Birmingham City Centre

The Markets

Turn left onto Pershore Street then turn right into Edgbaston Street.

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Map of Birmingham in 1731

You're back in the oldest area of the city. If you're walking through here in the daytime, it will be full of people buying and selling from the indoor, outdoor and rag markets.

It has always been used as a marketplace and Edgbaston Street features on the oldest maps of Birmingham. It was the main route for traders to and from the Bull Ring market. This area was a prestigious place to live - it was near the lord of the manor, close to the church and markets and far enough away from the river to not be liable to flooding, but still close enough for water supplies.

Recently, the area has been completely redeveloped. As part of this work, teams of archaeologists carried out excavations. Just two metres below ground, they found evidence of medieval Birmingham's thriving manufacturing industries. On the site of the Indoor Market, they discovered a 13th century tannery. Fragments of glass, metal and pottery were also found nearby.

Photo on information board showing the pot found under the Indoor Market

Look out for the information board just past Debenhams on the wall on the left - it shows photos of tools, knives and a medieval cooking pot found in Edgbaston Street. It also shows William Westley's 1731 map of Birmingham. You'll see many street names are still the same!

Birmingham has hardly any raw materials - unlike the Black Country which has rich natural reserves of coal, limestone and dolorite. Potters were able to use the natural clay to the south east of the city but everything else had to be brought in.

Where do Birmingham's businesses get their raw materials from? Listen to Ed Hough »

Continue along Edgbaston Street to St Martin's Church.

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You're now back where you started. We hope you enjoyed the walk!
There are links to other Walks Through Time nearby in the right-hand margin.

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