a route I could never retrace - up alleys, along canals, behind warehouses. There was a surprise around every corner. The Sreet Art was incredible, my perception totally changed: These are real Artsts! Learning about all the changes planned for the Digbeth area was fascinating -- BBC studio, MasterChef studio, Peaky Blinders film locations, etc. A great way to spend a sunny Saturday.

Excellent walking tour and a great way to see lots of Birmingham. Jonathan is informative and engaging, he took care to find out and cater for our particular interests. We saw and learnt a vast amount in two hours and felt we were able to get a sense of the rich history and culture the city has to offer. Highly recommended.

Fantastic tour. Our tour guide Jonathan was top class. So passionate, friendly and insightful about Birmingham. He’s a fast walker and wants to show you as much as he can in 2 hours. This tour will take you to all the interesting spots in the Digbeth area for street and graffiti art. A really enjoyable tour. I come to Birmingham regularly to watch Aston Villa so I will definitely come back for another one of his tours. Great way to see Birmingham in a different light. Ps he gives you a headset that you can hear him on so even if you stop to take a photo or are the back of the tour you can still hear all the information. Thank you Jonathan for all the hard work and information that went into your tour. Best of luck with the book.

As someone who goes on walking tours frequently in other cities it was an absolute pleasure to participate in one in my hometown. Jonathan was so friendly and so knowledgeable about the public art around Brum - so many pieces which I had simply breezed past on numerous occasions. He is clearly very passionate about the city which is incredibly infectious. My family and I will without doubt be booking another Positively Birmingham Tour in the near future.

Brilliant walking tour. Even though we’ve lived in Birmingham for 40 years, Jonathan showed us things we’d never noticed! He was very informative and engaging and the pace was just right. I liked the follow up email with information about the art work we’d seen today so that we can find out more about the artists. I would thoroughly recommend this tour and we will be booking onto some of the others.

We undertook the walk as a team as part of our staff wellbeing activities. Positively Birmingham were so welcoming to us, prior to the event asked what we'd ge really interested in seeing and hearing about. The service before, during and after was excellent. We all had the most fantastic morning out, see and discovering a part of Brum i knew very little about! Thank you.

Not being from Birmingham, it was lovely to have so many examples of artwork and interesting architecture highlighted and explained. Jonathan was a knowledgeable, personable and entertaining guide. First class content. We were delighted with the whole experience and would definitely recommend it.

As usual Johnathon Berg provided a riveting, amusing and highly professional tour of the Birmingham Arts Scene. His wealth and breadth of knowledge of Birmingham is impressive and he puts his subject across in a fluent and friendly manner. Highly recommended. Not many more informative ways of spending 2 hours!

lovely morning on this 2hr walking tour. This is the best way to see so much and learn about the area. Jonathan is so informative and knowledgeable and a really great guy. We will definitely book another tour the next time we are in Birmingham.

Another excellent guided walk with Jonathan Berg looking at Public Art and Architecture. So much to see and enjoy when it's pointed out and interpreted for you. What a shame to see Robert Thomas's 'Hebe' overlooking a shallow pool of rubbish - discarded cans, bottles and cardboard cups. Surely Birmingham City Council must take responsibility for looking after her in this prominent entrance to the city centre at the end of Corporation Street. What an appalling example of lack of care it sets to the students of Aston University opposite and a marked contrast to its well maintained campus. We saw several very interesting and thought provoking sculptures on the campus too. The live audio system was first class for easy listening whilst walking. Thanks Jonathan - we look forward to discovering the Secret Canal and Industrial Art with you in the spring.

We walk past street art (graffiti) and don't notice the skill. This walking tour around Digbeth opened our eyes to the different types of street art, and appreciate the skill and styles of different artists, both in commissioned and non-commissioned works. As always Jonathan Berg is well informed and makes the walk really interesting. The radio mike used by Jonathan (connected to receivers with earbuds for each guest) makes it easy to hear all the information, rather than try to be within earshot of a guide on a noisy street. The visit to John Pickering exhibits (103 Colmore Row, Birmingham) was icing on the cake. Highly recommended.

As usual, Jonathon was amusing, informative and knowledgable and the tour was hugely enjoyable. His description of the street art was informed and thorough. We overran slightly but this was because Jonathon is so enthusiastic about his tours and his desire to cover as much as possible. We had a bonus visit to 130 Colmere Row to look at the John Pickering exhibition which was fascinating.

We had a great time and learnt lots about Birmingham through the architecture and public art whilst getting a bit of exercise. The tour guide was clear, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and approachable and encouraged us to ‘look up’ to appreciate and notice what was around us. Even though it was mainly outdoors he was very mindful of COVID and health and safety. Would highly recommend.

Another brilliant walking tour from Jonathan - and not around the obviously well known bits of the city centre that he did on another tour. We looked at mostly modern street art that would otherwise have gone mostly unnoticed. Jonathan is really knowledgeable but he commentates in a light and often humorous way. I worked in the city centre for some time but would never have known the things that we leant on this tour. Brilliant

A great way to learn much more about Birmingham, a city I thought I knew fairly well. The tour is about the right length with pauses in places to discuss the 'art'. Good technology to be able to listen to the guide with your own earphones (or cheap ones available from the guide). Casual, chatty style of the tour leader added to the comfortable atmosphere of the tour. I enjoyed the tour, the others in the group appeared to also enjoy it.

Jonathan is an outstanding guide. He is so knowledgeable, interacted constantly with the group members (he even learnt our names) and was sensitive to individual needs. As a fellow tour guide, I know how difficult this is… Jonathan is passionate about Birmingham and his enthusiasm is infectious. Next time I am in Birmingham, I shall be booking onto another of Jonathan’s tours! Thank you, Jonathan!

We really enjoyed this tour and Johnathon is very engaging and interacted in a friendly and amusing way with all of the group. A live audio system is used so Johnathon can walk and talk as he highlights the incredible Street Art and explained the rituals involved in some of the graffiti and tagging. The regeneration of Digbeth is starting to happen and the creative people around the Custard Factory are leading the way. Another great thing about these tours is that a donation from every tour is made to a Brilliant local charity SIFI Fireside who help the street people of Birmingham.

A somewhat belated review to say how much we enjoyed this fabulous tour. Jonathan is an exceptional tour guide. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, his passion for the City is palpable. He packed so much into the 2 hours but at no time did we feel rushed. The live audio system was excellent and Jonathan's running commentary was interesting, informative and good humoured. The chance meeting with Gent 48 was clearly a highlight. Definitely recommended.

Blessed by excellent weather, we embarked upon our fourth Birmingham tour with Jonathan Berg to explore Digbeth, it’s history, culture and development as a vibrant region of the city. Our previous tours embracing the city centre, jewellery quarter and the association with the arts and crafts movement had all been really excellent and we were looking forward to exploring a region that we had really only known some forty years ago for its coach station. We were in for a real treat, beginning with a look at some contemporary sculptures near to St Martin’s not far from the river Rea upon which the city of Birmingham was formed initially. We then passed to the gigantic Bordesley viaduct and the areas disputed by rival street gangs (including the original Peaky Blinders). Jonathan’s easy manner was informative and entertaining and the two hour walk over four kilometres was pacy and varied. Of exceptional value to us was an introduction to the legalised street art in the area. This was a real education in itself and Jonathan’s recently self acquired appreciation of the murals and their creators was outstanding. Many of our photographs show Jonathan enthusiastically addressing his audience which, on this occasion, had locals and people from across the world. We have always loved the city of Birmingham even though we lived there for just four years when first married. It is a dynamic place which is being developed in exciting ways. Jonathan’s tours embrace these developments at every opportunity. For example, Jonathan introduced us to the new venue for the BBC Midlands studio when it leaves the Mailbox and the huge studio which will host the filming of the forthcoming Peaky Blinders film. We look forward to taking part in more walks as they are created. We are already booked on to one looking at the university next month. I really cannot recommend these tours too highly for anyone who either is a Brummie through and through or who may be visiting the city for the first time. They are in a league of their own. A real bonus is that they are offered altruistically in order to support local charities. Fantastic Jonathan. Thank you again. Very much looking forward to the next one.

Absolutely brilliant tour! Jonathan was an excellent, knowledgeable and warm guide, who even in times of social distancing, made the whole group feel as one. I was over the moon that he also ensured the tour was accessible for my little one in her pram, and I must say she loved the morning too! Despite living relatively local and having visited Birmingham many times, I saw public art I’d never seen or noticed before, and in future, I will always remember to ‘look up’ as Jonathan said and take notice of the wonders above us! Thank you so much, it really lovely and incredibly informative.

Just been on this walk with my husband, and four other people, with Jonathan our guide. It was an absolutely fascinating tour, and really opened our eyes to the world of graffiti and street art - there's some amazing stuff going on in this area now. Jonathan paces the walk really well and told us so much about the history of this lovely city .... we only ever knew Digbeth as a place to park our car when we needed to visit the city centre shops! The two hour walk really went by so quickly and although it was slightly drizzling with rain while we were out, we didn't really notice it. Jonathan uses an audio system which was really good and everyone on the group was really friendly. We have now done all 4 of Jonathan's walks and look forward to whatever he will be doing next - we will be first in the queue, please! We highly recommend all 4 of Jonathan's walks - all 4 have given us so much joy this year - and this latest one was no exception - a wonderful way to finish 2022!. PS - on another walk ("From the Canals and Victorians") I was inspired to change my laptop default typeface to Baskerville because, at the very end of this city centre walk, we stopped by Baskerville House, outside which are huge versions of the typewriter keys in that type face!

It was my first time in Birmingham and I was looking for a unique tour that would help me understand the city's history and culture better, and this tour was perfect for that. Come prepared with your walking shoes, some sunscreen, and some water to stay hydrated!

I loved this tour of Birmingham. Would never have seen the "artsy bits" on my own and to be taken around by such an excellent guide who was enthusiastic and informative encourages me to do further tours with Positively Birmingham Walking Tours. Thank you Jonathan for sharing your knowledge with our group.

Our 5th guided walk with Jonathan Berg in this amazing City. The Digbeth tour is certainly very colourful with all its street art. Fascinating to see what still survives, how factories have been repurposed and the plans for future re-development with BBC studios to take over the old Typhoo building and a new venue for Masterchef on the canal as well as the massive HS2 terminus. We saw the filming studios for Peaky Blinders and also met two young graffiti artists on the towpath - they readily engaged with Jonathan to share their opinions on the local artists. We then had the bonus of seeing John Pickering's model sculptures in 103 Colmore Row as well as the huge suspended Equinox sculpture reflected in the glass. They are fascinating, unique and will hopefully find a permanent home so that others can enjoy them. Thanks again to Jonathan for sharing his knowledge and passion for his adopted city with us all.

We much enjoyed Jonathan’s Digbeth Street Art Tour . He was a good communicator and very knowledgeable on the history of the area and street art in general . One minor criticism would be the emphasis of Peaky Blinders in the “selling” of the tour, it’s role was relatively insignificant .

We had a fabulous time on our weekend in Birmingham - and this tour, guided by the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Jonathan, was a highlight of our stay. We explored lots on our own but I don't think we would have discovered Digbeth and all the amazing street art by ourselves. Thoroughly recommended!